The Eagles are flying high, standing at 3-1 after yesterday's victory over the Los Angeles Chargers of San Diego. No last-second heroics were needed in the Birds 26-24 win, but the team was able travel cross-country and put away a desperate Chargers team who is still searching for their first victory of 2017.
But, before we get in to the details of perhaps the Birds' best performance of the season, let's talk about the real MVP of yesterday's contest: the fans.
Going Deep
Dick Stockton has been calling NFL games for over 40 years, but even he couldn't believe what was unfolding in front of his eyes on Sunday afternoon at the Stubhub Center.
"Never have I seen an away player pump up the 'home' team's crowd," the veteran play-by-play man said, but such was the situation yesterday, as the Eagles, and their legions of fans stormed the rented home of the Los Angeles Chargers and turned it into a west-coast branch of Lincoln Financial Field.
"I'm starting to not be stunned by our fans," Carson Wentz said after the game. "They travel so well, they're at every game, they make it so enjoyable, they make it so fun. It's starting to become the norm."
And the fans did their normal things. They cheered. they booed and "Fly, Eagles, Fly" rang out each time the Eagles scored. Hell, even a Cowboys' Suck chant rained down on a confused Chargers team.
OK there's a "Cowboys Suck" cheer going right now at StubHub and the Chargers look confused…
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) October 1, 2017
"It definitely felt like a home game," Wendell Smallwood explained. "I heard booing during the pregame and thought, 'Oh, Carson must be coming out,' but it was actually the Chargers players. Man, it was crazy."
"It's almost like the Chargers will have 16 road games," Jason Peters added. "It's going to be tough sledding for those guys. When we came out, it was like a home game. There were a lot of fans here supporting us and it helped us."
Thank you to our amazing @Eagles fans for turning today into a home game! #FlyEaglesFly #RoadWarriors pic.twitter.com/0uTTh18FET
— Zach Ertz (@ZERTZ_86) October 2, 2017
In the NFL, it's hard to win on the road. It's even harder to travel over 2000 miles and three time zones, and still be expected to play at the same level of the team who is lining up across from you. But not having to worry about playing in a hostile environment is a huge advantage for a road team and the Eagles certainly took advantage. Jason Kelce told reporters after the game that the Eagles offense didn't even need to use silent signals because the crowd was so quiet when they were on the field.
Sure, days like yesterday will make people question why the NFL insisted on moving a pair of teams to a city that doesn't seem to care about the local product. But while the internet is filled with stories of fans of renouncing their support of their favorite team, Eagles fans filled a stadium across the country.
We wish you were here, but it sounds like most of you were. #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/TeQaaAH5qM
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 1, 2017
Injury Report
Did Not Play: Fletcher Cox (calf), Ronald Darby (ankle), Destiny Vaeao (wrist), Jaylen Watkins (hamstring), Corey Graham (hamstring)
The Eagles made it through the whole game without sustaining an injury, which is good news for a team that has struggled to keep guys healthy through the early part of the season. With Jordan Hicks and Rodney McLeod already back from injury and Cox looking like a possibility for this week's game, things are looking up for the Birds.
Measurables
.585: Since 2001, the Eagles are 41-28-1 against AFC opponents, which is good for the top record among NFC teams in that time-span. The Eagles have certainly had a lot of success in this millennium, but to have the most success against the AFC is astounding. Granted, four AFC teams have a better inter-conference record since 2000–including the Tennessee Titans–but without a Super Bowl, the Eagles have this to hang their hat on.
6:44: The final drive of yesterday's game took up the final 6:44 of the game. The Eagles ran 13 plays, gained 59 yards and picked up four first downs, all while running the ball down the Chargers' throats and demoralizing the home team. That's the longest game-ending drive for the Eagles since 2013, when the Birds took 9:32 off the clock in the fourth quarter of their win against the Green Bay Packers.
7.5: The Eagles allowed 7.5 yards per play yesterday, their worst mark since 2007. In that game, the Birds lost to the Cowboys, 38-17, and allowed a total of 434 yards. The last time the Eagles allowed 7.5 yards per play in a win was in 1989, but, incredibly, the Birds are 32-14-3 all-time in those games.
Turning Point
With 13:05 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Eagles were clinging to a two-point lead and struggling to gain any sort of momentum. Then, LeGarrette Blount took over:
WOW.@LG_Blount goes full BEASTMODE.
That stiff arm… 😳 #FlyEaglesFly #PHIvsLAC pic.twitter.com/xPLOvL70PS
— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2017
Blount went 68 yards and set up a touchdown run that sealed the win for the Eagles. After the game, the running back expressed his disappointment in the fact that he couldn't get the ball into the end zone, but it's amazing how tacklers just bounce off him as he makes his way down the field. Like a man playing among boys.
Up/Down Drill
Up: LeGarrette Blount
Two weeks ago, Blount didn't get a carry and played just six snaps in the Eagles' loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, he's the toast of the town. In addition to picking up the longest run of his career, Blount led the Eagles in rushing with 136 yards and averaged 8.5 yards per carry. The veteran running back has proved to be more than a bargain, carrying the Birds' running game for the past two weeks. Give Howie Roseman credit for taking a chance on a guy not many people thought had anything left in the tank.
Down: Isaac Seumalo and Halapoulivaati Vaitai
Not a good week for the offensive linemen the Eagles drafted in 2016. First, Seumalo lost his job last week and this week he was a healthy scratch in favor of Stefen Wisniewski and Chance Warmack. That's quite a demotion for a guy who was anointed the starting left guard at the beginning of training camp.
As for Vaitai, he got some action as a third tackle in the Eagles' goal-line sets, but got blown up on just about every play. The Eagles ran behind him three times, and lost yards every single time. Not a great sign for a guy who is supposed to be the first tackle off the bench.
Up: Jake Elliott
Being an NFL kicker takes a tremendous amount of confidence and no one has more confidence right now than the Eagles' rookie. After last week's record-breaking, game-winning kick, Elliott stepped on the field four times and calmly knocked home field goals of 45, 40, 53 and 47 yards. Last week, I wrote that Elliott would have to consistently prove to be a reliable option if he wants to remain on the roster after Caleb Sturgis gets healthy. So far, so good.
Down: Nigel Bradham
Bradham was a stand-out performer last year, but he has really struggled making tackles this year and his coverage has been a tad spotty as well. With Mychal Kendricks continuing to out-perform Bradham, it seems like it's only a matter of time before Kendricks starts to take some of his snaps. Granted, yesterday was not a good day for any of the Eagles' linebackers, even Jordan Hicks had a few miscues, but the Eagles need to get Kendricks on the field and Bradham's poor play will make it easier for the coaching staff to make the swap.
Three-Step Drop
1. One thing that really stood out yesterday was the poise Wentz played with all game. Up until yesterday, the second-year quarterback often had flashes of brilliance, but it was still very apparent he was a young quarterback trying to learn on the fly. But yesterday, Wentz consistently made good, quick decisions, before and after the snap. Coming into the game, Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa were feasting on opposing quarterbacks, but Wentz's decision-making, as well as Peters and Lane Johnson, held the duo to zero sacks and just two quarterback hits. Yesterday was a big step in Wentz's development.
2. It took three games, but Rasul Douglas was finally made to look like a rookie. During the past two weeks, Douglas played exceptionally well, but he was consistently beat by Chargers receivers and didn't look like the sure-tackler we saw against Kansas City and New York. Maybe the Chargers found a way to exploit Douglas on film, or maybe this was just a bad game by a young player. Either way, he needs to be better these next few weeks, or else he'll be on the bench when Darby comes back.
3. Give credit to Doug Pederson, who called a brilliant game yesterday, running a balanced offensive attack and keeping the Chargers' defense guessing all day long. Pederson has come under a lot of criticism for his game-planning and decision-making, but he was stellar against Los Angeles and showed everyone what he is capable of. His commitment to the run has been a game-changer for his play-calling.
Who's Next
The Eagles will return home this week to take on the Arizona Cardinals who are 2-2 after defeating the 49ers in overtime yesterday. The Cardinals have been on a bit of a down-slide these past two years after being a top NFC contender during Bruce Arians first years in the desert. Carson Palmer is getting older, and more erratic as a result, and the Cardinals are still without running back David Johnson.
This will be a homecoming of sorts for Cardinals first-round pick Haason Reddick, who grew up in Camden and played his college ball at the Linc as a member of the Temple Owls. The Eagles, meanwhile, will be trying to improve to 4-1 for the first time since 2014, when the Birds started the year 9-3, before losing three straight and finishing 10-6.
