August 15, 2024
Brian Fluharty/USA Today Sports
Kenny Pickett had his struggles against the Patriots in the Eagles' second preseason game.
The Eagles had their second preseason game in New England on Thursday evening. It was another nail-biter for the Eagles after last week's last second win in Baltimore, beating the Patriots 14-13.
With the decreased emphasis on the preseason across the sport and the overall irrelevance of the final score, my observations again for this matchup will highlight the backup quarterback battle and some other things of note that stood out.
Let's get after it with Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee...
Last week's Checkdown King, Pickett aired it out on the opening drive. Facing a second and five, Pickett threw down the field to John Ross, but they couldn't connect. John Ross looked inside shoulder, but the ball went outside shoulder. If Pickett is playing this year, things have gone horribly wrong (or it's Week 18), but not seeing completely vanilla football in the preseason is welcomed just as a pure enjoyer of the sport.
On the ensuing Eagles drive, Pickett has a crisp throw on a slant to Ross, finally connecting, that picked up a first down. On a third and five facing a three-man run, Pickett couldn't hit Kenny Gainwell down the left sideline. Their timing was just off, which will happen when it's a backup QB dealing with a player who still gets a lot of run with the 1s. The drive led to a field goal.
With some third-team offensive linemen out there, the Eagles struggled in pass protection, leading to some moments where Pickett was being swarmed quickly. That's just how the rest of the half transpired. Pickett's mobility wasn't enough to overcome it.
I'll give his half a C, a downgrade from last week against Baltimore.
On McKee's first third down, he had excellent accuracy on an out route for a completion to Jenkins. Smooth. He followed up that immediately with a first down pass to Joseph Ngata. Nice touch.
McKee, later on that drive, however, lost the ball on the snap initially on the seemingly unstoppable Brotherly Shove as the Eagles were stuffed on a fourth down. To the critics around the NFL, it's almost as if the Eagles' unique first-team personnel is what makes it so great to begin with! That's not McKee's skillset.
The next shot on the TV after that commercial break, naturally, was center Dylan McMahon and McKee practicing an under-center snap.
McKee hit Ngata on a back shoulder throw on first down of the Birds' next drive. It was not a perfect throw, but it was ok, better than anything Pickett illustrated in Foxboro. Another Ngata first down ensued after that.
There isn't a lot of zip on McKee's passes and I wonder how these tight window throws would play against upper-level defensive backs with way better ball skills, but the ball placement is there.
Will Grier came in for McKee late in the third quarter after not seeing action in the preseason opener. He got a few reps there. McKee came back in the following drive. He missed Ainias Smith on a third and six with an overthrow. McKee had him!
McKee later strung together a few first downs to Ngata in addition to finding Austin Watkins Jr. and Kendall Milton to move the chains. A sharp throw to Ngata put the Birds in goal-to-go territory before Milton barreled through for a touchdown. A two-point try where McKee easily hit Ainias Smith put the Birds ahead 14-13 late in the fourth. That would be enough for a win.
I'll give McKee a B+ on the day. Things were much closer between the two against the Ravens.
The Eagles likely want Pickett to win this job cleanly given the draft capital they parted with for him this offseason, but he simply hasn't made it that easy.
• Bryce Huff was the lone defensive lineman starter who suited up in Foxboro. He made a nice read on a screen play for a quick tackle on New England's opening drive. He totaled four tackles on two drives. It's just the preseason, but he did perform well when it came to some perceived weaknesses in non-pass-rushing scenarios. I would assume his preseason is now over heading into next week's home matchup with the Vikings.
• Moro Ojomo with good pressure on Jacoby Brissett on the Patriots' opening offensive drive. He's just active around the ball. They had to have a blatant hold (not called!) to prevent a sack from him early in the second quarter.
• A red zone stand on New England's second offensive drive featured nice plays from Zach Baun and defensive tackle PJ Mustipher. They impressed with goal-to-go defense against the Ravens last week, too. Baun plays well going downhill. Mustipher plays with energy.
• Thomas Booker is fighting for a back-end roster spot. Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Milton Williams are obvious locks at defensive tackle. Booker had a huge sack on the first New England play following the Birds' go-ahead TD, too. He plays with a motor! Terrell Lewis finished up that drive with a bull rush sack on third down to pin the Pats at their own goal line.Ojomo is the clear-cut No. 4 guy at this point, but who else works their way onto the roster? The Eagles are thinner among edge rushers and DTs than they have been in recent history, but those less heralded players have made some noise in the preseason so far. The Eagles will have some tough decisions to make when it comes to their interior defensive line.
• Avonte Maddox showcased some ball right after that, picking off a pass in the end zone while playing safety:
AVONTEEEEEE!!!!! pic.twitter.com/fk1ZjRiQzh
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 15, 2024
Maddox has been one of the league's better slot corners when healthy, but he's constantly battled injuries. Given how stacked the Birds are at corner, it makes sense to try him at safety. It was a long time ago at this point, but Maddox was impressive when he filled in at safety as a rookie back in 2018.
• Will Shipley has juice. My prediction is that he'll be the RB2 by the end of the season, particularly if he improves in pass protection.
• Joseph Ngata, as mentioned above, was completely in synch with McKee. He's been this quiet this summer after flashing in 2023. That's a welcomed sign for him.
• Kelee Ringo had an excellent play defending rookie wideout Javon Baker on a third down in the Eagles' own territory in the second quarter, keeping the receiver at bay as the ball fell incomplete:
Outstanding coverage by Kelee Ringo pic.twitter.com/bELgtlmZC3
— DIE-HARD 🦅 REALTOR® (@Eaglesfans9) August 15, 2024
I get the feeling that Isaiah Rodgers will be the starting cornerback opposite Pro Bowler Darius Slay this season, but Ringo's really put some great tape out there in the preseason following a strong showing against the Ravens. He might not be a Week 1 outside starter, but he's great depth.
• Nice instincts from both Jeremiath Trotter Jr. and Nakobe Dean. I'd like to see Trotter Jr. finish more plays, but he's in the right spot. Dean has looked improved playing downhill in the run game unquestionably. How Dean plays in coverage and space will determine his NFL fate though.
Nakobe Dean with an outstanding play pic.twitter.com/3MZK1j5NQr
— DIE-HARD 🦅 REALTOR® (@Eaglesfans9) August 16, 2024
• Nolan Smith feels too good and too fast to be playing deep into the third quarter of the second preseason game as a Year 2 first-round pick. He had minimal reps last year as a rookie, so perhaps the Eagles just want him to have as much live football action as possible. He's looked good in camp.
3rd & 10: Nolan Smith sacks Drake Maye pic.twitter.com/ox5cpwJAvb
— DIE-HARD 🦅 REALTOR® (@Eaglesfans9) August 16, 2024
• I like Braden Mann handling kickoffs in the preseason. It's happened in practice as well. Will it continue into the regular season? Limit any possible wear and tear on Jake Elliott. There are kickers out there that can lose you games. It's a rarity to have one who consistently wins you them. Elliott falls into that latter category. He made the two most important kicks in team history and made some of the toughest kicks I've ever seen in 2023.
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