What the heck was that?
It was a disaster.
And now the Eagles have put themselves in a corner as they blew two of their three chances to book the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff bracket, and if they blow the last one…well, we’re not even going there.
Here are 10 immediate notes from the Eagles’ horrific 20-10 loss to the Link Saints.
1. What was most troubling to me wasn’t so much the loss as the fact that from the start of the game the more prepared the Saints were, the more powerful the team was, the more physical the team was. Not the best team, but it doesn’t matter. They played like they were chasing the top seed, and the Eagles played as a 6-9 team desperate to make the playoffs. This Saints team was 2-5 on the road, and they were the aggressors on offense and defense. Late in the second quarter, the Saints outscored the Eagles 252-21, took a 13-0 lead, Andy Dalton still hadn’t thrown an incomplete pass and the Eagles had no first downs. what the hell? You can’t talk like you’re a Super Bowl contender and then let 6-9 come into your building and jump on you like that. Yes, injuries, I get it. But we’re talking about effort here, and the Eagles didn’t have that in the first half, and that’s squarely on Nick Siriani and his coaching staff. Unacceptable. unforgivable Sure, they got up in the second half and started making some plays and kept it close for a while. who cares. It’s a 60-minute game, and if you don’t bother to bring it in for half of those 60 minutes, you won’t win many matches. This team is very lucky to have another chance to book the top seed, and it’s clearly a different team with Jalen Hurts behind the spot. But I don’t care who the quarterback is. If they go out and play like that again, they won’t hit anyone.
2. I said this week that I have a lot of faith in Gardner Minshew and that I consider him one of the top two or three best backups in the NFL. I was wrong. I was really wrong. It was terrible. He didn’t handle pressure well, he held the ball too long, he didn’t check runs when they were there, he didn’t see receivers wide open, and when he had the chance to make a dramatic run, he couldn’t get a few inches on 4th and 1, and then gave Any chance the Eagles had to come back and win with a ridiculous Pick-6 he threw to Marshon Lattimore. It’s here for one reason. to win this game. Keep it until Jalen Hurts is healthy. this is? This was terrible. This was Mike McMahon type stuff. I thought Mincio was a good fit. I was very wrong.
3. By defeating the Colts Sunday at the Meadowlands, the Giants have held the No. 6 seed, so next week’s game means nothing to them. It will be interesting to see what Brian Daboll does. I’m sure he’d like to relieve his starters if they had the chance for an unexpected bye, but given the Eagles’ 48-22 win last month, does he want to get his team ready for the postseason by trying to avenge the 26-point loss? Maybe the former. If you’re an Eagles, I think you’ll love the opportunity to lock up the No. 1 seed with a win over a bunch of Giants backups. You couldn’t ask for an easier way to get to the first farewell round. It looks kind of cheesy. But if you’re an Eagle, at this point you take it and run it.
4. Jalen Hurts should be ready to play next week – he better be – but it’s not an ideal situation. Because now it’s not just about maybe getting a string or two so it’s not rusty after a couple of weeks off. Now you have to lean on that kid to win a game or the Eagles are going to blow what not long ago was a 98% chance of earning the top seed in the NFC. There’s no doubt in my mind that the pains will rise to the occasion, but they’re also a little scary because this is a kid coming off a fairly serious injury and the last thing you want is to put him in needless risk there. But I’ll tell you what. If you had told me in August that all the Eagles had to do to lock up their top seed was beat a Giants team that might be playing their backups, I would have signed on. That’s not much consolation at the moment.
5. That didn’t hold up for Landon Dickerson. This is called a pancake block. It’s legal. That silly call, which wiped out a 28-yard Kenny Ginwell touchdown run in the third quarter, was a disgrace. This would cut the Saints’ lead to 13-7. There was nothing in that block that even resembled constipation. How do you make this call?
6. One thing you have to really appreciate about this team is the passing pressure they generate on a consistent basis. Dalton is rarely sacked. He was sacked 18 times in the next 12 games this game, but the Eagles got him six times, and added a seventh on Taysum Hill. Last week, they sacked Dak Prescott six times after he’d been sacked just 12 times in nine games. That’s 68 sacks this year for the Eagles, the fourth-most in NFL history and the most since the 1989 Vikings had 71 sacks. Five more broke the NFL record of 72 sacks, set by the 1984 Bears. Whatever happens with this team, this front generates ferocious pressure that keeps them in the games. Obviously, the Eagles will miss Josh Sweet as long as he’s out, but they’re very deep, diverse, and very productive. They’ve been particularly effective lately, with a ridiculous 32 sacks in their last five games. That’s three times more than they made in 17 games all of last year. Last week they became the first team in NFL history to have six sacks in four consecutive games. That’s five in a row now. wonderfull collection.
7. It’s hard to believe that Darius Slay or James Bradbury haven’t had an interception in their last eight games. The first eight, each had three. Slay’s last intelligence was in Week 6 of the Cooper Rush. Bradbury’s last international smart was in Week 8 in Houston. After catching 13 passes in their first nine games, the Eagles have had four in their last seven—two by Josiah Scott and one each by Red Blankenship and Arach. With the pressure generated by this front, the opportunities are there, but lately when opportunities arise, they have not taken advantage of them. Slay has been fighting. Bradbury gave up 58 yards Sunday. With the injuries they picked up in the minors, the Eagles need both Slay and Bradberry to be more consistent and productive.
8. Nobody was in the mood to celebrate, but it was nice to see Brandon Graham finally reach double figures in sacks in his 13th season. Sunday recorded two sacks to give him 11 with one game remaining. That sack made the Eagles the first team since sacks became an official statistic in 1982 with four players with double-digit sacks. With Josh Sweat’s condition unknown after his dreaded neck injury, the Eagles will need his BG more than ever, and the way he plays will be up to the task. Honestly, we all thought this would be Graham’s farewell season, but if Howie Roseman can make the numbers work, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be brought back for a 14th season. The man is having his best season ever at the age of 34 with a pulled Achilles tendon. Fabulous.
9. It may not have been a big deal in the grand scheme, but on their first possession, the Saints had a second-and-6 at the Eagles’ 13-yard line. Andy Dalton threw an incomplete and the Saints were called for an illegal man in the field. In this case, you’d rather have a third-and-six than a second-and-three, but Siriani took the penalty kick, and the Saints quickly converted and took a 7-0 lead with what turned out to be their only offensive touchdown.
10. In the first half of the season, it was hard to imagine a better cornerback than the Eagles played from Darius Slay and James Bradbury. Eight games in, they were the only corners in the league to hold opposing running backs to a passer rating of less than 50 when targeted—Slay was at 37.2 and Bradberry was at 35.9. They each had three interceptions and 18 strikeouts combined. The last eight games have no interceptions and 10 knockouts. Slay hasn’t looked the same in a while. The QBs had a 134.2 passer rating targeting him from Week 9 through Sunday, and Bradberry fell to 69.7 — still good but not where he was. And Sunday, again, they didn’t make any impact. Dalton was on his way – 18 for 22? – against the Eagles’ secondary, Bradbury giving up a 58-yard touchdown pass to Rashid Shahid. The Eagles will be facing some elite QBs in the playoffs, and Slay and Bradberry should do better.
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