The Eagles have now won four straight games, scoring 28+ points in the last three. Before that three-game stretch, they had only done it once. Philly's defense held the Jaguars' offense to two touchdowns, both of which were Trevor Lawrence's rushing touchdowns; he has three on the season. Quinyon Mitchell played lights out again, being targeted only once, allowing it to be caught for 11 yards.
The Eagles didn't allow a single player on the Jags to put up 50 or more receiving yards and held standout rookie WR Brian Thomas Jr. to just two catches for 22 yards. Travis Etienne Jr. led the Jaguars in rushing yards with 24 of the team's 80; Tank Bigsby had 22 yards on five more carries than Etienne. Trevor Lawrence passed for just 169 yards, and the Jags put up 215 yards in total. This game shouldn't have been close at all, but Nick Sirianni was up to his old ways and again gave Eagles fans a mini heart attack.
Nick Sirianni's Poor Decision Making
Before I get into the poor decision-making in this week's game, I want to remind everyone of what happened in Weeks 2 and 3. In Week 2, Nick Sirianni left three points on the board in the first half of what was, at the time, a 0-0 game. After that, the Eagles had a late game collapse, allowing Kirk Cousins to go 5/6 on the Falcon's final drive and throw a TD to Drake London with 34 seconds left. Philly lost by ONE point after leaving THREE points on the board. Most Head Coaches would learn from that and take the points moving forward, especially early in the game. However, next week, he did the same thing against the Saints. TWICE! Luckily, the Eagles managed to win that game due to one of the best defensive performances of the season.
This week, you could see flashes of the ending of the Falcons game. In the first half, the Eagles were up 10-0 and, for whatever reason, decided to go for it on 4th & 3 instead of kicking a 39-yard field goal; they did not convert. Later in the first half, Saquon Barkley scored from 19 yards out. Instead of kicking the PAT and taking a three-possession lead, Nick Sirianni outthought himself yet again. He wanted to go for two, which failed. They were still up 16-0 in the third quarter, but Philly scored another TD and went for two again. It is unnecessary when your opponent has not put points on the board. However, it is somewhat understandable due to the previous failed attempt, they failed again. That's five points Sirianni left off the board.
On the next drive, the Jags scored and converted on their 2-point conversion, making it 22-8; on the first play of the Eagle's next possession, Saquon Barkley "fumbled" the ball, and it was returned for a TD and another successful Jacksonville 2-point conversion to make it a 22-16 ballgame quickly. Had Sirianni taken his points like any other HC, it would've been 27-16, which is far less stressful and would've allowed the Eagles to milk the clock in a more comfortable position. On Philly's next drive, they faced a 4th & 1 at the Jacksonville 25-yard line. Sirianni decided to go for it and pass on 4th & 1, so it was not only a poor decision but also a terrible play call to go along with it. After that, both teams exchanged TDs, and Sirianni decided to let Jake Elliot kick his first real FG of the game from 57 yards out, which he missed, putting Jacksonville in a position to end the game with a TD being down 28-23. Luckily, Nakobe Dean had an extremely clutch interception in the end zone after letting the Jags drive 40 yards down the field.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the only way Sirianni is successful is when he removes himself from play-calling and decision-making. If a head coach isn't helping in those two aspects, what is he even there for?
Saquon Barkley.
The Eagles started the season unwilling to get the run game started. Nick Sirianni has seemingly always had an issue with playcalling, especially when it comes to running the ball, and it was evident again early this season. Since the bye week, we've seen more of Kellen Moore's offense, and the numbers prove it. During this four-game win streak, the Eagles rush attack has been one of the best in the league. Philly has put together three straight games with 150+ rushing yards and 2+ rushing TDs, their longest streak in 71 years. They have the second-best run game in the league, averaging 175 YPC. Jalen Hurts now has almost as many rushing TDs as passing on the year, with eight and six being in the Birds' last three games! He and Saquon Barkley are the only Eagles with rushing TDs in the regular season, with Barkley having six. Rookie RB Will Shipley scored in Week 7 against the Giants, but it got called back.
Saquon Barkley has eclipsed 1,000 total yards and eight touchdowns on the season through just eight games. The only other Eagles RB to ever do it was LeSean McCoy, who was inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame the same day. Barkley has rushed for 100+ yards three games in a row and five times total. He only has one game under 80 yards, which came against the Browns when he had 47. Barkley just won his third NFC Offensive Player of the Week since joining the Birds, and he leads the NFL in total yards per game with 133.9! He also had one of the greatest highlights of all time with a spin move plus BACKWARDS HURDLE; he is not human.
Hurts So Good
Jalen Hurts has been playing lights out since the bye, and he looks better than ever. He has been highly accurate, and his decision-making has improved dramatically from last season and early this season. In his previous four games, he's put up 12 total touchdowns and ZERO turnovers; that's the most TDs without a turnover of anybody in the league in that span. He has a 128.8 passer rating, which puts him third in the league, and he's completing 72.3% of his passes, which is fifth best.
One of his most impressive improvements is his deep ball, which has always been underrated, but not like this. Against the Jaguars, he completed four deep passes, which is a career-high, for 127 yards and both of his passing TDs. He leads the league in 20+ yard completions with seven. During this four-game win streak, he's 20/29 for 500 yards and five touchdowns through the air on 10+ yard throws! If he keeps it up, he's on track to have the best season of his career, and he could help the Eagles make a deep playoff run.
Final Score: Eagles 28, Jaguars 23
Dixon's Three Stars
1st Star- Saquon Barkley (30 Touches, 199 Total Yards, 2 Total TDs)
2nd Star- Quinyon Mitchell (2 Tackles, 1 Target, 1 Reception Allowed, 11 Yards Allowed, Played all 52 Defensive Snaps)
3rd Star- Jalen Hurts (230 Passing Yards, 67 Rushing Yards, 3 Total Touchdowns)
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