Well, that was anything but fun. The Eagles fell to Dallas 6-0 at Lincoln Financial Field on New Years Eve in a game that had about as much excitement as…well, as much as you’d expect from a week 17 Football game. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t some big talking points as the long wait for the playoff begins.
Sudfeld is capable:
He didn’t blow people away, he didn’t shock the world. But the Eagles offense almost found its first sign of life under the Indiana product. Completing 19/23 passes for 134 yards and a 22 yard rush. the only Sudfeld couldn’t do was get the Eagles into scoring position. Considering the amount of rouge snaps and other factors that played into this stat line however, the young signal-caller held his own. He suffered constant pressure from the left hand side (surprising, I know) but didn’t turn the ball over once…more than can be said for current starter, Nick Foles.
Simply the best:
There is no better run defense in the NFL, period. Sure, Zeke may be the first back in over 20 games to put up 100 yards in a garbage time matchup over the Birds, but the team were so heavy into their rotation that even Nate Gerry, a rookie who has played 30% of special teams snaps this year, was lining up at linebacker. The Eagles STILL allowed just 129 yards to a team that have become renowned for carving up defenses with Zeke in the fold. Elijah Qualls and Beau Allen saw a lot of time on the interior side of things and to put it simply, the Eagles retained their reputation as the toughest run defense in the NFL.
Receiving depth:
It was really nice to see Shelton Gibson record his first NFL reception and UDFA Marcus Johnson make some big offensive plays too. Mack Hollins found himself in the thick of the action again and with the starters pulled, the Eagles wideouts certainly benefitted from that playing time. This was the first game all season that a clear direction was visible at WR. Seeing the difference in Johnson from preseason to week 17 (for example) was impressive and it shows that development is the key to sustaining success here.
A pleasant surprise:
The MVP of this game was easily Dannell Ellerbe in my eyes. 4 tackles and 1 TFL may not sound like a lot, but the 32-year old veteran was anchoring down the middle of the field all afternoon for Philadelphia. Making the right decisions throughout, Ellerbe looked like a Beast. His thick base and secure tackling kept things quiet on the ground until attrition eventually set in. But however you look at it, the Eagles can only be encouraged with Ellerbe’s production given how little time he’s spent with the team.
O-Line questions:
LeGarrette Blount saw the Lion’s share of carries tonight in place of Jay Ajayi, running the ball 9 times for 37 yards. Corey Clement? He had just one carry, while Wendell Smallwood had 4 carries for just 6 yards. The usual committee was thrown into disarray without Ajayi, but perhaps it was the offensive line changes that prompted a complete stagnation in running the ball.
Will Beatty made his Eagles debut while Isaac Seumalo shifted to center after Kelce was pulled, something many have been curious to see for quite some time. Is Seumalo the air to the Center throne? Maybe, maybe not. But a lot of errant snaps and some poor blocking across the board stung the Eagles offense all night long. Depth in the trenches has long been praised, but the talent down the chart may not be as impressive as first thought.
Taking a punt:
So Donnie Jones saw a lot of action today. By a lot of action, I mean 7 punts for 299 yards. The veteran even pinned Dallas within their one yard line late in the proceedings, making a very clear statement. He’s not hanging up his boots just yet.
HAPPY NEW YEAR:
You weren’t expecting that one. I just wanted to take the time to say thank you so much for all of your support over the last 12 months. To see this site grow from where it was 3 years ago, to where it is now has been an absolute rollercoaster. But seeing how many new faces are coming back to read our content and are interacting with us on social media really does mean the world to me. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to read out content. You have given us a platform that I’m thankful for each and every day and I really am truly humbled to sit here 5,000 miles away and still be able to provide passionate analysis on the game I love. Thank you for believing in me and everyone here at Philly Sports Network. The best is yet to come.
Liam
andatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
