No More Injuries, But Perhaps No Identity: Eagles vs Rams Recap

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By Connor Donald, Sports Talk Philly Contributing Writer

Week one was all about injuries and overcoming injuries in a heartbreaking loss to the Football Team. Well week two became a different story as Lane Johnson, Miles Sanders, Derek Barnett and Javon Hargrave all returned to the lineup. And things were scary early going down 21-3 by early in the 2nd quarter, no energy on offense and the defense struggling to make stops, including majorly on third downs.

Heading into the second half the game turned from total dominance by the Rams to sudden life from the Eagles. With less than a minute to go in the first half TJ Edwards forced a Cooper Kupp fumble on a punt return that gave the Eagles the ball at the Rams 11 yard line, Miles Sanders capped off a 13 unanswered point run from the Eagles in the final ten minutes of the second quarter with a rushing touchdown with less than five seconds to go.

The second half started with that same momentum and energy that capped the first half. An early three and out for the Rams gave the ball back to the Eagles. Jackson led the drive with three catches and some nice runs by Miles Sanders before a disappointing interception in the end zone by Wentz forcing attempting to force a pass into a tight window to JJ Arcega Whiteside. Granted the Rams CB closed on the receiver well, Carson Wentz decision making remains concerning in certain situations. So much so that Fox pointed out his record when throwing one or more INTs, he is 10-17. The interception was the penultimate turning point as the momentum and energy of the offense died here for the remainder of the game.

The rest of the third quarter was very much back and forth with a field goal for the Rams and then early in the fourth quarter Jake Elliot nailing a field goal. The fourth quarter had more of a return to the first quarter play giving up a huge run to Darrell Henderson, which led to a 28 yard pass from Goff to Higbee for his third touchdown of the day. The secondary struggled all day seemingly confused and missing assignments. The slot, whether it was tight end or receiver, seemed to be the kryptonite of the secondary as Higbee (5 rec., 54 yards and 3 TDs), Van Jefferson, (4 rec., 45 yards) and Cooper Kupp (5 rec., 81 yards) were the top three in targets, receptions and receiving yards.

The week two Eagles were essentially the opposite of the week one Eagles. Defense struggled much of the day especially on third downs, the front four had issues handling the run. While the offense had a run game and the offensive line was looking good with Lane Johnson back in the lineup. Needless to say, we missed you Lane and we missed you Miles, please stay safe and don’t get hurt again. The offensive line and Miles Sanders ultimately would be the two MVP’s and positives in an otherwise frustrating game again.

The Eagles offense, despite their two second quarter touchdowns and quick start to the second half, seemed largely lifeless and not on the same page. Much of this falls onto the shoulders of Carson Wentz who was overthrowing targets and putting most of his targets in unsafe situations. He finished 26-43, with two interceptions and only averaged 5.6 yards per pass. Without Miles Sanders this offense would have looked vastly different and the final score likely would have looked worse then 37-19. Sanders carried the ball 20 times for 95 yards and a touchdown plus had three receptions for 36 yards accounting for 36% of the Eagles offense. Desean Jackson also return to some relevancy leading the team in receiving with six receptions for 64 yards, after Pederson said they wanted to make sure he got back to 100% before giving him more time on the field after last weeks limited play time.

Lane Johnson’s return was very much welcomed as this offensive line looked completely different, shutting down Aaron Donald. Carson Wentz, after being sacked eight times last week, was sacked zero times this week. Isaac Seumalo left the game in the second quarter, but the offensive line left room for optimism going forward as long as they remain healthy this season.

The Eagles third down defense continued to struggle in the second half giving the Rams a 7-12 third down efficiency. The secondary often looked confused and like they were missing assignments. The secondary allowed Jared Goff 20-27 in passing with over 258 yards and over nine yards per attempt. The front four, who generally do extremely well in stopping the run allowed a relatively mysterious backfield to put up over 100 yards for the second week in a row. The Rams finished with 191 rushing yards, a number almost unheard of for the Eagles last year. They also gave up two rushing touchdowns, one to Robert Woods and one to Darrell Henderson.

Alas, another week and another loss for the Eagles. It was clear the positives were the returns of key offensive weapons, but it is certainly concerning as the Eagles struggle to play a full 60 minutes, a similar issue as last season. The defense did not look good and the offense looked worse. This looks like a very troubled Wentz and Pederson, two men who seem to have lost their identity and need to right this ship quickly. The 0-2 Philadelphia Eagles face the 0-2 Cincinnati Bengals in Philadelphia next week and with injuries no longer as concerning, the identity crisis needs to be figured out and fast.