Well, that was fun! The Philadelphia Eagles are officially 3-0 after a dominant 24-8 win over the Washington Commanders. There was a lot to like, a lot to love, and a few things that just might make you overthink everything.
Eagels turn Washington into Sack City
Carson Wentz was always going to have a tough day at the office against his former team, but even I didn’t think it would be that tough. He got sacked 9 times, which is officially the most times a QB has been sacked by a team in a single game in NFL history. Lol.
The entire defensive line got a piece of the pie. Fletcher Cox kicked off proceedings and quelled some of the questions about his current ability, before Javon Hargrave and the rest of the wrecking crew joined the fun.
Haason Reddick got 1.5 sacks on the day, Brandon Graham had 2.5, and even T.J Edwards got in on the fun.
A combination of Carson Wentz’s ineptitude, some terrible blocking, and aggression up front from Gannon’s pass-rush pushed the Eagles to a record-setting day at the office and they could not have picked a better day for it.
Jalen Hurts steps it up
Jalen Hurts has gotten better with each passing week, but there’s always been something else that could’ve been better, or an area to focus improvement on next time. Whether it was the target share in week 1, or the rushing frequency in week 2, there’s an impossibly high standard. But he put on a clinic in week 3.
Hurts ended his day throwing for 340 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 picks, and only rushed for 20 yards. That stat line could be confused with any elite quarterback and shows tremendous growth as a pocket-passer. He was confident, aggressive, and trusted his wide receivers right from the opening snap.
This is the best we’ve seen Hurts look and he still hasn’t turned the ball over this season. He is ticking every box imaginable right now and it’s a joy to watch.
DeVonta Smith balls out
Well, the week 1 concerns dried up fast. Smith showed the world why he was worthy of a Heisman Trophy with an electric performance in Washington. 169 yards and a touchdown don’t even do it justice. The Bama product was all over the field, ripping through the defense on slants, high-pointing deep balls, and showing real toughness at the catch-point in 50/50 scenarios. Smitty was everything the Eagles could’ve dreamed he would become on Sunday, and hey, A.J Brown put up 85 yards too!
Buttttt….
If there’s one criticism we do have, it’s that the Eagles have a tendency to take their foot off the gas in the second half. Mainly it’s because they’ve built up big leads by this point, but it’s not sustainable. Detroit almost punished Jonathan Ganon for his laid back approach in week 1, and luckily for the Birds, Washington were that awful, they somehow removed points from their tally, erasing a field goal in the most disappointing chain of events I’ve ever seen.
The main thing is that sooner or later, a team is going to be good enough for long enough to punch the Eagles in the mouth deep into the second half and they’re going to have to get up and fight from behind. They cannot afford to keep lifting off the gas pedal on both sides of the ball.
Overall
Carson Wentz showed the Eagles why they were right to trade him. Jalen Hurts showed the Eagles why they were right to back him. Papa John’s showed me why I was right to order their Philly Cheesesteak pizza today. Go Birds.
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
