September 19, 2016
After a close first half of Monday Night Football, the Eagles pulled away and blew the Chicago Bears out on their home field, 29-14. Carson Wentz is 2-for-2 in his young career, as is Doug Pederson. There will be some serious hype surrounding next Saturday's Eagles-Steelers game.
Even if the Bears are another bad opponent, the Eagles didn't mess around in this one. Here's what I saw:
• Undrafted defensive tackle Destiny Vaeao made the roster, and he then forced the game's first turnover in the third quarter, stripping the ball from Jay Cutler's hands in the third quarter. Great diving recovery by Jordan Hicks on the play, too.
• The Eagles had a good amount of trouble getting the running game going in the first half, but Ryan Mathews' second effort around the goal line was excellent:
That @rmathews24 2nd effort...
— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2016
TOUCHDOWN! 💪💪💪 #PHIvsCHI #FlyEaglesFly https://t.co/xl4MYYQcD5
• The Eagles forced two more turnovers in the half. On the first one, Nigel Bradham stepped in front of some classic Cutlering:
Jay Cutler never saw Nigel Bradham...
— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2016
PICKED. #PHIvsCHI #FlyEaglesFly https://t.co/eXYeoY2c4a
• Through two games, I'm blown away by how well Carson Wentz has played. On the road, on Monday Night Football, the rookie was completely unfazed. Wentz finished 21-34 for 190 yards (1 TD, 0 INT), but those numbers don't really do his performance justice. The No. 2-overall pick showed a great command of the offense, was poised in the pocket, and consistently put the ball on the money (even if his receivers didn't catch the ball.) Eagles fans have legit reason to be excited.
• How did the refs miss such an obvious pass interference on Bears cornerback Jacoby Glenn in the third quarter? It didn't end up mattering, but he was clearly holding Nelson Agholor on a deep ball down the right sideline.
• If Caleb Sturgis wasn't hurt (and he kicked the extra point), I'm not sure why Doug Pederson decided to go for the touchdown up 15 points on fourth down. It worked out because of a ridiculous Bears penalty, but the move there is to kick a field goal and go up 18 points.
• Donnie Jones and the punt team were standouts in Week 1, but they gave the Bears a late touchdown when Eddie Royal ran back a fourth-quarter punt 65 yards.
• Wentz really needs to learn how to slide. He took far too many unnecessary hits in this one.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
