Allowing 24 points in the fourth quarter is always bad. However, overcoming extreme adversity is the makings for a great team. The Philadelphia Eagles led for three quarters before the New York Giants went on a ridiculous and opportunistic run. Zach Ertz‘s fumble after the first Giants touchdown seemed to set the tone for rest of the game. That was until the Eagles made an impressive stand on New York’s final drive after Philly tied the game in the previous possession. Despite missing Ronald Darby, Rodney McLeod, Fletcher Cox, and Jordan Hicks, the Eagles were still able to hang on and give the offense another chance to win. With seconds left in the game, Carson Wentz was able to get the ball a third of the way down the field for a clutch Alshon Jeffery-sideline catch between two defenders. Then Jake Elliott kicked a sixty-one-yard field goal to win the game.
Week Three Philadelphia Eagles Takeaways
1) The Run Game Isn’t Dead
The Eagles ran the ball against 39 times for 193 yards, averaging almost five yards-per-carry, for two touchdowns. Wendell Smallwood led the backfield in yards with 71, but LeGarrette Blount looked slightly more impressive with 67. Both broke tackles and both made plays, but Blount was clearly the crowd favorite – especially after adding a touchdown early in the game.
Head coach Doug Pederson’s game plan appeared to try and limit Wentz’s pass attempts against a still-potent Giants secondary and pass-rush. From that perspective, the game went well and the Eagles run game proved to be a lot more than New York could handle. In addition to Blount’s touchdown, Corey Clement added his first NFL touchdown and a humble 22 yards. Clement proved the pre-game rumors true with six carries, but he also looked like the least effective back of the bunch. Outside of the touchdown, Clement hardly gained ground. Expect the seemingly-potent duo of Smallwood and Blount to get the majority share of targets going forward.
2) The Secondary Continues to Exceed Expectations
Two points to consider here: First, the Eagles secondary was at half-strength and second, the Giants have a very good receiver corps. With that in mind, the Eagles held a collective of Odell Beckham, Brandon Marshall, and Sterling Shepard to 115 receiving yards. Rasul Douglas and Patrick Robinson both had an interception and both far-exceeded expectations. Douglas had an incredible game in his first start considering he shadowed Marshall the entire game. Even an aged Marshall is a tough opponent for a rookie.
Jalen Mills also had a relatively good game against Beckham Jr. He did give up a touchdown pass, but he also had two pass breakups and led the team in tackles yet again.
It’s almost scary thinking of what this secondary can be when McLeod, Darby, Sidney Jones, and Jaylen Watkins return.
The Pass-Rush Can Play Better
Fletcher Cox went down early in the game with an ankle injury, but the pass-rush has more than enough talent to put up better numbers than they did. Eli Manning wasn’t sacked once today and was only hit four times. With premier talents like Brandon Graham, Tim Jernigan, and more, someone should be able to hit the quarterback regardless of the tempo.
Now, that’s not to say the Eagles defense played poorly by any means. It’s just clear that they can play better. The pass-rush might have been mediocre but it did show up in clutch moments, notably in that final minute. It’s also worth mentioning that the Giants only had 49 total rushing yards on 17 attempts. So, clearly, the front-seven did something. Once Cox, Hicks, and the secondary return the defense should normalize as a top-tier unit again.
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