Bleeding Green Nation
Highlight performances from Philadelphia’s Week 8 win.
The Philadelphia Eagles are 5-2 after beating the Cincinnati Bengals!
Three wins in a row! Dare I say, the Eagles are ... back?!
Sure feels that way after that kind of complete performance going up against a quality team on the road. The quarterback played great, the offense had rhythm, and the defense made big plays.
Multiple games this season have frustratingly felt like the 2023 Eagles all over again. Last week’s run-heavy approach was reminiscent of the 2021 Eagles. Beating the Bengals had more of a 2022 feel and makes one wonder if the 2024 Eagles might truly be for real.
Time to hand out some winners, losers, and IDKs.
Now THIS is the Hurts the Eagles need to see more often to be considered legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
The box score numbers: 16/20 (80% completion), 236 yards (11.8 average), 1 TD, 0 INT, 132.5 passer rating ... 10 carries, 37 rushing yards, 3 rushing TD.
Hurts had two throws that stood out in a bad way from his first two drives. The first was when he overthrew A.J. Brown on third down to not even give the star receiver a chance at making a play and forcing the offense to settle for a field goal. The second was when he checked down to Kenny Gainwell short of the sticks on third down and it looked like the pass could’ve been in jeopardy of getting picked off by a defender who looked ready to step in front of the ball but ultimately couldn’t get there.
Following that incompletion, however, Hurts was literally perfect:
Very impressive.
And it’s not just the results that made this performance so encouraging. It’s how Hurts was able to be successful. Simply put, he played the quarterback position at a high level.
Oh, and Hurts avoided turning the ball over for the third game in a row. He absolutely outshined a top-tier quarterback in Joe Burrow.
It’s unrealistic to expect Hurts to look this good week in and week out. But, again, they could afford to see this version a bit more often. The Eagles will really have something cooking if Hurts is able to stack high-quality performances.
I’m looping Jeff Stoutland in here.
Despite missing starting left tackle Jordan Mailata and starting right guard Mekhi Becton, the Eagles surrendered zero sacks and one quarterback hit in addition to paving the way for 39 carries that resulted in 161 rushing yards (4.1 average) and three touchdowns. The Brotherly Shove being as unstoppable as it is doesn’t happen without these big dudes.
This kind of blocking success shouldn’t be taken for granted. Plenty of other teams can’t even field a competent starting offensive line when full healthy, let alone deal with multiple injuries.
Fred Johnson deserves a special shout out here. Given his previous struggles in pass protection, there was serious concern about his ability to hold up against...
