Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Great Day

Posted December 29th, 2024 | Comments Off on Great Day

The Eagles and Cowboys both had backup QBs starting on Sunday. The Eagles won the game 41-7 and showed you just how different things are between the two teams. Philly had playmakers all over the field, on offense and defense. Dallas had one play of 20 or more yards. The Eagles had 7.

The rosters are very different.

Injuries are certainly a factor, but Dallas simply doesn’t have enough difference-makers. After Kenny Pickett was knocked out of the game, Tanner McKee took over at QB for the Eagles. McKee went 3 for 4 for 54 yards and 2 TDs in his NFL debut. He might be the #3 QB, but he had good protection and good weapons. All McKee had to do was go out and execute. And he did.

Pickett got the start and played well, going 10-15-143 with a TD. He was able to function within the structure and also create on his own when needed.

Picket also went 2 for 3 on Brotherly Shoves. Jalen Hurts doesn’t have to worry about losing his job, but Pickett showed why the Eagles traded for him. He has starting experience and solid talent. You don’t have to turn the offense into just hand-offs and short passes with him.

The star of the game was 26. Saquon Barkley went 31-167 and now has 2005 yards for the season. It is surreal to type that sentence. The Eagles have had plenty of good RBs over the years. I just never expected one of them would do something quite so historic.

2K. That’s really unbelievable. The OL loved it. The fans loved it. What a special season from a special dude. Now the question becomes whether Nick Sirianni will let Barkley go after the record next week. It is possible there won’t be anything to play for and the Eagles could rest their starters. We’ll have to see how the MIN and DET games go.

The Eagles defense bounced back in a big way. Dallas was able to move the ball a bit on the opening drive, but then CJGJ jumped a route, picked off the pass and raced 69 yards for the TD. Dallas marched down the field after that to tie the game at 7-7. Cooper Rush was making good reads and throws. You wondered if Dallas was going to be tougher than expected.

Dallas didn’t score another point. They only gained 163 yards after that and had 3 more turnovers. That was the Eagles defense we’ve come to expect and love this year. CJGJ led the way with 2 INTs. His second pick robbed Quinyon Mitchell of a chance to get his first pick of the season. Q is one frustrated rookie.

It was great to see the Eagles come out and play well and win. They are now NFC East champs. Barkley got to 2,000. The backup QBs made plays. The guys around them made plays. There was a lot of fun in Sunday’s win. This team is at its best when they play well and get to celebrate together.

That may sound like an obvious statement, but the last two Super Bowl teams were groups that played with joy. They had fun. This group has that same type of vibe. That doesn’t guarantee they’ll get back to the big game. I do think it’s a great sign.

Keep in mind that not every player has experienced winning and being part of a great team.

The Eagles still have a lot to accomplish. We’ll see about Barkley and the rushing record. Most importantly is the pursuit of a Super Bowl. Thankfully this team still feels hungry, in part because of the new and young guys. Sirianni loves to talk about how he wants his team to be connected. This team certainly is and that’s helping them win games and do special things.

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Game Preview – Cooper vs Kenny

Posted December 28th, 2024 | 1 Comment »

The Eagles host the Cowboys on Sunday. If the guys in Kelly Green win, they will take the NFC East title for the season. This is also a big game because it allows us to explore the age old question – is Kenny Pickett better than Cooper Rush?

Joking aside, Rush is playing okay this year. He has started 7 games and gone 4-3. He’s got 11 TD passes and only 3 INTs. Rush only averages 6.1 yards per attempt and only completes 61 percent of his passes. That’s not ideal. If you throw a lot of short passes, you want to be in the upper 60’s in completion percentage.

Rush was very conservative early this year but has been more aggressive in recent weeks. He has been willing to throw down the field and take some chances. I don’t know how easy that will be without CeeDee Lamb in the game. Lamb is a great target and also impacts the defense even when the ball doesn’t come to him.

Pickett will be making his first start of the season. He was up and down last week. He’ll be better prepared this time out, but will also face a tougher defense.

Washington had success by blitzing Pickett. Dallas will blitz him a ton. Kellen Moore needs to have schematic answers for this. Pickett also needs to make quick reads and smart decisions. You cannot hold the ball against the blitz. Find an open guy and get the ball to him quickly. Or throw it away. You just don’t want to take sacks.

Dallas has a lot of injuries in their secondary so the smart approach might be spreading them out and attacking with the pass. Think about what the Eagles did to open the game against Pittsburgh. If you do that, stopping the blitz is harder because you have less people to help block. The Eagles have options because Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson are such good OTs.

The X-factor to all of this is Saquon Barkley and the run game. If the Eagles are able to run the ball consistently, they can pick and choose when to throw. One great way to slow down a pass rush is to pound on them and make them play the run. Dallas has struggled with run defense this year.

Jalen Hurts is a key part of the Eagles run game, but they can run without him. The OL has to block well and so do the other skill players. The blocking last week got sloppy after the first quarter. Barkley didn’t have much room to run. There is a lot of talk about whether he can break Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing record (2,105). I’m more interested in securing the division and having him healthy for the playoffs. If he has a huge game, great.

The Eagles made some moves on Saturday.

Book will be the emergency QB on Sunday. I’m curious to see if Huff plays or is active more as an emergency move in case Josh Sweat has an ankle issue flare up. TDP will be the #3 RB with Will Shipley out due to a concussion. Gant is there to help on STs with Nakobe Dean likely out and Oren Burks needing to play on defense.

The Eagles defense will be facing a tougher version of Dallas than the first game. Rush has gotten into a groove and looks a lot more comfortable than he did back then. Dallas is running the ball much better. Still, take Lamb away from the Cowboys and they don’t have a lot of firepower on offense. This is a game where the Eagles defense needs to play well. While Dallas has been better recently, they weren’t facing good defenses. This should be a different story.

Dean has had a strong season so he will be missed (assuming he’s out). Burks can be an adequate short term replacement. Zack Baun is still the key LB. Dean is helpful in getting everyone lined up (including Baun) so Burks will have to help with that.

Eagles STs much play much better this time out. KaVontae Turpin is a dynamic returner who has burned the Eagles in past games. The STs did not cover well last week. They better improve or Turpin will make plays. We’ll see how much of a factor the weather is. Temperature won’t be an issue, but rain is possible.

I think the Eagles will be focused after a sloppy performance like last week. They’re at home and playing a key rival. This is the kind of game they should win, with or without Hurts.

A sweep of the Cowboys would be a nice late Christmas present for Eagles Nation.

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