Bill Streicher
If you're a Philadelphia sports fan, Sunday wasn't a particularly fun day to turn on the TV.
First of all, the Eagles hosted the Cleveland Browns in what hardly felt like a Super Bowl LIX preview. Secondly, there were constant reminders during Sunday's game on FOX that this evening the NLCS begins, doing so without the Phillies. And when either the game or a promo for the New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers NLCS wasn't on, you were inundated with political commercials.
Nonetheless, Nick Sirianni, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles were able to pull out a 20-16 win over the Browns Sunday. Was it ugly? Yes. If you were a bit checked out during the game, well, it's hard to blame you. Either way, here are four takeaways from the third victory over the season for the Eagles.
1. A Quarter For Kenny
FOX's Kenny Albert was celebrating his 500th career NFL game called Sunday, becoming the first person to ever reach that mark all with one network. It is a legitimately impressive accomplishment, one that certainly deserved to be mentioned on the broadcast.
At the same time, there was still a game going on. And it felt like a significant chunk of the first quarter turned into a show honoring Albert with a game going on in the background.
Jonathan Vilma with a game ball and cake for his broadcast partner @KennyAlbert as Albert calls his 500th career NFL game today 🎂 pic.twitter.com/yjuPQGFYSO
Giving a game ball to Albert seems more like something you would do in the fourth quarter, but it was a nice gesture nonetheless. But did there need to be cake — one that he and Jonathan Vilma clearly weren't going to eat while on the air — immediately after? That was then followed up by Albert and Vilma talking about their first year together in 2020, and how bizarre it was because of COVID-19. Respectfully, that's not something anyone cares about while a game is going on.
In Albert's defense, it seemed like the overkill was more the work of his producers and teammates at FOX. Again, he deserves the recognition. It just seemed like a bit much to do while the game was being played.
2. 0-for-5
Fortunately for the viewer, there wasn't much excitement missed in the celebration of Albert during the first quarter, as both the Browns and Eagles were held scoreless.
The Browns are a putrid offense, so that wasn't surprising. Increasingly, it's also not surprising when the Eagles are held scoreless in the first quarter, as they've done it in all five of their games this season.
The Eagles have still not scored any first quarter points this season. pic.twitter.com/Qlvtg5vzBL
There's plenty of blame to go around here, with the bulk of it going to some combination of Sirianni, Kellen Moore and Hurts. If your scripted plays aren't working, that's particularly alarming.
To come out of a bye week — this time having Lane Johnson, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith all back in the fold — and come away scoreless again in the first quarter is pretty unacceptable. Most weeks, you won't be playing the Browns, and if you don't score in the first quarter, you'll be digging yourself out of a hole.
3. Welcome Back
Speaking of Brown and Smith, neither of them had games that necessarily stand out in comparison to some of their finest career performances. Nonetheless, both made their impact felt as they returned to the lineup.
Brown — who had been out since Week 1 with a hamstring injury — hauled in a 22-yard touchdown reception from Hurts to get the Eagles on the board in the second quarter:
A.J. BROWN IS SO BACK 😌@1kalwaysopen_ | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/9XijCes8iO
Smith — returning after suffering a concussion during the Week 3 win over the New Orleans Saints — got wide open on a crossing route in the third quarter and took it the distance for a 45-yard touchdown:
Did someone order the "6 for 6 Special"? 😏@DeVontaSmith_6 | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/raiS7uw5iS
Brown displayed incredible concentration to make a crucial 40-yard reception in the fourth quarter from Hurts that allowed the Eagles to go into victory formation. He finished the day with six catches for 116 yards, while Smith added three catches for 64 yards:
ABSOLUTELY INSANE A.J. BROWN 🥵@1kalwaysopen_ | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/3OQeT4xAgJ
Sunday was a fairly underwhelming performance for Saquon Barkley, who finished with 47 rushing yards and just seven receiving yards. Dallas Goedert also left the game with a hamstring injury in the first quarter, and while Grant Calcaterra fared well in his absence, the Eagles needed every catch from their two star wideouts to earn their third win of the season.
4. Not A Good Look
A win is a win, but it wasn't as though the Eagles hung 40 on the 2007 New England Patriots to silence any doubters. They eked out a 20-16 win over a team that's hamstrung by the worst contract in professional sports and will likely have a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Again, it's always good to bank wins early in the season when you're trying to find your way. But if you're going to shit talk, maybe don't pick a 20-16 win over a team that's now 1-5 as the time to do it. Maybe don't do it at all if you're the coach of the team, particularly when it's against someone sitting in the stands:
Eagles HC Nick Sirianni appears to have some words towards the crowd as the clocked ticked down in the Philly victory. pic.twitter.com/XILkMvVamD
Can you imagine any other coach in modern NFL history doing this? Most coaches would be trying to stop their players if they were jawing with someone in the stands.
Side note, Nick Sirianni now has a shaved head, and looks very much like Joey Votto without a hat:
A new look for #Eagles HC Nick Sirianni.
(📸 @JClarkNBCS) pic.twitter.com/SU0Dv5vyLP
