Hogs Haven
Links to stories, pods and pictures to help you keep up with NFC East and the NFL in general
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.
JALEN HURTS
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:
Over the past two weeks, Sirianni has managed to STAY OUT OF THE WAY. And that’s huge!
Don’t be the story. Don’t make the team worse.
It’s a low bar to clear, for sure. And ideally you’d like the head coach to give the team an edge. But, at the very least, don’t mess things up.
Sirianni has managed to do that much. And a bit more, really!
Sirianni deserves credit for being aggressive on 4th-and-1 from the Eagles’ own 39-yard line on their second drive, opting for a Brotherly Shove that gave them a first down. Of course, there’s a case to be made he should’ve gone for it again later on 4th-and-3 from the plus-48 instead of punting. But not all coaches go for that first one.
Sirianni also deserves credit for a successful challenge on a Burrow ball that clearly wasn’t caught cleanly by Andrei Iosivas. He managed to get his red flag out before the Bengals’ no-huddle approach got a snap off. The Bengals scored on this drive anyway but Sirianni did his part to make them work harder for it.
From a culture and vibes perspective, Sirianni seems to...
