Crazy Day

Games like Sunday’s insane comeback win over the Rams can lead to a lot of bad analysis and takeaways. Games like that are an anomaly. Neither team should make any sweeping conclusions.

Let’s start with the one that bugs me the most.

“‘We’re every bit as good, if not better, than the Philadelphia Eagles.'” – @M_Ryan02 on what the Rams should be telling themselves after a hard-fought game vs Philly in Week 3 pic.twitter.com/JeOeJLuX2q

— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) September 21, 2025

The Eagles were awful in the first half. They finished with 33 yards. Give the Rams defense some credit for that, but also give the Eagles coaches and players a lot of the blame. They stunk. That’s not happening again. The Rams could have a halftime lead on the Eagles in a future game, but they will not shut down the offense to that extent. Like I said, anomaly.

Someone on TV made the point that if the Rams just clean up the blocked FGs they will win the game next time. Ugh. Again, you can’t count on the next game playing out like that. Such bad analysis. If this was a game of high level execution, that’s different. This was anything but normal.

Still processing how crazy this game was.

The Rams had six straight drives on which they scored points. During this stretch, the #Eagles had six drives (including end of half) without a single first down.

So the Rams scored SIX times between two Eagles first downs, and lost.

— Deniz Selman (@denizselman33) September 22, 2025

That is about as crazy a stat as you’ll ever see.

So how about things from the Eagles perspective? I’ve seen some people who think the offense is now fixed after the second half performance. Maybe. But not for sure. The Eagles played a lot of 11 personnel and went up-tempo. They can certainly try that next week and it might work. But there is a sense of urgency that comes when you’re down 26-7. I don’t know if the offense will play the same way next week even if they try to do the same things.

Being down big also gives you a sense of freedom. If you make a mistake, big deal. You’re getting your ass kicked. We see teams do this all the time. They dig a hole and then start playing with more confidence. The Eagles kept that confidence when the game got close and then kept it as they took the lead. That is encouraging. Still, counting on anything from Sunday would be fool’s gold.

If there is a key conclusion to take away from yesterday’s game it is that Sean McVay still has limitations as a coach. He is a brilliant play-caller. He seems to do a great job with culture. He adapts to personnel very well. But game management is still an issue. McVay told the FOX broadcasters he was going to be aggressive. Oops.

McVay went for it on a single fourth down (which got stuffed). With his team up 16-7 late in the first half, the Rams got to the Eagles 15-yard line. They faced 4th & 3. McVay settled for the FG. Huh? You already have a two-possession lead. The Eagles offense can’t do anything. Go for it. If the play is blown up, you still have a good chance to get the ball back near midfield.

I get that some people go overboard with analytics and being aggressive. They want to go for it on almost every fourth down. There is room for nuance. McVay is too cautious. He’s got a star QB. He’s got a pair of stud receivers. He has a good defense. McVay has the pieces to convert fourth downs or then to deal with them if they do get stuffed.

Are you playing to win or are you playing to extend the lead? Eagles fans should be thankful McVay isn’t better at this part of the game. The Rams are really good even without having some strategic advantages. McVay was 0 for 1 on fourth down. The Eagles went 4 for 5. Advantage Eagles.

Even when Nick Sirianni went for it on 4th & 6 and the play didn’t work, I think that helped the Eagles to stay aggressive. Sirianni didn’t pull his foot off the gas. The more you go for it, the more confident your players become in those situations. Sirianni usually has a great feel for when to go for it. McVay might be a better overall coach, but I definitely want Sirianni making the choices when the game is on the line.

*****

The Eagles made a move on Monday, claiming WR/RS Xavier Gipson and releasing OG Kenyon Green.

Obviously, the #Eagles had a lot of issues with Joshua Karty’s knuckleballs on kickoffs.

Xavier Gipson, 24, has returned both kicks and punts over his two seasons with the #Jets.

Also, undrafted rookie WR Darius Cooper suffered a shoulder injury during Sunday’s game that could…

— John McMullen (@JFMcMullen) September 22, 2025

Tank Bigsby struggled with the Rams crazy kickoffs on Sunday. Gipson gives them another option. Karty’s KOs are a real weapon for LA, as the Eagles found out the hard way.

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