The Philadelphia Eagles are your 2017 NFC East Champions. There’s a sentence that few people probably expected to read at the start of the season, but one many had hoped to. Heartbreaking news and a sense of uncertainty aside, the Eagles achieved what they set out to do. A playoff berth is secured…but there is still plenty to talk about.
The most complete team in the league?
Let’s forget about the injuries to Jordan Hicks and Jason Peters for a moment. The Eagles came into today without Zach Ertz, a tight end with 7 touchdowns and over 600 yards this year. They then lost Stefen Wisniewski and were forced to ride Chance Warmack at Left Guard. To top It off, Carson Wentz suffered a breath-stopping injury that forced Nick Foles in to close out the game.
It doesn’t matter how many injuries this team sustains, they never give up, they never quit. The resiliency through adversity in the toughest scenarios against the toughest teams is simply remarkable. There may be no team more complete than the Eagles, who overcame a 4 point deficit to the Rams on the road while all this was going on.
Let’s talk about tackling…
So, Todd Gurley. We need to talk about Todd Gurley…oh, and Cooper Kupp. For some strange reason, the last two weeks have seen a complete dip in tackling form. Maybe it’s practicing environments, maybe it’s something else, but the Eagles defense is slipping off of ball-carriers as if they’re covered in Oil. There were so many big plays as a result of poor tackling angles or broken tackles that it’s hard to put a finger on just one. Gurley really exploited this and if Wentz really is out for the season, the defense won’t have the luxury of a franchise quarterback to bail them out and engage a shootout.
Defense redeems itself:
It was a sloppy start for the defense. In fact, it was a sloppy game overall. But when it really mattered most, the defense came through in bunches. Brandon Graham put the cherry on the cake at the end of the game and while much of the effort from Schwartz’s unit won’t show up on the stat sheet, those final drives of pressure will be remembered for a long time. The Eagles brought pressure from the moment the game began and never game up hounding a play-action pally Jared Goff to force poor throws.
Torrey Smith sighting:
The former Niners wideout broke out against the Rams, notching his first 100 yard game since week 3 of 2015. Smith hadn’t registered a reception for more than 11 yards since the game against Arizona, so to see him take full advantage of the Rams beaten up secondary was vindicating. The Eagles have now had a receiver pick up 100 yards in each of their last three games. Much has been said about Smith and his production this year, but little will be said about how valuable he was to the Eagles today.
No Ertz, no problem:
Three of the four touchdown passes tossed by Carson Wentz sailed into the hands of a tight end. Trey Burton had a career game where he caught two scores, while Brent Celek caught his first touchdown pass since Thanksgiving 2015. Even without their top playmaker, the Eagles tight ends found a way to get the job done. As mentioned a few days ago however, there will be some long-term questions that need answering.
The Eagles have some important long-term questions looming over the tight end position
Character:
The Rams practically bullied the Eagles defensively. Alshon Jeffery was bring dominated by Trumaine Johnson, verbally and physically, and the tackles were hard. They were aggressive. They were nasty. The Rams were out to completely smother the Eagles and it very nearly worked. But what more can you say about this team than they never give up, nor do they ever lose their cool. It’s amazing to see how they deal with players getting in their grill as LeGarrette Blount experienced early on, but this team acts as one cohesive organism and it’s worked wonders since the moment the season began.
What about Wentz?
The Elephant in the room is simply wondering ‘what happens next?’. The answer, unfortunately, is we don’t know. Until MRI’s confirm the extent of the injury, it’s all up in the air. Would the Eagles pursue quarterback help for the remainder of the season? I highly, highly doubt it. The Birds paid a premium to bring back Nick Foles as the ultimate insurance policy…and that’s exactly what he will be.
I wrote an extensive piece on the injury to Wentz and the impact it will have on the team here:
Eagles crowned NFC East champs, but heartbreaking injury to Carson Wentz numbs the joy
Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
