DEFEAT, snatched from the jaws of victory!
EAGLES 20 – Rams 24
EAGLES STATS:
Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (12/27 – 44.4% – 93 – 2 – 0)
Rushing: RB Tank Bigsby (14 – 55 – 3.9 – 0 – 0)
Receiving: WR Darius Cooper (7 – 3 – 33 – 11.0 – 2)
Drive Killer: S Cooper DeJean (5 – 0.0 – 1 – 0)
Sack Leader: OLB Nolan Smith (1.0 – 0 – 2)
Special Teams Ace: PR Britain Covey (3 – 59 – 19.6 – 0 – 41)
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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: RAMS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Figure Out the LG: The Left Guard position was yet again a trouble spot. When the Eagles finally got something going with the run game, it was off to the right, towards rookie RT Markel Bell, who was filling-in at just about the last minute, for future Hall Of Fame RT Lane Johnson. (Lane is dealing with something personal, and I wish him well. Football can wait.)
When running behind a rookie Tackle, is a better option than running behind a veteran Guard; it’s time to bench somebody. When your QB is sacked four times and hardly ever has a pocket to step up into; it’s time to bench somebody. That somebody is C Cam Jurgens, who is an outright liability while he plays LG. (NOT DONE)
2) Sack Stafford: The Rams QB, despite being virtually a statue, was only sacked once on the day. One sack per game will not do the job. The pressure simply has no time to get home, because the ball is out of opposing QB’s hands so fast. We have got to start covering tighter, and stop giving opposing QB’s such an easy game of pitch and toss. (NOT DONE)
3) Man Or Boom: The Rams didn’t run as much traffic over the middle, as we saw last week. Instead, they spent the day throwing thirteen passes (ten were caught), to a RB repeatedly wide open in the flat. Both of our interceptions however, did come in the middle of the field, from Safeties driving on the ball. This represents a huge adjustment from last week’s passive play. (DONE)
4) Get Some Passes Slotted In: Hurts didn’t have many completions on the day, but he did wedge in a couple to slot guys, including the second touchdown that he threw to Darius Cooper. The only rub with these throws, is that they weren’t quick hitters. If we’re not going to protect Hurts with competent Guard-play, then Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion has to find ways to help the receivers uncover faster. (DONE)
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This week’s Four Things score was 2 of 4. Which is a great way to end up with a either a close win, or a close loss. We get to try to claw our way above .500, next Sunday in London against a 3 -1 Jaguars team. Fun fact, the only NFL team more popular in London than the Eagles, is the Jaguars.
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Game Hero: Darius Cooper – This young man is making a serious case for more playing time. Especially as a red zone target! When WR DeVonta Smith gets back and is garnering more attention, Cooper may find more room to roam, than he did in this game. Provided he actually does get more opportunities.
Game goat: Head Coach Nick Sirianni – I don’t fault him for not kicking the field goal on 4th down. It wouldn’t have won the game anyway. The issue with Sirianni, is Mannion wants less input on his system, than Sirianni is used to giving. With Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio, being left alone to run his unit, questions about “What does Sirianni do?” are only getting louder.
For example: Who was responsible for making adjustments at the half? A coach can set a tone, but the calls come from the people actually running the systems. In these last two games (especially at Chicago), Sirianni looked so disconnected. Not that he looked like he didn’t care. He just looked like he didn’t know what his game day role was.
All the HC stuff during the week? Sure, he heads up the culture, the meetings, the practices. However, on the sidelines during games now, he almost seems like he’s in the way. He has to get a handle on that, before it starts to cost him the locker room.
On The Whole: The Eagles are philosophically built on trench warfare. Problem is, they are no longer physically built on it.
The Eagles have two starting Guards who can’t get vertical displacement, one-on-one in the run game. Fact is, no team should even have a back-up Guard, who can’t generate interior push. This may not have an in-season fix. We’ll have to wait and see what shakes out when LG Landon Dickerson gets back.
The Eagles have Defensive Ends who try to generate rush by crashing in, instead of first setting an edge. These shortcuts are opening passing lanes and escape routes for running QB’s. Jumbling the line like this, is generating more traffic for our Defensive Tackles to swim through. This can be fixed by next week.
The main reason we aren’t getting sacks is because the ball is out of opposing QB’s hands, well before the rush can get there. Our coverage isn’t tight enough and LB Jihaad Campbell (9 tackles) has coverage speed, but no coverage instincts. Buy him some cheesesteaks and rotate him at DE. In the meantime, start LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (15 tackles, 1 pass defensed).
These were the big issues this week, and so far all four weeks. This is the handful of things that have to be worked on, if we’re to get back to the franchise this team envisions itself as. All hope is not lost.
See that? At no point did I hide behind the laundry list of today’s injuries.