The Giants started the day booing their former running back Saquon Barkley, they ended it with booing their players. Philadelphia dominated, racking up 339 yards, to the Giants 119. , won the time of possession battle from 35:20 to 24:40, and first downs 20 to 10. The Eagles defense had their most complete game of the season versus the mid-to-bad NYG offense and compiled 8 sacks.
The biggest difference in the game was the explosive plays by the Eagles offense. They had one on 4th and 3 that went 41 yards to A.J. Brown for a touchdown and another TD was set up after a 55-yard by Saquon Barkley. The Eagles had four offensive plays of 38 yards or more.
New York conceded the game with a little over 10 minutes left by putting in backups after the Eagles went up 28–3. The Eagle’s first double-digit win since playing Miami at home on October 22nd, 2023, a 16-game drought.
Back-to-back wins, back-to-back games without a turnover. Could the Eagles be back?
Eagles Offense
The Eagles dominated the ground game by compiling 269 rushing yards, led by Saquon with 176, followed by Kenneth Gainwell, who added another 56.
The only concerns on offense during the game were struggling to pick up 3rd down conversions, but they bailed themselves out by going three for three on 4th down. The depleted offensive line allowed too many pressures, but they dominated in paving the way in the running game.
Saquon Barkley started his day at the stadium by seeing his jersey set on fire, he ended the work trip by smoking his former team. Saquon made his triumphant return to New York in glorious fashion with a 55-yard run. Barkley finished off every run in an angry fashion. He was 13 yards away from tying his career-best NFL rushing total, but unselfishly chose to sit and protect his body with such a big lead and allow other players “to eat”. He finished the game with three explosive running plays of 55, 41, and 38 yards. Per Next Gen Stats Saquon hit a top speed of 21.93 MPH on his 55-yard trot, the fastest of his career.
Jalen Hurts was under pressure all game and was sacked four times. He made a beautiful 4th down throw to AJ Brown on the 41-yard TD in the 2nd quarter to take a 14–0 lead. He stood tall in the pocket despite the oncoming pressure and threw a dime. Jalen only attempted four passes in the second half. This is a testament to how dominating the running game was coupled with their large lead.
Mekhi Becton left with a concussion, and Tyler Steen filled in well in his absence. The Eagles O-line did not miss a beat in the running with Steen in the game. Steen played 77% of the snaps.
Fred Johnson was called to duty with Jordan Mailata out and had his hands full early in the game with Brian Burns. He was a force most of the game while facing a tough assignment.
A.J. Brown had five targets and caught all of them. He scored a 41-yard touchdown on a 4th down-play and added 48 more to finish the game with 89 receiving yards.
DeVonta Smith only had 2 targets on the day and finished the game with 1 catch for -2 yards. He will get his targets and the production will come. Smith has not been heavily involved in the game plan since returning from a concussion he sustained in the New Orleans Saints game.
Ben VanSumeren had two nice blocks as a lead fullback to spring runs by Saquon Barkley and Kenneth Gainwell. He played five offensive snaps. Could this be a new wrinkle in the offense?
Eagles Defense
The Eagle’s defense finished the day with eight sacks by six different players. One of the most dominating performances in recent memory, they only gave up 2.2 yards per play allowed. Philly’s defense is still not manufacturing turnovers, even with a strip sack, but you can see the player’s confidence in the system growing. The turnovers will come in bunches, like the sacks did. They have not allowed an offensive TD in the past two games.
Josh Sweat is starting to get hot. and made a first-quarter sack to end a drive and later added a TFL and a PD. The Eagles would love to continue seeing the Josh Sweat Celly.
Nolan Smith had 2 TFLs and added a sack to make it back-to-back weeks. He finished the game with a 21.4% pressure rate. Nolan is starting to take that sophomore leap. Smith has also played very well against the run.
Bryce Huff had a 2nd quarter sack while running through a hold and added two QB hits and a TFL. Since the bye, he has looked like a different player.
Jalen Carter joined the fun with the Eagles with the fifth sack of the day and finished with 2 sacks and 2 TFLs.
Zack Baun had a relatively quiet day after leaving early, finishing the day with 6 tackles.
Nakobe Dean made a pretty sack over the center. He didn’t fall for the play-action. He finished the game with 4 QB hits, 2 sacks, and 2 TFLs. Dean also led the defense in tackles for the second week in a row, with 11. His actions on the field are beginning to match his talent.
Big Play Slay had a great game with a TFL and 2 PDs. The veteran shows up every week. After suffering a knee injury last week, it was nice to see him on the field.
Quinyon Mitchell was targeted five times. He allowed two receptions for 15 yards. The rookie CB has been a force in the backfield since game one.
Cooper DeJean is just a great football player in whatever role the Eagles chose to play him in. He looked good returning punts, he had 45 yards on 3 returns and has locked up the slot/NCB position. Cooper had an impressive performance with 4 tackles and a TFL on defense.
What’s up Big Pimpin! Jalyx Hunt recorded his first sack in style, a strip sack!
The Philadelphia Eagles are 4–2 as they head to Cincinnati for their showdown with the Bengals next Sunday. Don’t forget that the game has now been moved from 4:25 PM to 1:00 PM in favor of the Commanders vs Bears matchup.
As always, Thank you for reading.
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Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
