Anthony Mazziotti
It looked like it was going to be ugly early on, but it was the tale of two extremes on Monday night.
This game had everything, four (!) Carson Wentz passing touchdowns, a Houdini act to avoid a sack, sacks, an interception, field goals, and a whole lot of heart. The Eagles are for real, let’s enjoy the ride.
That said: let’s jump into my ten takeaways from the game.
1. The first offensive drive was hideous.
The sky is blue, grass is green, just other things that are obvious. The Eagles first offensive drive was downright bad. It started out on our own 25. Alshon Jeffery got called on a (ticky-tack) offensive pass interference call. The next play Zach Ertz got called on a block in the back. The play after that Lane Johnson got called for a hold on Ryan Kerrigan. Then the Birds got called for 12 men in the huddle. At this point the Eagles had first and thirty-something from their own 3. LeGarrette Blount ran for 2 yards on the fourth first down of the drive. On second down Wentz threw a deep ball, somewhat in the area of Torrey Smith which got intercepted past the 50.
Wentz basically threw a 54-yard punt pic.twitter.com/qEk2AF1eWV
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) October 24, 2017
I’m buying into the theory that Wentz did it on purpose. If you look at the play, Torrey Smith wasn’t nearly far enough downfield to make a play on the ball. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Birds just wanted to reset and get another stop (which they did). No harm, no foul on that interception. Still an ugly drive, though.
2. Wentz for 2017 NFL MVP!
I’ve been slow to get on the “Wentz for MVP” train, but now I’m all aboard. This dude is incredible. The 64 yard dime to Mack Hollins after the sack, the scrambles, changing the plays and protections at the line of scrimmage, you name it. It’s Carson Wentz’s world and we’re living in it.
The pass to Hollins was the momentum shifter, in my opinion. Perfect throw and catch.
Eagles offense is struggling and just like that Wentz uncorks this beautiful 64-yard bomb to Mack Hollins!!! pic.twitter.com/H0pEuWRbn4
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) October 24, 2017
The pass to Corey Clement was just as impressive. Between Wentz getting the pass off and Clement coming down with the ball, I was speechless. These are plays that good teams make.
Hey @cj_wentz, ummm what?
#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/rCJGQYFgzO— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 24, 2017
Then there was the play where Carson Wentz showed that he’s actually a magician.
When she says her roommate’s out of town #FlyEaglesFly #Wentz pic.twitter.com/Vq9VtVQtHL
— Brian J. Haddad (@BrianJHaddad) October 24, 2017
@Donovan McNabb Still think Jared Goff is better? I think not.
3. The offensive line looks hit or miss.
Well, now it’s going to be more miss. As you saw earlier, it looks like Jason Peters will be out for the season.
I trust in Doug Pederson and Jeff Stoutland’s coaching to find a way to make it work with Big V, but the line won’t be nearly as dominant as they have been in weeks past without Peters.
Even before Peters went down the line was still hit or miss. On some plays they looked like the best line in football, on other plays they looked like they weren’t communicating at all. If this is going to be an elite team, the line needs to be a touch more consistent.
4. Jordan Hicks is made of glass.
Now more than ever it is apparent why Hicks was a third-round pick. The man can’t stay healthy. When he’s on the field he’s one of the best linebackers in the game. The problem is staying on the field. Per Seth Joyner in the post-game show, it looks like he may be out for the season.
Seth Joyner basically just said Hicks and Peters were done for the year. According to a source
— Nick Piccone (@nickpiccone) October 24, 2017
It’s safe to say that linebacker will be a big-time need come draft time and/or free agency next season.
Sidenote: Nigel Bradham has been lights out the past two weeks.
5. Rookies gonna rookie (again and always.)
First things first, Mack Hollins scored on a beautiful pass from Carson Wentz from 64 yards out. Hollins really flashed his speed and got behind the safety on a double move. It’s looking like the Birds got a steal in Mack Hollins. I love this guy.
Second, we had a Derek Barnett sighting! Aside from a cheap shot on Brandon Scherff (that he got away with) he had a great game. He notched two sacks and was generating a lot of pressure. He’s putting Vinny Curry on the hot seat for sure.
Third, Jake Elliott is still playing well. He nailed all his extra point attempts, a 50-yard field goal, and a 42-yard field goal. He missed one in garbage time, though. I’m happy he got a miss out of his system when the game was out of reach. I hope it doesn’t carry into next week.
6. This front four is fire.
Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Tim Jernigan, Vinny Curry, Chris Long, Derek Barnett, Beau Allen, and Destiny Vaeao split time on the line. All eight of these guys can be interchangeable, leaving them with fresh legs when needed. They control the line and take the life out of opposing offensive lines. This is without a doubt the strength of the team (outside of Carson Wentz of course).
7. The rest of the defense is only getting better.
Outside of losing Jordan Hicks, the defense will only get better in the near future.
The defense rarely goes with a base 4-3, they usually run with some nickel formation. So consider this, Graham, Cox, Jernigan, Barnett, with Bradham and Kendricks behind them. Your defensive backs are Mills, Jenkins, McLeod, and Darby (who will probably be back next week). The fifth defensive back could be Corey Graham, Rasul Douglas, or Patrick Robinson. That sounds like a solid defense, especially considering Mychal Kendricks is looking a lot better this season and Bradham is playing exceptionally well. This defense is looking legit.
8. Doug Pederson is up and down.
On one hand, he got his team ready for this game. The game plan was executed perfectly, for the most part. On the other hand, he made a lot of questionable calls. He had Corey Clement in the game late when he fumbled and could have let the Redskins back in the game. He could have challenged on the Kirk Cousins scramble that was clearly short of the sticks. He is still an imperfect coach.
Now that the bad is out of the way, let’s look at the good. He is a great leader of men. The Eagles love this guy, and I can see why. He’s super intelligent when it comes to football and his team is always in position to win. He can game plan with the best of them and his clock management is better than Andy Reid’s ever was. There’s always room for improvement, but I am #TeamDoug till the day I die.
9. Nelson Agholor continues his comeback campaign.
Holy 180. He is really starting to look like the player in the highlights from USC. He is really thriving in his new role in the slot. It’s looking like the offense is being run through Ertz then Agholor. He is getting more targets and he is making the best of them.
As I said last week, I can’t imagine this offense moving forward without Agholor.
10. Alshon Jeffery sighting!
Kinda. He had two catches for 37 yards. One of them came on a slant which has been his bread and butter this season. His other catch was one of his patented contested catches on a fade route.
The biggest play came on a drawn pass interference call in the end zone where the Redskins corner absolutely mauled him without getting his head around to find the ball. The Eagles went on to score on a pass to Zach Ertz.
If Jeffery continues to have a quiet season the Eagles might be able to sign the veteran wide receiver on the cheap. Actually, that’s what I’m hoping for: the Eagles to have success without Jeffery putting up big numbers. That way they can keep Jeffery on a cheaper contract and keep this offense in tact.
Outside of a boring first quarter, the Eagles put on a show in front of a rowdy crowd on Monday night. They return to action on Sunday to take on the 0-7 49ers. Fingers crossed for 7-1.
You can follow Anthony Mazziotti on Twitter (@AntMazziotti) and e-mail him at [email protected]. Follow Philly Influencer on Twitter (@PHL_Influencer), Facebook and Instagram.