EAGLES WERE SLOW, PREDICTABLE IN LOSS TO BIG BLUE
- Al Thompson
- 2 hours ago
- 8 min read
EAST RUTHERFORD: The Birds joined the Phillies and Flyers on a very dark Thursday Delaware Valley sports fans.
The Phillies were knocked out of the playoffs at Dodger Stadium while the Eagles-Giants game was underway.
The Flyers dropped their season opener to the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers on the road as well.
The defending Super Bowl Champions found a way to lose their first two games of the season just four days apart...the second defeat came at the hands of the last place New York Football Giants in convincing fashion 34-17..
Clearly the Eagles were feeling the effects of losing their two best linemen, Landon Dickerson on offense and Jalen Carter on defense.
To make it worse, the Birds lost corner back Quinyon Mitchell to a hamstring injury in the second quarter.
\Many were asking head coach Nick Sirianni and players about the Birds offense looking predictable.
“Do you think we're predictable?” Saquon Barkley said at his locker after the game. “Everyone knew we were running the ball and we still got it off. I think we've also got to get back in that attitude, to that mindset that we don't give a f*** what people are trying to do.”
But that line is banged up. Effects from offseason surgery for Pro Bowl guard Landon Dickerson and Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens are still lingering. Jurgens admitted as much last week at NovaCare.
All Pro right tackle has been dealing with stingers for the past few weeks.
Dickerson did not play against the Giants on Thursday night.
Barkley was asked how much not having three-time Pro Bowl guard Dickerson out there can affect the game. In fact, Dickerson has struggled all season after having minor surgery on his knee in the offseason. Then the 6-foot-6, 330-pounder had to leave games this season with back soreness.
The former Alabama All American missed Thursday's game after spraining his ankle against the Denver Broncos last Sunday.
Barkley, who finished with 58 yards on 12 carries, didn't shy away from the question.
“Landon is super important,” Barkley said. “Not just his talent, but how he is as a leader, how smart he is and how vocal he is.
“Definitely not having him hurts, but all those guys who played...Brett (Toth) stepped up, he played well too. It's the little things, we're close.
“But honestly I'm tired of saying how close we are. And I know everyone is tired of saying how close we are. We've just got to go do it.”
Turnovers and penalties plagued the Eagles who did play throughout the night.
The Eagles looked like they were playing in the marshland outside MetLife Stadium instead on the fuzzy concrete of the Giants home field where at least you can run faster.
Perhaps it wasn't the actual speed of the players on offense that was the issue; it was the predictability of the plays to the Giants defense that made the Birds look slow.
Head coach Nick Sirianni was asked if the Eagles offense is predictable.
“Obviously any time -- I think there were some good moments in the run game today,” Siranni said at his post game press conference. “Got ourselves behind the sticks a little bit in the second half on some of the runs there. So we'll look at everything right there.
“We know we have the guys up front to be able to do that. Obviously, we've got to do a good job putting them in positions to succeed, and then we've got to go execute.
“We'll look at everything. Running a bunch of different types of schemes, but we'll look at everything to see what we're doing well and treat this like a bye week here this weekend.
And you know, just get up and keep fighting. Got a lot of the things to fix. Been here before. Let's go.”
Quarterback Jalen Hurts, who finished 24 of 33 for 283 yards, a TD pass and an interception, was asked the same question.
“You don't look at it that way, not as a quarterback,” said Hurts, who was sacked three times Thursday night and 13 times over the last three games. “You've got so many opportunities in the game. You've got so many opportunities in a game to take advantage of it.
“We want to go out there and play the type of ball we know we're capable of playing. A lot of that, for the brand of ball, we've kind of established ourselves to play, it's been playing with good detail, being smart in situations, and being able to capitalize on some of these big point swings in the game.
“We've got to do a better job of that, and I have to lead better in terms of executing in those situations because it starts with me in the red zone, in two-minute, operationally. Still digging, still digging. I'm digging and trying to control the things that I can with that and grow from it all.”
The Eagles did not score in the second half once again.
Hurts and company mounted no drives in the third quarter while the Giants tacked on a touchdown on a one-yard run by rookie running back Cam Skattebo looked like a smaller version of Larry Csonka with three rushing touchdowns and 98 yards on 19 carries.
Down 27-17 in the fourth, the Birds finally got a drive going. On second and ten at the Giants 15-yard line, Hurts went back to pass, lofted a ball in the direction of Jahan Dotson only to have Giants corner back Cor'Dale Flott jump the route, intercept the ball at Big Blue's nine-yard line, then spring up the sideline 68 yards to the Philadelphia 23.
F
ive plays and a Kelee Ringo 20-yard pass interference call later Skattebo was in the end zone doing his back flip to make the final score 34-17.
Flott was asked if the Giants having him out there for the entire game, gave him confidence to make that play.
“Yeah, coming to the game I was confident, and I appreciated them for giving me the opportunity and in my head I was just like I got to make the most of it to stay out here,” the 24-year-old said. “Prove to my defense, prove to my whole team and the coaching staff that I could do it.”
NEW LOOK GIANTS
The Giants came to play. Big Blue scored three touchdowns in the first half and led 20-17 at intermission.
But the Eagles were missing Jalen Carter to injury and lost Quinyon Mitchell to a hamstring injury earlier in the second quarter.
First round draft pick Abdul Carter, out of Penn State and LaSalle College High School, was quick to point out the Giants were missing as well.
“Yeah, for sure, we're missing some guys too,” said Carter referring no doubt to the Giants losing Malik Nabers for the season with an ACL tear plus wide receiver Darius Slayton, who missed the Eagles game due to a hamstring injury. “Obviously some of our best players are hurt. But it was a great team win today. We have to build on it and move on to the next game.”
Carter was asked what a win does for a young team that is starting to click.
“It's (on) to the next game,” Carter said. “Obviously we came out and did our job and executed at a high level and got the win for us. But we have to focus back in, enjoy tonight and get ready for out next opponent.”
But still happy for the win, the second win of the season for the Giants.
“I'm feeling good, I love the win,” Carter continued. “The offense balled out, the defense did their job. It was a team win, we're feeling good.”
The Giants were led on defense by safety Tyler Nubin who recorded nine tackles (six solo).
Edge rusher Brian Burns had two sacks and seven total tackle on the day.
Rookie quarterback Jaxon Dart out of Mississippi, in just his third start as a pro, looked like a seasoned veteran going 17 of 25 for 195 yards, one touchdown pass and no turnovers. He was sacked twice.
Dart was asked...with what you're trying to build going up against a team like Philly, to have that performance today, does he think he sent a message to the league?
“Well, first of all, we can't be naive to everything,” Dart said after the game. “We hear what people say. Definitely lights a fire in us. Me and Skatt talked about – like last week we talked about it was on us losing that game.
“Feel like we moved the ball fine. Our big emphasis was to make sure we take care of the ball. We feel like if we do that, we're going to be able to move the ball. Just really proud of how the guys played. I think we're just trying to set a standard of intensity here each and every day.”
EAGLES TALK ABOUT WHAT'S NEXT
The Eagles have ten days before they travel to Minneapolis to take on the Vikings and possibly former Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.
All Pro left tackle Jordan Mailata said the team has to stick together.
“You can't point fingers, you've just got to look in,” Mailata said. “You've just got to be a man and look at that film and get better from it. There are plays that we all want back. No one can sit here and say they played a perfect game. That's what we need to hang our hat on right now...is accountability.
“It starts from the top, to the players and everyone else down...this week.
“We need to look back on the film and see what we're really doing wrong and what we're really doing right.”
Outside his locker Mailata was asked about what the offense can hang its hat on.
“I think playing tempo is something we can hang out hat on right now,” Mailata continued. “That's something we're really good at...the film says that.”
Sirianni was asked what makes hiom confident that things will get back in the right direction.
“What makes me confident is the guys we got in the room, coaches and players we have in the room,” he said. “This is life in the NFL. You're going to have some up and downs and. We've been here before.
“Last year started out four and two as well. Different way we got there. So, yeah, there is no panic on us. It's, hey, get back up, go back to work, you know, and get better from it. It's really that simple. But love the guys that we have. Love the coaches that we have.
“Obviously these groups -- this group of guys and group of coaches have been to the top of the mountain, been to playoffs and figure out ways. I know we can figure out ways to get this thing rolling. We been good at that in the past and got to be good at that again.”
Hurst was asked if he thinks this could be a turning point type spot in the year for him.
“Just feels like an opportunity for us to grow.”
They have until October 19 to figure that out. *
Email Al Thompson at al.thompson@footballstories.com
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