That was fun, let’s never do it again. The Philadelphia Eagles advance to 9-1 after squeaking past the Indianapolis Colts in a 17-16 win. There was some good, some bad, and some downright confusing. But all that matters is that the Eagles got the job done on the road.
Did the new signings make an impact?
A lot of eyes fell on Jonathan Gannon’s defense this week and rightfully so. Howie Roseman went all-in to bolster the trenches by adding Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh. Both players featured in the opening series, highlighting just how committed the team was to fixing their run-defense woes. On the surface, the mission was a success.
Jonathan Taylor, one of the NFL’s most explosive running backs, was held to just 82 yards and 3.8 yards per carry, which is 0.9 yards fewer than what the Eagles were giving up on average this season coming into this contest.
The secondary played much tighter in a bid to really make Matt Ryan challenge downfield and rely on flailing arm strength and it worked to some degree. Big plays from the likes of Brandon Graham and both new signings really pushed the Eagles back into a game that was rapidly falling away from them.
We could talk all day about how the Eagles defense was disappointing in spurts, but when it was all on the line, they stepped up. The defense held the Colts to field goals after the offense gave away the ball in crucial senarios and on that final drive, made some splash plays to ensure Indy had no chance of a last-second win.
Gannon is off the hook, for now…
Jalen Hurts is THAT guy
As for Jalen Hurts, he followed a similar narrative. The early goings were shaky and in the pocket, the MVP candidate seemed skittish at times, looping around looking for early exits like he used to. But again, when the lights shone brightest, he stepped up.
Willing the team down the field in the heart of the final quarter and then punching the ball into the endzone himself to give his team a narrow lead, Hurts put the offense on his back and said ‘I got you’. That’s what will really matter in the long run. No quarterback is perfect and every QB will stumble from time to time. But that ‘it’ factor shines through again…and again…and again. Where others fall, he rises up. That’s what makes Hurts so special and really what pushed the Eagles over the edge in this game after a flurry of fumbles, miscues, and poor clock management.
The Eagles march on
The main takeaway here is that the Eagles are 9-1. They found a way to win. This game was far from pretty and they didn’t deserve to win for the most part. But the fact they did says all you need to know. A win is a win, no matter how it comes, and it’s better to win ugly than lose sexy.
The Eagles can dust themselves off, pat themselves down, and move onto next week. This game is done, they’ve got an extra win to add to their tally, and plenty of things to work on to keep the ship moving in the right direction. This wasn’t a convincing win, but so long as it’s one step back and two steps forward, they’ll be just fine.
AP Photo/Darron Cummings
