Battle of the Birds: Eagles on top

Wow Philadelphia. Just, wow. Shutting down the #1 ranked offense this year, and the 2015 #1 ranked offense in the same season. The Falcons averaged 33.1 points per game this season, and the Shwartz scheme held them to a measly 15 points and only one touchdown. Not to mention the revival of Ryan Matthews.

The offense wasn't spectacular in reality. With too many drops per usual especially from Jordan Matthews, one of which was off both hands while he was all alone in the middle of the field. Carson Wentz did a great job keeping plays alive and converting on 3rd downs. He ended the game with a mild 25/36 and 231 passing yards with no touchdowns. We are definitely seeing him develop, and quickly. He would of completed at least 3 more passes and possibly for touchdowns, if our receivers could make the hard grabs. Albeit, the passing/receiving game certainly wasn't the highlight. The rushing attempt could't of been any more dominant with the resurgence of a Matthews we haven't seen in a long time. Rushing for 109 yards and crossing pay dirt twice in one game is not an every sunday occurrence for the back, who almost lost the starting spot to Darren Sproles. Although Matthews was fantastic on the ground, I saw the real show in Wendell Smallwood, who quietly posted 70 yards on 13 attempts. For a smaller rookie back, it isn't half bad and we could see him develop into our workhorse in the future.

Now onto the sole reason the Eagles stayed in the game and was able to pull it out in the end, the defense. I'm no export of football strategy, but whatever Jim Shwartz did to kick this offense into 3rd gear he needs to keep doing it. The Atlanta falcons were the sole front runners for the #1 offense in football with their quarterback Matt Ryan and stud wideout Julio Jones leading the league in total yards. The Eagles kept Julio Jones out of the end zone and always wrapped him up before he could get any YAC (Yards after the catch) which is where Julio posted the majority of his yards gained. He makes catches at 5 yards away and rushes for the next 30 for a 35 yard reception, that's Julio. But, when the eagles corners are on him to tackle him and not try and cut into his routes, it stopped him from going anywhere. Technically speaking he won't drop 99% of his passes, so play to take him down and not to impede his catching ability, and it just so happened to work. I'm sure the rest of the NFL will be watching Eagles game film and taking notes on how to stop the best WR in the league.

Another small victory was Kenjon Barner tearing apart the Falcons special teams and returning the ball only 3 times, and averaging 38 yards per return. If fans watched the game, everyone knows if Kenjon can get past the Kicker...twice...and when the kicker was hurt...thats 14 more points for Philly off of those 2 returns. Though you can't blame him, the sudden exile of Josh Huff left as all surprised, but let's be honest, no one is gonna miss him the way the Eagles played this week.

Eagles Take another loss to a division rival

Things took a turn for the worst in Philadelphia after the Eagles took an L to their NFC East rival the New York Giants.

Any fans watching the game knew it was gonna be a long day after the giants rattled off 14 points within the first six minutes of the game. Head coach Doug Pederson was sticking to his game plan of being aggressive by taking shots down the field and going for it on fourth down early on in the red zone. This ultimately lead to the Eagles being down 21 to 10 at halftime leaving six points on the field after their failed fourth down attempts.

As far as offense because there were a few big plays and they seem to look solid at times but never seemed to really get into a rhythm. Rookie quarterback Carson Wentz started to look more like a rookie turning the ball over twice early on which both led to the Giants scoring a touchdown. However he did throw for an outstanding 364 passing yards by the end of four quarters. Entering The second half of the game the Eagles were down 11 points and managed to bring the game to a 21-17 four point differential. The Offense could not seem to get in the end zone when they needed to leaving the final score at 28-23

The defense seemed to be very poor and weak in the secondary early on but has a game on proved to be more solid forcing three and outs and turnovers at key points in the game.  

Ultimately the outcome of the game was poor playcalling bad execution and some controversial penalties

Some might ask what does this mean for the Philadelphia eagles 2016 season. They are now 0-3 in the division and 4-4 overall it seems as if all of the hype surrounding this new team has faded but the Birds aren't out of it just yet.

Wentz or Dak in Dallas?

            Alright Eagles fans. Here it is. The game we have all been waiting for since “Carson Wentz” was called in the draft. The main goal of drafting a franchise quarterback is to trounce on anyone in the same division. However, Dallas lucked out with their 4th round pick Dak Prescott who took the league by storm right alongside Wentz. Possibly the biggest toss up for rookie of the year, may be decided in this game on Sunday.

            The reality is our offense needs the most work, and the constant rumors of trading for an elite WR that swirled around ESPN this week didn’t help. Doug Pederson managed to dismiss the rumors and said in an interview that he is happy with his receiving core...What? I’d say at least 5 drops a game is definitely a reason to be at least a little frustrated, but that’s none of my business. The real show is going to have to be our passing game. The Cowboys pass rush is just horrendous, totaling under 8 sacks on the season in almost 8 games. The running game is also due for a day, and if it’s going to be against any team? It should be Dallas when Matthews explodes for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns. As long as we keep Shawn Lee at bay, the running game should be fine. Their defense overall is pretty sub-par in comparison to our ideal offensive scheme. If we  can get week one Wentz back, than this game will result in a very hushed crowd and a humbled Dallas team.

            The Eagles defense will be the deciding factor. Dez is back, Dak is smart, and Ezekiel is just a beast. Then again with our safeties in the back, Jenkins in the slot on Beasley, and our defensive line, we will put up a fight without a doubt. We need to get to Dak as fast as possible which will be a challenge against the Cowboys o-line which is the best in the NFL. Containing Ezekiel will also be a difficult task with our lack-luster linebackers. I’m not nearly as worried about the passing game. The Eagles have stopped top tier quarterbacks with relative ease ranking 5th for receiving yards given up. The biggest problem without a doubt will be making sure Ezekiel Elliot, the best running back in the NFL right now, doesn’t steamroll the Jim Shwartz squad. The last thing Philadelphia needs right now is another disappointing loss to Dallas to start off the rivalry. Last year they managed to win against us in the most embarrassing show of football of the entire 2015 season. Even with Romo out, MATT CASSEL managed to lead Dallas to victory...Now it’s up to the Eagles defense to make sure that does not happen again.

            Unfortunately the majority of the NFL experts are against us. Mostly because the Cowboys are on a roll with a 5 game win streak, however I’m predicting exactly what happened to Philly in week 5. Dallas lost momentum coming off of the bye week, and as a result will lose to the Eagles whom are coming off of a nice win against the previously undefeated Vikings. Pederson will have his hands full this Sunday...of champagne in the locker room!

Eagles end Vikings undefeated record

There was speculation going into Sunday on weather or not the Eagles were still the real deal after coming off of a two game losing streak, however that was all put to rest when the Eagles topped the Vikings 21-10.

It was a very sloppy showdown to start with a combined 5 turnovers in the 1st quarter one of which being Sam Bradford's first interception as a Viking. There was not a whole lot of momentum going for either team until Philadelphia Eagles WR and KR Josh Huff took a kickoff 98 yards to the house for the games first touchdown. The birds then proceeded to go for the two point conversion after a penalty on the PAT, they were successful in doing so giving them an 8 point edge going into the half.

After the half the game continued to be a defensive showdown with no offensive touchdowns scored until Eagles QB Carson Wentz was able to hook up with WR Dorial Green-Beckham for DGB's first TD as an Eagle. The rest of the game was shutdown by Philly's Defense allowing one TD in the final minutes after the Eagles had solidified the win.

In the end there was a total of 8 turnovers, 4 a piece in a very defensive based game. However it was good to see the Eagles Offense get in the end zone which they hadent done since week 5 against the lions. Regardless a win is a win moving the Eagles to 4-2 and second in their division    

Eagles Vikings Preview

There's not a whole lot to build off of after a tough loss last week, but the Philadelphia Eagles are in a must win situation this Sunday against an undefeated Minnesota Vikings team. QB Carson Wentz stated that the offense never really got into a rhythm which ultimately led to the lack of high performance on the offensive side of the ball that we have been used to seeing the Eagles play at. The Defense was also a contributing factor to the loss the Eagles took this past Sunday from missing open field tackles to pass interference calls, things just weren't working in their favor.

After a full week of practice and fixing some of the mistakes the Eagles could very well come away with the win on Sunday

Washington Woes

Wow. Just wow. That will quite possibly be the most disappointing game of the year against the Redskins of all teams. Matt Jones? Jamison Crowder? The entire Redskins line, defense and offense? All players who stepped up to rock the Eagles back into last season. The Eagles couldn’t pressure Kirk Cousins, and definitely could not stop the pass rush for the life of them.

The offense was atrocious and even that is putting it lightly. Carson Wentz must of forgot he was a rookie the first three games and was brought back to reality on Sunday’s game. He was on his rear more times than most quarterbacks have been in the entire season so far, getting sacked 5 times. Lane Johnson’s suspension hit the Eagles harder than it should have. However, the one bright spot was a bomb to Jordan Matthews for 54 yards. Proving Wentz can get the deep ball into a tight spot when it’s thrown to the right receiver. Carson finished the game with a 50% completion rating, only 179 yards and no touchdowns.  Running game? What running game? Our starter got 60 yards! Against the Redskins! What is that? It seems a little early to be this frustrated, but a lot of Eagles fans are getting flashbacks to last season that was an utter disappointment. Ryan Matthews managed 60 yards on 9 carries which isn't a horrible YPC, but most of his runs wound up getting nowhere when we needed them. Don’t even get me started on our o-line, those who watched the game noticed that they were getting pushed around like school children. That was embarrassing Philly, fix it.

Okay, besides the offense getting walked over, the defense can’t be trashed as much. The biggest problem clearly was our inability to stop the run game at all. Matt Jones was an absolute nobody in the NFL until yesterday and the same goes for Robert Keeley. The Eagles just paid Fletcher Cox the big money, and the man just wasn’t able to play up to that paycheck. No tackles on the the line with no penetration whatsoever. Here’s hoping it was a one time thing for our d-line. Giving up 238 rushing yards when we had only given up 56 total rushing yards in 4 games is just bad, there is no sugar coating it. Malcolm Jenkins looked like the only man playing with his heart and his brain, taking an interception to the house tying the game up in the second quarter. A beautiful read after Cousins had a hurried throw, led to such a reviving play. Pre-pick however, Wendell Smallwood managed to return a kick return for a touchdown which couldn’t have been more impressive from the rookie. Speeding past defenders and leaving them in his dust, blockers not holding, and a definite morale booster for the team. The biggest problem being, those are the only two names on a non-offensive squad that did much of anything. Nigel Bradham got burned up the middle by the wily vet Vernon Davis, and the whole defense was just dominated on all sides.

At the end of the day they need to fight back to get their fan support back. A lot of fans lost Wentzelvania and the Sprole-train cheers by the middle of the game, me included. The Eagles need to get back to week 2 when they destroyed the Steelers and keep playing that game. The defense was on fire stopping the best offense in football, and the offense clicked better than ever.  Now, onto the return of Sam Bradford, who needs to be put in a wheelchair after what he did over the off season.

Ready for Redskins?

Last week was a surprising loss to the Detroit Lions, however the Eagles are looking to bounce back and secure a win in their own division on Sunday. The Washington Redskins have been on a hot streak recently winning 3 straight, while the Eagles were stunned against Stafford and co. derailing their undefeated season. As it turns out the bye week did burn the Eagles and it took two quarters in the beginning of the game to get back on track.

The fact that the football world turned their back on Carson Wentz after throwing ONE interception in 135 attempts is astounding. He is still a talented quarterback that runs that offense better than anyone we’ve had. He still boasts a passer rating of 103.5 meaning he isn’t just a joke or one hit wonder. He has 1007 yards, 7 touchdowns, and a completion rating of 67.4% only a quarter of the way through the season. He is on track to toss over 4000 yards and over 25 touchdowns by the end of the season. Our running game has surprisingly become an unforeseen issue. 33 year old, 5’6”, Darren Sproles is our leading rusher compared to our true starter Ryan Mathews who is 4 years younger and half a foot taller. Darren has totaled 279 total yards on 4 YPC (Yards Per Carry) which is surprisingly efficient for the vet. Meanwhile Ryan has ran 144 yards on 3.3 YPC. Not to be forgotten Kenjon Barner outshines them both with a YPC rating of 6.1. The Redskins d-line has always been strong and slow, so don’t be surprised to see Barner or Sproles running the sweep. Screens have been our best friends so far, and it does help having blockers out front and leaving the opponents tackles in your dust. The receiving end of the offense is just as bad as last year with way too many drops. Even our #1 Jordan Matthews has blown touchdowns with easy catches he botched. Nelson Agholor has had costly drops and it seems Philadelphia is begging Coach Pederson to put the ball in Dorial Green-Beckham’s hands. Then again we can complain, the guy makes plays happen with his huge frame and he spends way too much time riding left bench. The Eagles will have to make an adjustment with the receiving core in order to beat pro-bowler Josh Norman on the outside. However, Green-Beckham should be the one to challenge him, not Matthews. It’s about time Wentz took a shot deep to the big man, and against Norman? It would solidify Green-Beckham as possibly the best hands we’ve got after Randle was released.

On the other side of the football our defense has been outstanding under Shwartz. IN 4 weeks we have only given up 266.8 yards per game and sit in second place for yards given up on defense (Behind Seattle with 264 yards per game). Our most impressive stat is our points against. Giving up 51 points a quarter of the way through the season is something Philly hasn’t seen in while. The team has also racked up 14 sacks in those few games, led by Pro-Bowler Fletcher Cox with 4 closely trailed by Brandon Graham with 3. The Redskins will have their hands full with the run stopping defensive line that is 3rd place for rushing yards against them.  As the past few years have shown our secondary has become the biggest hole along with our inability to force turnovers. Our secondary should not be our leading tacklers, that's the linebackers job. Looking at Rams pick-up Rodney McLeod and Rookie Jalen Mills with 42 tackles between them, it is easy to say they have been busy. Problem being we have no ball hawks. McLeod again is leading our secondary with 2 picks, and Linebacker Nigel Bradham with 1. Lone chief's corner Marcus Peters has more picks in 5 games (4) than we do as a team. With speedster DeSean Jackson, vet Pierre Garcon, and TE sensation Jordan Reed to battle. The defensive secondary will have a challenging day and the line will need to get to Kirk Cousins as fast as possible. The Eagles will try to rattle him the best they can running a lot of man blitzes, trying to keep Jackson from going deep.

Overall, I feel that this is anyone's game provided they put their best on the field. Although, the Eagles get the edge for their ability to control the clock. Keeping the ball in Wentz’ hands rather than Cousins’ will be extremely beneficial for Philadelphia. Both team have their playmakers except the Redskins have more reliable offensive weapons, so yet again the Eagles D needs to step up like they did against Pitt, and not get steamrolled like they did last week.