Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …
Eagles-Rams preview: Five things to watch – PhillyVoice
2) A.J. Brown will see an old friend on Sunday. The Rams’ top three cornerbacks Week 1 were Ahkello Witherspoon, Emmanuel Forbes, and Cobie Durant. Witherspoon broke his clavicle against the Titans Week 2, and is now on IR. Their top three corners are now Forbes, Durant, and Darious Williams. I was surprised to see that Forbes is starting for an NFL team. Forbes is listed at 6’1, 180, and 180 is probably generous. He is outweighed by Brown by about 50 pounds (as the picture to the right when Forbes played for the Commanders illustrates), and Brown has proven to be a matchup nightmare for Forbes in the past. […] Brown has not yet gotten on track this season. In two games he has 6 catches for 35 yards, and a long reception of 8 yards. Now would be a good time for him to take advantage of a matchup very clearly in his favor.
Evaluating surprise trends for 32 NFL teams: Real or not? – ESPN
The early surprise: A.J. Brown has not been a major factor in the offense, catching just six balls for 35 yards. The verdict: Mirage. Brown has had over 1,000 yards receiving in each of his three seasons in Philadelphia and has gone over 1,400 yards twice. He has averaged 15.6 yards per reception over his career compared with just 5.8 through two games. The Eagles pass game is still finding its way under new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. This is a run-oriented offense but that hasn’t stopped Brown from being productive. He missed significant time this summer with a hamstring injury. Assuming his health continues to trend in a positive direction, he should be back to filling up the stat sheet before long.
Overall, this wasn’t a perfect game on offense. The dropback pass game is deeply flawed, and the run game is predictable and unimaginative. But Hurts against the blitz was outstanding, the running backs in protection were superb, and there were flashes of creativity that worked, which could lead to future success. On another day, if that first play connects or a receiver breaks a tackle, the passing numbers look very different. There’s a lot to clean up, but there’s also a platform here to build on.
Tush Push Controversy, Cowboys Win, WAS/NYG Lose | NFC East Mixtape Vol. 167 – BGN YouTube
The second week of the NFL season is in the books and half of the NFC East walked away from it as winners, one of them at the cost of a division rival. What do we make of all NFC East action from Week 2? Is the tush push going too far now? Are the Cowboys turning it around? Should we panic over the Commanders or believe the Giants may have a hopeful future? RJ Ochoa and Brandon Gowton discuss it all on the latest edition of the NFC East Mixtape!
The Eagles’ offense has a problem. OC Kevin Patullo says he’ll fix it – The Athletic
Perhaps more troubling, the Eagles’ midrange passing game has also been absent. Hurts is the only starting quarterback to have yet thrown a pass between 10-20 air yards, per TruMedia. Patullo partly attributed Sunday’s lack of midrange passes to getting the ball out quickly under pressure (Hurts averaged 2.74 seconds to throw; he averaged 3.06 in 2024). But 32 other NFL quarterbacks have completed 136 of 249 pass attempts on throws of 10-20 air yards within 2.74 seconds or less. Here’s another eyebrow-raiser: None of Hurts’ 23 rushes so far this season were designed quarterback runs. Eight were Brotherly Shove sneaks. Fifteen were scrambles. Since Sirianni was named head coach in 2021, explosive pass plays have, in part, been opened up by an effective run game that features Hurts as a dual-threat option. Adding Barkley in 2024 skyrocketed the system’s potency.
Hurts and Barkley often spoke about how they opened up the game for one another. Patullo has curiously pocketed such plays, and the Eagles are averaging fewer rushing yards per game (140.0) and yards per carry (3.9) than they ever have through two games in the Sirianni era. Asked Sunday about that lack, and whether he’d like to see more designed runs (zone-read or otherwise), Hurts said, “That’s a conversation for Coach Patullo.”
Bowen: Eagles’ Kevin Patullo feels he’s had to handle ‘explosives’ gingerly so far – PHLY
Many fans are thinking the same thing they were thinking for stretches of last season – you have A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Can’t you just take a few shots here and there, regardless of coverage, see what happens? Here, Patullo had a good answer, especially given the circumstances his unit has faced in the second halves of the first two games. If you try that and it doesn’t work, “you could have a catastrophic problem,” Patullo said. “Both offenses were – it was a tough game for both of us. … That negative play could be the deciding factor in the game.” Patullo didn’t quite say this, but I think the Tush Push works against explosive offense in a game like Sunday’s. You have a lead in the second half, you’re trying to run clock, and you know you can keep churning out first downs. A three-yard-run. A five-yard pass. Then a tush push, maybe two if the first one doesn’t net two yards. You’re playing the percentages. Heaving the ball downfield messes up that rhythm.
How long can Rams maintain these pass defense statistics? – Turf Show Times
So to summarize, the Rams have played two of the worst offenses in the NFL in this very young NFL season. They have also contributed to the demise of the Texans and Titans through two weeks. How long do you think L.A.’s defensive success will continue? How dramatic of a difference will we see against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3, an offense that ranks seventh in rushing yards but is having their own struggles passing the football: The Eagles rank 31st in passing yards and 27th in yards per pass attempt. With Jalen Hurts under center, Philadelphia is just 30th in pass attempts. Their rushing offense is good, but not where they expect it to be: 20th in yards per carry. That being said, the Eagles are third on third down (48.1%), first in the red zone (5-of-5 touchdowns), and they’ve of course converted their one fourth down attempt.
NFL’s 2-0 teams, ranked by how much they should be trusted – SB Nation
6) Los Angeles Rams: The Los Angeles Rams are 2-0, thanks to a hard-fought win over the Houston Texans and Sunday’s victory over the Tennessee Titans. While a pair of wins over two teams yet to win a game might not inspire confidence, given how good the Texans defense looks, that first win is notable. But there are some potential cracks beneath the surface. Through two games the Rams offense looks rather one-dimensional, particularly in the low red zone. Against the Titans, the Rams had four possessions where they got inside the Tennessee 10-yard line, and settled for a field goal on two of those drives. Over their two games, the Rams have struggled to run the ball in the low red zone, picking up just 12 yards on nine rushing attempts in that area of the field. Being able to finish off drives will give us more confidence in this team going forward.
Eagles vs. Rams in Week 3: Here are the numbers that matter – Inquirer
33.3%. That’s how often Stafford has been pressured when he drops back, according to Next Gen Stats, an issue the Rams need to clean up. Stafford has been sacked four times and pressured 22 times through two games. And while he is getting the ball out really fast (2.55 seconds), the Eagles should be able to cause some havoc and offset those funky motion looks by getting to the quarterback quickly. The Eagles’ pass rush was nonexistent in Week 1 after Jalen Carter was tossed from the game before the first play from scrimmage. It rebounded in a big way Sunday, totaling 21 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, and two sacks. Carter’s presence is a big deal — just ask Stafford. Newcomer Za’Darius Smith also had an instant impact. It was an encouraging Week 2 from the Eagles’ pass rush, and one that should give them an important edge when it comes to pressuring Stafford and slowing the offense down. The Eagles also worked in plenty of blitzes vs. the Chiefs and could use them again Sunday. The Rams’ offensive line hasn’t been great, as evidenced by how often Stafford is under duress. Stafford has completed 85% of his passes when he has a clean pocket, according to PFF. His completion percentage drops to 45.5% when he’s pressured.
Eagles OC answers questions about shaky start for passing offense – NBCSP
The Eagles had a shot play dialed up on the very first snap in Kansas City and A.J. Brown was streaking open down the right sideline. The protection just didn’t hold up. “Yeah, we had a shot,” Eagles OC Kevin Patullo said. “It didn’t happen unfortunately, and we were in a second-and-long and we just had to play it out from there.” The Eagles ended up beating the Chiefs 20-17 on Sunday and improved to 2-0 on the season. But the passing game is going to need to improve and everyone knows it. While Jalen Hurts has been efficient through the first two games of the season and hasn’t turned the football over, the Eagles aren’t pushing the ball downfield. The numbers back up what your eyes have seen. Hurts’ average depth of target through two games is just 5.9 yards, which ranks 33rd among 34 NFL quarterbacks with at least 20 dropbacks, according to ProFootballFocus. In total, the Eagles have just 238 passing yards and barely any explosives.
NFL offensive line rankings ahead of Week 3 – PFF
1) Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles’ offensive line was excellent in pass protection in the team’s win over Kansas City. The unit surrendered only three pressures — and no sacks — on 27 pass-blocking snaps, which led to a 94.4 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating (fourth best in Week 2). Center Cam Jurgens and right tackle Lane Johnson didn’t allow any pressure, while the other three starters each surrendered one pressure.
Spadaro: Michael Clay is always innovating, always evolving – PE.com
For Clay and special teams coordinators around the league, the ever-changing rules present some great challenges. “I think that’s the beauty of special teams. When you get in on it as a special teams coach, you’ve always got to kind of evolve with the situations,” Clay said on Tuesday at the NovaCare Complex after meeting with reporters at his weekly press conference. “When I first got in the league, you were able to move around, motion around, put in pods on your kickoff unit, and there was that dead period where teams were kicking it out of the end zone for a touchback. Now, you see the uptick on returns, more than 75 percent of kickoffs are returned, so it helps as a coach to be creative and help your guys out. For the players, especially those who are four-core special teamers, it helps give them more play time, more tackles, more stats that are going to help them lengthen their careers. Go out there and make plays on special teams. There are opportunities.”
Film Review: Against the Eagles, the Chiefs’ offense was a mess – Arrowhead Pride
On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs collected a 20-17 home-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. It would be an understatement to say the team’s offense was lackluster. Although the offense gained 294 total yards — nearly 60 more than the Eagles — it failed to move the ball consistently, struggling in multiple areas. It converted only four of 12 third-down attempts and couldn’t create any explosive plays until late in the game. Patrick Mahomes finished 16 of 29 for 187 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also led all Chiefs rushers with 66 yards and a touchdown. Despite the rough stat line, he was one of the offense’s lone bright spots. Without wide receivers Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice, the Kansas City offense looked much like it did in the season opener: flat and out of sync. It was a rough game — both in execution and play-calling — and even some of the team’s biggest stars aren’t exempt from criticism.
Washington Commanders Free Agency: Preston Smith returns to D.C., CB to IR – Hogs Haven
Preston Smith is signing with the Commanders, marking a return to the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft. He played for the Redskins for four years before signing a 4-year. $52 million contract to join the Green Bay Packers. He was with them until last season, when he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 7th-round pick in this year’s draft. Smith(32) was one of the best options available in free agency, and joins a defense that has been going through major changes over the last two seasons under head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. Washington’s defensive line is anchored by Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw at DT with Jer’Zhan Newton and Eddie Goldman backing them up. Dorance Armstrong, Jacob Martin, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, and Holmes were the defensive ends before the Preston Smith signing.
Grading the Cowboys after uneven win over Giants – Blogging The Boys
Pass coverage: Yeah, so this was bad. The Matt Eberflus defense is fundamentally concerned with keeping the offense in front of them and not allowing any big plays. Despite that, Giants receivers routinely got behind the defensive backs, and Wilson had seven completions that went 20+ yards past the line of scrimmage. It wasn’t just one player, either. Trevon Diggs, Kaiir Elam, and even Malik Hooker all got burned on those deep shots. It wasn’t just the deep shots, either, as Wilson completed 73.2% of his passes. The only thing that saves them from a full on F is the clutch interception from Donovan Wilson in overtime. Grade: D-
Giants-Chiefs storylines: Giants have a lot of things to figure out – Big Blue View
Where’s the defense? Expectation does not guarantee results. That is a line I wrote on Monday in regards to the Giants’ defense. The Giants clearly don’t wan’t to hear it, but the expectation entering the season was that a defense that had seen a major talent injection after co-owner John Mara expressed his displeasure with the way it performed last season would be the backbone of the 2025 team. So far, no good. Through the small sample size of two games, the Giants are last in the league in yards allowed.
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