Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 9/9/24.
Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
Eagles film review: Mekhi Becton’s encouraging debut vs. the Packers – PhillyVoice
He stayed under control as a run blocker, unlike in our offseason film review. That was likely a focus of Jeff Stouland’s during spring and summer practices, because there is a pretty stark difference in his body control. Similarly, his off-balance issues that showed up in pass pro were non-existent against Green Bay, because, well, he was playing at RG, and there just isn’t the same kind of space for defensive linemen to work counters on the interior. But also, there were some “wow” moments. The obvious play was when he got to the second level and shoved a linebacker into the fourth dimension. But even more impressively, in my opinion, was the play where he pulled to the left from his RG spot, and set up like a LT, and then shut down Preston Smith. He has that LT experience in his background, so Stoutland can get creative on those kinds of blocks. And finally, I was impressive by his blitz recognition, highlighted by the block on Quay Walker that led to Jalen Hurts’ touchdown pass to Saquon Barkley. To note, the above video of Becton’s blocks were a highlight reel of sorts. However, there weren’t really much in the way of lowlights. One might ding him for two pressures on the night, but neither were egregious. (I was curious to see if PFF dinged him for those, and they did.)
Eagles vs. Packers: 12 winners, 4 losers, 4 IDKs – BGN
Just one game … but Becton can be a long-term fixture for the Eagles at right guard if he can build on this performance. One can wonder if Howie Roseman is already trying to get an extension done.
In Roob’s Eagles Observations: How red-zone defense saved the day in opener – NBCSP
2. Considering this was Cam Jurgens’ first NFL start at center and Mekhi Becton’s first NFL start at guard, all things considered the offensive line played really well Friday. Jurgens has to fix his snapping issues – and make sure he and Jalen Hurts are on the same page with those snaps – but as far as blocking? I thought the whole group was really good. The Eagles piled up 410 yards, kept pressure off Jalen Hurts for the most part (two sacks on 36 drop-backs), ran for 144 yards, put together three 70-yard touchdown drives and sustained that 67-yard, 7 ½-minute field goal drive to nearly end the game. The biggest question for me going into the season on the offensive side was the interior of the offensive line. How would it hold up with Jason Kelce gone, Jurgens moving from guard to center and Becton playing a position he had never even practiced until OTAs. One week in, some things to fix but overall an auspicious start.
NFL Week 1: Solak’s QB panic meter, predictions, key stats – ESPN+
From Troy: “Last year, the Eagles almost exclusively ran inside zone and Barkley was considered to be bad at running inside zone while in New York. How did the Eagles’ running play calls change under Moore and with Barkley? Also, did Barkley look better running inside zone while running behind the Eagles’ O-Line compared to his time in New York?” Great question, Troy. The Eagles’ running game remained largely the same (though probably a bit less complex in terms of pullers than it was with center Jason Kelce at the helm). Despite the addition of Kellen Moore as the offensive coordinator, O-line coach Jeff Stoutland is the true author of the run game there, and the form of that running game is dictated by the run-pass options the team runs with Jalen Hurts. I was, however, quite impressed by the work new center Cam Jurgens did on the hoof in Week 1. He wasn’t exactly Kelce-esque, but he held his own. Saquon Barkley looked great running inside zone in Philadelphia simply because the line behind which he was playing was so much better. His mistakes in New York came from hunting big plays when the line gave him no daylight. But in Philadelphia, he hit the holes that were given to him. The Eagles did a lot of two-TE stuff early in the 34-29 win against Green Bay that wasn’t great. I wouldn’t be surprised if you see the Eagles work with lighter personnel and more spread sets in future games, which will even further unlock Barkley against lighter defensive backs.
Why your NFL team won, lost in Week 1 of the 2024 season – PFF
Philadelphia Eagles 34, Green Bay Packers 29. Why the Eagles won: The Eagles’ top two receivers, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, were the stars in Brazil, combining for 12 catches, 203 yards and a touchdown on 17 targets. Smith earned an 84.0 PFF receiving grade, while Brown earned an 81.3 PFF receiving grade. The duo converted 10 of their catches for first downs. Having elite receivers paid off.
Some Context – Iggles Blitz
The Eagles came out of their game pretty healthy. They played a tough team and won. The offense was excellent and still has room to improve. The defense did have issues, but nothing that can’t be fixed. They showed playmaking ability and made key plays to help secure the win. The next game for the Eagles is the Falcons and the immobile Kirk Cousins. You know the DL is looking forward to getting after him and playing on a good surface after slipping and sliding around Brazil.
Falcons open as 6.5-point underdogs against the Eagles on ‘Sunday Night Football’ – The Falcoholic
The Atlanta Falcons’ offense failed to launch in Week 1, only tallying 226 yards and going 2/9 on third-down attempts. It was a poor introduction to the Raheem Morris Era, as free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins looked uncomfortable and consistently forced throws. In the wake of the Falcons’ 18-10 loss to the Steelers, Atlanta heads to Lincoln Financial Field to face Philadelphia as 6.5-point underdogs . This will be the Eagles’ home opener, as they took care of business in Brazil against the Packers on Friday. Running back Saquon Barkley was dominant in that affair, carrying the football 24 times with 109 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Kirk Cousins wasn’t ready to play, and the Falcons paid dearly for forcing the issue – SB Nation
When I say that Cousins clearly wasn’t 100% healthy for this game, I don’t need an X-ray or an MRI to confirm it – the Falcons gave everybody the diagnosis by how they had Cousins set up schematically. Cousins has been one of the NFL’s best play-action and rollout quarterbacks in the league – he was certainly that in his salad days with the Minnesota Vikings – and his new team, led by offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, took away everything he did well. Not one of Cousins’ 25 attempts had the benefit of play-action. On 24 of his 25 passing attempts, he stayed in the pocket. All 25 of those attempts came out of shotgun or pistol – not one passing attempt from under center. It was as if there was a label on QB1 that said, “DO NOT SCRAMBLE.” Last season, per Sports Info Solutions, Cousins attempted 96 passes with a snap from under center, completing 67 for 661 yards, 383 air yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 102.8 – and that was in just eight games.
Role Call: 3 underrated factors that decided the win over the Packers – PE.com
2. Red zone defense gets critical stop in fourth quarter. Situation: There is 8:01 left in the game. It’s third-and-goal. Packers trail 31-26, but have the ball at the Eagles’ 8-yard line. Defensive tackle Moro Ojomo beats right guard Sean Rhyan inside to rush quarterback Jordan Love’s pass in the back of the end zone intended for wide receiver Romeo Doubs. The ball sailed just a little too high and was incomplete, forcing the Packers to settle for the field goal.
Winston Tseng confirms Kamala Harris-Eagles poster is his, denies knowing how it ended up at bus stops – Billy Penn
Philly street artist Winston Tseng confirmed in a statement that he had created the “Kamala Harris in an Eagles helmet” poster that was seen at SEPTA bus stops around town last week, but denied knowledge of how they got there. The poster, depicting a helmet-clad presidential candidate Kamala Harris, paired with a message that the U.S. Vice President was the “official candidate of the Philadelphia Eagles,” was placed over digital billboards on bus shelters around town, creating a stir. The Eagles quickly weighed in that the ads were fake, the advertising agency confirmed the display was not scheduled with them, and the posters were removed. Philly police are currently investigating how the digital billboards were broken into and papered over.
Cowboys vs. Browns day after thoughts: Mike Zimmer, Eric Kendricks are welcome additions – Blogging The Boys
It will be interesting to measure this defense against Derek Carr’s Saints next week (what a time to be saying this in total seriousness), but right now Mike Zimmer looks like the perfect person for the Cowboys to have turned the defense over to. I’ll admit that I was skeptical and ultimately was down on the move. It felt like Dallas doing something comfortable and not trying hard to change, but maybe that’s because they knew the exact kind of change needed and the perfect person to implement it. All throughout training camp we heard Cowboys players talking about the level of accountability that Zimmer was instilling within them. Cleveland ultimately put some points on the scoreboard in this game, but they happened when the Cowboys had called off the horses with the game well out of reach. Maybe the Cowboys had a plan all along and it actually worked. Respect.
Daniel Jones will remain New York Giants starting quarterback – Big Blue View
The New York Giants will not be making a change at quarterback after just one week of the 2024 NFL season. Head coach Brian Daboll was clear on Monday that Jones, the embattled sixth-year quarterback, will remain the starter after Sunday’s 28-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Daboll simply said “yes” when asked if Jones was still the starter. Daboll also said that Jones will continue to get all the first-team reps as the Giants prepare for their Week 2 game Sunday against the Washington Commanders. Jones was 22 of 42 for 186 yards with two interceptions, including a pick 6. He had a 44.3 passer rating. He was sacked five times, with Pro Football Focus faulting him for three of those. “There were some good things,” Daboll said. “But there were certainly a lot of things we can improve on. We had some missed opportunities. “Decisions for the most part, people we were looking at, where we were throwing, were good. Obviously, there were some, whether it was inaccuracy because of a base or maybe there was pressure. There’s a variety of reasons for that. It takes all 11. We’ve got to clean it all up.”
Washington signs a new kicker. Welcome Austin Seibert! – Hogs Haven
Peters acting quickly to add another former Brown, Austin Seibert, who had most recently spent time with the Lions and Jets. For his NFL career, Seibert has hit about 80% of his field goals and 90% of his extra points.
A look at dynamic kickoff after Week 1: One-third of kickoffs returned, up from 20.5 percent in 2023 – NFL.com
The figures are in on the NFL’s first full week of the new dynamic kickoff. In Week 1, there were 172 kickoffs — 171 dynamic kickoffs and one unsuccessful onside kick (Commanders). Of the 171 dynamic kickoffs, 111 went for touchbacks (64.9%), with 57 returns (33.3%) and three landing out of bounds or short of the landing zone (1.8%), per NFL Research.
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