Good, Bad & Ugly after 2 weeks, 2 games, 2 very different ways to win.

In Indianapolis, the Eagles came back from a multi-score deficit in week 11 to beat the Colts 17-16 with two 4^th quarter scores, then came home and with a multi-score lead had to fight off the Packers in a 40-33 victory.  What is the current state of the team as they anticipate a tough week 13 matchup at home vs. Tennessee?

The Good:

363 yards- That’s a lot of rushing yards vs. Green Bay (16^th all time vs. the Packers, 2^nd highest yardage for an Eagle running game, only bested back in 1948).  Is it play calling, the O-line, Hurts, the D?  Well, it’s all those, but the most credit needs to go to Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland, who mines the talent, invents the schemes to match it, teaches the young men how to execute and then coaches them to be the best they can be. 

Tag your it- When asked how he accomplished his 157 vs Green Bay, Hurts was humble… “I ran, and they could not get me.”  Hurts is fast, but not that fast.  His running is also predicated on a combination of power, intellect (recognition) and athleticism.  These are traits that could age better than raw speed.  Hurts is a master of finding “scramble” yards, and has the knack to slide and avoid the big hit.

OL- How good is the Eagle O-line?  Bad game in Indy, good game vs. Green Bay?  Checking PFF, Lane Johnson is ranked the 5^th best NFL Tackle, Mialata the 19^th best (a bit of a step back for the big fella).  At Guard, Isaac Seumalo is ranked the NFL’s 11^th best, although Landon Dickerson is only the NFL’s 26^th ranked Guard (a bit of a sophomore slump for Landon?). Center Jason Kelce remains top notch, the NFL’s 2^nd best center (to KC’s Creed Humphrey).  Overall, this is not only the NFL’s best group, it has the NFL’s best depth as well.

More INTs- With 2 of the best corners in the game (Slay & Bradberry), the 2 Eagle INTs vs. the Packers were by Reed Blankenship and Josiah Scott, for both- their 1st NFL interceptions. 

Jordan- Love looked pretty darn good last night, although he couldn’t quite engineer a comeback. He was a 1st round pick.  Perhaps the Packers need to consider moving on from Rodgers and his excessive salary?

Miles- Sanders had a career best rushing game, overshadowed by his potential MVP teammate.  Sanders has changed his running style.  He used to be a home run or bust guy who would break an occasional big gainer but have a lot of ineffective runs offset it.  Now he follows the blocks and flow, and hasn’t hit the home runs this year, but he is actually more effective with a lot of 5–25-yard runs.

Calling out what the offensive coaching staff has done…  Per John McMullen of Birds 365, this is not a run first nor pass first offense… It’s a Jalen Hurts first offense.  Molding the attack around the unique talents of their gifted QB, this team can run or pass, accentuating in both cases the physical and cerebral talents of Hurts the playmaker!

The Bad:

Special Teams- ST coordinator Michael Clay should look for a new address in 2023.  Every week it’s something diff… blocked field goal week 2 vs. Vikings, muffed punts by Britain Covey in week 3, a 4^th and 4 fake punt and 7 yard first down in week 4… all the way to 3 kick returns over 35 yards vs Green Bay (2 over 50!) in week 12.  PFF has the Eagles, LAST in the NFL on ST, with only 2 acceptable performances out of their first 11 games (Week 1 vs. DET and the game in Arizona… Both of those games were indoors, coincidence?).  K Jake Elliot and P Aaron Siposs have been OK kicking and punting, but the returns they give up are frightful, with the Eagles ranking 30^th and 27^th respectively on kick and punt coverage.  On the other side, Boston Scott was inserted and is better as a Kick Returner (than Covey).  Covey is at least not turning the ball over as a Punt Returner.  What to do?  Bring in a consultant and/or change the personnel?  Malcolm Jenkins was a core Special Team player that could be considered.  But the short fields must be addressed.

Injuries- They are starting to mount.  And at the “thinnest” positions… As the season began, safety and tight end were the positions of least depth.  Safety CJ Gardner-Johnson’s suffered a lacerated Kidney vs. Green Bay that will keep him out multiple games. Hopefully, rookie Reed Blankenship can play as well as he did, replacing CJG in the Packer game and getting an interception off Aaron Rodgers, 6 tackles to lead the team, and graded as the Birds best defender per PFF. Although Blankenship wasn’t perfect, his bad angle on speedy Packer receiver Christian Watson resulted in a Green Bay TD.  Tight End Goedert shoulder injury is being partially remedied by wr Quez Watkins as a 3^rd target, but the other youngsters in the Tight End room cannot begin to fill his shoes.  And speaking of big shoes, hopefully Jordan Davis can return vs. the Titans and their superb lead back Derrick Henry, 2^nd in the league in rushing.  Howie went out and signed 2 big, although aging interior talents in Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Su.  They had a fine first outing vs. the Colts, but took a step back against Green Bay (21-106-1).  A Davis Return would be most welcome, to shuttle in what could be a most effective rotation that includes the big rookie, the 2 aforementioned additions Joseph and Su, big Fletcher Cox and sophomore Milton Williams.  Finally, the Eagles have been using Josiah Scott to replace Avonte Maddox as the slot corner.  Scott is just not as effective as Maddox, who can hopefully return from his high ankle sprain next week (14). 

Dallas- Goedert will be eligible to come off IR week 15 vs. the Bears.  Hopefully, he will be able to do so.  In his 2 week absence so far, the Eagles other Tight Ends (Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra and Tyree Jackson) have blocked OK, but have combined for 2 catches for 5 yards.  The Eagles miss Goedert’s diverse skill set in both the run and pass games.  He’s equally adept at both, and a critical performer that elevates the offense.  Without him, the Eagles are both more predictable and less effective.  The only silver lining is an elevated use of Quez Watkins, who is becoming the 3^rd receiving option in Goedert’s absence. 

The Eagles have so many players on 1-year deals or in the last year of their deal.  This is a “seize the moment” season because 1 must question, even with HOWIE’s magic, how many of these players can be re-signed, and of the older players how many are having their last hurrah?  Making this repeatable will be tough!

 The Ugly:

AJ- Across the last 2 games, AJ Brown fumbled, and combined for 9 catches for 104 yards and a TD.  That performance across 17 games would net 76-884-8, not the pace the star receiver had previously established.  Although not ugly, what was ugly was that prior to the Packer game AJ was sick… So sick his retching caused him to lose several pounds and burst a blood vessel in his eye.  Understandable his performance was not his best.

D- After an effective showing vs. the Colts, the run D took a step back vs. the Packers.  While Gannon’s strategy is to accept some damaging run plays as a trade off to prevent longer pass plays, the Eagles D gave up 6 explosive plays (> 20 yds) vs. the Packers.  Unacceptable!

Inches- 363 yards in the game makes the back2back failed 3rd and 4th and inches early in the game an enigma.  Credit the Packer D, but Jeff Stoutland will excoriate his o line and make sure it does not happen again.

Canard- There were several times where a Packer went down with a (non) injury, allowing them to change their personnel to combat the Eagles hurry up.  This needs to be litigated some how.  These fake injuries require alternate rules that prevent this prevarication.

Size matters- While the Eagles have a couple notable exceptions (Linval Elliott, Jordan Davis, Fletcher Cox) they have sacrificed size for speed on D (This is ironic given their offensive line philosophy).  This makes tackling physical players a handful.  They will be most challenged in their upcoming opponent, Tennessee, starring big RB Derrick Henry.

Sermon- Per John McMullen of Birds 365, the Eagles game day inactives weekly are repeatedly “A Sermon from the Book of Job.”  (aka Trey Sermon, Ian Book & Josh Job).  The Packer game seemed a natural week to activate Trey Sermon.  Why was he not available?  Is he in the Eagles long term plans at RB?  What are their long term plans, since Miles is in the last year of his deal?

Coach Raid- In addition to losing players, the Eagles coaching staff will be raided next year, both by individual offers for promotion, then position coaches leaving to follow those offers into coordinator positions.  The Eagles will need a good advancement strategy to hang onto their big name assistants and their “no name” position coaches.  2 outside names that could enter the Eagle coordinator plans, guys currently without jobs, are Frank Reich and Vic Fangio.