ST PAUL — “This is so sloppy,” DeVonta Smith said. He wasn’t talking about caipirinhas. He wasn’t talking about the conditions of the football fields at South America’s first NFL game. No, the wide receiver is stating what the Philadelphia Eagles are seeing as they debut their improved system under offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
“That was so sloppy,” Smith repeated. “But we responded well.”
Indeed, they did. They beat the Green Bay Packers 34-29 at Corinthians and improved to 1-0 despite Cam Jurgens throwing the ball to the quarterback when he wasn’t ready Jalen Hurts; despite Hurts twice forcing the football into heavy coverage on passing downs, leading to pick-and-rolls (once in the end zone); despite the last-minute “bro” from Jurgens and Hurts A mishandled “putt” move that didn’t guarantee victory, but gave the Green Bay Packers one last possible chance to come back before the field goal.
“We’re working on it,” said Jurgens, who was responsible for both fumbles. “It’s a good feeling when you can solve a problem and still get a win.”
Saquon Barkley saved their pigskin. He jumped up at the last moment of his miss. He accounted for three of Philadelphia’s four touchdowns. He had 109 yards and two scores on 24 carries, plus two receptions, including an 18-yard touchdown on a well-timed wheel route. He signed Barkley to a three-year, $37.75 million contract this offseason, setting a franchise record for annual spending on a running back and much to the delight of general manager Howie Roseman.
saquon damn barkley#flyeaglefly pic.twitter.com/ZdXg8tLqB0
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 7, 2024
“He had a great game tonight,” Hurts said. “I’m glad he’s on our side.”
The Eagles haven’t used a weapon like Barkley since LeSean McCoy. DeAndre Swift and Miles Sanders have performed well in Philadelphia’s backfield the past two seasons, but neither running back has the stop-start speed and failed to score 11 yards for a touchdown and 34 for a touchdown. The rushing yards put Barkley’s explosiveness through the Packers’ defense.
Finally, he was blocked. Barkley, who averaged 1.35 yards per game in six years with the New York Giants, said in training camp that he chose to sign with the Eagles in part because of Philadelphia’s strong offensive line, according to TruMedia. On that 11-yard scoring drive, there was a huge gulf between Jurgens and right guard Mekhi Becton. Barkley suddenly cut in, and the Eagles suddenly led 14-12 with 5 minutes and 38 seconds left in the first half.
“They were ready for me,” Barkley said. “I just try to follow my rules. That’s one of the big things I want to share is, you know, sometimes I can try to do too much. I don’t have to have that mentality, but I let (the offensive line) make plays. I’m also prepared when extra things need to be done.
Speaking of “something extra,” Moore isn’t restricted from deploying snap moves, which has always been part of his philosophy. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, whose 2023 system is the most stagnant in the NFL, said earlier this week that “nobody really knows what we’re going to do.” By my count, the Eagles Against the Packers, the snap was used on 47.3% of the snaps.
That included Dallas Goedert signaling a swing pass to his left, which gained Goedert 1 yard. That included Britannia Covey switching from right to left, and Hurts hitting Goedert for a 4-yard gain in the space Covey once occupied. This included AJ Brown quickly coming out of position to get behind Goedert and match Brown against Jaire Alexander. brown double act — Outside, inside – Leave him open on the sideline. Hurts hit Brown in stride, and the receiver got around the Packers second baseman for a 67-yard score.
Brown’s 23.8 yards per catch (five catches, 119 yards) is his highest average since Week 16 of the 2022 regular season. Hurts managed to find Brown on a crucial third down when he was facing a hard rush. On third-and-8 of Philadelphia’s fourth drive (Barkley’s first rushing touchdown), Hurts threw a quick pass to Brown for a 20-yard conversion before it was broken up by the defense. According to TruMedia, Hurts completed 6 of 7 passes for 91 yards against the Packers’ blitz and gave Barkley an 18-yard touchdown.
That’s a promising sign for a system in which Hurts is handling more pre-protection calls and designated receivers who are “hot” against blitzes. Hurts was fired twice. The second time he seemed to push himself just before halftime, it limited his promising two-minute drive, ultimately allowing only a 38-yarder to Jake Elliott and a 19-yard score at the break. -17 behind the Packers.
“I thought the pass protection was pretty good today,” Jurgens said. “I thought we did a good job. We’ll watch film and see how it goes. But it felt good out there. We had some weapons out there. I thought we really used them today and played really well.
The Eagles’ defense also has problems with sloppiness.
Sirianni fired former defensive coordinator Sean Desai in part because his system gave up the NFL’s second-most passing yards in 2023. But sometimes it’s not clear if anything has changed. Jordan Love completed 17 of 34 passes for 260 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and he took advantage of an apparent defensive miscue and hit Jayden Reed for a 70-yard touchdown , gaining a half-time lead. Safety CJ Gardner-Johnson, signed as a free agent to improve the defensive line, missed a tackle that could have saved the game.
Apparently, Gardner-Johnson received some criticism from fans when he returned to the locker room.
“All these fans have something to say. Y’all get out there and tackle with us. Put it on the news,” Johnson said. He turned left and spotted Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie. “Tell them, Jeffrey. Every fan says they can tackle, and we’re going to invite everyone who says we’re terrible at tackle, and we’ll get them out there with AJ Brown and see if they can tackle. . Everyone knows this – it’s not that easy.
Lurie just laughed.
Reed Blankenship was red-faced but made no objection and continued his postgame interview. Blankenship said yes, there were some glitches in their coverage. Yes, they do more than just “what we do in practice”. But when the Packers had a chance to go up two points in the third quarter, Blankenship tipped Love’s pass down the seam for a game-changing interception. Blankenship said he saw Love appear to want to pass the ball to Reid along the sideline, but once Gardner-Johnson cut off the option, he returned to the middle of the court.
Safety Reed Blankenship caught a pass from Jordan Love and made a game-changing interception. (Pedro Villela/Getty Images)
“So, this is one of those moments to look forward to,” Blankenship said. “But I wouldn’t be able to do that if he didn’t do his job on the back end.”
It’s hard to immediately deduce where the breakdown for Reed’s 70-yard score occurred. The Eagles performed poorly, with their six-rep package specifically used in passing scenarios such as third-and-10. Second-round pick Cooper Dejean and veteran Avante Maddox appear to cover short areas in the slot. Gardner-Johnson is the deepest safety, but at least it surprises Reed to get into the right hash on his own.
“It’s the hardest sport because it involves all 11 guys,” Gardner-Johnson said. “If all 11 people are not on the same page, something is going to happen. It doesn’t mean you are the (worst) player in the world. If that were the case, the owner would let you go. We have to understand that this The game is here and we have to understand that as young guys we just get better and we play together and we know we can dominate in every aspect of the game.
Rookie cornerback Quinnen Mitchell showed himself to be a solid starter in his pro debut. Love tested the No. 22 rookie with a deep pass early in the first quarter, but Mitchell knocked the ball away from Christian Watson. Then, Mitchell stretched sideways and blocked another pass from Love near the stick.
Mitchell is playing exclusively outside corner, which is an interesting development considering Fangio’s dedication to rookies throughout training camp. Mitchell played outside cornerback in the base lineup before switching to nickel back during the preseason. But Maddox started the game with five carries against the Packers. This arrangement may be untenable. Maddox was targeted by Love on consecutive plays, first causing pass interference and then scoring a touchdown on the next play.
The absence of Isaiah Rodgers may have played a role. When Mitchell played nickel, he was primarily used as an outside cornerback throughout training camp. Rodgers was ruled out for the game with a hand injury. Asked if Rodgers’ absence affected the decision, Sirianni said: “It’s still a competitive advantage that we have and I’ll keep it a secret.” Placing Maddox on the nickel also raised a question : Are the Eagles confident Kelee Ringo can complete the cornerback game plan on nickel.
Sirianni, who has further embraced his role as CEO in 2024, has 10 days to cut back on sloppiness before the Eagles host the Atlanta Falcons on Monday, Sept. 16. The match record is 4-0.
“It’s nice to move on,” Sirianni said. “We’re going to have some tough conversations about what was right and what was wrong, but feel good about these guys and we’ll be better from this game.”
(Top photo: Pedro Villela/Getty Images)
