August 09, 2024
Mitch Stringer/USA Today Sports
The Eagles celebrate their first preseason touchdown of 2024.
Football is back!
The Eagles had their first preseason game of 2024 on Friday evening in Baltimore, a 16-13 win with a wild finish.
A healthy amount of Eagles starters warmed up, but ultimately were in street clothes by the time kickoff rolled around. Given the attitude around the way last season ended, I expected Jalen Hurts and company to play maybe an offensive series against the Ravens, but that did not happen.
With preseason outcomes meaningless in comparison to the regular season, I'm going to take a bit of a different format with game observations. I'll start with the backup quarterback battle between Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee and then shout out some other players and moments...
• Pickett's opening drive as an Eagle: 3/6 for 20 yards, zero points on the board. He underthrew John Ross on the first third down he faced. The Eagles then went for it on a fourth and eight in plus territory. While Pickett displayed some nice pocket maneuverability there, he could not connect with Joseph Ngata to move the chains. Pickett certainly has the edge in the mobility department compared to McKee.
Pickett's second drive was smooth. He didn't have an incompletion, leading the Eagles 75 yards into the end zone. The touchdown came on a nifty play design that had rookie running back Will Shipley wide open on a low drag:
Enjoy the 1st TD of 2024 (preseason) 😌
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 10, 2024
📺: NBC Sports Philadelphia+ pic.twitter.com/RcpHSlmKpg
Shipley totaled 30 yards (eight touches) from scrimmage on that drive alone.
The rest of the half transpired like Pickett's tenure with the Steelers. He had some wheels, but things didn't feel fluid and the Birds went nowhere. He's not the type of quarterback who throws guys open. There were some protection issues, sure, but some of this has been typical for him. The ball doesn't move down the field. There was a lot of dinking and dunking. Britain Covey isn't DeVonta Smith and Johnny Wilson isn't A.J. Brown, but you'd like to see more given his pre-draft rep.
Taking into consideration that methodical scoring drive, I'll give him an overall B- for his performance on the day that included the entire first half and the first drive of the second half.
McKee's first pass of the preseason probably could've been a pick-six if a more talented defender was there jumping across the line of scrimmage, but he eventually settled in. He made conversions on third downs, was accurate in tight windows (though he might not have been so lucky against first-team defensive backs...) and just carried himself with poise.
McKee's first drive in the third quarter went 74 yards over 17 plays, resulting in a two-yard touchdown run from Lew Nichols. McKee flashed some on the second drive with good ball placement that went through receivers' hands, but he doesn't move particularly well in the face of pressure.
McKee took the field with 5:41 on the clock in the fourth with the game tied up at 13. There were missed connections early, but McKee did fire a nice third and five completion to keep things moving. He relied on the running game with Kendall Milton and even converted a Brotherly Shove on fourth and inches on a very generous spot (Pickett picked up a first on one earlier in the game as well).
That all set up a 50-yard Jake Elliott field goal attempt that doinked no good. That was Elliott's second miss of the evening, as he missed the extra-point attempt on the Eagles' first TD drive. What happened on the ensuing play with just seconds remaining? A Patrick Johnson strip sack and fumble recovery to miraculously put the Birds in a position for another kick. Elliott nailed 49-yarder as time expired to flip the script on his evening thought. Eagles win.
For leading one scoring drive, and a quasi game-winning one, I'll go B+ for McKee's evening.
Pickett will be the QB2 this year given his pedigree as a former first-round pick and the draft capital the team parted with to bring him to Philly, but McKee has the ability to be a QB2 somewhere in this league.
• Again, Patrick Johnson's big play needs mentioning. He saved the day.
Patrick Johnson. Game Wrecker. pic.twitter.com/gHG1h1YE6i
— Isaac (@philly_isaac) August 10, 2024
This was the most exciting ending to an Eagles preseason game that I can recall.
• Marlon Tuipulotu could be a DT3 on another team that didn't have as promising of a young-ish defensive tackle core as the one the Eagles have with Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Milton Williams.
• Jeremiah Trotter Jr. with a chase down for his first big play in an Eagles uniform:
Déjà vu 😏@TrotterJr54 | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/c1gcgM7gK9
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 10, 2024
Watching him in camp this summer, he was more athletic than I expected. It was on display there! His summer has undoubtedly been a positive.
• Jalyx Hunt, the rookie third-round pick on the edge, has juice. His motor has been apparent whenever he's received reps in 11-on-11 work this summer. That continued when the team finally faced a real opponent on Friday. He'll make a name for himself on special teams, too.
• Tyrion Davis-Price displayed both patience and power early in the second half. I'd be surprised if the Eagles kept more than three running backs on the 53-man roster with this current group of players, but both he and Nichols put good tape out there for either other teams or the Birds' own practice squad.
• Nolan Smith played well into the second half. Smith has always been a speed rush guy and when he's facing offensive tackles further down the depth chart, his quickness is no match for them. The second-year first-round pick needs to take a leap this fall. He's had an excellent camp and this was a super encouraging evening.
You mean this @SmithNoland2 sack? 😤 https://t.co/dPI7yJtJtM pic.twitter.com/TE4NhhCumi
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 10, 2024
• Quinyon Mitchell should've had his first NFL interception, jumping a route on the Ravens' first offensive drive. He didn't come up with it, but he did force an incompletion on a third down with Baltimore in Eagles territory, limiting the Ravens to a field goal. Mitchell had just one interception with Toledo in 2023, but did have five in 2022. The football IQ was on display.
• Great man-to-man coverage from Kelee Ringo on this one:
2️⃣2️⃣ says NOPE ❌@keleeringo | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/1QzGqTAHCV
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 10, 2024
Ringo nearly had an interception, making a great play on the ball and fighting through contact late in the first half to force another Baltimore incompletion as well.
• Isaiah Rodgers has the lead on the second outside cornerback job opposite Darius Slay, but Ringo will be on the field this season with the potential to make an impact. Ringo played just 17 percent of the Eagles' defensive snaps in 2023. That number is going to jump way up.
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