Drama in Philadelphia unfolded as a last second 61 yard field goal from Eagles Kicker Jake Elliott won the game for the Eagles 27-24 over the visiting New York Giants. Elliott's field goal also was etched into Philadelphia lore as his field goal was a franchise record. To think this kid was on the Bengals practice squad last week and now he comes into a whirlwind game and hits a clutch field goal to beat a division rival..id say that is one way to start a career off!
We saw a lot of good takeaways from the game and a few bad takeaways in which allowed the Eagles to beat the Giants but also a good building block into a marathon of a season that is to come. First off, Hats off to Jim Schwartz and the Eagles defense which kept the Eagles in the game when they were decimated with injuries. The defensive unit was already without starting safety Rodney McCleod, starting corner back Ronald Darby and safety Jaylen Watkins and to have your top linebacker go down ( Jordan Hicks) and your top defensive lineman (Fletcher Cox) during the game, it looked glum to see the Eagles creep a win out. But thanks to the defense, the Eagles are 2-1. Here are some positive notes on the game.
Positives:
- Rushing Offense: Even with Darren Sproles going down with a wrist injury the birds got the running game going which they were so desperate for. The Eagles in total rushed 39 times for 193 yards and LeGarrette Blount finally ripped off the runs that billed him in New England. If the Eagles want any chance of continued success this year, they're going to have to keep the running game going strong.
- Passing Offense: Wentz completed 21 of 31 passes and a big one at the end to Alshon Jeffrey to set up the game winning field goal by Jake Elliott. Another big note, Wentz did not throw and interception and marched the eagles down the field at a critical moment and seemingly kept cool the whole time..I want that in my quarterback.
- Run Defense: The Eagles held the Giants to 2.9 yards per carry and seemingly gave next to know room for Paul Perkins and Orleans Darkwa to operate. Granted, the Giants only ran the ball 19 times, but in those 19 times, the defense was pretty stout through the game. If the Eagles defensive front keeps eating like this, it is going to be very tough on opposing offenses.
Negatives:
- Pass Defense: Give credit to where credit is due and credit is given to the Eagles mangled secondary for keeping the Giants pass threat contained in the first half. Though once Fletcher Cox left with and injury, that containment seemed to fail. Manning went ahead and threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns in the second half. They're not only going to have to get healthier for next week but also make sure that they clean that up to win next week.
- Coaching: I like Doug Pederson, I really do, I think he is a great players coach and he seems to have a high football IQ and take risks when he can. But some of his play calls today were questionable and if it were not for the win…the seat might have gotten a little hot for him!
All in all, this was a very solid team win for the now 2-1 Eagles and they head out west next week for a 4:05 matchup against Phillip Rivers and the Los Angeles Chargers. The test for this Eagles team starts now, and hopefully we see a team only get better and not worse.
