Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Looking Back at the Opener

Posted January 8th, 2025 | 2 Comments »

It seems like a lifetime ago, but it has just been four months since the Eagles beat the Packers 34-29 in the season opener. In Brazil, no less. That victory gave Eagles fans a lot of hope. It also raised more than a few questions.

Jalen Hurts threw for 278 yards, including a 67-yard TD pass to AJ Brown. That was impressive. He threw a pair of bad INTs and got lucky that number wasn’t higher. Hurts did an amazing job of protecting the ball in Training Camp. That ended quickly when the real games began. Hurts protected the ball well in 2022 and the Eagles went to the Super Bowl. He was a turnover machine in 2023 and the season was a disappointment.

The performance in Brazil made you wonder what direction the season would go for Hurts. Luckily, he overcame a slow start and had a really strong year, only throwing 5 INTs. Two of those came in the opener so he really clamped down and protected the ball after that. Hurts didn’t throw a ton of passes. He did finish with a career high in completion percentage and passer rating.

The other huge question coming out of the opener was whether the defense would be any good. They were 30th in points allowed and 26th in yards allowed last season. Vic Fangio was hired to give the Eagles a veteran defensive coordinator who could fix the unit. The Eagles drafted Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. They signed CJGJ. Those moves were expected to fix the porous secondary.

Green Bay had 414 yards and scored 29 points in the opener. There were blown coverages and missed tackles. Everyone wondered if it was simply a matter of a new coach and new players in their first game together or if 2024 was going to be a continuation of 2023. Eagles fans had their own version of PTSD after seeing the epic collapse of last season.

While there were red flags, there were some good signs if you looked carefully. Here is something I wrote from September.

The Eagles gave up 29 points and 414 yards so you’re inclination might be to say the defense is the same. I would differ on that. The defense made some key plays that proved to be the difference in the game. They held the Packers to 1 of 4 in the red zone. Last year the Eagles allowed TDs on 65 percent of red zone possessions (good for 29th in the league). The Eagles had an INT that led to points. Last year the Eagles had 9 picks all year long. The Eagles closed out the game with a sack. There were multiple games last year where the Eagles had a chance to do that and couldn’t.

After an up and down first month, the Eagles defense played lights out. They finished first in the league in yards allowed. They were second in points allowed, but there is a caveat.

So close to being first in both categories. Ugh.

Let’s get into a bit more detail from that game. The tackling was bad. Even Zack Baun missed a couple. All teams can be sloppy in the opener since there is virtually no tackling in Training Camp. Nakobe Dean blew a coverage that led to a big gain. He’s a smarter, more experienced player at this point. CJGJ looked lost a couple of times. He had me worried after that game. The field was slick and both teams struggled to consistently rush the passer.

Josh Jacobs had 6 carries for 4 yards in the first half of that game. The second half was a different story. He ran 10 times for 80 yards. Green Bay made adjustments and their running game came alive. The Eagles didn’t play their gaps well on some of those plays.

The defense had no answer for WR Jayden Reed. He was 4-138 as a receiver and 1-33 as a runner. He caught a 70-yard TD and the 33-yard run went for a score as well. He was spectacular in Brazil.

The Eagles offense used motion a lot in the opener and Hurts did well with it.

If you adjust for scrambles, the Eagles threw more than they ran in the opener. Boy has that changed. Saquon Barkley did have 24 carries so it wasn’t like they were pass happy. Kenny Gainwell only had one rush.

Cam Jurgens mostly played well, but did have a couple of bad snaps. Mekhi Becton made his first start at RG and showed a lot of potential. Still, the OL wasn’t in the kind of groove that we saw by midseason.

The Eagles were good enough to win the opener despite having some issues. That shows you how talented this team is. The coaches were able to develop players and their schemes in the ensuing weeks and months. The Eagles won 12 of their final 13 games, with the only loss coming in the final seconds. You can argue that the Lions, Chiefs and Bills are better, but you can also make a case that the Eagles are the best team in the league.

*****

If you want another perspective on the opener, Old Man Bowen quit yelling at kids to get off his lawn and shared his thoughts on the game.

He’s a pretty good writer. He ought to consider doing that for a living.

*****

Shocking news…Jalen Hurts crawled out of his grave and came back to practice. Truly a miracle. Nick Sirianni must be more surprised than any of us.

*****

Another day, another Dawg.

I like this move. I was a big fan of Cine when he was coming out. The Eagles need more depth at safety so Cine is a good addition. This is his third team so there isn’t a guarantee he’ll pan out, but he does have talent.

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Game Review – PHI 20, NYG 13

Posted January 8th, 2025 | 1 Comment »

The focus is on Sunday’s playoff game with Green Bay, but I wanted to take the time to write out some notes on the regular season finale, with the Eagles backups beating the Giants. We’ve seen the Eagles play in some meaningless finales before. They can be sloppy, ugly games. This didn’t fall into that category. Both teams battled and made some plays. It was a pretty entertaining season finale.

The first thing that occurred to me after the game is how different the two teams were. The Eagles played a couple of starters, but mostly backups. The Giants still had a decent amount of starters in the game. You sure couldn’t tell that by watching the teams. The Eagles looked more talented. The Eagles had a better offensive gameplan. The Eagles defense played well despite having a bunch of new faces on the field.

Think about the QB position. Drew Lock is a former second round pick. He was making his 28th career start and fifth of the season. Tanner McKee is a sixth round pick and made his first career start. McKee almost doubled Lock in passing yardage. Someone who knew nothing of either team would have guessed McKee was the higher pick with more experience.

I have no idea how John Mara could watch that performance and think keeping his coach and GM was the right move.

*****

McKee finished 27-41-269 with a pair of TDs. There was a lot more good than bad.

I loved this throw to DG.

That is aggressive without being reckless. McKee made quick reads and smart decisions. He was accurate. He’s got a smooth motion and good arm. While he isn’t a top athlete, McKee moved well and looked comfortable on the move. He also seemed comfortable at the LOS and running the offense. The situation wasn’t too big for him.

The Giants got more aggressive in the second half and that did give McKee some problems. He wasn’t able to be as quick getting the ball out and things weren’t as smooth. McKee threw two passes in the game that should have been picked off. He’ll need to clean that up in the future. He now has a full game tape to study and learn from. I think McKee has the potential to be a solid starting QB in the NFL. He needs experience and an opportunity.

Jahan Dotson looked like a first round pick, going 7-94. He ran good routes and caught the ball well. He also served as the punt returner. Dotson caught the punts smoothly. Ainias Smith went 4-35 and caught his first TD pass. Johnny Wilson went 3-24. This was a better group than in some previous years. We’ve seen the Eagles playing UDFAs and struggling to make plays. These receivers were good.

Dallas Goedert played in his first game in a while. He shook off the rust and played well. He went 4-55. Goedert got open and caught the ball well. He did have one drop, but looked really good. He is ready for the playoffs.

Kenny Gainwell didn’t have much room to run and finished 11-14. Will Shipley got his most playing time and took advantage of it. He was 10-32 on the ground and just missed scoring a TD. He also did well as a receiver, going 4-35. He showed good RAC ability on two of the catches. One play went for 13 yards. I liked his vision and ability to make a tackler miss.

The OL mostly played well. I focused on Darian Kinnard, who played RT. He showed good footwork and had some really good moments in pass pro. He needs to get better with his hands. He’s got to be able to sustain blocks better. Trevor Keegan made his NFL debut and played the second half at LG. He was just what I expected. Good with his hands. Physical. Effort blocker. Didn’t look overwhelmed at all.

Nick Gates played center. He had a couple of errant snaps. I was disappointed with Fred Johnson. He got beaten a few times, giving up one sack. He wasn’t bad, but wasn’t as good as I hoped for. In his defense, the Giants do have a couple of good pass rushers.

The Eagles DL played well. Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo and Thomas Booker all flashed.

Bryce Huff and Charles Harris each had good plays. Each guy was in on 3 tackles. They both looked quick off the ball. Both just missed a TFL.

LB Oren Burks has starting experience and that showed. He played well against the Giants, finishing with 17 tackles and 2 TFLs. He was physical and tackled well. Jeremiah Trotter Jr got his most playing time and flashed on some plays. You can see how quick and athletic he is. He does need to work on tackling. There isn’t a lack of effort, but he needs to get stronger. Trot Jr was in on 11 tackles (2 solo).

Sydney Brown was up and down. He closed the game with an INT. That play showed good range and ball skills. He had a chance for a similar play earlier in the game, but hit the CB and didn’t get to make a clean play on the ball that time. He played fast, which you love to see, but was out of control on some plays and missed a couple of tackles. If he can harness that energy and speed, he will be a really good safety.

Tristin McCollum was in on 9 tackles. He wrapped up and showed good burst to the ball. The only complaint with him is losing the edge. He did that on a run play and the fake punt, letting the ball get outside of him and up the field for a first down.

Kelee Ringo had some good moments. He broke up a fourth down pass and had a chance to pick it off. Ringo finished with 4 tackles and was phyiscal as a hitter and tackler. I need to go back and study the tape in the offseason to get a better feel for how he covered. The same is true for Eli Ricks.

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