Postgame Report: Eagles vs. Jaguars

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By Evan Krawczuk, Contributing Writer

The Philadelphia Eagles won a rainy game in Jacksonville against the Jaguars by a score of 24-10. Fellow Sports Talk Philly Contributor, Matt Ryan, covered some of the things that did and didn’t work from the first half. Through the whole game, though, these were my thought on some things that stood out.

The Quarterback Situation:

It seems to be a great decision by Coach Pederson to not play star quarterback, Carson Wentz. Week 1: Nate Sudfeld injures his wrist and is out for six weeks. This week: Cody Kessler gets crushed in the first half and leaves with a concussion with his timetable being unclear as of now. Who does that leave? Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson. Thorson did not throw the ball deep down the field much. Most of his passes were short dump-offs, screens, or quick game patterns. One of the longest passes attempted by an Eagles player was by wide receiver Greg Ward Jr., who through a reverse pass in the second half. The Birds are going to need another quarterback in the meantime and the free agent market could be a quick fix. Sam Bradford is still a free agent and, although a lot of people didn’t love “Sammy Sleeves”, he is still serviceable. Also still available are Josh McCown, Colin Kaepernick and Mark Sanchez if he could be convinced to come out of retirement.

Pederson’s Challenge Success:

Doug Pederson successfully challenged two plays in the second half in two attempts. The first, was a catch made by Carlton Agudosi that was initially called an incomplete pass. The second, the new pass interference challenge. Charles Johnson was being held in the end zone and the pass interference was not initially called. Pederson challenged the call, won the challenge and the Eagles scored on a one-yard run by Josh Adams. If Coach Pederson is willing to throw the challenge flag around without hesitation, that could be very meaningful in key spots down the line this season. The only concern is obviously losing time outs if Pederson gambles and loses.

Too Much Depth?:

The Eagles are DEEP at a few positions and General Manager Howie Roseman is going to have to find a place for all of this talent. At the running back position, seven out of eight of the guys on the roster could be legitimate rotation running backs or returners. With the roster maxing out at probably four running backs, Roseman needs to find a place to either stash these guys or find value for them elsewhere. Similarly, on the defensive line, the Birds have a lot of length and athleticism on the edges. With edge rushers being valued so high in the NFL, Roseman might as well strike while the iron is hot and find some value for guys like Shareef Miller, Eli Harold and preseason stud Daeshon Hall.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Philadelphia Eagles – August 15, 2019