The Philadelphia Eagles moved to 9-1 on the season in probably the ugliest way possible. For close to 58 minutes of game action against the Colts, the Eagles trailed. A combination of clutch plays from Jalen Hurts and strong defensive plays ended up leading to the one-point victory.
While fans will celebrate, there were plenty of things to be disappointed about. The Eagles certainly aren’t playing like the top team in the NFL at the moment, and have played poorly over the last few weeks. The good news is that the poor performance hasn’t really mattered and Philadelphia hasn’t lost any ground yet for the top seed.
So who stood out and who stunk after Sunday’s game?
Stock Up: Jalen Hurts
Franchise quarterbacks find ways to win football games even when everything around them is ugly. The Eagles’ offense was atrocious, to say the least on Sunday, and yet it was Jalen Hurts that got the last laugh thanks to his legs and clutch throws.
It’s a tad shocking that the Eagles won’t trust him to throw the ball more, especially late in games, but Hurts made the winning plays needed to win.
Hurts is 100% the NFL’s MVP at the moment and he is the sole reason Philadelphia is back in first place.
Stock Down: Shane Steichen
It’s been this way for close to a month now. The Eagles’ offense isn’t bad. But it seems that Steichen, as a play-caller, panics and gets caught with egregious tendencies that put the team back in tough situations.
The offense has become a bit stale and there are major issues in the receiving game. The notion that, without Dallas Goedert, Philly needed to come out in more 13 personnel was preposterous, and yet, that’s what Steichen wanted to do.
The Eagles OC needs to start trusting his quarterback more.
Stock Up: Jonathan Gannon
That is how you bounce back! After a disastrous Monday night showing and poor first drive, Gannon flipped the script on defense and allowed his newly acquired acquisitions to produce at a high level.
When Gannon calls a defense that shows trust in his players, this defense is a top-five unit. The problem is that it is so hard to get him to actually trust his guys to the point where they are sometimes not in the best position to succeed. Sunday was a great game for the Eagles DC though.
Stock Down: AJ Brown
Stephon Gilmore is a defensive player of the year. He’s still a great corner. Yet as good as Gilmore is, A.J. Brown has to be better at 1. taking care of the football, and 2. getting open. Jalen Hurts as a passer continues to develop and without Dallas Goedert, it’s important to use Brown over the middle of the field. Sunday wasn’t a very good day for the shiny top toy in the Eagles’ offense.
Is there a reason to be concerned? After two lackluster games, you can make an argument for that, but I think it’s just a matter of Hurts needing to adjust to his top target. They will both be fine.
Stock Up: Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh
As good as newcomers like A.J. Brown and CGJ have been, the signings of Linval Joseph and Suh are arguably the most important moves the Eagles have made to this point.
While the opening drive certainly was bad, once Joseph and Suh were getting key time in roles that fit their skill set, the two old dynamos turned back the clock and were both a key reason for the Eagles winning on Sunday.
If they continue to perform like this, the return of Jordan Davis will mean the Eagles can limit Fletcher Cox’s playtime, and allow for the players that are producing the most to play.
AP Photo/Darron Cummings
