Bleeding Green Nation
Highlights and lowlights from Philadelphia’s Week 9 win.
With 9:25 left in the third quarter, the Jacksonville Jaguars had a total of 36 yards of offense and zero points. Jacksonville was there at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday—and that seemed about it.
For once, it looked like the Eagles were doing what they were supposed to do against one of the worst teams in the NFL, smack them around, and then pounce on them.
But something happened on the way to the pouncing. The Jaguars gained new life, and the resuscitation may have come from Eagles’ head coach Nick Sirianni. He made dubious, possible game-losing decisions, leaving nine vital points off the board making what should have been a blowout into a nervous sweat 28-23 victory.
It was the Eagles’ fourth-straight victory—although it felt like a loss—in driving the Eagles to 6-2 overall.
Jalen Hurts looked sharp again, though had some problems in the pocket with Jacksonville’s Cover 2, completing 18 of 24 for 230 yards, and two touchdowns, while scoring one rushing touchdown. Saquon Barkley had a typical Saquon Barkley kind of game, rushing 27 times for 159 yards, and catching three passes for 40 yards, including a touchdown.
At first, this seemed like a playground game for fun to the Eagles. It looked like the Eagles were on their way to win their fifth-straight game next week without question in Dallas, which should have concluded the kiddie table portion of the schedule.
The season was not supposed to take a serious turn until the Eagles hosted NFC-East leading Washington on Thursday night, Nov. 14.
Now it seems everything has shifted back to where it was a few weeks ago, a team in limbo, which does far more harm to itself than good. The Eagles are led by a coach who is prone to make desperate choices during the juncture of games when they are not necessary (fourth down conversions opposed to field goals, two-point conversions opposed to extra points, etc.)—only to have those decisions come back and possibly sting later.
There will come a time this season when those dubious decisions will cut deep.
There was a healthy dose of good, a touch of bad, and pile of ugly, like leaving nine points off the board, in the Eagles’ fortunate 28-23 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Linebacker Nakobe Dean’s game-saving interception in the end zone with 1:37 to play. It was Dean’s first NFL interception and it could not have come at a better time. Trevor Lawrence made a grave mistake with the throw, and compounded it by targeting third-string running back D’Ernest Johnson with the pass. Earlier in the game, Dean slapped away a Lawrence pass intended to Evan Engram on a second-and-five at the Jacksonville 46 on the Jags’ second possession.
DeVonta Smith saving the Eagles with an amazing, one-handed 25-yard touchdown catch with 7:43 left beating former Eagle Ronald Darby for a 28-16 Eagles’ lead. On the same drive, Smith made successive...
