Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Game Review – PHI 34-6

Posted November 13th, 2024 | 1 Comment »

It wasn’t quite 44-6, but this was one heck of a beatdown. Dallas looked hopeless on offense and had some real issues on defense. If you’re a Dallas fan, you have a miserable second half of the season ahead of you. For Eagles fans, Sunday was fun and added to the optimism that this could be a good season.

The Eagles led the entire game. They were able to rest key players for almost the entire fourth quarter. The most compelling storyline involved the sun, Jerry Jones and whether there should be curtains in the stadium. That should give you an idea how things went.

Philly went up 7-0, but slowed down after that. The score was just 7-6 at the two-minute warning before the half. The Eagles got the ball back and drove 84 yards for a TD to make it 14-6. That pretty much sealed the game.

The score was close because the Eagles offense had some issues early on. Jalen Hurts was sacked 5 times and turned the ball over twice in the first half. The Eagles also committed six penalties. That sloppiness kept Dallas in the game. You do need to give the Cowboys defense some credit for making plays. At the same time, Hurts held the ball too long on at least three of the sacks.

Things started to click late in the half and the Eagles took control of the game. They finished with 348 yards and 34 points. The Eagles defense played well and really put the clamps on Dallas. Cooper Rush kept throwing short passes and Eagles defenders kept tackling them right at the spot of the catch. This is nuts.

The Eagles were the better team. They played like it for most of the game. Even when Dallas had kept the score close, the Cowboys didn’t feel like much of a threat.

COACHING

Nick Sirianni didn’t have many tough decisions to make. The Eagles only went for it on fourth down in the final minute of the game. Sirianni had the team ready to play. They didn’t come out flat and they didn’t take Dallas lightly.

The offensive and defensive gameplans were tough to evaluate since Dallas played so poorly. The Cowboys finished with 146 yards and 5 turnovers. They averaged 2.6 yards per play. Yikes, that is bad. They only had one play go for more than 11 yards. The Eagles offense was very different. They had 10 plays go 13 yards or more. Four of  them went for 24 or more yards.

OFFENSE

Jalen Hurts was up and down. The overall performance was good. But he started slow so people tended to fixate on that angle. It felt like a bad game even though it really wasn’t.

I don’t know if the gameplan wanted Hurts to focus on going deep or Hurts simply did that. It led to him holding the ball longer than he should. Hurts started getting the ball out quicker later in the half and the offense came alive. His 2 TD passes came on plays where he scrambled to buy time, but also kept his eyes downfield. Hurts also ran the ball well, going 7-56-2. When he was good, he was really good.

Hurts did throw an INT in the end zone. Dallas Goedert was open, but Trevon Diggs jumped the route and picked off the pass. Grant Calcaterra was wide open in the corner of the end zone. Hurts admitted after the game that he should have gone to him. Sometimes it feels like Hurts forces the ball to his star players rather than the player who is the most open.

Saquon Barkley was 14-66 on the ground. The Eagles were able to rest him, which was needed. They also ran him outside several times which took away some of the wear and tear of tough inside runs. His highlight came on a short throw where he went by/through multiple defenders and set the Eagles up with 1st & goal.

Kenny Gainwell was 7-30 on the ground. He missed a blitz pickup that led to a sack. He did have a couple of good pass blocks in the game. Will Shipley had his best game, going 9-34 on the ground.

Hurts only completed 14 passes. AJ Brown went 5-109. DeVonta was only 2-14, but he was open deep once and Dallas got away with PI. Smith got held on another play or it might have been a TD. Dallas Goedert and Johnny Wilson each had TD catches. That was Wilson’s first NFL TD.

The OL was up and down. Hurts had plenty of time to throw on most plays, despite the number of sacks. There were times when he was under pressure. And the run blocking was sloppy early on.

DEFENSE

Jalen Carter had a really good game. He had 4 tackles, half a sack, a TFL and a PD. Even when he didn’t make plays, Carter was disruptive.

Milton Williams had a sack and recovered a fumble. Bryce Huff had a strip sack late in the game. He just overwhelmed the RT and pounded the QB. Nolan Smith had a couple of tackles and a TFL.

Zack Baun had another great game. He led the team with 8 tackles and added a TFL, 2 FF and a FR.

CJGJ tackled better in this game than he has recently. He picked off a pass and just missed another. He also had 7 tackles. Reed Blankenship had 4 tackles and recovered a fumble. Cooper DeJean had 3 tackles and recovered a fumble in the end zone. Another strong game for the rookie. Quinyon Mitchell broke up 2 passes and also played well.

ST

Braden Mann averaged 52 yards on his four punts.

Ben VanSumeren just missed blocking a punt.

Cooper DeJean had a 31-yard PR.

Will Shipley averaged 32 yards on two KORs.

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Looking Legit

Posted November 11th, 2024 | 3 Comments »

The Eagles started this season 2-2. The loss to the Bucs raised a lot of questions about the Eagles, on offense, defense and special teams. Some subsequent games raised questions about coach Nick Sirianni. There was a lot of negativity swirling around the Eagles.

Those questions have disappeared as the Eagles rode a 5-game winning streak to a 7-2 record and first place in the NFC East. If the season ended today, they would be  the #2 seed in the NFC. Not bad for a lousy team with an idiot coach, huh?

It turns out the players are pretty good. The new coordinators actually know what they’re doing. And Sirianni is adjusting to his new role and finding ways to get the most out of his team. It just took some time. There were also changes along the way. The offense became very run-heavy. Kellen Moore started mixing in different formations and using a fullback. It didn’t hurt to get AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith healthy. Those guys are game-changers.

Vic Fangio had a great track record. His defense got off to a slow start this year and people wondered if he had the answers to fix this unit. Fangio always had a quiet confidence in his press conferences that gave you hope, but the on-field product wasn’t good. Since the bye week and the addition of Cooper DeJean as the nickel, the Eagles have been the best defense in football.

Is it safe to believe in the Eagles? Yes.

I’m not saying the Lions need to be in panic mode quite yet, but we do need to acknowledge that this team is good. The recent schedule hasn’t exactly been a gauntlet and we do have to keep that in mind. Still, the Eagles are dominating bad teams and that’s what you’re supposed to do.

That stat is nuts.

The upcoming schedule will provide more of a challenge and will give us a better feel for this team.

WAS
@LAR
@BAL

The Eagles will face three really good QBs and a pair of dynamic offenses. This will tell us a lot about the defense. It will also put pressure on the offense. You aren’t going to beat Washington or Baltimore with 17 points. The offense will need to score in those games.

If the Eagles can win 2 of the 3 games, they’ll be feeling pretty good about where things stand. If the Eagles lose a couple, there will be more questions. For now, enjoy the winning streak and feel good about the Birds.

The players and coaches are figuring things out, but there is still room to get better. Jahan Dotson has two long catches in the last two weeks. Johnny Wilson caught his first NFL TD on Sunday. Bryce Huff had a strip sack. Maybe that will get him going. The defense has 10 takeaways in the last three games. It feels like the team gets a little better each week.

Last year’s team feels worlds away from this group. The Eagles are well coached this time around. They block and tackle well. They are tough and physical. And Howie Roseman built a talented roster. They didn’t make a move at the trade deadline in part because they didn’t need to.

It has been exciting to see this team come together. Hopefully it will be even more fun to see what they do in the second half of the season.

*****

Jordan Mailata says he might be able to play on Thursday night. Fred Johnson has done a good job at LT, but Mailata is a better player and should make the offense even better.

*****

It feels like this team is coming together as people. The 2017 team had great vibes. The 2022 team also had really good vibes. Last year was odd, even when the team was winning. This group looks like they are having fun on the field, and off it.

Sirianni wants his guys to connect. Feels like that is happening.

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