TONIGHT we’re getting our first taste of the 2025 Eagles season! New Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo, will get his feet wet a little bit! We’ll also begin the process of whittling all the players in Training Camp, down to a 53 man roster.
***
The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner. It’s to discuss which tactics will give our Eagles the best chance to defeat this week’s opponent. Except in preseason. Winning would be nice, but these games aren’t for that. They’re for helping us establish depth, and to perhaps uncover a gem or two.
***
So even if the score quickly becomes lopsided, what should we be looking for in this game?
1) Who Plays: In previous seasons our starters didn’t play and it’s led to some slow starts. Especially in games at the beginning of the season. Will this be addressed this year, by giving our starters a chance to shake the rust off, as early as opposing players do?
2) Which WR Stands Out: The WR4 position becomes WR3 in the event of an injury to a starter. So which WR plays this game like the ball is his, whenever it’s thrown to him? That’s the guy we’ll want to win the #4 spot.
3) Who Is Patullo On 4th Down: Surely circumstances will also play a hand in the decisions, but I for one, am interested to see how aggressive our OC is, when his back is to the wall.
4) Defensive Line Pressure: Our back-up line will spend a lot of time out there. Do they get much pressure as a unit? Do they protect the LB’s effectively? Who is the standout?
***
Prediction: Eagles 20 – Bengals 28
The Eagles will be using this game as an evaluation tool. Cincy on the other hand, has been a factory for bad news. Their ownership will want a win, just to have something to wave at their fanbase, as a sign that things are going well. Meanwhile we just…
WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know football and that’s IT. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and you will deserve it when you do.
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.
REBUILDING continues! In 2024 New York finished 3 – 14, 4th place in the NFC East, pspg 16.1 (31st), papg 24.4 (21st)
Their pass defense was top ten in yardage last year, but that stat is extremely deceptive. Last season they had an even split of 503 passing attempts and 503 rushing attempts, against them. They gave up 6.5 yards per pass, but 4.6 yards per rush! As an opposing offense, why would you ever throw the ball? As a result, the 503 pass attempts they faced, were third fewest in the league, thus the low yardage.
Heading into the pre-season, this is how things look today:
OFFENSE
QB:Tommy “Cutlets” Devito is the only player currently at this position. He has a career record of 3 – 5 in 8 starts for the g-men, throwing 8 TD’s and 3 picks, thus far. He’s also shown some ability to leg plays out. He doesn’t have elite tools, but he’s a competitor. A better organization might take an offseason to see what they have here, but…
Then just like that, the giants sign Jameis Winston for enough money and incentives to make him the odds-on favorite to win the starting job. He was the #1 overall pick in the 2015 Draft, but it’s hard to know what he is. Is he a talented guy who’s simply bounced from one bad team/situation to another and another? Or is he fool’s gold, that assures mediocrity?
Then BOOM! They signed Russell Wilson to an even larger contract, and in his introductory speech, he all but declared himself the Day One starter. The question is: What do the giants have in him? At this point in his career, it seems like he’s become enamored with making the smart decision, not necessarily the right one. With football being a game of moments, that aversion to risk, means he misses out on those most important moments.
Then, with the 25th overall pick in the Draft, the giants selected Jaxson Dart! With him being a first round pick, you know they want him on the field. And soon. Which then raises the question: What happens with Wilson, now? There are now four quarterbacks on this team, and the only one who’s ever won a game for it, is the one least likely to ever see another start for it. (-)
RB: Looking at his overall numbers would make you think that Tyrone Tracy (192 – 839 – 4.4 – 5) had a pretty good rookie year. Until you notice the 5 fumbles and how he only eclipsed 60 rushing yards just 4 times in 17 games. Free agent addition Devin Singletary (113 – 437 – 3.9 – 4) went from 2023 career-highs in carries and rushing yardage (216 – 898) with the Texans, to career lows as a giant. He also suffered career-lows in receptions and receiving yardage. Eric Gray has 6 fumbles on 31 career attempts, for 79 yards, no scores and a long run of 12 yards. If he makes their 2025 practice squad, I’ll be shocked. In the 4th round of the Draft, the giants selected Cam Skattebo. He’s a hard-running, high effort type. While he has the attitude to succeed, the question is: At this level, does he have enough talent? (-)
WR: Their best is Malik Nabers (109 – 1204 – 11.0 – 7). He’s coming off a productive rookie season, but much of that was from dealing in high volume, as he saw 170 targets in 15 games (11.3 tpg). Oh, and his 9 drops outnumbered his 7 scores. For comparison, EaglesA.J. Brown, on just 97 targets, also had 7 scores. With zero drops. That’s not a typo. Zero drops.
WR Malik Nabers competes for a pass.
Their number two, is Wan’Dale Robinson (93 – 699 – 7.5 – 3) who was targeted a career-high 140 times last year. Funny thing is, the more passes he sees, the more his yards per catch drops (9.9 in 2022, 8.8 in 2023, 7.5 in 2024). They re-signed deep threat Darius Slayton (39 – 573 – 14.7 – 2), but he’s already spent six years being under-utilized there. The last three were under current Offensive Co-Ordinator and former Eagles QB,Mike Kafka. Don’t expect much to change.
Speaking of former Eagles, Zach Pascal is also there. Combined since 2022, he has all of 19 catches, for 169 yards and 1 score. If they don’t draft a playmaker here, their passing attack will need their QB to be an absolute savior. (Update: They didn’t draft a playmaker here.) (-)
TE:Theo Johnson (29 – 331 – 11.4 – 1) is the headliner of this group. Um, okay? Daniel Bellinger (14 – 125 – 8.9 – 0) has seen his snap percentage decrease in each of the last two seasons, and he’s only played three. Chris Manhertz (3 – 30 – 10.0 – 1) played even less than Bellinger last year.
It would be easier to stomach these guys if their blocking led to huge improvement in the run game. Now say, if they helped some guy rush for 2,000 yards, then yeah, it wouldn’t matter that they suck as receivers. If they draft a player here, it had better be earlier than the fourth round. (Update: They added Thomas Fidone in the 7th round. (-)
OT: LT Andrew Thomas returns from a Lisfranc injury in his right foot, that cost him the final eleven games of last season. When he went down, the giants were forced to patch that position on the fly. RT Jermaine Eleumunor became the primary fill-in for Thomas at LT. Eleumunor didn’t exactly set the world on fire, and will face a 2025 challenge at RT from Evan Neal, who has yet to justify being the 7th overall Draft pick in 2022.
For depth, Stone Forsythe (Seahawks) and James Hudson (Browns) were added. Both are four year vets, who have never spent a season as a primary starter. Depth is scarce and the starters are “Meh.” at best. (-)
G: In his first season as a giant, LG Jon Runyan Jr. struggled until he was placed on season-ending Injured Reserve (I.R.) due to an ankle injury. RG Greg Van Roten (also in his first year as a giant), played better than Runyan, but neither was great. Perhaps a year of familiarity will improve them in 2025.
Behind them are Aaron Stinne and Jake Kubas. Plucking 5th rounder, Marcus Mbow from the Draft, already seems like a project. Their plan seems to be, moving him from college RT to professional G. (-)
C: They say the best ability is availability, and John Michael Schmitz made 15 starts in 17 games, anchoring an interior which started the first 13 games together. While not spectacular, he at least provides the kind of stability (another great ability) to build upon. Behind him is Jimmy Morrissey, who saw 4 starts as a rookie in 2021, and none since. (+)
In A Nutshell: Iffy offensive line, nothing but question marks at QB, and last year’s weapons, playing in last year’s system, which averaged 16.1 points, for 31st in the league. (-)
DEFENSE
DE:Rakeem Nunez-Roches and Roy Robertson-Harris are just a guys and both are 32 years old. So the giants swiped Chauncey Gholston from Dallas, with plans to deploy him on the line and as a ‘backer. Whether this means a transition to true 4-3, instead of the weird 2-4-5 thing they ran in 2024, remains to be seen. The personnel here however, would suggest a 3-4 or that 2-4-5 again. (-)
DT Dexter Lawrence doing Dexter Lawrence things
DT:Dexter Lawrence is one of the most disruptive linemen in the league, and he posted a career-high 9 sacks in 2024, to drive that point home. Tweener Elijah Chatman made the roster as an undrafted rookie last year, and logged three starts. He plays with hustle and passion, but he is a bit undersized at 278 pounds.
D.J. Davidson made two starts with 2 sacks, but the giants see him as a back-up. Jordon Riley made five starts, and was totally unremarkable, for the second year in a row. Which is probably why the giants drafted Darius Alexander in the third round. He’s heavy-footed and doesn’t make plays unless they’re run right at him. They have 1.5 out of 5 players here. (-)
OLB: Last year, I asked if Kayvon Thibodeaux (5.5 sacks) was a difference maker, or an over-drafted, situational player who gets too many snaps. Well, after three seasons, I think we have our answer. Then there’s Brian Burns who started every game last year, posting 8.5 sacks and a career-high 71 tackles? At least the outsides are secure, right?
So of course, the giants drafted Abdul Carter #3 overall in this year’s Draft, to take the starting spot from Burns. So Burns will shortly be depth, along with…maybe Tomon Fox? This is situation is just goofy. (-)
MLB/ILB:Micah McFadden posted career-highs in tackles (107) and sacks (3.0) in 2024, showing continued improvement for a second straight year. Bobby Okereke on the other hand seemed to have regressed, with fewer stops and big plays made. Behind him is Darius Mausau, who was an undrafted rookie last year, but played hungry when he got opportunities.
There are a number of other players at this position, but they’re all career back-ups, who even look like camp bodies in their photographs. This team, with a straight face, did nothing to address the interior run issues of the 27th ranked run defense. Not. A. Thing. (-)
S:Tyler Nubin started thirteen games as a rookie last season, but he defensed exactly 1 pass over the course of all of those games. Free agent Jevon Holland was added from Miami, but he also doesn’t get his hands on the pigskin very often. Dane Belton started six games last season, and intercepted a pass. These three are the top of the mountain for this team. Undrafted rookie Makari Paige, at 6’4” could prevent problems for opposing passing games. If he plays?
The giants have taken an unfortunate step backwards here. None of their players at this position, have a history of being a play-maker, nor show the potential to become one. Which is likely to turn into a brutal ordeal, in this division. (-)
CB:Deonte Banks started all fourteen games that he played last season, and got his hand on 12 passes, without intercepting any of them, while allowing a 70% completion rate. Across from him, for ten starts was Cor’Dale Flott (1 interception), who surrendered a 66% completion rate. Both look to have the inside track on returning as starters this season.
CB Paulson Adebo
Andru Phillips (1 interception) chipped in six starts as a rookie, but allowing a 75% completion rate won’t earn him more playing time. Perhaps that’s why the team shelled out 54M$ over three years, for free agent Paulson Adebo from the Saints. He intercepted 3 passes in just seven games last season, before breaking his thigh bone. After a lengthy rehab, he’s looking good so far in camp. (Grain of salt: He’s also going against giants receivers, here.)
There’s 7th round rookie Korie Black, and a bunch of guys who were already back-ups on the roster when he was selected. Overall they have Adebo as their #1 and two starters from last year fighting for the second spot. Which makes them at least three deep. (+)
In A Nutshell: This defense may be a better pass rush unit, but vs the run and covering people it’s hard to say that there’s been any meaningful improvement. (-)
SPECIAL TEAMS
K/P: K Graham Gano (11/9 – 15/15) returns after a year struggling with injury. Two guys had a shot a replacing him, but well, Graham is still here. K Jude McAtamney (1/1 – 1/1) and Gano may battle it out this Summer for the gig.
P Jamie Gillian (43.7ypp – 40.5 net) was yet again remarkably unremarkable. He’s like that thing in the fridge that you keep meaning to toss, but keep forgetting about until the day after trash day. ( I gotta get rid of that mustard.)
In A Nutshell: Given all this teams issues, it’s silly to nit-pick unremarkable kicking. (+)
BOTTOM LINE: Are they trying to get Daboll fired? It took me MONTHS to write this up, because I was absolutely certain that I was reading this all wrong. There was just no way the giants were serious about the way they looked on April 27th.
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, not yet touching his forehead, but getting there. (Seinfeld reference.)
So I decided to sit back and let the June 1st cuts happen. To wait for that second shoe to drop, and see a move or two get made, which would tie it all together. But here we are (now mid-JuneJuly beginnging of August), and nothing looks objectively better. Even as a rival fan I’m disgusted! If you’re an actual giants fan, take the gun out of your mouth, and just sit this season out.
Let’s call it 6 – 11 because the QB play in 2025 has to be better than 2024’s.
TIME to weigh-in on how we think the Eagles did in this draft. This is a “rolling” report, meaning that instead of putting out multiple articles, repeating the same things; I’m just going to add to this one. So you’ll to have to come back to this one, for the latest developments.
Let’s get at it!
Round 1: LB Jihaad Campbell (6’3, 235) – As an off-ball LB, his speed and explosiveness jump off the screen. However, upon listening to General Manager Howie Roseman in the10 minute presserthat followed the Draft, what you’ve seen, may not be what we get.
It seems like the plan, is to bulk Campbell up (at 4:50) and use him mostly as an edge rusher. In fact, when asked about expectations from Campbell as an off-ball LB, Roseman said (at 6:54), that he didn’t want to put Campbell in that box. Roseman also said (at 2:00) that this was “not a need pick”. That statement almost makes Campbell sound like a project, or developmental in nature.
Note: I said that we should move up to #15, to select DT Walter Nolen or DE Shemar Stewart. They went #16 and #17 respectively. So I feel vindicated in regards to my strategic assessment.
Round 2: FS Andrew Mukuba (5’11, 186) – He’s athletic, but I don’t see the plan for him. His size is fine for a CB, but as a S, I have concerns at this level. Especially in regards to jump balls. It’s hard not to see this pick, as hedging our bets against S Sydney Brownbeing able to take over the FS spot.
Round 3: NO PICK – I suspected that we would use our third round pick in some sort of trade, and I nailed it.
Round 4: DT Ty Robinson (6’6, 288) – Nothing against Jihaad Campbell, but this was my favorite pick of the Eagles draft. Robinson’s listed as a DT, but he can play anywhere on the line, and be effective from there. Not just against the run, but as a pass rusher. We haven’t had a body type at DE like this, since Clyde Simmons. With his physical, bullying style, if unleashed at LDE, with DT Jalen Carter eating double-teams to his right…Robinson could turn out to be special.
Round 5: CB Mac McWilliams (5’10, 191) – Nickel Corner who’s at home playing around and behind the line of scrimmage. His downfield coverage hints that he’ll need help over the top whenever he’s on the field.
Round 5: LB Smael Mondon (6’2, 224) – He’s on the small side, but a few cheesesteaks will get him to 230 – 235. What he has going for him already, is speed and a knack for keeping himself clean before knifing into the backfield. So his floor is Special Teamer.
Round 5: C Drew Kendall (6’4, 308) – Decent play strength and good mobility. He has a couple of issues that jump off the tape. The first one gets mentioned by everyone, and might not be fixable. He plays too upright. He doesn’t bend much at the knee and/or waist, to lower his center of gravity and allow him to anchor better against bull-rushes.
His other issue, no one is talking about; but I’ve played some C, so it jumps off the screen for me. He’s late to raise his non-snapping hand. It allows defenders to quickly get deep into his frame. Many of his reps in pass protection seem to have him on his heels, and that late off-hand is largely why that happens. If I saw it that fast, Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland will too.
Round 6: QB Kyle McCord (6’3, 218) – Practice Squad perhaps? He’s a competitor, but there is no real spot for him on the active roster, since the Eagles usually only dress two at this position.
Round 6: OT Myles Hinton (6’7, 323) – A developmental project, and I do mean “mental”. His play betrays a certain lack of aggression. If that could be uncorked, he could have a career.
Round 6: OT Cameron Williams (6’6, 317) – Played RT in college, which is an immediate red flag, unless the QB is a lefty. Looked sluggish at the snap in college. That won’t work in the NFL.
Round 6: OLB Antwaun Powell-Ryland (6’3, 258) – Wide Nine technique type.. Those words may bring back memories of former Eagles DETrent Cole, but Cole gave up too many easy rushing yards for my taste. Powell-Ryland was very productive in college, so his expectations for himself would be based on his actual ability to produce when it counts.
This was a solid draft. Nothing flashy, just re-stocking the shelves. Other people think it was great. I however, don’t think that we definitively addressed our lack of players at DE. We drafted an off-ball LB, who can be used as a pass rusher, a DT who can play the edge, and waited until round six, to finally bring in a guy who majored in DE in college.
WINNING the Super Bowl with what people have repeated called “the best roster in the NFL” and/or “the deepest roster in the NFL”, says that when the final game of the season was over, your Philadelphia Eagles, had few if any, holes to fill.
Then came free agency, with opposing teams driving truckloads of money up to some of our players. Like back-up DT Milton Williams, netting a four year 104M$ deal from the Patriots. Then after free agency, trades like the one that sent FS C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Texans. Then releases, like CB Darius Slaybeing allowed to take I-76 over to Pittsburgh.
Personnel losses (especially on Defense), left us with questions about depth. We also face possible starting holes, if our announced heir-apparent players, aren’t able to step up. Players like DT Moro Ojomo, FS Sydney Brown, and CB Kelee Ringo.
This is where the annual NFL Draft comes in. In a few days, General Manager Howie Roseman gets to load up on young, cheap talent, to help patch some of the holes. Our ammunition? We enter this year’s draft with eight picks in the first five rounds.
Word is that our biggest need is at Safety. WRONG! That’s not a factual statement. At DE we currently have Bryce Huff(whom we want to trade) andK.J. Henry, on his fourth team in four years. So we have no starting DE’s. This is a massive hole. Luckily this draft is loaded with defensive line talent, so we’d be idiots not to load up on two or three of them.
Time to look at this draft!
Round 1 #32: (Trade up to 15) RDE Shemar Stewart (6’5, 267) – Everyone is talking about us replacing back-up DT Milton Williams. How about we replace starting DE Josh Sweat first? Make sense? I thought so too. Stewart gives us a more sudden, more violent version of Sweat. If he can add his hands to his explosiveness, he’ll require frequent double teaming.
ALTERNATE CHOICE: (Trade up to 15) DT Walter Nolen(6’4, 296) If Stewart is gone, and Nolen is still there, he’s too good to pass up. Better yet, he’s too good to have to face twice a year. He has the tweener body type to move to LDE, with DT Jalen Carter eating double teams beside him.
Round 2 #64: (Trade up to 40, possibly for TE Dallas Goedertand a pick) DE Nic Scourton (6’3, 257) – What I like most about Scourton, is his size. He looks bigger than he’s listed, and he’s played as heavy as 285. I have long thought that we could use bigger DE. By “bigger” I mean 270-plus. Brandon Graham was effective at 6’2 265, but he was never overpowering in the sense of a Reggie White(6’5/305) or a Clyde Simmons (6’6/292). Scourton could give us that size.
This is 6’2 265 pound Brandon Graham, with prospect Nick Scouton. Does Scouton look 6’3 257 pounds to you?
Thing is, he’s projected as a late 1st early 2nd round pick, so he won’t be there at 64. We’ll have to move up to get him as well, but if we could pull it off, our defensive line would be the stuff of nightmares. ALTERNATE CHOICE: (Don’t trade up) LDE Sai’vion Jones – (6’5 280) He has a 3rd round grade on him, so picking him 64th is only slightly over-drafting him. However, if he gets lined up at LDE next to Jalen Carter, by November you won’t care about the pick, because you’ll love the fit.
Round 3 #96: Likely gone in a trade up along with some 2026 Draft capital
Round 4 #134: RB Cam Skattebo (5’9, 219) – Seems weird to you doesn’t it? True or False. RB Saquon Barkley comes with an injury history, and is coming off a 378 touch season? His current back-up, A.J. Dillon, is hopefully recovered from a neck injury. (A stinger. Remember FB Kevin Turner?) Behind Dillon is Will Shipley, who had a nice couple of runs in the playoffs, but looked sluggish all last regular season. So we need some insurance.
Skattebo is a no nonsense sparkplug. He runs hard, bounces off contact, and can also catch the ball. While he lacks the speed to score from anywhere, he has more than enough speed and power, to break of yardage in large chunks.
Round 5 #161: OT Caleb Etienne (6’6, 329) – He has a 6th – 7th round grade on him, but I don’t trust that. He has every tool in the box, he just needs some refinement. I’d love to see Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutlandget a couple years to develop him, before RT Lane Johnsonretires.
Round 5 #164: TE Jackson Hawes (6’4, 253) – He’s an actual TE. He’s not a heavy WR. He’s not a piece that coaches “will be excited to move around”. He’s a TE. He plays at the end of the O-Line. He blocks his ass off. He catches dump-offs, and short passes. Period. He’s not out there to threaten anyone deep. In fact, with 51 catches in 4 years, he rarely saw the ball.
Round 5 #165: CB Marcus Harris (5’11, 189) – More of a zone corner than man, but he’s aggressive towards the ball, and shoots his gun versus the run.
Round 5 #168: Likely gone in a trade up along with some 2026 Draft capital
Notice how I did not select a Safety? That was quite on purpose. If Sydney Brown is getting a shot at the job, then give him the shot. Drafting a rookie early, to stare over Brown’s shoulder, sends a message of no confidence. If there are going to be questions over the starting spot, then just sign a veteran as insurance. Preferably one with knowledge of our defensive system. HINT!
Drive Killer: NCB Cooper DeJean (TD: 1/Int: 1/ FR: 0/ 4th down stops: 0/ FF: 0)
Sack Leader: DE Josh Sweat (Sacks:2.5/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 6)
Special Teams Ace: K Jake Elliott 4/4 FG (50) 4/4 XP
****
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: CHIEFS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Don’t Get Cute:We didn’t. We stuck to what got us there, namely running the ball with RB Saquon Barkley (25 – 57 – 2.2 – 0 – 0). While it wasn’t producing big yards, it did open up everything else. The Chiefs were playing to not lose to Saquon, but they made no plan for the rest of the Eagles.
Celebrating WR A.J. Brown’s TD catch
The best part was that it stabilized things for Hurts, who despite a couple of sacks, never seemed to be under much duress. We danced with the girl who brung us, and in the end, we were sweetly rewarded for doing so. (DONE)
2) Bait Their QB Into Bad Throws: QB Patrick Mahomes (21/32 – 65.6% – 257 – 3 – 2) likes to get rid of the ball quickly, so it was just a matter of making him think he had something, then snatching it from him. Like LB Zack Baun (7 – 0 – 1 – 0) clearly does here.
If you recall, after this interception (Mahome’s second) he started holding the ball longer and the sacks started to mount up. He was no longer trusting his early reads. Mahomes was also bumped a little by Sweat on this play, throwing off the passes accuracy. (DONE)
Birthday boy NCB Cooper DeJean with the 38 yard pick six
3) Give Our Pass Rush Time: Our pass rush had Mahomes under constant pressure. We made him a moving QB, throwing to moving receivers, against moving defenders. The early result of this was an interception by rookie NCB Cooper DeJean, which he returned 38 yards to paydirt. On his birthday. Another was a rushed throw which was dropped by WR DeAndre Hopkins (5 – 2 – 18 – 9.0 – 1). Oh yeah, we also collected 6 sacks, 1 of which resulted in a turnover by DT Milton Williams (4 – 2.0 – 0 – 1) (DONE)
DT Milton William with the sack, forced fumble and recovery. BG 2.0
4) Motion Our Hot Read: We didn’t really use a hot read, or even much play-action this week. It was a little weird, but we put up 33 points (the other 7 were on a defensive score plus an extra point), so I won’t complain. (NOT DONE)
++++
This week’s Four Things score was 3 of 4, which was enough to win this game by 18 points, even though it was never actually that close. At one point it was 37 – 6. Soon after which the Eagles pulled our starters and the Chiefs left theirs in, resulting in garbage time points and yards for them. Next up, we get to start re-arming to run this shit back.
****
Game Hero: RB Saquon Barkley – While Hurts won the MVP, it was the beating that Saquon took, that facilitated the entire Offense’s day. It really seemed like the only thing the Chiefs were concerned with, was not being humiliated by a long TD run. It was a brilliant gameplan… Provided the goal was to give up 33 points on drives.
The Chiefs defense bit on the fake handoff to Barkley, and it opened up this 46 yard dagger to WR DeVonta Smith.
Game goat: LS Rick Lovato – Drew two false start penalties, which erased two made field goals, and moved them back five yards each. Given the difficult year that Jake Elliott has had, making his job any harder was really uncool.
On The Whole: Apollo barely won the first fight, but here in the rematch, the underdog Rocky, was the clear winner. Were the Eagles the underdog? Oh yes we were. You see, I keep receipts:
And I have every intention of being absolutely insufferable this year, as I apply salt to any wound I see on a rival fan.
We absolutely went out and did our thing in this game. We romped and frolicked in the Chiefs wilderness, and they were helpless to do anything about it. The mission has been completed.
Man. I can’t wait to see the media fallout on this.
Sack Leader: OLB Nolan Smith (Sacks:1.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 4)
Special Teams Ace: RB Will Shipley KR: 3 – 87 – 29.3 – 0 (36L)) / KC: FF/ Rush: (4 – 77 – 19.2 – 1 – 0)
****
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: COMMANDERS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
RB Saquon Barkley rips a 60 yard TD run on the Eagles first offensive play. LB’s Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu are reminded of why teams keep letting them walk.
1) Torment Single-high Coverage: We didn’t take advantage or refine many opportunities to do this at all. Many of our passes thrown, absolutely challenged one-on-one coverage of the outsides; but many of those were out-breaking routes that started from bunch formations.
We have to find ways to capitalize on loaded boxes, designed to slow down our run game. One of those would be to play with few WR bunches. The earlier Hurts can identify an open man, the faster he can get the ball out. (NOT DONE)
2) Limit the Scrambling: The Commanders QB finished the game with 48 rushing yards, but he only ran the ball 6 times in this game. In the prior two games he ran 16 and 13 times respectively. While he didn’t have a bunch of yards in any of the games, those runs help extend plays and mine opportunities for big plays.
We limited his chances to run and in that way made him play straight-up. The result was that he looked like a rookie who couldn’t match the pace of the game. (DONE)
3) Muddy the Coverage:We did an excellent job of this, especially in the first half. They got a single big passing play on a 36 yard catch and run, but most of what their QB Jayden Daniels (29/48 – 60.4 – 255 – 1 – 1) was forced into, was dumping off to his security blanket, TE Zach Ertz (16 – 11 – 104 – 9.4 – 0).
Just to illustrate how limited we kept Daniels, Ertz saw a full one-third of his QB’s attempts. Once we took away Daniels legs as an x-factor, it exposed how limited his supporting cast was, forced him to read more, and form there the hunt was on. (DONE)
4) Goedert As Hot Read:This one makes me grumble a bit, because instead of discussing general use of TE Dallas Goedert (8 – 7 – 85 – 12.4 – 0), I got hung up on discussing his third down use. While the Eagles put him to excellent use today, most of it was not as a receiver on third down. So we used him like an outlet, but not on the specific down that I wrote about. We did this, but it’s a technical: (NOT DONE)
++++
This week’s Four Things score was 2 of 4, but it we did enough to post a blowout.
Now we get a week’s rest, and then we travel down to the Big Easy, for a Super Bowl win that won’t be. Bring on the challenge. Our guys wouldn’t have it any other way.
****
LG Landon Dickerson started the game at C, but had to leave with a knee injury. But he kept rooting for his guys!
Game Hero: The Offensive Line– The hidden story of the day is 29 rushes for 229 yards (6.3ypc) and 7 rushing touchdowns. That’s not a typo. We ran for SEVEN MOTHERFUCKING TOUCHDOWNS, in one game. And we did it behind a line featuring two injured Centers, tag-teaming the spot.
Game goat: KJake Elliott (0/1 FG 7/7/XP) – I’m going to go with Elliott here, despite the fact that I didn’t care about the 54 yard field goal miss. Part of that has to do with the fact, that he’s been ass from 50+ this year; but I also wasn’t feeling the vibe in that moment. We’d unraveled on that drive, and were essentially hoping that a struggling guy might save us. So when he missed, it almost seemed like what needed to happen.
On The Whole: The 55 points that we put up in this game were the most point EVER put up in a Conference Championship Game, NFC or AFC. The Eagles own that record. Period. We scored 8 touchdowns in this game. All on Offense.
I made it clear in Four Things, that I wasn’t the least bit worried about Washington, and now you see why. We collected three Defensive turnovers, and one on Special Teams (by a RB who also ran for 77 yards and TD), along with ending two drives on unconverted fourth downs. One being a sack by Nolan Smith.
DT Jordan Davis makes his presence felt during a sack.
How bad was this blowout? If you doubled Washington’s score, and spotted them an extra touchdown and a two point conversion, they would have still lost by a point. So spare me all of that “Super Rookie” garbage. We just dragged his team’s face across stucco, in front of the nation, and he was helpless to stop it. Because what can one man do, against a superior team of superior men? The scoreboard is the answer.
Sack Leader: DT Jalen Carter (Sacks:2.0/ FF: 1/ Tackles: 5)
Special Teams Ace: KJake Elliott 2/3 XP, 3/3 FG (44)
****
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: RAMSdid the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
RB Saquon Barkley Snow Bowl 2.0
1) Pound the Rock:We had 34 rushes for 285 yards (8.3ypc), and THREE touchdown runs of 40 yards or longer, vs just 20 pass attempts. We absolutely pounded the fuck out of the rock. (DONE)
THROWBACK MOMENT: Eagles all-time leading rusher RB Lesean McCoy, in Snow Bowl the First
2) Force Their QB to Run:We got QB Matt Stafford (26/44 – 59.0% – 324 – 2 – 0) moving around from the opening drive. The crucial play came on the ninth play of their first possession. Stafford ran up the middle for 5 yards and hurt his ribs. At that point in the game, the grass was fully green, with the sun’s UV rays still contributing to subtle evaporation, and lifting the air somewhat.
Then the snow moved in and it got dark. Funny thing about Philadelphia with the stadium so close to water. When the sun goes down, the air doesn’t lift, and it feels thinner to breathe with exertion. Thin, cold air and hurt ribs, and a slippery ground are not a winning combination.
That combination showed up later in the game, made evident by Stafford’s uncharacteristically spotty ball placement, and decreased velocity on intermediate and deep throws. In the fourth quarter alone, he was 1/5 on passes downfield, and had 5 passes broken up.(DONE)
3) Dallas Goedert Is the Key: Not only was Goedert our leading receiver, but on every one of of our scoring drives from the first to the third quarter, Goedert had a catch. On drives where he didn’t touch the ball, we didn’t score. Simple at that. Until of course, that one play 78 yard dagger in the heart administered by Oh Say Can You Quon.
Oh, I said five targets. Well he had four catches, but one in the third quarter, was wiped out by a penalty on RG Mekhi Becton, who otherwise thugged out in this game. (DONE)
RB Saquon Barkley takes the handoff 78 yards to paydirt.
4) Don’t Overthink It: We didn’t. We stayed in our wheelhouse, of running the ball and playing defense. We didn’t dial up trick plays, or go overboard with Screens. We just put on our boots, tossed the Rams into a vat, and commenced to stomping. (DONE)
++++
This week’s Four Things score was4 of 4. As I always say, if we nail all four, we can’t lose! We opened with a score. They answered, then we retook the lead, and never relinquished it.
Can we do it again? We likely don’t need to, as this Sunday, we get to play a rubber match with the Washington Commanders. This weekend, Philadelphia will host the NFC Championship Game, on our continued quest to win this year’s Super Bowl.
****
Game Hero: RB Saquon Barkley – If it wasn’t for that 70 yard touchdown drive that we gave up in the fourth quarter, making it 22 – 28, I would give this spot to DT Jalen Carter (5 – 2.0 – 0 – 0) for the way he almost singlehandedly sealed the win for us.
Saquon scoring and trolling DE Jared Verse, by slowing enough to allow him a touch
Instead, I have to go with the guy who built the lead, and broke the Rams will to fight back.
Game goat: QB Jalen Hurts – I know some fans are tired of him facing criticism, because whatever he’s doing, it results in wins. For some of us, watching him hold the ball for thirty minutes per play, is beyond frustrating. Just throw the ball away! That beats a sack, every time. If guys aren’t getting open, talk to the Offensive Coordinator. Establish some hot reads. Get the ball in the hands of a teammate.
On The Whole: We started strong and we finished strong. But to be honest, it felt like the Rams had an easier time passing than we did, once the snow hit. That’s not a complaint. Just an observation.
DT Jalen Carter getting his first sack of the game
OUR Eagles were dominant last week, despite it offensively being far from our best showing. We held the #8 team in scoring, to just 10 points. That doesn’t bode well for this week’s opponent who ranked 20th in scoring this season. Perhaps our #2 ranked Defense can grab another 4 takeaways this week. I know CB Darius Slay and LBZack Baunwill be doing everything they can, to make that goal a reality.
A win this week and we move on to the Conference Championship. There’s even an outside chance that we could host that game.
A loss would mean the end of our season.
****
The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Rams.
1) Pound the Rock: The Eagles Offensive Line is better than the Rams front seven. That has been proven twice in the last two years; both times in the dome that the Rams call home. This time the game is here, in Philadelphia. Oh, and it’s supposed to snow throughout the game.
The last time we saw this team (eight weeks ago), we hung 314 rushing yards on them, with RB Saquon Barkleyaccounting for 255 of those. He averaged 9.8 yards per carry and absolutely ruined their shit with touchdown runs of 70, and then 72 yards. So expect them to load the box, to prevent a repeat performance. We need to run it, in order to keep the box loaded, and open up big play opportunities downfield.
2) Force Their QB to Run:The Rams QB was born in Tampa FL, played high school ball in Texas, went to Georgia for college, was drafted by a Lions team that plays in a dome, and then he was traded to this Rams team. Which also plays in dome. Did I mention that tomorrow here in Philly it’s going to snow? Heavily.
We need to chase him and make him run around a little. Don’t worry, we’re not talking about a dangerous runner here. This season he ran the ball 30 times for 41 yards. His longest run being 9 yards. Let’s repeatedly alter his a launch points, on a slippery surface.
We want him to not trust his passes, because he’s unsure of the ground, his footing, his visibility, just everything. Take away any semblance of him being able to physically get into a rhythm. And hit him literally any time we can.
3) Dallas Goedert Is the Key: Somewhere between trying to not give up another 300 yards rushing, and covering WR’s A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, there exists TE Dallas Goedert. Opponents having to account for him, means that even a loaded box can be stretched laterally.
We don’t need a lot of Goedert statistically. What we do need, is for at least 5 targets to go his way. The earlier that starts to happen, the easier our Offense will have it. The Rams OLB’s are basically DE’s. They can’t cover. That means either an ILB has to open a gap to cover Goedert, or a S has to rotate down. Which leaves Brown or Smith with one-on-one.
4) Don’t Overthink It: Don’t get cute or start second guessing what we do. If adjustments are needed, make them, but there is no need to do anything radical to stop the Rams. Stick to our scheme.
****
If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
Eight weeks ago, we beat this team in their house, 37 to 20. That was a double digit win, without WR DeVonta Smith. We can’t come out flat, or expecting the weather to do us a favor. We need to use the weather as an obstacle during the game. Everything about this match-up, favors to the Eagles. Our guys simply have to go out and claim what belongs to them.
****
WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.
Sack Leader: OLB Nolan Smith (Sacks:2.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 8)
Special Teams Ace: OLBJeremiah Trotter Jr. kept fumble alive and made FR
LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. with the postseason takeaway. Somewhere out there, is a proud papa!
****
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: PACKERS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Use Lots of Play-Action, Early:Not only did the Eagles not do this early. They didn’t use much of it all game long. Considering the weakness of the Packers pass rush, and Hurts just getting back from concussion protocol; it seems like a no-brainer that play-action would make the Offense run so much smoother. Oh well. (NOT DONE)
2) Bottle Up Their Inside Run: We did a great job of this. With the exception of a 31 yard run (which was almost a tackle for loss), Packers RB Josh Jacobs (18 – 81 – 4.5 – 1 – 0) was held in check all day. In fact, his day was nearly identical to the (16 – 84 – 5.2 – 0 – 0) game that he had, in their first loss against us this season.
Vince watching these Packers struggle to run the ball.
The idea wasn’t to shut down the run, but make it an unreliable aspect of their offense. We did that, and it put all the weight on QB Jordan Love (20/33 – 60.6% – 212 – 0 – 3). He was clearly not up to the task of shouldering the load and carrying his teammates. Mission accomplished. (DONE)
3) Get Hits On Their QB:We got just two sacks of their QB. However, after that first one, where he landed on his previously injured throwing elbow, he was clearly rushing his mechanics. He also scrambled out of danger few times, but that just altered his practiced launch points. Couple that with rushed mechanics, and you get 3 interceptions to 0 touchdowns. (DONE)
4) No Weird Shit:We had just one missed extra point, which was well inside of the tolerance limit established for this game. There were no goofy play calls. No head-scratching timeout usage. We didn’t do anything weird to shoot ourselves in the foot. I’m proud. (DONE)
++++
This week’s Four Things score was 3 of 4. With a margin like that, you expect a comfortable victory, and this was that. Next week we host the Rams, a team that we beat in their home this season. And last season.
****
Game Hero: The Defense – On a day when the Offense was not at all sharp, our Defense forced 3 of our 4 takeaways. (Special Teams forced the first.) We contained their run game, and harassed their QB into three interceptions. Even after LB Nakobe Dean (6 – 0 – 0 – 0) went down with a torn patella tendon, LB Oren Burks(5 – 0 – 0 – 1) who forced the fumble on the opening kickoff, stepped right in and played at a high level.
Game goat: DEJosh Sweat (1 – 0 – 0 – 0) – His presence seems greatly diminished down the stretch of the season, and into the playoffs. For this game he was almost invisible. We can’t have that next week.
On The Whole: Despite us not firing on all cylinders, there were a few CHOICE moments in this game. In fact, both of Jalen Hurts touchdown passes were memorialized. The first one came from the cleanest pocket that you’ve ever seen. Hurts riffled the ball 11 yards to WRJahan Dotson (2 – 1 – 11 – 11.0 – 1).
The second, was a 24 yard catch and run to TE Dallas Goedert (6 – 4 – 47 – 11.75 – 1). He clearly brought his violence to the game, as he repeatedly stiff-armed the trailing defender, who had zero chance of making the stop.
One of the best parts of the game, was after Packer defensive lineman threw Saquon to the ground after whistle had blown the play dead. Though the Eagles were getting the first down, it didn’t stop the Offense, including Hurts, from getting into the face of the offending player. Good to see.
Drive Killer: S Sydney Brown (TD: 0/Int: 1/ FR: 0/ 4th down stops:0 / FF: 0)
Sack Leader: NONE (Sacks: / FF: / Tackles: )
Special Teams Ace: N/A
****
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: GIANTS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
TE E.J. Jenkins catches his first NFL pass, and it’s for a touchdown.
1) Two Long Looks: The first look was supposed to be of McKee, and we got that. He looked in control and in command at all times. At no point did he ever seem flustered. Even when he had to corral two high snaps. He put up 269 and 2 scores with back-up receivers, behind a back-up O-line, with no run support, against starters. He has a few things to clean up, but McKee is legit.
The other long look was WR Johnny Wilson (5 – 3 – 24 – 8.0 – 0). He played 65 snaps (96%), but was wholly unremarkable. (DONE)
2) Give Elliott Some Practice:K Jake Elliottwas 2/3 kicking field goals. Sadly, his miss was from just 39 yards away. So he got some work, but I don’t know if that helped at all. (DONE)
3) Make It Make Sense: The idea was to get a look at what WR Jahan Dotson would do with 4 or more targets. What he did was lead the team in targets (11), catches (7), and receiving yardage (94). With zero drops.
WR Jahan Dotson.
Dotson did this with a third string QB, versus a starting secondary. This only points out that there’s been no good reason on Earth, why he shouldn’t already be a larger part of this Offense. Someone needs to get their shit together. (DONE)
4) Value Combo Players: I was looking at a few players, but CB Isaiah Rodgers(2 tackles) was the player I’d mentioned in FT. I was hoping to see some value in him as a kick returner. What he showed were two returns, one for 24 yards, the other for 51. That’s an average of 37.5 yards. Not bad. (DONE)
++++
This week’s Four Things score was a perfect 4 of 4, which is a perfect way to close out the regular season. Now, onto the playoffs, to send the Packers, packing up for their offseason!
****
Game Hero: QB Tanner McKee – Given his lack of support from the run game, McKee had to carry the Offense. No fancy runs. No 4th down punt fakes. Just a straight-forward, pocket passer carving up a defense.
Game goat: The Running Backs – Before we come down too hard on our back-up O-Line, consider that our two principle RB’s in this game, have been lackluster runners this entire season. Even behind the starting line. The fact is, we don’t have any depth to take seriously at this position.
On The Whole:
S Sydney Brown seals the game with an interception
We got the sweep, and we got to thoroughly out-class a division rival. That said, our inability to generate even a single sack, was a concern. It also needs to be said that everyone who’s played MLB for us this year has looked pretty good. Oren Burks(17 – 0 – 0 – 0) wore the green dot, and did a good job managing it. It makes me wonder if Zack Baun (DNP) is mostly a product of the system here. Not for nothing, but I think Jeremiah Trotter Jr(11 – 0 – 0 – 0) looked pretty good out there as well.
EAGLEMANIACAL.com 