October 29, 2017
Carson Wentz played his worst game of the season, and it didn't matter even a little bit. Behind a dominant performance from the defense and a collective effort on the offensive side of the ball, the Eagles coasted to a 33-10 victory against the 49ers on Sunday. They are high atop the NFC East at 7-1, and the hype train is not going to stop rolling.
• Alshon Jeffery has arrived in Philadelphia.
it finally happened. Wentz throws a bomb to Alshon. 53 yards for the TD. pic.twitter.com/hSHTpVsCUB
— chris jones ¯\_🎃_/¯ (@LONG_DRIVE) October 29, 2017
This play highlights something many Philadelphians have been saying all season: perhaps Wentz just needs to throw it up to Jeffery more. Maybe that's not always a high-percentage play, but Jeffery has the advantage in the majority of one-on-one matchups he'll be in on the outside. Give him a chance to make a play, and he can go up there and get it.
Who knows if Jeffery will ever be the dominant No. 1 guy fans wanted to see when Howie Roseman went out and got him, but having a guy with ability like this eases the pressure on his teammates. Opponents know this is in his wheelhouse, even if it comes in fits and starts, and they have to shade coverage his way as a result.
• Vaitai got called for a flag on this play, but this is what the Eagles want to see out of Jason Peters' replacement.
Terrible call on Big V. Ate defenders lunch and gets flagged pic.twitter.com/PaopQsX0SE
— Sean Cottrell (@S_Cottrell23) October 29, 2017
The coaching staff insists they're confident in Vaitai whenever they need to go to him, and at times you can see why. He was not the primary man responsible for their inability to protect Carson Wentz against the 49ers and acquitted himself just fine in his first start of the season. It'll probably get tougher for him from here, but encouraging at the very least.
• Mack Hollins is a heck of a football player, and he doesn't need to contribute on offense for that to be true. This is a great tackle to minimize San Francisco's gain on a punt return:
Mack Hollins on special teams!! pic.twitter.com/8j1FSWIadC
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) October 29, 2017
His contributions on special teams were a big part of the elevator pitch for Hollins as an NFL player, and he continues to show out as a gunner on punt coverage. Hollins is also providing some spark in the passing game this year, having hauled in all eight of his targets this season. If he continues to stack up good days, he will keep getting more opportunities.
• Jake Elliott now owns the single-season franchise record for most field goals made from 50+ yards out. He has played just seven games for the team.
Jake Elliott from 51 yards out, his Eagles single season franchise-setting 5th FG from 50-plus pic.twitter.com/K9ZZnFPphp
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) October 29, 2017
The Eagles may have fallen ass-backward into their long-term option at kicker, and no one around here is going to complain.
• Mini ovation for Derek Barnett, who seems to be improving each and every week, with a few small hiccups aside. Even when he's not getting to the quarterback, he is regularly beating his man and forcing quarterbacks to step into more pressure in the pocket.
That's exactly what the Eagles signed up for when they took him with their first-round pick. No one will care that he started slowly if he continues to improve and progress with more playing time. Keep pounding the rock, rook.
• Any time you're beating up a team so bad that your backup QB gets to play in the fourth quarter, you had a good day. Take a bow, Nick Foles.
• Not exactly the best day for Carson Wentz's MVP campaign. The win will ultimately help him in the eyes of some voters, but the Eagles won this one without their quarterback having much of an impact on the game.
In fact, he made some pretty puzzling throws on the afternoon, including what is probably his worst interception of the season midway through the third quarter.
Clear miscue between Wentz and Hollins. Hollins curled, Wentz threw the deep in. Easy INT. pic.twitter.com/ZU6Y19wRhJ
— Patrick (@PatrickMCausey) October 29, 2017
Hollins owns some of the blame here, but they were clearly not on the same page on that one, and that was a running theme throughout the day. Wentz was missing a lot of his targets high, sailing passes out of reach that could have been touchdowns.
To be clear, this is, weirdly, great news for the Eagles as a whole. Wentz has had to carry the team at times, slinging the ball all over the field and making plays appear out of thin air. While it has been tremendous to watch, there is always the lingering concern that if an opponent shuts down Wentz, they shut down the whole team.
But with Wentz faltering early and often in this game, the rest of his teammates picked him up, and they blew out an opponent they should have without their QB's A-game. That's the mark of a good team.
• However, we need to have a discussion about the o-line's performance. They did not look good against one of the worst teams in football, and that injury to Jason Peters looks like it may hang over the team like a dark cloud moving forward.
It was the first full week without Peters in the mix, so maybe you can argue they'll get better with more time to gel and less rain during their other games. Given the team's trajectory, however, you don't really want to head into the second half of the season with your offensive line play being a "maybe." The Eagles need to feel confident they can protect Wentz, and failing that, they need to grind out first downs through the run game.
The jury is out on whether they can manage that against better teams. We'll find out soon enough.
• This is not the news you want coming out of the tunnel.
Patrick Robinson done for the day.
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) October 29, 2017
• This was beautiful from the Eagles (and Derek Barnett in particular), but let's talk a little bit about the circumstances heading into the play.
lol get that weak shit out of here pic.twitter.com/W1aONzb5fP
— chris jones ¯\_🎃_/¯ (@LONG_DRIVE) October 29, 2017
San Francisco was 0-7 and is now 0-8 following this loss. The Eagles stifled them on defense for most of the afternoon, and yet the Niners were in position to get into the end zone for a second time with plenty of time left in the fourth quarter. And your decision is to kick a field goal? Really?
Of all the spineless, weak-ass decisions made by NFL coaches this week, this move from Kyle Shanahan ranks up at the very top of the weenie list. Play like you have some damn pride, and at least pretend you're trying to win the game instead of losing by a more "respectable" margin.
If you're wondering how Shanahan coughed up a 28-3 lead against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, look no further than plays like this. Scared money makes no money.
