There’s been a lot of noise surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles this week, but there’s a saying in football – ‘winning cures everything’. We’ll see how true that is, but the first part can be ticked off. A 31-13 win saw Wentz and the offense rise to an impressive win over Buffalo in tricky conditions. Here’s everything you need to know:
Three-headed monster
Jordan Howard dominated the field on Sunday, amassing 96 yards on a season-high 23 carries. Adding a touchdown to his resume, Howard was the bell-cow the Eagles needed in sloppy conditions where throwing was turbulent.
He was aided by Miles Sanders and Boston Scott, however. Both recorded their first NFL rushing touchdowns and while they may not have seen the field all that much, Sanders specifically, was excellent.
The Penn State product looked far more composed behind the line of scrimmage, as evidenced by a stunning 65-yard run.
It’s been a while since the Eagles run-game has looked this solid. Great play design and even better execution saw them thrive against a stout run defense. An encouraging sign, for sure.
Pass-rush has signs of life
For a defensive line that has about as much interior depth as my Fridge right now, this was a dominant performance. Fletcher Cox stepped up to the plate in a big way, registering 6 tackles and 1.5 sacks, while Derek Barnett picked up 3 QB hits, and Brandon Graham punched in a sack, 2 TFL’s, and a QB hit while leading the team in tackles. The front four did a fantastic job of forcing Josh Allen to think on his feet, creating two fumbles as a result and compensating for the loss of 3 defensive tackles.
Wentz was wonderful
Maybe it was the new arm-sleeve, or maybe it was a week of nothing but noise, but Carson Wentz played with a chip on his shoulder. There was one drive in the fourth quarter where he put the entire offense on his back, literally, rushing his way down the field on plays that demanded you to get out of your chair and respect the franchise swagger. The Eagles’ QB ended his day with 1 TD and 0 INT, completing 17/24 passes against a strong Bills defense.
But it’s not all pretty…
The Eagles defense, for the most part, stepped up. However, the third-and-long play calls are still just as mindblowing as they always have been. We’re going to hold off on being overly critical for now, they did just hold the Bills to 155 passing yards and 98 rushing yards. The heat has cooled off on Jim Schwartz, for now, but there were still a lot of scheme-related frustrations to be had.
Thanks, Orlando
Orlando Scandrick’s comments about the Eagles may have lit a fire that needed to burn in order to save the season. If the team really did lack identity, became complacent, and cling onto the glory days of 2017 a little too much, this last week delivered a harsh-reality check and instilled that ‘underdog’ mentality once more. The Eagles played with fire across the board, sometimes it hurt them, other times it helped spur huge defensive stops.
Thanks, Orlando.
Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
