Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Game Review – NFC CG – PHI 55, WAS 23

Posted February 1st, 2025 | 3 Comments »

The upstart Washington Commanders were a feel good story for many. They were terrible in 2023, but a new owner, coach and slew of new players helped the team to get all the way to the NFC title game. Unfortunately they ran into the big, bad Eagles. Game over, season over.

The Eagles were the better team. They didn’t care about stories and destiny. They just went out and played good football. Nick Sirianni has preached all year about focusing on each game and tuning out any outside noise. His team certainly did that against Washington and it was great to see.

Washington oppened the game with an 18-play drive that covered 54 yards and just over seven minutes. That resulted in a FG. They converted a couple of third downs and a couple of fourth downs on that. You wondered if Daniels magic would continue to work. Then Barkley worked his magic and you could see a stark difference in the two teams. Washington has Daniels. The Eagles have the better team.

I wonder if things going so easy for the Commanders last week actually hurt them. That game was inside and against a team with a banged up defense. They also love to blitz, which Daniels just eats up. Detroit had several turnovers. Washington won 45-31 and was in control for most of the game. Things were completely different in Philly. The Eagles made big plays on offense and defense. They made Washington work for everything.

In the preview I talked about how getting stops would be critical for the Eagles defense. Washington had 11 possessions and scored 2 TDs. The Eagles forced one punt, had 3 takeaways and came up 2 fourth down stops. They also forced Washington to settle for FGs on three possessions. The Eagles did give up 350 yards, but only allowed 4.5 yards per play and they made key plays throughout the game.

The offense played one of their best games of the year. Jalen Hurts was sharp. His skill players came up big. The OL mostly controlled the LOS. The Eagles got big plays. They also went 7 for 7 in the red zone. That’s insanely good.

This game wasn’t a case of everything going right for the Eagles.  Cam Jurgens back wasn’t ideal so the team had him active, but he didn’t start. Landon Dickerson played center in the first half. Dickerson hurt his knee and was really struggling to move around. Jurgens took over in the second half and battled his way through the rest of the game. Jake Elliott missed a FG. The Eagles allowed WAS to execute a fake punt for a 23-yard gain. WAS had 4 fourth down conversions.

The Eagles didn’t panic when things went wrong. They moved on to the next play and focused on that. That mindset helped them to keep control of the game and win in a blowout.

COACHING

Nick Sirianni had the right message for his team. They were focused and tough from start to finish. They didn’t get overly emotional, as they did in the loss to WAS. Sirianni had his guys locked in. There weren’t a lot of key decisions for Sirianni. No plays to challenge. He did make one key call. The Eagles were up 14-12 with 2:14 left in the first half. The Eagles faced 4th & 5 from the WAS 45. Sirianni went for it.   

There was real risk in that. If the play fails, WAS isn’t far from FG range and could have taken the lead. Sirianni wanted to stay aggressive and went for it. The Eagles scored a few plays later to go up 20-12. Sirianni went for 2 after the TD. A penalty put the ball at the 1, but kicking the XP would have made some sense. That would have given the Eagles a two-possession lead. The conversion failed and the game stayed 20-12.

Kellen Moore had his best game of the season. He got creative. He used jet sweeps (pop passes) and TE runs, stuff we hadn’t seen this year. Moore let Hurts throw passes early and that paid off. Hurts got into a good rhythm and the skill players did too. The Eagles used motion effectively. They had success with quick screens.

The Eagles hired Vic Fangio for situations like this. He was able to make the right calls to keep Daniels off balance. The Eagles covered well and the DL was able to affect Daniels on a regular basis. He was sacked 3 times and had 3 passes batted down by DL. If not for Daniels mobility, the defense would have really shut down Washington. Fangio didn’t blitz much at all. He did mix in lots of stunts and loops. They were very effective.

OFFENSE

Jalen Hurts – Went 20-28-246 with a TD. He ran for 3 TDs. Was only 10-16 on the ground, but that involved several sneaks. Hurts came out throwing…first two passes were quick, short throws to AJ, DG…that seemed to get Hurts into a good rhythm…hit DG for 15 on 3rd & 7…hit AJ for gain of 31 on 4th & 5….clutch play and great throw…got momentum back to the Eagles…had DG open for a TD, but the ball was too high…scrambled in the red zone and made a terrific throw to DeVonta…he couldn’t make the catch, but drew a flag…hit AJ on a quick out for a TD…perfect throw…did a great job on getting the ball to Goedert, whether short or intermediate…those two have great chemistry

Saquon Barkley – Most thought Barkley would need to be a workhorse in this game. That turned out not to be the case. He was 15-118-3. Barkley had a long TD on Eagles first offensive snap…used his speed to run for the second TD…Luvu got into the backfield, but Saquon exploded to the right and got to the corner untouched…had multiple good blocks in pass pro…had a good block on Hurts QB draw TD…Barkley’s speed gave WAS fits on multiple runs…they had guys almost in position, but they couldn’t get to him to make the play.

Kenny Gainwell – went in motion and caught a quick pass in the flat…jumped over a defender and ended up with a gain of 8…great effort…gave Hurts a strong push on sneak play for TD…ended up with 3 carries for 8 yards, 2 catches for 16 yards…left the game with a concussion

Will Shipley – got on the field late and made the most of it…first run went for 16…next run went for 57…eventually scored on a 2-yard TD…finished 4-77-1

AJ – terrific blocking on long TD…occupied multiple defenders…biggest catch came on 4th & 5…went in motion to show man covg…then went downfield…got open and made a terrific catch for 31 yds…game changer…great catch on quick out for TD…had to snatch the ball and get his feet in quickly…caught multiple passes along the sideline and added RAC yards…finished 8-96-1…blocked well throughout the game

DeVonta – made a terrific catch along the sideline for a good gain that set up a TD…got his feet in just barely…great body control, footwork…had a chance for a TD on Hurts scramble play…went down for ball, but couldn’t secure it…did draw PI flag…caught pass on mesh route on 3rd down and moved the chains…finished 4-45

Dallas Goedert – Had a good game. Blocked well, but made his real impact as a receiver. Finshed 7-85 with a long of 26 yards. Got his first 2 carries of the season on a TE jet sweep play…drew a PI call on downfield pass that set up 1st & goal…made catches at key moments and really impacted the game…it was fun to see him used as a runner

Grant Calcaterra – did a solid job of blocking on the move…he was awful in the Week 16 loss to WAS so it was good to see him block well in this game and do his part to help the offense…no targets…

Jordan Mailata – If you watch the mic’d up stuff on this game, Mailata talked and laughed all game long…he also blocked his ass off…had a key block on the long TD to open the game…pulled and flattened Wagner on a run to the right…beaten for a sack in the early 3rd…DE just got under/by him cleanly…had a couple of blocks on Barkley run that went for 22 yds and got to the 1…seemed to block Wagner over and over…a real physical presence

Tyler Steen – started at LG and played well…had to go up against Jonathan Allen, a good DT…Allen used a hard outside move to blow by him and get a TFL…Steen was going hard inside and had no chance on the play…had a false start penalty…did a good job on sneaks…fired off quickly and stayed low, which is key…sealed DT to open lane for Hurts on QB draw TD run…Steen is quick and athletic…needs to use his hands better…needs to sustain blocks better…Allen didn’t have a QB hit or sack in the game

Landon Dickerson – got the start at center…snaps were an issue…at first the timing was off…he was a bit early…looked like he screwed up on sack in mid-2nd Qtr…Hurts adjusted to extra protection by adding Calcaterra to backfield, but Dickerson went for same rusher as Calcaterra…he let Luvu free and that resulted in a sack and subsequently a missed FG…struggled with Luvu on multiple inside rushes…not sure if that was due to the knee or confusion…called for holding and that wiped out Hurts TD run…luckily they scored a few plays later…I think his knee was a key part of reaching/holding on that play…showed great toughness in playing the whole first half…his knee was a real issue

Cam Jurgens – took over at center after halftime…had the key block on Hurts TD run in the 3rd qtr…got driven straight back on one pass play, but battled and generally did well…Luvu blew by him for a TFL, but it was perfectly timed blitz…not sure any OL is making that block…solid showing, especially considering he had a bad back

Mekhi Becton – failed to pick up an early stunt, but didn’t hurt…let DT go free on pass play and tried to help Dickerson, but that DT wasn’t close…luckily Barkley blocked the DT who came free up the middle…good block on DG’s first run…if he gets his hands on a defender, almost always wins…still has too many plays where he isn’t blocking the right defender…even after 18 starts you can see he is still learning to play OG

Lane Johnson – quietly dominant…locked down his side of the field…

Fred Johnson – took over at RT late…played as an extra OL before that…

*****

DEFENSE

The defense played screens exceptionally well. DBs got upfield quickly and aggressively. They played with good leverage. WRs dropped a couple of passes as were under pressure even trying to make the grab.

Jalen Carter – Pressure on stunt…beat C with club move and flushed QB…disrupted a run by driving the RG into the backfield…got into the backfield on 3rd & 10 and hurried Daniels into throwing the ball away…jumped offside late in the half…used club move to blow by his blocker and force a throwaway…I didn’t chart every time he got penetration or was disruptive…caused problems all game long…ate up double teams and that allowed the other DTs to thrive…

Jordan Davis – didn’t play a lot because WAS got away from the run game…their RBs only finished 19-51…Davis got off blocks and made hustle tackle on first play…beat the LG with a good inside move and sacked Daniels…that was a drive killer…drove C backward on pass and then pressured Daniels…deflected a pass…finished with 2 tackles, PD, sack

Milton Williams – Great game. Dominated the LG…batted pass…drove LG back toward QB on pass play…got off block of LG and made tackle on run play…took on double team and stuffed run that came his way…clogged the running lanes consistently…drove the LG back to Daniels on 3rd & 10 and flushed him…got washed inside on play late in half where Daniels scramble put WAS in FG range…made a good hustle play to chase down Ekeler on a screen and limit it to a short gain…drove the LG back to Daniels and forced him to scramble…used an outside move to blow by the LG and force Daniels to throw the ball away…batted down a pass…stat sheet shows 2 tackles, 2 PDs, but that doesn’t come close to explaining his impact

Moro Ojomo – One of his best games of the year…drove the RG back to JD and caused him to scramble…beat the LG with an inside move and pressured Daniels…drove the LG back to Daniels and forced an errant throw…used a hard inside move to get free up the middle and force a quick throw…looped around Carter and forced a throwaway…

Nolan Smith – set edge, shed block and tackled RB…WAS tried to block him with TE on play-action pass…Smith got into the backfield and flushed Daniels, who got sacked by Burks…took on pulling OL, shed him and tackled RB…beat the LT inside and forced a quick throw…lined up way wide and flew off the ball to chase Daniels down for a sack…another good game…4 tackles and a sack

Josh Sweat – beat LT to the inside and forced a bad throw…dropped into coverage and tackled WR after a short gain…somewhat of a quiet game…

Jalyx Hunt – Drove LT back into Daniels on 4th down play…beat LT on pass and would have hit Daniels if not for quick throw…chased Daniels out of bounds on a play where he scrambled…good hustle…drove the LT straight back into Daniels…really impressive power move…continues to improve as the season goes along…not a project anymore

Bryce Huff – played late…used spin move to the inside to pressure Daniels…used a good dip move to get by RT, but got held…no call, but still pressured Daniels…

Zack Baun – Another great game. Led the team with 12 tackles. Had a TFL, FF, FR…gave up completion to Ertz on early 4th down…Ertz created just enough separation to get open…hustled out wide to tackle WR on quick screen…hustled in pursuit and punched the ball away from Brown after catch over the middle…came upfield quickly to tackle RB for no gain after the DTs gave the runner nowhere to go…missed tackle of McLaurin on quick pass that turned into TD…wasn’t going to be easy since McLaurin was on the run…recovered the Ekeler fumble after Burks knocked the ball out…shed the C and got a TFL on Ekeler on inside run…

Oren Burks – Good game. Got the Eagles first sack of the game…Daniels was flushed from the pocket and Burks came upfield to make a good play and get him on the ground…athletic play…just missed breaking up a pass on the next play…great throw in traffic…wasn’t able to tackle Daniels on run that went for TD…Daniels made hard cut and flew upfield…that dude is talented…hustled out wide to tackle Ekeler and knocked the ball out…made quick tackle of Ekeler on screen pass…looked comfortable in coverage…finished with 9 tackles, sack, FF…the defense hasn’t missed a beat without Nakobe Dean

CJGJ – quick tackle of TE after short catch…came into the box for short yardage run…took on the LT and then made the tackle…RB did move the chains, but great effort…almost made diving INT downfield, but couldn’t secure the ball…good tackle of RB limited run to short gain…finished with 5 tackles…good showing

Reed Blankenship – recovered fumble after Baun punched ball out…had trouble with covering Ertz…tackled him quickly so didn’t give up RAC yards…just wasn’t able to play the ball or prevent throws from coming that way…had 7 tackles and the FR

Slay – had tight coverage of Brown on downfield throw…ball was incomplete…missed tackle of McLaurin on quick pass that turned into TD…gave up 2-pt conversion…had good coverage initially, but WR was able to get open late…broked up 4th qtr pass and almost picked off the pass as it fell to the ground…good overall game in coverage…had 3 tackles

Q – Came up quickly to tackle Ekeler short of the sticks on 3rd down…forced FG…disrupted a 2-pt conversion by making a smart read and coming upfield quickly…picked off a pass in the end zone late in the game…locked down his side of the field…hard to believe this is a rookie CB…finished with 4 tackles, 2 PDs, INT

Cooper – broke up early pass downfield…tackled Daniels in space after he scrambled up the middle…engaged Brown and kept him contained on the play where Baun had knocked the ball loose…broked up a quick screen by getting upfield before the receiver could secure the ball…made quick tackle of Crowder after short catch…disruptive for a DB…had 6 tackles, 2 PDs

Isaiah Rodgers – got burned on pick play late in the half…Ertz got 11 yards and made FG easier…

ST

Let’s start with a big negative. Eagles were burned by fake punt that went for 23 yards. They probably should have been in punt safe against a team as aggressive as WAS. At the least, the players should have been looking for the fake. Jeremiah Trotter got burned and that was a turning point moment in the first half.

Will Shipley made an impact on STs. He forced a fumble on KOR and Gainwell recovered that. Made the tackle on the fake punt. Averaged 29 yards per KOR and had a long of 35.

Really good KO coverage by the Eagles. Lots of hats to the ball. Lane integrity.

Great effort by Sydney Brown to keep punt out of endzone. Kelee Ringo got his hands on the ball as well and he’d stepped on the line so the play resulted in a touchback.

Jake Elliott missed a 54-yard FG. He did go 7 for 7 on XPs.

_

3 Comments on “Game Review – NFC CG – PHI 55, WAS 23”

  1. 1 The Linc - Lane Johnson says he’s “definitely not retiring” after Super Bowl LIX - SportSourcio said at 3:03 PM on February 1st, 2025:

    […] Game Review – NFC CG – PHI 55, WAS 23 – Iggles Blitz […]

  2. 2 The Linc – Over View – Your Daily News Source said at 1:31 AM on February 2nd, 2025:

    […] Game Review – NFC CG – PHI 55, WAS 23 – Iggles BlitzJalen Hurts – Went 20-28-246 with a TD. He ran for 3 TDs. Was only 10-16 on the ground, but that involved several sneaks. Hurts came out throwing…first two passes were quick, short throws to AJ, DG…that seemed to get Hurts into a good rhythm…hit DG for 15 on 3rd & 7…hit AJ for gain of 31 on 4th & 5….clutch play and great throw…got momentum back to the Eagles…had DG open for a TD, but the ball was too high…scrambled in the red zone and made a terrific throw to DeVonta…he couldn’t make the catch, but drew a flag…hit AJ on a quick out for a TD…perfect throw…did a great job on getting the ball to Goedert, whether short or intermediate…those two have great chemistry. […]

  3. 3 The Linc - Black And White News said at 5:38 AM on February 2nd, 2025:

    […] Game Review– NFC CG– PHI 55, WAS 23 – Iggles Blitz Jalen Hurts– Went 20-28-246 with a TD. He ran for 3 TDs. Was just 10-16 on the ground, however that included a number of sneaks. Injures came out tossing … initially 2 passes fasted, brief tosses to AJ, DG … that appeared to get Hurts into an excellent rhythm … struck DG for 15 on 3rd & & 7 … struck AJ for gain of 31 on 4th & & 5 … clutch play and fantastic toss … got momentum back to the Eagles … had DG open for a TD, however the ball was too expensive … rushed at a loss zone and made a fantastic toss to DeVonta … he could not make the catch, however drew a flag … struck AJ on a fast out for a TD … best toss … did an excellent task on getting the ball to Goedert, whether brief or intermediate … those 2 have terrific chemistry. […]