MORE clutch than a tiny purse!

EAGLES 37 – Bills 34 OT

.

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (18/31 – 58.0% – 200 – 3 – 1)

Rushing: RB D’Andre Swift (14 – 80 – 5.7 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: WR Devonta Smith (8 – 7 – 106 – 15.1 – 1)

Offensive Line Report: (TFL: 5/ Sacks: 2/ Scrums Won: 1/ Scrums Lost: 0)

Drive Killer: CB James Bradberry (TD: 0/Int: 1/ FR: 0/ 4^th down stops: 0/ FF: 0)

Sack Leader: DE Brandon Graham (Sacks: 1.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 2)

Special Teams Ace: DT Jalen Carter (3 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) FG block

****

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) Frustrate WR Stefon Diggs: This one didn’t get done, but there’s a weird disqualifier to it. There were a few key third downs where the Bills themselves pulled Diggs off the field. This made it impossible to render him frustrated with his QB not going to him in key situations. Their coaching staff took that bullet instead. Weird. (NOT DONE)

2) Get To the QB Early: Once again the four man rush was anemic. So was the predictable and lame delayed blitz that we bring every week. From the same players. In the same gaps. (NOT DONE)

3) Run The Ball: I said 14 carries from Swift, and that was the exact number that we parked at. Of course, it did take a carry in overtime to get there. A single carry. On a nine play drive. A drive where the QB ran three times. On the day, Swift had as many carries as Hurts did. Again, that was 14 carries.

Let’s not forget about RB Boston Scott (2 – 14 – 7.0 – 0 – 0) and RB Kenneth Gainwell (2 – 26 – 13.0 – 0 – 1). For those keeping score at home, we’re talking 31 passes, 14 QB runs, and 18 hand-offs. Our RB’s ran for 101 yards on 18 carries (5.6ypc), but were mere co-stars in the run game. Technically we accomplished this, but it feels empty. (DONE)

4) Speed. Kills: Go deep early in order to loosen the box. Didn’t do it. In the first half, every time the Offense took the field, it felt like they should all have been wearing red noses and piling out of a tiny car. We cut it on the second half, but the call was to do it early. And we didn’t. (NOT DONE)

++++

This week we got just 1 of the Four Things done, which explains how we limped to overtime, instead of bludgeoning the whole sordid pile in regulation, and getting the fans out of the cold rain! Next up, we have what I think will be a loss to San Francisco.

****

Game Hero: QB Jalen Hurts – The man threw three scores, and ran for two more, one of which was an overtime walk-off. After caving in the Bills forehead with a mushroom-stamp on national television, how could I call anyone else the game’s goat?

Game goat: Defensive Coordinator Sean Desai – A year ago under Jonathan “He doesn’t make adjustments” Gannon, with many of these same players, our Defense had amassed 23 turnovers and was sacking QB’s at will.

Fast forward to you reading this sentence, and we have 14 turnovers, and a pass rush that’s recorded just one sack in each of the last two games. In the last two games we were gashed for 168 and 173 rushing yards, respectively. We’ve also given up 14 TD’s on third and long.

I hate to keep harping on how much I hate the job that this guy is doing, but explain to me what we have to hang our hat on. We’re lousy on defense at EVERYTHING now. We’re 20^th in points allowed! That’s bottom third of the league!! So please, just please stop telling me what a great job Desai is doing. He clearly isn’t.

On The Whole:

The segment that was originally here, was removed to turn into another article. (There was that much of it.) It will be entitled “On The Whole” and I’ll put it out tomorrow. Very different tone. Right now, let’s celebrate the win.

Finding out that RT Lane Johnson couldn’t play due to a hamstring injury, was a blow. In fact, most teams would be crippled if they lost an All-Pro OT. The Eagles however, have swingman Jack Driscoll! Jack filled in admirably against one of the leagues tope pass rushers in DE Leonard Floyd (1 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) and kept him sackless.

We lost DT Fletcher Cox (not stats) during the game, and were already thin at DT with veteran Milton Williams out with a concussion. So of course our young guys stepped up! DT’s Jordan Davis (5 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) and Jalen Carter were strong in the middle, as most of the rushing yardage we surrendered, came on the edges. Also, if Carter doesn’t block that FG, there is no overtime.

Talk about stepping up, WR Olamide Zaccheaus (1 – 29 – 29.0 – 1) made his only catch of the game count, with a touchdown grab between one of the best Safety tandems in the NFL. And please! Don’t think you get out of here without me mentioning K Jake “The Make” Elliott (1/1 FG, 4/4 XP) through the wind, through the driving rain, and into the inkwell of night, drove in a 59 yard field goal, that would have been good from 65, to send us to overtime.

Clutch was everywhere in this one. Tiny purses were EVERYWHERE! Quick, get me some cargo! Get me a cobra! Every player pulling in one direction and stepping up when their moment came. And now we’re guaranteed a playoff spot.

Because we clutched it.