EAGLES escape with the “W”!

EAGLES 13 – Bills 12

 

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (13/27 – 48.1% – 110 – 1 – 0)

Rushing: RB Saquon Barkley (19 – 68 – 3.5 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: WR A.J. Brown (7 – 5 – 68 – 13.6 – 0)

Drive Killer: LB Jihaad Campbell (TD: 0/Int: 0/ FR: 1/ 4^th down stops: 0/ FF: 0)

Sack Leader: OLB Jaylx Hunt (Sacks: 2.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 7)

Special Teams Ace: P Braden Mann 7 – 388 – 55.4 (65)

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I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.

So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: BILLS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Run Off-Guard: I was looking for 10 hand-offs in those gaps. Especially to the right. Instead, what we got was a lot of Center/Guard action and Pitch-Outs. We also went back to running from the Shotgun, for some reason. (NOT DONE)

2) Exploit Our TE Mismatch: I said it would be a crime if TE Dallas Goedert (6 – 3 – 8 – 2.7 – 1) saw fewer than 6 targets and that’s exactly how many he saw. He also caught our only touchdown of the game. (DONE)

3) Mush the Rush: The Eagles held the number one rushing team in football (170 rushing yards per game) to 120 yards, on a slick and rainy field. The plan was never to “shut down”the Bills run game, just contain it, and we did an excellent job of that. (DONE)

4) Move Their QB’s Platform Left: We didn’t do a whole lot of this, but we did it when it mattered most: During their two point attempt, after their second touchdown. (DONE)

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This week’s Four Things score was 3 of 4. Next week we wrap-up at home, hopefully with our back-ups playing that one out.

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Game Hero: DT Jalen Carter – (1 – 1.0 – 0 – 0) He was disruptive, recorded a sack, and even blocked an extra point, that probably won us the game. Seriously. If the Bills make that early extra point, then when they scored their second touchdown, it would have been a 13 – 13 game, and they’d have just kicked the extra point for the win.

However, because of Carter’s block, the Bills had to go for the two point conversion for the win. The throw was wide left, and the Eagles had a “W”.

Game goat: Offensive Coordinator, Kevin Patullo – We had a solid first half, then the reigns were solely handed over to Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo. We immediately went back to predictable nonsense that wasn’t particularly well blocked.

On The Whole:

This was a measuring stick game, and the Eagles won it. Yes, Hurts didn’t complete a pass in the entire second half, but we won the game. We found a way to win on the road. Against a playoff team. In monsoon conditions.

Quit bitching, and celebrate!