Stephen Lew
There are plenty of red flags to point to in today's Eagles 15-12 win over the New Orleans Saints. There's arguably more negatives than positives to consider from this game. But to their credit, the Eagles emerged victorious in one of the most difficult opposing environments in the league.
Here are five takeaways from the second win of the season for the Eagles.
1. Saquon Barkley and Dallas Goedert Saved The Day
Nick Sirianni had one of his worst games as the Eagles coach Sunday. Jalen Hurts threw an interception in the end zone and lost a fumble. The Eagles were without a variety of key offensive players for most or all of the game. It was Barkley and Goedert who saved the day for the Eagles.
Barkley rushed for 147 yards, and a week after a crucial drop opened the door for the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter, he scored both the game-winning touchdown and the subsequent two-point conversion. His biggest blow of the day, though, came in the form of a 65-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter:
Good things happen when you give the ball to Saquon Barkley 🦅
pic.twitter.com/vuwPbA6M2L
Still, Goedert was arguably the biggest star of the game for the Eagles. The seventh-year tight end was really the only established receiving option still standing for Hurts in the fourth quarter. On what proved to be the game-winning drive, Jahan Dotson ran perfect interference that allowed Goedert to get open on a crossing pattern that ultimately went for 61 yards:
There are lots of questions about Jahan Dotson, but he ran this interference perfectly. @OnPattison https://t.co/ISjhHGrqia
Goedert finished the day with 10 catches for 170 yards, a massive performance when most needed.
2. The Risk Isn't Always Worth The Reward
The Eagles were held scoreless in the first half after turning the ball over on downs deep in New Orleans territory when a Saquon Barkley run off the tush push formation didn't generate enough yards to convert on fourth and a long one.
4th down STOP 😤#EasyToCelebrate | @BudLight pic.twitter.com/EzFiIq6Y7y
Rather than focus on the specific play call, the real debate here should be whether the Eagles should have gone for it on fourth down at all. The Eagles have been aggressive on fourth down under Nick Sirianni, and even prior to him. It's largely proven to have worked. But in this case, the risk just wasn't worth the possible reward.
If the Eagles had converted on fourth down, they still would have been outside the 10-yard line of New Orleans with two starting offensive linemen out of the game and no A.J. Brown. One chance at the end zone under those circumstances isn't worth the chance in a 3-0 game that you come away scoreless.
Taking the points to tie the game made even more sense considering the Eagles won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. Then again, their first drive in the second half ended in similar fashion to the first.
On fourth and a long three at the Saints' 34-yard line, Hurts ultimately took a six-yard sack with Jake Elliott, one of the game's best kickers, watching on the sideline as the Eagles passed on what would have been a relatively easy game-tying field goal.
Yet another 4th down stop thanks to Bryan Bresee
📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/iXztItFeyo
By no means is this an anti-analytics point. But you have to factor in where the game is at, and that you are less likely to convert on fourth down when A.J. Brown and Lane Johnson aren't in the lineup.
By the time Sirianni did give Elliott a chance to try a field goal, it was a 60-yarder in the fourth quarter that he pulled well to the right of the upright. With a 7-6 lead and your defense playing well, Sirianni almost certainly should have punted here. While Elliott is capable of making field goals this long, it's a lot to ask to have a guy's first field goal attempt of the game be from 60 yards halfway through the fourth quarter.
3. There Were Some Positive Signs Defensively
The Saints scored a staggering 91 points between the first two weeks of the season, by far the most in the NFL. Particularly given how much Vic Fangio's defense struggled over the first two weeks of the season, holding Klint Kubiak's offense to 12 points at home is a very positive development.
While Jordan Davis recorded the only sack for the Eagles, there were a variety of other standout performances defensively:
- Zack Baun recorded 13 tackles, nine of which were of the solo variety, as he continued his impressive start to the campaign.
- Jalen Carter had two tackles for a loss, two pass deflections and a quarterback hit. He needs to impact the game on a more consistent basis, but his standout plays continue to intrigue you.
- Quinyon Mitchell got beat by speedster Rashid Shaheed in the second quarter, but recovered to break up what would have been a touchdown reception. He's definitely had his share of moments in his first three professional games.
4. Joe Davis and Greg Olsen Is a Great Booth
Phillies fans are hopeful to hear quite a bit of Davis on FOX's No. 1 MLB team during the postseason. Right before the final week of the regular season for the Phillies, many of those same fans were treated to Davis calling Saints-Eagles Sunday. Alongside Greg Olsen and with Pam Oliver on the sideline, it was a pleasure to listen to this crew, which is FOX's No. 2 NFL booth, but feels very much capable of being a top booth.
This isn't an indictment on FOX's current No. 1 booth. Kevin Burkhardt is really good. It's too early to make any sweeping conclusions on Tom Brady, as much as you might be tempted to do so. And Erin Andrews is as good of a sideline reporter as there is in the sport.
But while a No. 2 booth might be the ceiling for Davis as long as he's the top play-by-play voice for both the Los Angeles Dodgers and FOX's MLB coverage, he's no doubt capable of being one of the top NFL voices if he ever aspires to do that. Pam Oliver was FOX's top sideline reporter before Andrews came to the network in 2014, and is one of the most accomplished figures in the history of her job.
The star of the booth, though, is Olsen. He's proven to be capable of working with multiple different play-by-play partners, and is so good at jumping in during the brief windows that a color commentator has to maximize and giving the viewers valuable insight that's easily digestible. He's as good as Cris Collinsworth and Troy Aikman — both of whom I like quite a bit — and better than both Tony Romo and Kirk Herbstreit. There are only so many No. 1 NFL booths, but Olsen deserves to be an analyst in one of them. Whether Brady doesn't ultimately work out or there's a change in one of the other booths, expect Olsen to be in a No. 1 booth again soon.
5. The Eagles Might Be Really Thin Offensively In Week 4
According to NBC Sports Philadelphia's John Clark, A.J. Brown trotted out of the Eagles locker room in the fourth quarter at the Caesars Superdome after going in while teammate DeVonta Smith was evaluated for a concussion following a brutal hit:
Ugly hit on DeVonta Smith
pic.twitter.com/LSiOK5NjGB
Earlier in the game, two-time All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson departed with what ended up being a concussion. FOX's Pam Oliver noted that when Johnson initially came out of the game in the second quarter, he was throwing up on the sideline:
Pam Oliver with an update on Eagles' Lane Johnson ⬇️
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/Fk44KJ2gAj
Wide receiver/punt returner Britain Covey — who had six catches in Week 2 — also didn't appear in the second half as he dealt with a shoulder injury. Right guard Mekhi Becton also missed significant time in the game with a finger injury.
If Brown — who initially told ESPN's Lisa Salters that he expected to miss "a couple of weeks" with his hamstring injury — isn't ready to return in Week 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kellen Moore's offense will be really thin on talent. Even if Brown is back, Hurts is unlikely to have anything close to his full offense around him in Tampa Bay.
