Commanders Crushed- Eagles 24 Washington 8

 

Another blowout in favor of da Birds!

The Good:

The Hype around the game was the 9 sacks Carson Wentz took, which, in conjunction with hurries and QB hits, made the Commander Offense ineffectual.  The Eagles D-Line played well, but Washington had a weak O-Line hampered by an injury to their starting center (Chase Roullier), who the Commanders placed on IR after he got hurt late last week vs. Detroit.  Roullier’s replacement, Wes Schweitzer, is a Guard who had only 1 prior NFL start at Center, and could not be expected to handle the line calls and adjustments required as well as the experienced Roullier.  The Eagles smartly took advantage, and their D-Line certainly came ready to play.  But most of the 9 sacks were NOT, as has been heavily reported, about "Carson Wentz holding the ball way too long."  Wentz was tied for 7^th this past week in getting rid of the ball quick, which he did with an average of 2.2 seconds per drop back.  Wentz simply did not have time to make his second read, as the Eagle secondary adeptly shut down his initial reads in the center of the field. As a result, Philly now leads the NFL in sacks after 3 weeks and Brandon Graham was honored as NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 3.  He certainly didn’t do it alone, but he got 5 QB hits, 2.5 sacks, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and one pass deflection in only 27 snaps (35%)!

Thanks to Reuben Frank for these numbers: “With Brandon Graham recording 2.5 sacks and Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat and Fletcher Cox 1.5 each, this was the second time ever – and the first time in 26 years – that 4 Eagles have had at least 1.5 sacks in the same game... Graham, at 34, became the oldest Eagle in 26 years with 2.5 sacks in a game… Cox and Graham went into Sunday’s game tied for 5^th place in Eagles history with 59.5 sacks. Cox picked up 1.5 sacks in the first quarter to take over sole possession of 4^th place on the all-time Eagles list at 61. But Graham then added 2.5 sacks to increase his career total to 62, move into 4^th and bump Cox back down to 5^th. The top five now looks like this: Reggie White (124), Trent Cole (85.5), Clyde Simmons (76), Graham (62), Cox (61).

Unlike the Redskins, the Eagles have offensive linemen who can hold up in pass protection in one-on-one matchups.  Matched with wide receivers who can get off press coverage and a quarterback who can beat free rushers if a defender gets through quickly, the Birds have the elite triumvirate to create a superior pass game.  Jalen Hurts was only sacked once this past Sunday, and as a result...

Jalen Hurts leads the NFL in explosive plays (20+ yards) in 2022, while simultaneously leading the NFL in fewest plays creating turnovers (his lone interception this year was credited in this category to RB Kenny Gainwell since the ball bounced off Gainwell’s hands). This combination of leading the league in big plays AND fewest turnovers is an amazing and difficult achievement (hard to be aggressive AND avoid mistakes!), and is directly aligned to the 2 key ingredients preached by Sirianni and the team to succeed: Win the turnover battle, and win the big play battle.  As a result Hurts is not only the FedEx Air Player of Week for Week 3 of the 2022 NFL season, he is the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September.

The Offense also showed winning subtleties in this game via attention to detail, and OC Shane Steichen deserves credit.  In the second quarter, a long 40+ yard completion to Devonta Smith looked like it might be reviewed after called a completion on the field, but the Eagle offense got the subsequent snap off in 15 seconds, beating Ron Rivera’s review flag, thus preventing a review.  This reaction by the Eagles was quick, smart and effective in preserving a big play.  Additionally, the 2 yard highlight reel TD throw to Smith was not in the game plan, but the offense classically executed the play anyway when an astute Hurts called it right before half time (and his teammates remembered it and executed it)!  Kudos to Steichen, Hurts and the offense for preparedness and attention to detail!

Football Outsiders has a great stat called Defensive Value Over Average (acronym is DVOA) evaluating both individual and team performance.  The Eagles currently rank 4^th in the NFL on offense and 6^th in defense.  This statistic is highly indicative of success on the field, and to be top 6 in both reflects their overall excellent team performance.  Pro Football focus, another site referenced repeatedly by many if not most NFL journalists, has the Eagles ranked incredibly high entering week 4: #1 in the following categories: Overall team, Overall Offense, Passing Offense, Pass Blocking, Pass Receiving.

ESPN reports player tracking data from Next Gen Stats.  Pass Rush Win Rate “tells how often a pass rusher can beat his opponents block in 2.5 seconds."  Similarly, Pass Block Win Rates tell how often the Offensive lineman “wins” against the edge rusher he’s facing.  For the Eagles, Josh Sweat is tied for 5^th with Nick Bosa in NFL Pass Rush Win Rate, and Eagles Lane Johnson (3^rd for Offensive Tackles) and Landon Dickerson (1^st for Guards) are rare teammates both in the top 10 in Pass Block Win Rate.

After 3 weeks, the Eagles can boast multiple top 10 players at various positions per Pro Football Focus NFL Rankings. Jalen Hurts is ranked 2^nd in the NFL (to Buffalo’s Josh Allen) at QB.  The Eagles boast 2 of the NFL’s best wideouts (AJ Brown is 3^rd, and Devonta Smith is 8^th).  Dallas Goedert is rated the NFL’s 8^th TE as a receiver.  Jason Kelce is the leagues #2 Center, and Lane Johnson the #2 Right Tackle.   The Eagle defense is led by TJ Edwards, currently PFF’s 3^rd ranked LB.  Avonte Maddox has been quietly excellent, besting his 2 star teammates at cornerback as the leagues 6^th rated CB (Slay and Bradberry rate an excellent 8^th & 9^th in coverage). And the highest rated Defensive Lineman is Jordan Davis, who has sneaked into the top 10 for DT’s (ninth).

Speaking of Jordan Davis, although he’s been limited to 20-some snaps per game, he is the highest rated rookie in the NFL per PFF (9^th among Defensive Tackles).  He is quietly emerging as a critical component of the rotation in 5 man fronts, with his best game this past Sunday.  He had 4 pressures in only 14 pass-rush snaps vs. Washington.

An interesting note is that Devonta Smith was substituted for Britain Covey early in the game as a punt returner.  Smith had good success in college, although he wasn’t used too often (2020: 11 punt returns, 237 yards, 21.5 average). His 12-yard return was the Eagles best this year till Covey later matched it with two 12 yarders of his own later in the game.  Covey has not been bad (although he short armed 1 punt creating a fumble, which he fortunately recovered). But Covey has yet to show that “explosion,” so the Eagles may sprinkle Smith in as a punt returner from time to time.

 

The Bad- Not everything was positive this past week:

For the second game in a row, the Eagle offense was shut out in the second half.  It does not appear to be a lack of aggression or bad calls.  But good execution is falling off for the offense in the second half. Against good teams this will result in losses.

The Eagles run game was a disappointment, primarily due to herculean effort from Commander DT’s Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen.  They gave Kelce, Seumalo and Dickerson, the highly complemented interior of the Eagles offensive line, all they could handle.  The Eagle run game got only 72 yards on 30 carries (2.4 YPC).  Washington’s run defense was one of the worst in the NFL the first 2 games, but those DT’s are good players so cleaned it up in week 3.  This was not a good Miles Sanders game. He was indecisive and the all-22 shows his vision seemed a bit all over the place, while additionally, as noted, The Eagles run blocking was pretty poor at times, with Dallas Goedert in particular performing well below his capability (perhaps playing hurt).  The Birds are still trying to figure out how to run effectively from the shotgun team they’ve become (vis-à-vis last year’s read option/RPO formations).

Not all the Eagles are in “midseason form.”  Expectations continue to rise for this team.  Per PFF grades, Haason Reddick is Edge rusher #55, unacceptable for this high-priced free agent.  Miles Sanders is the 23^rd ranked RB, not good, not likely where he wants to be (Kenny Gainwell is the next Eagle RB at #49).  Isaac Seumalo and Landon Dickerson rank as the 27^th and 41^st best Guards respectively, likely not where they want to be either.  And after a top 3 finish last season, Jordan Mailata has fallen all the way to Offensive Tackle #52 after the first 3 games of 2022.  On defense, Kyzir White is only the 54^th best interior LB, while Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave and Milton Williams are all in the 50-100 range at DT. 

 

The Ugly: 

One thing you hate to see is a good team derailed by injuries.  The Eagles have quality depth at multiple spots, but as we enter week 4, more Eagle injuries (in addition to Andre Dillard being IR’d for several weeks with a broken arm, DE Derek Barnett having been lost for the season and TE Tyrese Jackson missing multiple games to start the season starting on the PUP list) are beginning to have potential impact:

• Miles Sanders is dealing with a hip injury. He previously had a hamstring injury that seemed to resolve as the preseason closed.  This latest injury is not good.  Sanders is a “high risk” player when it comes to injuries, and does not do well playing hurt.
• Per Brandon Lee Gowton at Bleeding Green Nation, (Landon) “Dickerson missed last Friday’s practice due to a foot injury, which caused him to be ruled questionable for Washington Commanders game. He made the start in Week 3 but had to come out for a bit with Sua Opeta replacing him. Failing to practice on Wednesday doesn’t necessarily mean a player is definitely out for the upcoming game but it’s not an ideal start to the week.
• Also, per Gowton at BGN, RB “Boston Scott is a new and unexpected addition to the injury report. He’s dealing with a rib issue. If he can’t play, (RB) Trey Sermon could be active for the first time since being claimed by Philly.”
• Finally, we saw cornerback Darius Slay in and out after a back injury vs. the Vikings.  While he claimed he was OK, he again was in and out of the Commanders game, and missed Wednesday’s practice do to his back. Zech McPhearson has spelled Slay the last 2 games.  McPherson remains an unproven quantity at CB, but regardless of how good he is/will be, he’s unlikely to live up to the capabilities of the heralded Slay, a Pro Bowl corner for the Eagles (and the Lions before that).
• Defensive lineman Milton Williams also got hurt in last Sunday’s game.  Although he returned, he was limited at practice.  Williams was considered “DT 3” as the season started, but has become an even more critical member of the D-Line rotation given his flexibility to play DE in the absence of Derek Barnett. 
• Devonta Smith was also limited at practice Wednesday, feeling the nicks and discomfiture after going up to highpoint multiple catches this past Sunday, per his ensuing awkward/painful landings.

And it's not only injuries.  OL Attrition is a 2nd issue.  The Birds are losing back end Offensive Line depth at a prodigious pace since May-

• Nate Herbig was a quality backup at Guard who could also play Center and started 17 games on the interior over 3 years for Philly.  Herbig turned 24 in July and was a quality signing by the Jets (Philly realized they could not keep him on the 53, and was too good to keep on their practice squad).  Herbig, acquired by the Eagles as a Rookie Free Agent in ‘19, was rated by Pro Football Focus as a solid starting NFL guard last year.
• As the 3^rd week of August closed, the Eagles place Offensive Lineman Brett Toth on the PUP (Physically unable to perform) list.  Toth tore his ACL in the Eagles final regular season game last year.  Toth has experience at both Tackle and Center for the Birds.
• As preseason was coming to a close, backup Tackle Andre Dillard broke his forearm, so is on IR hopefully to return in October.  Dillard is an insurance policy for Left tackle Jordan Mailata, and the former first round pick is considered not only the best backup Tackle in the NFL, but a player who’d likely start for at least half of the NFL’s squads.
• Jack Anderson was a quality backup at Guard and Center the Eagles had "stolen" last year from the Bills.  What goes around comes around... Anderson was signed off the Eagles practice squad in late Aug. by the NYG.  Anderson played in 2 games for Philly last year, starting one.
• Kayode Awosika was signed by the Lions a few days after their week 1 loss to the Eagles (Detroit was hurting on their O-Line due to injuries that included their starting Guard, ex-Eagle Halapoulivaati Vaitai, aka Big V).  Signed as a rookie free agent last year, Awosika was able to play both Guard and Tackle (typically on the Right side). 
• Le’Raven Clark got poached from the Eagles practice squad by Tennessee a couple days ago.  Their season ending injury to tackle Taylor Lewan sent them to the Eagles practice squad to find the best available replacement for their roster.  Clark is 29, and he joined the Eagles as a former 3^rd round pick by Indianapolis who played for Nick Sirianni there.  He made the Eagle 53-man roster last year, but this year's depth pushed the experienced Left Tackle to the practice squad.  He’ll be missed heavily in the short term since, with Andre Dillard down, he was the “next man up” if something happened at left tackle.  That role will now be assumed by swing tackle Jack Driscoll, who has played well on the right side but has no NFL game experience at left tackle.

With the best offensive line in the NFL, the Eagles, under OL guru coach Jeff Stoutland, have become something of an “Offensive Line factory.”  Their depth in this area is unparalleled the last several seasons, so this year's attrition off their back end is not surprising, since they cannot protect linemen not part of their 53-man roster.  Behind their starting 5 (Jason Kelce, Landon Dickerson, Isaac Seumalo, Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson) the 53 has the aforementioned Driscoll and Dillard (still on IR) at tackle, Sua Opeta (or Driscoll) at Guard, and Cam Jurgens at Center.   

The Eagles have 1 other offensive lineman, Josh Sills, on their 53, a rookie free agent this year who is expected to play tackle or guard but remains a rookie developmental player likely not yet ready for game action (Stoutland did not want him exposed on the practice squad, and rather desired he remain on the 53).  They have 2 offensive linemen remaining on their practice squad- OT Jarrid Williams, another rookie free agent, and Center Cameron Tom, who started on the New Orleans Saints practice squad (2017-2018) before moving to Miami last year and ending up here on Philly’s practice squad this season. It will also be interesting to see where and how the Eagles mix Brett Toth onto the team upon his return from IR.  This author suspects Toth would become an additional practice squad candidate.

The Eagles worked out Roderick Johnson this past Tuesday.  Johnson is a former 5^th round pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2017 draft, but did not debut until 2018 with the Texans (where he had 6 starts in 29 games).  He has spent time this past off season in both Miami and Kansas City, and now appears at least a candidate to replace Clark on the practice squad for further immediate depth at Tackle.

Bottom line, though, is the Eagles have lost the bottom third of their O-Line depth and need to hope Dillard can return as one of the critical insurance policies they have been able to matriculate into this elite group on their 53.

Eagle Lesson: This week, the D-Line “got off the schneid” and got to Carson Wentz in a big way.  This theme is emblematic, though, of the linebackers and secondary also providing the coverage to enable the D-linemen to wreck the Washington pass game.  Kudos to orchestrator Jonathan Gannon, and his orchestra.