The Eagles entered Foxborough on Sunday afternoon with very high expectations for the season. Unfortunately, the offense, which many felt would carry over its consistency from last season, faltered and just looked completely disorganized. Meanwhile, the defense helped with their constant turnovers and pressure in the first quarter.
While there’s much to talk about the game, let’s take a look at who’s trending up and down after Sunday’s matchup:
Jalen Carter: Stock up
It’s safe to say that the Eagles made the right move in drafting Jalen Carter. Carter was consistently pressuring Mac Jones throughout the game. He’s a beast among men, to say the least, and the Eagles seemed very invested in having both him and Jordan Davis on the field. Carter finished the game with 7 pressures and 1 sack. Defensive Rookie of the Year on the way?!
Brian Johnson: Stock down
Well, this threw me off a little bit. After all of the excitement behind the hiring of Brian Johnson, the offense looked as bland as possible. Which is hard when you have Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and D’Andre Swift. Speaking of Swift, I understand the concept of trying to make Gainwell the main guy but if it’s not working, it’s not working. Gainwell had 14 carries while Swift finished with only one.
You can’t convince me that Howie Roseman signed Rashaad Penny and traded for D’Andre Swift just to see Gainwell become the main attraction. The offense lacked creativity yesterday in both the run game and the passing game.
Josh Jobe: Stock up
The man of the hour! Jobe was the rave throughout training camp and it looks like he’s gained the trust of the coaching staff. He made a game-saving play as he nudged the WR out of bounds on a big 4th down play. Great awareness from the second-year UDFA.
Jordan Davis: Stock up
The manimal exists and he wears the number 90 for the Philadelphia Eagles. Jordan Davis was an immovable force and made his presence known against the run. He shared a sack with Josh Sweat and also tallied a tackle for loss. It’s safe to say that the future of the defensive line is in great hands.
Reed Blankenship: Stock up
Reed Blankenship continues to excel for the Eagles. After being the only guaranteed starter at safety, Blankenship tallied 12 totaled tackles in the season debut along with two big pass deflections. It seems that he is going to have a breakout season with Philly this year, but the question of who will be his running mate continues to cast a shadow over the secondary.
Jalen Hurts: Stock down
I understand that winning is the only thing that matters to Jalen Hurts and I greatly respect that but yesterday wasn’t it for the Eagles’ franchise QB. His decision-making seemed a bit delayed and you can tell that the lack of reps in the preseason only allowed the rust to build.
This performance is more on Nick Sirianni and Brian Johnson but there were too many missed opportunities. On countless passing attempts, Hurts had Dallas Goedert wide open down the field but chose to play it safe. It seemed as if he was a bit restrained yesterday and if the team wants to win then he needs to loosen up.
AP Photo/Mark Stockwell
