Week 7’s TNF matchup featured a pair of excellent football teams in the Eagles and Giants battling it to see who was worse. Or, as announcer Troy Aikman put it, it was a “pillow fight”, though I feel like pillow fights show more competence. Here are my observations:
Eagles Opening Drive
The Eagles get the ball to open the game and quickly drive the ball down the field. The offense looks competent. Carson is making good, accurate throws, and the game already looks like it could be a blow out in the Eagles favor. Of course, this being the Eagles, things didn’t quite work out that way. Their next 9 drives look like this:
| 3 Plays | -7 Yards | Punt |
| 13 Plays | 83 Yards | FG |
| 10 Plays | 36 Yards | INT |
| 3 Plays | 4 Yards | Punt |
| 6 Plays | 31 Yards | Missed FG |
| 3 Plays | 9 Yards | Punt |
| 3 Plays | 2 Yards | Punt |
| 3 Plays | 1 Yard | Punt |
| 8 Plays | 66 Yards | Turnover on Downs |
Scintillating stuff. How do you run 10 plays and only go 36 yards? Remarkable.
Eagles Run Defense Against non-RB’s
Ok, this was really just an excuse to post that tweet. I seriously have to question whether or not Daniel Jones has ever run that far before. Did his feet just say “screw this”? In the live broadcast they showed a replay and you could see a Giants OL or TE in the background with his arm up celebrating a soon-to-be-TD. Then his QB falls over. That must have been inspiring.
Seriously, though. Gym Shorts really needs to button up the defense against non-RB’s. Have you seen these games? I hope the answer is no, but future opponents of the Eagles should be running jet sweeps, reverses and QB draws all day until the Eagles prove they can stop it. Hell, if I’m Doug Pederson I might do that in practice. Sometimes the non-RB runs the ball. Please stop him.
Offensive Strategy
After flailing around for 9 “offensive” drives, the Eagles finally came to life with 5 minutes left in the game down 11. Carson Wentz has never known a deficit he didn’t want to come back from. On the eventual game-winning drive, the Eagles drove all the way down to the 8 yard line. Jason Kelce, clearly understanding his team better than anyone, immediately rips the helmet off a Giants D-lineman to give his QB more room to work with. Carson immediately takes advantage:
What a beautiful play.
- So frustrating to watch them flop around like a bunch of dead fish for 3 1/2 quarters then suddenly do this. Can we sprinkle in a few of these plays earlier in the game too? Might be nice to play with a lead once in a while.
- The Eagles offensive game plan appears to be lulling the opponents defense into a false sense of security before unleashing fury upon them. I’m not sure this is sustainable.
Final Thoughts
Saw a lot of comments last night about firing Schwartz, Pederson, and GM Howie Roseman. Also to bench Wentz and start Hurts. Here are my thoughts:
- As long as Pederson is the coach and Carson is making a billion dollars, Carson is the starter. Plain and simple. Good or bad. That said, I’d like to see Hurts out there a little more, especially in the first half.
- Jim Schwartz is actually a pretty good Defensive Coordinator. He’s not perfect, but seriously. Have you seen the Cowboys defense? Things could absolutely be worse. It would be nice to get some real talent at Linebacker. Saw a few good things there last night, but still a long way to go.
- Howie Roseman is going to need to bounce back here. I don’t think he gets fired, and I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet anyway. He does need to make some smart trades here before the deadline, and he needs a better off-season. I won’t ding him for Javon Hargrave — everyone thought that was a good signing — but his FA signings and early draft picks need to hit next year or this team is going to be in real trouble and so will he.
- Can everyone please stop talking about tanking for Trevor Lawrence? It’s too late. He’s going to be a Jet. And trust me, no one is more upset about this than Trevor Lawrence.
