By: Tucker Bagley, Sports Talk Philly staff
Another week, another big win. Let's get to it:
Going Deep
What else can you say about Carson Wentz and this Eagles team he has led to a 6-1 start and the best record in the NFL. Just seven weeks in to the season, the Eagles have what amounts to a four-game lead in the NFC East and everyone in the Delaware Valley is waking ups with dreams of a Super Bowl trip dancing in their heads.
Last night, The Birds dismantled the Redskins, 34-24, and Wentz established himself as a de facto franchise quarterback.
It has been a quick rise to the top for the kid from Bismark, North Dakota. Just a few months ago, people were worried if he was ever going to truly develop into the guy the Eagles hoped they drafted with the second-overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
"I'll be honest I wouldn't have taken him No. 2 overall," an anonymous scout told NJ.com last year. "First round, sure, but No. 2? That's a little high for a kid coming from where he came from. He's been better than I thought, a lot better and a lot quicker. That's the thing for me. I thought he had a chance down the road. I just thought it would take more time, a lot of time. He's come right in and picked up things. And from what I've seen — and I haven't watched real close yet — they haven't really dumbed it down for him. He's doing everything that a veteran (QB) would do."
Not dumbing down the offense has really paid dividends for Wentz and the Eagles. There were a lot of growing pains last year, but Wentz has shown a knack for identifying and attacking defenses at the line of scrimmage, instilling confidence in Doug Pederson to give him more freedom.
Perhaps Wentz's greatest improvement has been in the red zone. Last year, Wentz had just 16 touchdown passes all year, but he already has surpassed that number in just seven games. A big reason for that has been his efficiency in the red zone. The second-year quarterback is currently 20-31 on red zone passes and 12 of those completions have gone for touchdowns.
For an example, look no further than his third quarter touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor:
Wentz identified the coverage and changed the play at the line of scrimmage. The Eagles basically run three verticals where Zach Ertz running across the face of the safety will occupy him just long enough to get Agholor open in the end zone. It worked beautifully.
The Eagles suffered two huge injuries yesterday. Both Jason Peters and Jordan Hicks look to be lost for the season. But, with Wentz in the fold, it seems like the Eagles still have a chance to continue playing at a high level. Wentz's influence on the team goes beyond just a few highlight plays every week. He's a leader in the locker room, an extension of the coaching staff on the field and arguably the front-runner for this year's MVP award.
This kid is special and it's time the rest of the League takes notice.
Injury Report
Did Not Play: Ronald Darby (ankle), Mychal Kendricks (hamstring)
Jordan Hicks: Hicks has been dealing with a calf injury for the majority of the season and only lasted two snaps before being carted into the locker room. It sounds like Hicks tore his Achilles tendon, which would be a huge loss to the Eagles defense. For two years, the Eagles have refused to address their lacking of depth at linebacker and if Kendricks isn't cleared by next week, opposing offenses will attack the middle of the field like the Redskins did last night.
Jason Peters: Peters was the other big injury and the prognosis is grim for the future Hall of Famer. He had his leg rolled up on in the third quarter and had to be carted off the field amidst a crowd of players who gathered around the veteran to wish him well. Peters is more than likely done for the year and it wouldn't be a total shock if we've seen the last of him in the NFL.
Measurables
26: The Eagles racked up 26 penalty yards on four penalties during the first three snaps of their first drive. First, an offensive pass interference on Alshon Jeffery. Then a block in the back on Zach Ertz nullified a big run by Wendell Smallwood. A Lane Johnson hold voided a long scramble by Wentz and then the Birds got flagged for 12 men in the huddle. I can't think of a worse way of starting a game then losing 26 yards before running an actual play.
8.3: The penalties were just the beginning of the Eagles' early woes as Wentz finished the opening period with a quarterback rating of 8.3. The young gunslinger was 1-3 for 13 yards and tossed an interception on what may have been his worst throw of the year. Maybe Wentz was still shaking off the rust from the 10-day layoff, because he certainly came alive in the final three quarters, tossing four touchdown passes.
8: In their two games against the Redskins, the Eagles have eight total sacks. In Washington's other four games, their opponents have combined for just four. The Redskins boast a pretty good offensive line, but the Birds have just dominated them (and every other o-line) this season. Getting pressure on the quarterback is the most important thing in the NFL and the Eagles are just as good as anyone at it.
Turning Point
Things certainly didn't start well for Wentz and company. The Eagles trailed Washington, 10-3, early in the second quarter when Wentz changed the trajectory of the game with one ridiculous throw:
The Eagles had Mack Hollins lined up in a stack formation to the right of the field and the rookie got a clean release off the line of scrimmage. Down the field, Hollins burned DJ Swearinger with a double move and Wentz hit him with a ball that traveled over 62 yards in the air. The touchdown tied the game at 10-10 and the Eagles reeled off touchdowns on each of their next two drives, effectively putting away the game early in the second half.
Up/Down Drill
Up: Carson Wentz
It's almost too easy to pencil Wentz into this spot every week, but the kid has transformed from a mistake-prone youngster into a game-changing franchise quarterback right in front our eyes. With his four touchdown passes last night, Wentz now leads the NFL in that category and he recorded a passer rating of 126.3, his third straight game with a rating over 110. Simply put, this kid is really good.
Down: Running Backs
The Eagles boasted a top-10 rushing attack in each of the last four weeks, but the running game really sputtered last night. The Redskins really stuffed the box and didn't let any of the Eagles running backs get any sort of momentum until LeGarrette Blount finally broke off a 21-yard run late in the fourth quarter. Blount, Wendell Smallwood, Corey Clement and Kenjon Barner combined for just 64 yards on 25 carries. With Peters lost, it may be a struggle for the Birds to improve on those numbers in these upcoming weeks.
Up: Malcolm Jenkins
Jenkins continues to play at a high level for the Eagles and he is the best man-to-man coverage safety in the League. The former cornerback had a key stop on 3rd and 1, where he held Jordan Reed to a catch for no gain and forced the Redskins to punt. Later in the game, Jenkins picked up a sack on a delayed blitz. The Eagles have a lot of holes in their secondary, but Jenkins ability and versatility covers so many of them.
Down: Najee Goode
Granted, Goode was put in a rough situation, subbing in for Hicks, but he struggled in coverage all night and was clearly the weakest spot in the Eagles defense. It sounds like Kendricks will be healthy for next Sunday's game, so the Eagles will not need Goode's services on every down, which is good. If he's forced to be an every-down player, expect offenses to constantly attack him in zone coverage.
Three-Step Drop
1. Looking at the Eagles slow start, it's worth wondering how much of it was due to the team being rusty after a 10-day layoff. The Birds have four more games before their bye week, but after their struggles after the bye last season and their early struggles after a mini-bye this week, it may be time for Pederson and company to change up their plans during their time off.
2. It's still way too early to write the book on the Eagles 2017 rookie class, but the kids came up big last night. Hollins had that huge touchdown, Clement added a receiving touchdown of his own and first-round pick Derek Barnett finished the night with two sacks. If the Eagles rookies can continue to produce like this, the 2017 class will go a long way in sustaining the Eagles' new-found success for years to come.
3. It will be interesting to see how the Eagles handle their cornerbacks when Darby comes back, possibly as soon as this week. Darby is clearly more talented than Douglas or Jalen Mills, but do you take one of them out and sit them on the bench after performing admirably for six weeks? For now, I think the Eagles will slowly work Darby into a rotation with the two youngsters until he gets into game shape. Another interesting ingredient is Patrick Robinson who has played at such a high level, it seems almost ridiculous to relegate him to nickel duty.
Who's Next
The Eagles will play host to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon. The 49ers are still searching for their first win after betting blown out by the Cowboys last week. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has already turned to rookie quarterback CJ Beathard after Brian Hoyer disappointed, but the rookie hasn't fared much better.
On paper, this should be a laugher for the Eagles. At home, against an inferior opponent, Nick Foles and the rest of the second team should get some work in the second half. But there's always something slightly dangerous about a winless team this late in the year. The 49ers are desperate to knock off a quality team for their first win and could pull out all the stops against the Eagles on Sunday. It's certainly a long shot, but sleeping on any team in the NFL (outside of Cleveland) could spell doom on any given Sunday.
