Posted September 23rd, 2023 | 2 Comments »New England had all offseason to get ready for the Eagles. Bill Belichick and his staff came up with good wrinkles on offense and defense. The Vikings also spent the offseason planning for the Eagles. They ran a very creative defensive scheme. The offense moved Justin Jefferson around as much as possible, ensuring he wouldn’t be shut down like last year.
The Eagles couldn’t really prepare for the Pats because they didn’t know what to expect. The Vikings game was even tougher because of the short week.
Finally the Eagles have had a chance to prepare for a game. They had 10 days to get ready for Week 3 and the Bucs. Part of that time was spent studying Eagles tape to identify what wasn’t working and why. Part of the time focused on Tampa and the two games worth of tape that were available.
The Bucs can still throw some wrinkles at the Eagles and probably will. But Nick Sirianni and his staff have had plenty of time to study the Bucs and get a feel for their players and what the coaches want to do. This week is a test to see how the new Eagles coordinators can identify and fix problems.
We won’t get definitive answers. One game is still just one game. It will give us some idea of what the new coordinators can do, as well as what kind of a feel the whole staff has for this team. This is a different roster than last year. Which players are ready to step up? Which players can overcome some adversity? Who is in over their head?
I’m excited to see what happens on Monday, knowing full well that not everything will work perfectly. This team has so much potential. It was fun to watch D’Andre Swift and Josh Sweat be the stars last week. This week could be AJ Brown and Haason Reddick. Or Dallas Goedert and Jalen Carter. It will take a few more games to really get a feel for this team, but Monday should give us some key hints.
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This game will be huge for Jalen Hurts. He’s had time to study tape from the first two weeks and figure out where he’s made mistakes. He’ll also have time to study the Bucs and be ready for them.
Tampa is one of the better defenses in the league. And they had Hurts number in a pair of 2021 showdowns. He really struggled. This game is an opportunity for Hurts to show how much he’s grown since 2021 and also since the first two games of this season.
Lighting up mediocre defenses is fun, but games like this are important. They show a player and a team where they stand against stiff competition. That matters for a team that has Super Bowl aspirations.
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The Eagles are getting healthier. Kenny Gainwell, James Bradberry and Reed Blankenship should all return after missing the Minnesota game.
Boston Scott is practicing and hopefully he’ll be back.
It does sound like Quez Watkins will miss the game. That means more time for Olamide Zaccheaus. It will be interesting to see how he fits in.
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One of the keys for Sean Desai will be this.
How can the Eagles do a better job vs TEs? Maybe Christian Elliss plays more. He was good in coverage this summer. Maybe they’ll use safeties more in those matchups. We’ll have to see what Desai does, but this has been a clear weakness for the defense so far this season.
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What will Desai do in the slot?
He could play Mario Goodrich in there. Goodrich struggled last week, but he came off the bench and just looked overwhelmed. He would go into this game knowing he would play and that makes a difference.
Bradberry could play in the slot. He got some practice time there this summer. On the surface, moving a star CB inside doesn’t make a lot of sense. But what if the coaches are willing to do that because they think that highly of Josh Jobe, the top backup on the outside?
https://twitter.com/EaglesXOs/status/1704578929397211597
Jobe got burned for a long TD, but overall did some good things. He was very good this summer so maybe the coaches trust Jobe and want him on the field.
We’ll see.
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Posted September 21st, 2023 | 5 Comments »I haven’t written a lot in the last week due to traveling and some other stuff that popped up. Since I’m a bit behind, no normal Game Review. Instead I’ll post some short thoughts on the win over the Vikings and then get into other Eagles news.
PHI 34, MIN 28 – Game Notes
What a weird game. On one hand, the Eagles felt lucky to win. On the other hand, they were up 27-7 at one point and felt totally in control. This felt a bit like the Detroit game from last year. The Eagles just couldn’t put the Vikings away. Injuries to the back seven didn’t help in a game where the opponent wanted to throw the ball. I do love the fact the Eagles coaches leaned on the run the way they did. If the defense dares you to run, do it. Don’t try to outsmart yourself by forcing the passing game. The Eagles played this game on a short week and it felt like that showed.
This felt a bit like a Nick Sirianni special. He loves explosive plays and takeaways. The Eagles had TDs of 63 and 43 yards and another pass play that covered 54 yards. They had 4 takeaways and only turned the ball over once.
The biggest issue from a coaching perspective was Sirianni not going for 2 late in the game. That could have proved to be critical. The Vikings never got the TD they needed to make that anything more than a point of discussion.
OFFENSE
For the second week in a row, the defense tried to make Jalen Hurts a pocket passer. He was 12-35 on the ground with a long run of 8 yards. The Vikings did a good job of limiting him as a runner. They played a really creative defense. Felt like they were in a 3-3-5 for a lot of the game. They mixed things up between blitzing and dropping as many as 8 into coverage. That kind of variance kept Hurts from getting comfortable and into a good rhythm.
Hurts went 18 for 23 as a passer and had some good moments. He stood tough in the pocket on the deep TD to DeVonta and paid for that with a big hit. Hurts had a late TD to AJ wiped out by a questionable holding call. His presence on the field opened up running room for the RBs.
Playing the light box gave the running game a chance to shine. Eagles RBs were 36-224 on the ground. D’Andre Swift was outstanding. His combination of vision, cutback ability and burst was perfect for this game. Boston Scott was 5-40 and looked good. His burst was perfect on the final drive of the half, as the Eagles were able march down for a FG.
The OL was outstanding in the run game. Landon Dickerson and Jordan Mailata bullied Vikings defenders. They were a lot of fun to watch. Cam Jurgens was up and down. He’s still getting used to the speed of the NFL game. Pass pro was more of a mixed bag. The Vikings used a mush rush at times, where the rushers try to box the QB in rather than going all out to get to him. Hurts bailed from that at times, which gave them a chance to get to him.
DeVonta Smith was terrific, going 4-131-1. He also blocked well. AJ Brown did not have his best game, as a receiver or blocker. He let his slow start to the season affect his effort and that’s not good. I’m sure Sirianni will have a word with him.
Dallas Goedert was 6-22 as a receiver. He made his presence felt as a blocker.
https://twitter.com/EaglesXOs/status/1703904580377903143
That ability helps make Goedert such a weapon. He can burn you as a receiver or get the best of you as a blocker.
DEFENSE
Remember last year when the Eagles had the best pass defense in the league, but were vulnerable to the run? Times have changed. They now have the best run D and a leaky pass defense. Minnesota ran 9 times for 28 yards before just giving up. Jordan Davis and the DL did a fantastic job of clogging up the middle.
The real star up front was Josh Sweat. He played DE and DT and was disruptive wherever he lined up. He had a sack, a FF and 5 QB hits. Sweat has special potential because of his combination of athleticism, strength and length.
https://twitter.com/PhillyTruthr/status/1702713510650626292
That is a wow play.
Davis added a sack and a couple of QB hits. Fletcher Cox had a couple of QB hits and recovered the fumble after Sweat’s strip-sack. Jalen Carter had a couple of tackles and a TFL, but was quieter in this game than I expected.
I thought Zach Cunningham played well. He led the team with 8 total tackles and had a TFL. He’ll never be considered a cover LB, but I thought he had some good moments in coverage. He’s solid when keeping things in front of him and then making the tackle. He struggles when he’s asked to cover a TE man-to-man.
Nick Morrow started over Christian Elliss and I thought he was solid. He had 3 tackles and got a good shot on Cousins.
Justin Evans is physical, but has serious coverage limitations. Terrell Edmunds had 6 tackles and a FF.
Darius Slay was credited with 1 PD. He got his hands on several passes and just missed a couple of INTs. The Eagles tried to match him up vs Justin Jefferson, but the Vikings did an excellent job of moving JJ around so that he got favorable matchups.
Josh Jobe did some good things in his first start. He did give up a long TD to Addison, but was physical and aggressive most of the time. Mario Goodrich took over in the slot after Avonte’s injury. Goodrich struggled initially. MIN went after him and had good success.
Sean Desai did some creative things. Sweat was at DT in some passing situations. Cunningham lined up like an edge rusher in one look. The ILBs blitzed multiple times. Desai didn’t have a healthy back seven, but tried to be creative with his defense. There is no question that the pass defense must improve.
STs
Jake Elliott nailed a 61-yard FG at the end of the first half. He’s been great so far this year.
The Eagles only had 2 return yards for the game. Britain Covey did fumble, but luckily the Eagles recovered it.
Evans did force a fumble and the Eagles were able to recover that. The FF came at the end of a 20-yard PR.
Siposs did not have a good game. There is a reason they let him go.
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There have been a few roster changes this week.
Quez Watkins got hurt last week. He didn’t practice today. The Eagles needed another WR on the roster so Covey made sense because of his ability as a PR. The Eagles could elevate another WR for Monday’s game.
Koback replaces Trey Sermon who is now with the Colts. Koback is a good downhill runner. I love those guys so I’m fine with his addition.
Mullen is a slot corner who could help as the team figures out what they want to do. Seems like Goodrich will be in the slot for now.
Kyron Johnson is mainly a STer at this point.
It would really help to start getting some of the injured guys back in the lineup.
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Dallas has a lot of talent. They don’t always have great depth. We’ll see how this affects them.
Diggs is part of the enemy, but you never wish ACL injuries on anyone. Hope he comes back healthy next year.
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I’m sure most people penciled in the Bucs as a W for the Eagles a couple of months ago. Don’t be so sure of that anymore. Tampa is 2-0. The defense has been good, but QB Baker Mayfield is the real story. He’s playing the best football of his career.
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