Going Deep
Thursday's pregame ceremony was supposed to be the final victory lap for the 2017 World Champion Philadelphia Eagles, but Doug Pederson's squad decided to take the fans on a longer walk down memory lane during the Eagles 18-12 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
There was drama, a few goal-line stands and Pederson even reached deep into his bag of tricks to reprise the most famous play in franchise history.
The Eagles offense came out of the gate very flat, putting up just one first down in the first quarter and just 3 points in the first half. Lucky for them, the defense showed up on Thursday night, forcing a turnover on downs at the 1-yard-line on fourth-and-goal, then allowing just 9 more points, despite the Falcons starting three drives on the Eagles' half of the field.
"The defense, they got down there, bowed their neck, they made several big stops, big stops for us," Pederson said after the game. "That's what it takes early in the season like this until your offense gets on track."
It took until their second drive of the second half for the Eagles offense to get on track, when Pederson called a trick play we last saw in the Super Bowl. It wasn't the Philly Special, but instead the Eagles decided to run the same play the Patriots failed to execute in the Super Bowl. If you're curious about the difference between the two plays, check out this informative venn diagram:
Pederson dubbed the play "Philly, Philly;" a reference to Nick Foles's call in Super Bowl LII. The 15-yard completion from Nelson Agholor was the Eagles' longest completion of the game to that point and set up their first touchdown of the game.
"That was a big momentum swing for us," Foles explained.
It brought the dormant crowd to their feet and gave the Eagles a lead they would never relinquish.
But as the game wore on into the fourth quarter, it seemed like we were being transported back to January, 2018, when the Falcons season died at the goal line of Lincoln Financial Field with an overthrown Matt Ryan pass sailing over the head of Julio Jones as time expired. This time however, it was Ronald Darby who was in coverage and came up with a game-saving play.
The fourth-year cornerback contested Jones as he leaped for the ball and shoved the wide receiver out of bounds as the clock hit zero. The ball fell harmlessly to the turf. With the win, the Eagles have bought themselves, and their injured franchise quarterback, more time as to heal up and get on track for the playoffs, where they will try to repeat as World Champions for the first time since 1949.
Injury Report
Did not play: Alshon Jeffery (shoulder), Mack Hollins (sports hernia) Carson Wentz (knee)
The Eagles made it out of Thursday night's game relatively unscathed with no new injuries to note. Both Jason Kelce and Jason Peters seem to have some health issues, but the former didn't miss an offensive snap after hobbling off the field at the end of the first half and the latter said he was dealing with nothing more than an upset stomach.
For now, the most pressing issue remains the impending return of Wentz. After Foles's unspectacular play last night, it's clear the Eagles need Wentz back as soon as possible, no matter how great the defense is playing.
Measurables
3: Agholor became just the third player in NFL history to pass for 15 yards, rush for 15 yards, catch 8 passes and win the game last night. The other two are Curtis Martin, who tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass and ran for 90 yards in a Jets win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2000 and Tom Moore, who completed the feat in 1966 for the Los Angeles Rams. With Jeffery out, Agholor was the Eagles biggest weapon on offense and his ability to step up when called upon was a big reason the Eagles won on Thursday.
3.4: Foles didn't look like the guy who won Super Bowl MVP seven months ago, averaging just 3.4 yards per pass attempt. That's the second-lowest number by a winning quarterback in NFL history, topped only by Josh McCown in 2005. Certainly a few factors played into this, the Eagles were short-handed at wide receiver and the Falcons defense's top priority is defending the deep ball, but outside of a few bombs at the end of the first half, Foles didn't really attempt to push the ball down the field.
25%: The Falcons had four goal-to-go opportunities last night, but converted just one of them into a touchdown. The Eagles defense gave up a lot of big plays and the Falcons finished with 299 yards of offense, but Schwartz's unit was able to hold strong when their backs were against the wall. The Eagles allowed just 10 total points in goal-to-go situations, allowing a touchdown, a field goal and forcing two turnovers on downs.
Turning Point
This should be pretty obvious:
"You want Philly Philly … again?" pic.twitter.com/JyyKHE0zJH
— Matt Mullin (@matt_mullin) September 7, 2018
Up-Down Drill
Up: Kamu Grugier-Hill
Grugier-Hill was a special-teams standout in 2017 and entered last night as a newly-named team captain. He came up huge on the first drive of the game, setting the edge on Freeman's fourth-down run and forcing the running back to bounce around the outside into a group of Eagles' tacklers. For a guy who should make his money on special teams and in pass coverage, Grugier-Hill's ability in the run game should help him stay on the field with the base defense when Nigel Bradham returns next week.
Down: Zach Ertz & Dallas Goedert
Ertz finished the night as the Eagles' leading receiver, but the tight end had a forgettable night, catching only half of his targets and dropping a pass on a big third down in the fourth quarter.
It was a forgettable NFL debut for Goedert, who made a nice play on a pass in the end zone, catching a jump ball from Foles, despite being out of bounds. After that, his presence was only felt on the play he didn't make, the aforementioned Foles interception on which the rookie gave up the ball on a hit by the safety. Granted, that throw was a bit late, but Goedert has to hold on to that football.
Up: Jay Ajayi
Ajayi didn’t see the field for the first quarter, possibly due to a lingering foot issue, but he didn’t seem worse for the wear once he got the ball, averaging over 4 yards per carry and scoring both of the Eagles touchdowns, as well as the two-point conversion that sealed the victory. With LeGarrette Blount in Detroit, it was imperative Ajayi take over as the lead back, especially in short-yardage situations. So far, so good.
Down: Tre Sullivan
Sullivan had the biggest gaffe of the game, engaging with a Falcon during a punt and accidentally touching the ball, allowing Atlanta to recover the loose football and regain possession on the Eagles' half of the field. Two plays later, Atlanta scored their lone touchdown of the game. After Sullivan's unimpressive performance in the preseason, the Eagles traded for Deiondre' Hall, who missed last night's game due to a suspension. With Hall's impending return next Sunday, it's safe to assume Sullivan's time as an Eagle is running out.
Three-Step Drop
1. This Eagles team has continued to surprise me with their ability to step up in big games. With the exception of last year's loss in Seattle, the Eagles haven't been caught off-guard during the last year-plus. I thought last night was going to be a tough game, and with the pre-game ceremony, the Eagles would be facing an uphill battle. But once again, they overcame some miscues and executed down the stretch to pull out another victory. This team continues to pass each test put in front of them with flying colors.
2. Julio Jones certainly had a big game last night, but the Eagles secondary played well after some early missteps on the first drive of the game. Certainly there is still some room for improvement, Mills needs to stop biting on double moves for one, but the depth this team has at corner is astounding. Darby had three pass-breakups, Sidney Jones played well and even Rasul Douglas came up with an interception in the red zone. Being able to go four-deep at one of the most important positions on the field will be huge for the Eagles continued success in 2018.
3. Corey Clement was a popular pick for "breakout player of the year," but the second-year running back had a forgettable game, save for a 21-yard run in the fourth quarter. With the reemergence of Darren Sproles in the passing game, it seems like Clement may take a backseat to Sproles and Ajayi until one of the veterans falters.
Who's Next
Things get a bit easier for the Eagles as they have 10 days off before traveling to Tampa to play the Jameis Winston-less Buccaneers. The Florida State product will sit out due to a suspension and barring any injury, Ryan Fitzpatrick will be quarterbacking the Bucs' offense next Sunday. Tampa Bay won just 5 games a season ago, but Fitzpatrick was 2-1 in his three starts for the Buccaneers, so he still gives them a chance to win, but if the Eagles can't handle their business next Sunday, there will be a lot of questions.
