WE came into this game with just three WR’s, and lost two of them during the contest. But we kept fighting, and we figured it out. We lost our RT, but we kept fighting, and we figured it out. This whole season has been us fighting through, and figuring our way through, one nut-punch after another.
Why should this game have been any different?
Instead of being mad that we didn’t dominate, let’s give this team a hand for sticking together, not pointing fingers, and battling shoulder to shoulder. We need to give credit for the grit that this team showed. I can’t vibe with these fans who think we should either dominate or immediately curl into the fetal position.
The engine that drove this beast was QB Carson Wentz (33/50 – 66.6% – 325 – 2 – 0). On a night where he didn’t have any of these guys
he still managed to find a way to will his team to victory in the closing two quarters.
Giving Wentz somewhere to go with the ball, were TE Zach Ertz (9 – 91 – 10.1 – 2), TE Dallas Goedert (3 – 41 – 13.6 – 0), and TE Josh Perkins (5 – 37 – 7.4 – 0). By the way, Perkins is a 3rd stringer. We also got a massive effort from yet another of our 3rd stringers, in RB Boston Scott (10 – 59 – 5.9 – 1 / 6 – 69 – 11.5 – 0).
Scott had to fill-in for a while after RB Miles Sanders (15 – 45 – 3.0 – 0 / 4 – 24 – 8.0 – 0), (filling in for injured RB Jordan Howard), due to muscle cramping.
On defense it was a big night for DE Vinny Curry (2 – 2.0 – 0 – 0), as he started in place of injured DE Derek Barnett.
We need to make a point of bringing Vinny Curry back in 2020.
There was even a sighting of CB Sidney Jones (one deflection) as he broke up a key third down pass, to end a late giants drive. He looked good in press coverage, didn’t he?
I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these “Four Things” articles. We introduce an idea of what needs addressing BEFORE the game, so that fans have to honestly answer questions about those things, AFTER the game. This helps to get us, and keep us, all on the same page.
So, of the Four Things we were looking for in this last game, what exactly did we see?
1) No disrespect: The idea was not to overestimate the amount of rust on QB Eli Manning (15/30 – 50.0% – 203 – 2 – 0), by blitzing him like he was a rookie, or practice squader. We did blitz him, but not disrespectfully. There were no Zero blitzes, and we didn’t blitz every down. We did some overload stuff, some “A” gap stuff, but we kept it disciplined. (DONE)
2) Throw the ball: Our play selection was 50 passes to 30 called runs (which included three Sneaks by Wentz.) It worth noting that, that was 50 passes with a depleted WR corps. So there can be no mistaking the Eagles commitment to the pass this week. (DONE)
3) Rush the passer: We did get decent pressure on Manning, we did work the “A” gaps, and we did cause plenty of errant passes. It allowed us to use (but not be reliant on) the blitz. This allowed us to play disciplined, and not eat a trick play for the fourth week in row. So the important part of this was done. That said, I really wanted those one on one victories inside, from DT Tim Jernigan and NT Anthony Rush. (Neither who recorded as much as half of a tackle.) But the idea was to play solid team concept defense, not pad individual stats. (DONE)
4) Screen Carson’s visitors: Our Screen game was so sick, that we’re going to have put Boston Scott in quarantine for a week. He put a move on CB Janoris Jenkins (4 – 0 – 0 – 0) which left that poor fool playing Twister all by his lonesome. (Right hand green, bitch!)
(DONE)
That brings this weeks Four Things score to 4 of 4, and the yearly totals to 27 of 52. This is the second time this season that we put up a perfect score, but the other time resulted in a loss. What’s funny, is that most of this stuff didn’t really start to take hold until the second half. I sat watching this game with a fairly empty notepad for so long, that I actually put it on the couch behind me, and nearly forgot about it.
In any case, despite the Redskins being just an awful team, we won’t get away with a stinker like this again on Sunday. Not because the Redskins are somehow better than the giants. We won’t get away with it, because Karma won’t reward the Eagles two weeks in a row, for shitty play with so much on the line.
On The Whole:
It was by no means pretty, but we won the damned game. That’s the part that matters. All this talk about how much we struggled with a 2 – 10 team, is utter nonsense. We came in as a 5 – 7 team, and even with this win, we’re still under .500. (For fuck’s sake, we lost to MIAMI last week!)
So folks need to quit talking like we were supposed to be world-beaters in this game. The Eagles are a team that is trying win it’s division, while simultaneously trying to get it’s shit together, as injuries continue to mount.
And STILL, no one in our division has more wins than we do. Isn’t that right, rival fans?
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