The Eagles showed an impressive effort on both sides of the football during Friday night’s contest against the Green Bay Packers. It was a sloppy start for the offense who finally founder their footing behind the momentum and energy of Saquon Barkley.
As for the defense, they came to play as they showed just how good their red zone defense can be but there were moments of concern whenever Jayden Reed was targeted.
While both sides of the ball had their ups and downs, here’s who improved their standing with the team versus who may need to do more to improve their current position.
I think that it’s not surprising to say that the Eagles wouldn’t have won this game without the help of their newest weapon. Barkley carried the team with 109 rushing yards, 23 receiving yards, and a three-touchdown performance. This was the first time an Eagles running back had two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown since 2019 when Jordan Howard last did it.
It’s also the second time an Eagles player scores three touchdowns in their debut since Terrell Owens did it in 2004 against the Giants. Barkley was exactly as advertised and showed just how well-rounded this offense can be. Saquon was everything that the Eagles have needed in a playmaking running back and more.
I was completely fooled into thinking that Devin White would be the guy early on in the linebacker group. White missed the opening game, which I’ll cover in the later part of this article, due to an ankle injury so he didn’t travel with the Eagles to Brazil. Zack Baun on the other hand, did travel to Brazil and caused nothing but chaos for the Packers offense.
He finished the game with 15 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 tackle for loss and 2 QB hits. He had 4 total pressures with 2 of them leading to QB hurries and the remaining two leading to sacks. Baun was a game-changer against the run game as well and the Eagles defense limited Josh Jacobs early on.
Mitchell was as advertised. It’s clear that the Eagles got a steal in the first round which is still mind-boggling to me. Quinton Mitchell held his own against a tough wide receiver group. While the Eagles secondary had zero answers for the shifty Jayne Reed, Mitchell was able to make some impactful plays regardless.
According to PFF, he allowed 5 receptions on 9 targets for 86 yards. He allowed a completion percentage of 55% and a passer rating of 88 against him. While the stats say one thing, I know another thing to be true. Quinyon Mitchell passed the eye test and is the real deal.
The former big ticket of the Jets is another first-round pick out of New York who showed out for the Eagles in his debut. Mekhi Becton came to the Eagles in hopes of turning his career around and he’s already off to a hot start. Becton moved to a new position at right guard this offseason and has excelled so far.
Against the Packers, he didn’t allow a single sack but did allow two pressures against Jalen Hurts. For a player at a new position who’s starting for the first time with the starters, because of Nick’s non-belief in preseason football, he was really impressive and showed great promise.
It’s tough to be efficient when you have yet to see the field in an actual NFL game. I say that because of the lack of snaps Hurts had in the preseason. Whether anyone likes it or not, the preseason is very valuable for players. With that being said, Hurts didn’t have the most impressive game.
Was he able to will his team to a big win? Yes. But did he play a part in the offense’s struggle? Yes. Hurts held onto the ball for an average time of 3 seconds against the Packers. He didn’t look confident in the pocket but he did excel against the blitz which is progress. Unfortunately, I know there are more than a handful of plays that Jalen would want back once he sees the film.
While he didn’t have to be the team’s best player tonight, he did have to be more responsible with the ball in his hands and a bit more trusting. I’m sure that Jalen will bounce back but the Eagles need him to be consistent if they’re aiming for another trip to the Super Bowl.
Your best ability is availability and for Devin White, that couldn’t be more true. White is dealing with an ankle injury that may have dropped him down in the depth chart. While Baun wasn’t phenomenal in pass coverage, he was everywhere he needed to be and showed the will to do it all. Can Devin White do the same? Or maybe the better question is will White get the opportunity to show that he can do what Baun and Dean did but at a better rate?
Two things have led to Nick’s stock dropping. The first one is the feeling that his fingers are still on the trigger within this offense. I’m not sure if he had a hand in the playcalling or maybe overrode some of Kellen Moore’s plays but this offense felt very similar to last year’s at times. While we did see more short passes and motion on the offense, there was a lack of balls thrown toward the middle of the field which could be Jalen Hurts’s fault but who knows.
Sirianni mentioned that Moore would have playcalling duties and that the offense would be a mix of his and Moore’s but it’ll be very concerning if we don’t start to see more of Moore’s style of offense. We all know what both offenses are capable of. One led to a historical collapse while the other has helped Dak Prescott become the QB that he is today, during the season.
The second thing is the tush push. It’s ok to let it go. It didn’t feel as unstoppable as it once felt but it doesn’t have to be. You now have Saquon Barkley who could be your bellcow running back at the one-yard line. It’s time to be a bit more creative with the tush push or just retire it until it’s absolutely needed.
CJGJ was missed last season. We all understood the impact that he had on the defense and the attitude that he brought to it. But against the Packers, C.J. looked a bit lost at times. You didn’t see much of an impact being made from him which is understandable in just the first game of the season.
What isn’t understandable is the rant on Instagram Live after the game. Fans will always be fans. Especially Philly fans. But there’s much more at stake for Gardner-Johnson than there is for the local fan. If you’re going to talk the talk then Philadelphia fans will always expect you to walk the walk. It’s just how they’re wired and it is what makes them the greatest fans in the world.
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