QUARTERBACK
-Daniel Jones: 14/21 – 99 yards / 0 TD – 0 INT / 77.3 RAT
Jones added 20 yards on 5 carries. He came in knowing his blind side protection would not be what it was. He also had his new number one playmaker, Malik Nabers, back in the fold. And right on point, Jones hit Nabers for 13 yards on the first play of the game. As a matter of fact, Jones had 47 yards in the first quarter on 7 pass attempts. At halftime? He was 13/19 for 93 yards. Not exactly record-setting, but not an atrocious line. While Jones saw more pressure than normal and the five first-half sacks are just killers for the offense, he had multiple mis-fires in that first half that could have changed the trajectory of the scoring and time of possession. The 2nd-and-11 miss to a wide-open Darius Slayton with 8:00 left was a colossal mistake. Jones had nobody in front of him. Slayton had nobody around him. And the play would have resulted in a 20+ yard gain (at least) and a new set of downs in PHI territory with the score at 7-0. While this loss can be spread around to multiple areas, this is the medium-level throw the team needed and Jones let them down. When it’s not easy for him, he rarely gets it done. When it is easy for him, he sometimes gets it done.
-Drew Lock relieved Jones in the fourth quarter. Daboll was hoping it would it ignite a “spark” as he put it. That match didn’t work. He had more pass attempts (8) than yards (6). He had as many fumbles and sacks as he did completions (3). We did see a nicely-thrown deep ball to Jalin Hyatt downfield that did hit the second-year receiver’s hands, but it fell incomplete. Lock did gain 13 yards on a scramble up the middle. It was the second longest play of the day for NYG. I know the popular debate this will be Lock vs Jones as the starter. More on that below.
RUNNING BACK
-Much to my surprise, Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary only carried the ball 11 times. Together, they rushed for 41 yards. While that is nothing to write home about, they combined for just three carries in the entire first half. I will open up on that below. In regard to these two doing their job, I thought they were the most reliable skill players the entire game. Tracy continues to pick up consistent yards after contact and there is an efficiency to his game combined with explosive potential that makes it feel both safe and hopeful. NYG needs to lean more into him.
WIDE RECEIVER
-Malik Nabers was back after missing two games with a concussion. Because of the poor pass protection and overall lack of creativity in the play-calling, Nabers simply did not get a ton of action. 4 catches for 41 yards on 8 targets is how he left it. All four went for first downs. There were no opportunities for him to make anything happen after the catch and we really only saw one downfield target on a play where he didn’t even compete on the route, leaving a near-zero percent chance of him getting to the ball. Nabers seemed to lack some life on a few routes. I will not read too deep into that (yet) – but there was a different level of grit to him than what I saw on tape pre-injury.
-Wan’Dale Robinson caught 6 passes for 23 yards. The Eagles defensive backs excelled all afternoon at making tackles after the catch. With that said, if Robinson is not creating after the catch, what really can he do? If you remember back to my draft profile on him, he is off-the-charts small when it comes to height and wingspan. I am seeing it as an issue more and more from two angles. One, he cannot win in contested situations. Second, the margin for accuracy error is almost zero when throwing his way. I like Robinson, but his 7 yards per catch ranks dead last in the NFL among the 108 receivers that have 8+ catches this season. And for the record, Robinson did NOT drop a pass in this one.
-Darius Slayton caught one pass for 11 yards, and Jalin Hyatt cracked a rib after missing the one ball thrown his way in the fourth quarter where he, once again, struggled to get through contact by the corner which ended up being the difference.
TIGHT END
-The one highlight of the day, a Theo Johnson touchdown at the end of the first half to cut the PHI lead to 14-7, resulted in an offensive pass interference. Of course it did. Daniel Bellinger therefore was the only one to catch a pass, an 11-yard gain in the first quarter. Both were tasked with helping out in pass protection on the blind side, and the overall dismal passing day prevented them from really making a difference. As run blockers, there simply was not much to report. They barely ran and when they did, there was not enough to evaluate.
OFFENSIVE LINE
-Joshua Ezeudu got the start for Andrew Thomas, who is out for the year with another foot injury. There was some debate on what NYG should do to fill the newly vacated hole. They chose the option I agreed with. Instead of moving Jermaine Eluemunor to the left side and inserting Evan Neal at right tackle (creating two question marks), they brought Ezeudu into the blind side protector role and kept Eluemunor at right tackle, where he’s been very solid and has had the most success his entire career. It resulted in two Ezeudu sacks in the first quarter. They were awful beats as well. After such a poor start, I felt he bounced back well. He steadied his footwork and was able to use his anchor. With that said, he looks very unnatural out there. Balance, bend, and adjustment speed are all low level and I’ve begun to re-think my strategy here. If we do not see improvement, Neal at RT and Eluemunor at LT may need a look, at least.
-We saw multiple pressures from everyone. Jon Runyan was the only one to avoid a sack allowed. Guard Greg Van Roten allowed two sacks in addition to a pressure. John Michael Schmitz allowed a sack in addition to a team-high 4 pressures. That duo made it really hard for the pocket to remain safe for Jones. They both struggle with the same thing (lateral athleticism) and it got exposed again.
-With Thomas out, I was hoping for a more secure right side from Eluemunor. He allowed two pressures and a sack. While it was not a killer performance, this was an opportunity for him to step up and it was just, “eh”.
EDGE
-Brian Burns left with what appeared to be a re-aggravation of his groin. If that is the case, I would count on him missing time. On just about 65% of the snaps, he was dominant when he faced off against the PHI backup tackle, Fred Johnson. He ended with four pressures, a sack, and a pass break up. He got his hands on Hurts multiple times and added four tackles in the run game.
-Azeez Ojulari, who struggled to get off blocks in the run game, had another strong performance as a pass rusher. He had 1.5 sacks in addition to a pressure. He lined up offsides on a goal line stop as well. The mistakes / bad plays pop up more as his snaps increase. Is he capable of being a true starter? A true number 2? With Burns potentially out, we may even see him get a shot as a number 1.
-Tomon Fox, a guy I am excited to see more of, recorded his first sack since his rookie season in 2022. He added another pressure as well. His 3 tackles were impressive for the amount he played. He has some strength there. Patrick Johnson got 13 snaps after Burns went down. He missed a tackle in the run game.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
-Another impressive performance for credible Defensive Player of the Year candidate Dexter Lawrence. He finished with 2 sacks and 3 pressures in addition to three tackles. The PHI offensive line attacked him with double and triple teams on a couple of their explosive running plays. The other bright spot is he played just 59% of the snaps because of how badly things got out of hand. I’m reaching there – but it’s hard not to when looking at this team from all angles.
-Rakeem Nunez-Roches and DJ Davidson were guys that I wish could do more with the attention Lawrence gets consistently. They combined for one pressure. Davidson’s run defense was poor.
-Elijah Chatman flashed with 2 pressures. One gripe I have is, despite an enormous number of single team blocks, Chatman simply does not quickly win often enough. His burst and quickness is secondary to his grit and hustle on broken plays. Those are admirable traits but he is not getting there fast enough.
-Jordon Riley got a lot of action compared to previous weeks. On one series, he had two flashes of domination, resulting in 2 tackles, one of which went for a loss. He remains on the list of guys who I feel have an untapped upside that can truly turn into something.
LINEBACKER
-Micah McFadden has been solid this season, but I saw too much of the negatives in this one. He was constantly losing his run fits especially when linemen were coming down on him from the outside. The 38-yard run in the third quarter was an atrocious misread by him, and his lack of true speed shows up on the big plays where he needs to pursue.
-Bobby Okereke had 6 tackles and was not tested much in coverage. Darius Muasau and Matthew Adams got some action late in the game. Adams missed a tackle on a sack-attempt, but I did like what Muasau did in his limited looks. He is a menace to block between the tackles.
CORNERBACK
-Deonte Banks, the unquestioned number one on this team, allowed four catches on four targets. He was consistently beat off the line by A.J. Brown. And the worst mistake of all was the mental one he showed on the Jalen Hurts run where he completely gave up on the play. Watching that obvious sign of apathy in addition to some others that warrant hustle-related questions was a deal breaker for me in a game full of frustration. The young and unestablished cornerback room needs a true leader. He is a first-round pick who has all the talent. But that is the kind of play that that puts the label on you that is hard to shake, especially for a guy who has been put in a blender by the toughest opponents he has faced this season. Quarterbacks have a 131.4 passer rating when targeting him. That ranks second to last in the NFL among the corners who have been thrown to 18+ times (out of 81 CBs).
-The outside role on the other side was split between Cor’Dale Flott, Nick McCloud, and Tre Hawkins. McCloud was the only one targeted in the passing game and it resulted in a fourth-down touchdown to Brown, a 41-yard go-route where he simply couldn’t keep up. Hawkins added four tackles and missed one. Flott also missed a tackle.
-Andru Phillips was the lone impressive player in the entire group. He is such a competitor and should be the leader of that room right now. He is the one you want others to follow. He finished with 3 tackles and 2 TFL – one on a run play and the other on a pass play. Great football sense and the aggressive, physical style leads to big things for a defense. That was the only catch he allowed in coverage, too.
SAFETY
-Tyler Nubin led the team with 9 tackles as he continues his solid overall play. While there were a couple of bad angles taken toward the line on running plays, Nubin is often in the right place at the right time. It is a great starting point for the first-year pro who quietly has been a very steady presence for the entire defense. His game is clean and reliable.
-Jason Pinnock continues his all-or-nothing style. He led the team with 3 missed tackles and Dane Belton added one himself. The leadership traits and how much Pinnock directs traffic matter, but I question how big of a margin exists (if any) between his positives and negatives.
SPECIAL TEAMS
-K Greg Joseph: 1/1 (Made 38)
-P Matt Haack: 11 punts / 47.0 avg – 42.9 net
3 STUDS
-DT Dexter Lawrence, ED Brian Burns, CB Andru Phillips
3 DUDS
-OC John Michael Schmitz, LB Micah McFadden, QB Daniel Jones
3 THOUGHTS ON PHI
(1) This is not a good team. Coming into this game, PHI was 5-8 over the previous 13 games dating back to last season. They’re clearly a notch above the basement-teams of the league because there is an abundance of talent in addition to solid trench play. But when they face off against formidable teams, they are no longer on that level. I see 8-9 in their future.
(2) I remain confused by the true upside of Jalen Hurts. A guy, who was truly at one point an MVP candidate in an era of superstar quarterback production, seems very pedestrian to me. I did a deep dive on five quarterbacks this past summer and Hurts was the one who confused me the most. He is a guy who can play at a Dak Prescott level, but there are stretches of play where I feel he can’t stay at anything higher than what we saw out of Marcus Mariota. There is not enough variety to his passing arsenal. I like Hurts, but ultimately, I think he caps their ceiling as a franchise.
(3) The PHI offensive line has been the most consistent strength to this team since their impressive run began in 2021. Since then, they are 19 games above .500 with a conference championship. However, gone is Hall of Famer Jason Kelce and right tackle Lane Johnson has (finally) lost a step. What made this group so impressive over the years were the home runs, triples, and doubles they hit in the draft. Cam Jurgens is the only first or second rounder they’ve chosen since 2021, and he is not half the player Kelce was.
3 CLOSING THOUGHTS
(1) Drew Lock vs Daniel Jones. I’ll start it off by reminding you I am neither a Jones apologist or hater. I get called both continuously (which always gives me a smirk). I believe the team should move forward with Jones for, at least, another month. He has not had his starting LT and number one receiver together since the Dallas loss. He isn’t turning the ball over. And Drew Lock is not an upgrade. Jones offers something with his legs, and the worst-case scenario (he plays awful) allows everyone to put the final nail in the coffin (that many of us have already hammered in) for his tenure here. I’ve seen enough of Lock over his career. He ain’t it.
(2) Most of you know I am very hesitant to put serious and credible blame on a scheme or quality of coaching. I waited on Ben McAdoo before crushing how he never adjusted to the league figuring him out in addition to pulling Eli Manning. I waited on Pat Shurmur before crushing him for a lack of adjustments to a shaky offensive line. I waited on Jason Garrett before crushing him for being so vanilla. Brian Daboll has made this a more efficient offense but he gas gotten to a point of being overly predictable on third down. And his overly obvious bias to putting it all in the QB’s hands despite working with a below average QB is mind-boggling. Three RB runs in the first half? When you’re watching your QB get sacked and miss throws? The NYG offense lost 62 yards via sacks and gained 43 yards on 12 RB carries! What was that all about? Reminder, you don’t have Josh Allen playing under center. Be better and stop being so easy to predict that accountants and teachers can call out what you’re calling on third down. Go back to the drawing board or else you’ll be joining the names I listed above. (One is a consultant, one is in the media, one is assistant coaching for a college team).
(3) The combined record of the next two opponents is 10-4 (PIT and WAS). One has a top five defense, the other has a top five offense. One of the games is in prime time (where Jones lives his nightmares). They won’t be favored in either match-up. They are currently 2-5. Unfortunately, we are used to this time of year leading us to trade talk. November 5 is the day, the Tuesday after that match-up against WAS. Dexter Lawrence? Hard no from me. He may be the best defensive football player in football, and he needs to be here for the next 2-3 years at least. The only two names worth considering who also match up with need around the league are OLB Azeez Ojulari and WR Darius Slayton. Neither will net more than a 6th rounder at this point. I would support a move of either, although it would leave the edge group dangerously thin if Burns is out. This team needs to start looking for future assets.