The Linc – Nick Sirianni says he sees “a lot of 2022 vibes” in the 2024 Eagles

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Eagles coach says A.J. Brown not targeting Jalen Hurts with comments – ESPN

There have been bumps in the road despite overall success in Philly, including last season when the team collapsed with a 1-6 finish — a period marked by outward frustration from Brown and others and a disconnect between Hurts and coach Nick Sirianni that factored into the offense’s lack of identity. When asked if he’s concerned infighting could lead to a similar derailment, Sirianni said this team is more like the 2022 Super Bowl version than the ‘23 squad. “Based off of what happened the last couple of days, [there’s talk of] ‘Oh, man, there’s a little 2023 vibes.’ I see a lot of 2022 vibes,” Sirianni said. “I just see joy. “You can look at what you see in one week, but I’m looking at the big picture and, again, I see it as everybody wants to get better.”

Nick Sirianni sees the positive in his players’ frustration – NBCSP

But after the win, Sirianni made a point to tell his team to enjoy the win. Sure, they have things to correct, but wins are hard to get. “I like the fact that guys when we don’t reach our standard of how we want to play and show everybody how we play each week, that they’re disappointed in that,” Sirianni said. “But you also have to remind them in those moments that it’s hard to win. You have to enjoy those moments. Because I know this, when you lose that will sit with you and you’re sick about that. You have to balance that out from when you win to enjoy it. “It’s about enjoying the locker room after the game because so much went into it. There’s so much that goes into each week. You empty the tank every single week to try to win a football game. When you win, there should be joy in that because you worked so hard at it.”

Eagles-Panthers Film Review: Jalen Hurts didn’t play well but this offense has greater issues than just the quarterback – BGN

Right, before we get into it all, just a big-picture thought. The Eagles passing game does not need to be exceptional right now. I don’t even think it is trying to be. You can philosophically argue about whether a team can win a Super Bowl with a below-average passing game, but right now, this team is not trying to light it up by throwing the football. This team has an elite run game and an outstanding defense. The passing game needs to not get in the way and turn the ball over. If you look at Jalen Hurts, he had 30+ pass attempts in Weeks 1-4. Since the bye, he hasn’t had 30 attempts once. As A.J. Brown said after the game, it can be hard to get into a rhythm when you don’t throw it very much. We can be critical of the passing game, and I will be today, but the Eagles have won nine straight. Winning is the aim. The offense is doing enough to win, whether you like it or not. Now, the film. It didn’t take long to get into the Jalen Hurts discourse. I’ve seen this discussed a lot already, so let’s give my take. I don’t come down strongly on either side, so I’ll weigh up both arguments. As always, context is very important.

Eagles-Steelers preview: Five things to watch – PhillyVoice

The Steelers have the No. 4 run defense in the NFL. They are allowing just 91.5 rushing yards per game. The Eagles are certainly capable of running the ball well against good run defenses, as they have consistently done in the past, and even very recently against the Ravens. They have leaned on their rushing attack, and for good reason, but it’s also alarming that Jalen Hurts is averaging 135 passing yards per game over his last three games. If the Steelers are able to slow down Saquon Barkley, the Eagles’ passing offense is going to have to wake up. The Steelers are a middle of the pack passing defense, at least in terms of yards allowed per game (218.6), which ranks 17th. However, they lead the NFL in takeaways, with 28, because their stellar pass rush forces fumbles and pressures opposing quarterbacks into mistakes (and INTs). Jalen Hurts is holding onto the ball for an eternity this season. He cannot do that against this Steelers defense. If he gets the ball out on time, however, the Eagles should have matchup advantages on the outside with Brown and Smith against Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson.

Another Steelers star is dealing with hamstring issues – Behind The Steel Curtain

Just when the Steelers start getting perfectly healthy, another small wave of injuries hits ahead of the final four-game stretch of the regular season. Wide receiver George Pickens was a surprise inactive against the Browns with a hamstring injury, and it looks like he’ll miss the team’s Week 15 matchup against the Eagles, as well. That said, he is not the only Steeler dealing with a hamstring injury. In his weekly press conference, head coach Mike Tomlin noted that safety DeShon Elliott is dealing with hamstring tightness. He noted that both Elliott and defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi would both be questionable this coming week.

What’s wrong with the Eagles passing game? – The Athletic

When asked about the downward trend of deep shot attempts, Sirianni and Moore offered very little insight into their own interpretations — even in generic terms. Sirianni only said, “Jalen tries to go to the right place with the football based off the defense we’re getting and the way we’re trying to attack.” Moore said deeper throws are “something we’d love to give ourselves more opportunities” to secure, but “you’ve got to balance out what you love to do and what you need to do to perform and win games, ultimately.” Based on their answers — the way we’re trying to attack, what you need to do to win games — the inference is simply that they decided Hurts taking those deep shots is neither the way they wanted to attack nor what they thought they needed to do to win. That strategy wouldn’t be without substance. During Philadelphia’s 2-2 start, Hurts threw four interceptions and lost three fumbles while often searching for longer completions. On passes of 20-plus air yards in those first four weeks, Hurts was 2 of 12 for 110 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions — a -0.06 EPA per attempt that ranked 22nd among quarterbacks in that span. Hurts was intercepted in the Sao Paulo season opener while heaving a pass off his back foot from his own end zone, trying to hit Smith amidst triple coverage in the middle of the field. Hurts was also intercepted on a deep attempt to Smith along the left sideline against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2.

Kellen Moore: I want to increase the likelihood of the ball going to A.J. Brown – PFT

“I’m going to focus more on trying to find different ways of increasing the likelihood of the ball going to him,” Moore said, via a transcript from the team. “Ultimately the quarterback has to play based on the reaction of the defense and trust that there’s progressions within a play. For us we’re always going to evaluate how we can get it to him sooner and create those opportunities. It’s really about probability. Not every play is going to be able to say 100 percent of the time it’s going to one player in particular, but how can we improve our opportunities there?”

2024 NFL offensive line rankings ahead of Week 15 – PFF

1. Philadelphia Eagles (Up 2). Philadelphia’s offensive line continues to play at a high level in pass protection. The unit surrendered just four pressures — albeit including one sack — on 27 pass plays against Carolina in Week 14. The group’s resulting 90.7 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating placed fourth in the NFL this week. Right guard Mekhi Becton had an excellent game against the Panthers, earning an 88.3 PFF overall grade that ranked third among guards in Week 14. Best player: Jordan Mailata. Mailata is the only offensive tackle in the NFL this season who has earned 90.0-plus PFF grades in pass blocking and run blocking.

Spadaro: Michael Clay reiterates ‘supreme confidence’ in Jake Elliott – PE.com

“It’s one of those things where you have supreme confidence in him because he’s done it for so long and he’s hit so many big kicks,” Clay said. “Again, I always want to make sure our guys are positively reinforced, and they know we have their back regardless of the situation. We’re going to go down swinging for them. When he comes into tomorrow, he’s going to get his kicks in. We’re going to make sure he gets those kicks in those elements because we’re in the Northeast. There’s going to be a lot of games that will come down to wind, cold, rain, and just going back to our process and not losing the joy of football. That’s the big thing. I told the guys yesterday on Monday, ‘Don’t lose the joy of football. Once you lose the joy of football in this league, it’s going to chew you up and spit you out quick.’ We get to play a child’s game, but it’s often at a higher clip. Don’t lose the joy of this game.”

Commanders Wildcard Watch – Week 15 – 2024 – Hogs Haven

What about winning the NFC East championship? While it is still mathematically possible for Washington to win the NFC East title, it seems too impractical to discuss at the moment. If Washington beats the Saints this week and Philly loses to the Steelers — and then Washington beats the Eagles in Landover next week — then we can revisit the possibility of Washington winning the NFC East title. At that point, the Eagles would be 11-4 and the Commanders would be 10-5 with two games to play. Unless we get there, I will continue to focus on what Washington needs to do to get into the playoffs as an NFC wildcard team.

Cowboys vs Bengals stock report: Micah Parsons, Rico Dowdle have strong games – Blogging The Boys

Stock Down: Marginal playoff hopes. Most had already given up on the idea of the Cowboys reaching the playoffs well before Monday night’s game even started. That is fine and understandable. But we can all admit that the little winning streak was nice, wasn’t it? Outside of goals to tank and what not, seeing the Cowboys put together two games in a row where they came out on top was neat. They were on the verge of three in a row. Had they gotten it then they would be a win at Carolina (where they are underdogs anyway) from getting to .500. All of that was right in front of them. Poof. It’s gone now.

The 2021 NFL Draft strikes the Giants again, and again – Big Blue View

Not that you need a reminder, but then-GM Dave Gettleman got jumped by the Philadelphia Eagles, who traded up with the Dallas Cowboys to beat the Giants to wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who has become a star despite concerns about his slight frame. Then Gettleman traded down from No. 11 to No. 20 so that Chicago could draft Justin Fields. That allowed Dallas, who had moved down to No. 12 in the trade with the Eagles, to select Micah Parsons, who is now arguably the second-best edge defender in the NFL (no one beats Myles Garrett in my book). The third-round pick Dallas got from the Eagles in the trade was used to select Chauncey Golston, i.e., Dallas got both of their current starting edge defenders from that one trade. The Giants of course took Kadarius Toney at No. 20, and that didn’t quite work out, but that’s old news and not what this piece is about.

The NFL’s 7 most disappointing players this season – SB Nation

Kirk Cousins, QB — Atlanta Falcons. Part of this could be the lingering effects of Kirk Cousins’ Achilles’ injury that cost him the bulk of his 2024 season. Cousins’ mobility in the pocket is visibly hampered and it is impacting what the Atlanta Falcons can do on offense. Atlanta is 6-7 right now, looking up at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the standings, and in his last four games Cousins has thrown eight interceptions. He has also not thrown a touchdown pass during this stretch, and his last TD toss came before Election Day.

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