Defensive Dominance, Dallas’ Day, and Saquon’s Home Run were the Highlights of the Eagles-Saints Stock Market Analysis
The way that everyone drew it up exactly.
With the benefit of hindsight, the “high-powered” Saints attack never had a chance against a Vic Fangio-led Eagles defense that was committed to a market correction after two weeks of being gashed.
Only 219 yards were allowed to be thrown by the Eagles’ defense to a squad that has been scoring 45.5 points per game on average over the first two games of the season.
Philadelphia was able to play its 50 fronts much more frequently, which resulted in improved run support and put Derek Carr in third-and-longs during a grind-it-out 15-12 comeback win for Philadelphia (2-1). This was a result of the Saints’ reliance on traditional play action with maximum protection, which ironically played into the hands of the Eagles.
Afterward, the always-energetic C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who was making his return to New Orleans, the team that drafted him in 2019, captured the essence of the situation as follows:
“They ain’t no contenders, they’re pretenders,” Gardner-Johnson said in the locker room referring to the other team. “They have Derek Carr remember that.”
Carr finished 24 of 25 for 142 yards with a score and a game-sealing interception by Reed Blankenship.
THE BULLYING
PERSEVERANCE – The Eagles entered the game without All-Pro receiver A.J. Brown, and they also suffered injuries to receivers DeVonta Smith (concussion) and Britain Covey (shoulder), right guard Mekhi Becton (finger), right tackle Lane Johnson (concussion), and cornerback Darius Slay (leg). Despite these setbacks, the Eagles were still able to find a way to win. The Saints, however, lost star center Erk McCoy on the third play of the game and never really adjusted properly.
Despite missing the whole right side of the offensive line Philadelphia fared quite fine with Tyler Steen at RG and Fred Johnson at RT. Dallas Goedert also had a career game with the team missing so many wideouts, hauling in 10 receptions for 170 yards, including a 61-yard gain of a mesh concept that set the Eagles up for the win which takes us to…
THE DALLAS GOEDERT GAME – Hope was practically lost on a 3rd-and-16 with no Brown, Smith, or Covey on the field with just 1:16 to go until offensive coordinator Kellen Moore pulled put a mesh concept where Jahan Dotson was able to rub out two defenders as Hurts hit Goedert over the middle.
Once the athletic tight end turned the corner he wasn’t stopped until he was 61 yards down the field. The play set up a 4-yard Saquon Barkley run that proved to be the difference.
“It’s insane, we were running it all week because we knew they were going to play a lot of man,” Dotson told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “And I wasn‘t running it immediately at the beginning of the week. Countless reps at practice … then we got it right in the game for two major explosions. It’s incredibly nice to be a helping hand in the game-winning play. That’s kind of my duty here: ‘By any means necessary.’ However it has to get done, I want to contribute.”
60-MINUTE MAN – We’ve noticed the tenacity of Jalen Hurts in the past and the ability of the Eagles’ quarterback to push the envelope for 60 minutes continues to be a problem for opposition defenses, something Nick Sirianni again expressed after the game.
“Jalen Hurts is a winner. He wins,” Sirianni stated. “…He realizes it’s the aggregate of all the plays that says who you are – not just one play. …He’s a quarterback and this guy is a stinking winner. He won at Alabama. He won at Oklahoma. He’s been winning here over, and over, and over, and over. We’re the Philadelphia Eagles so we understand we’re going to get criticism. But this dude is a friggin winner. Jalen Hurts is a winner. And he won today.”
THE SAQUON SHOW – Barkley finished the game with 147 rushing yards on 17 runs and two rushing TDs, one a home run of 65 yards. The Penn State product has been more than the Eagles could have hoped for and provided the team a foundation they haven’t had since Shady McCoy when the passing game isn’t necessarily there for whatever reason.
THE BEARS
MIXED SIGNALS – Sirianni’s over-aggressive approach was a concern on Sunday, particularly on a 4th-and-1 when the Eagles disregarded the tush push and tried to play cute with a sweep to Barkley that the Saints sniffed out. Turns out Sirianni took the call out of Moore’s hands which opens up the potential that it may happen again.
“Just so anyone’s wondering: Kellen on that 4th-and-1 at the end of the half. I called that — not Kellen. because I called that play at the end of the half not Kellen,” Sirianni stated. “That’s what I thought was best for the football squad in that particular circumstance. That was my decision. I did it. It didn’t work, and we’ll get better. I’ll get better. from it. That’s a play I believed was working the best in that situation in that particular case and it didn’t work. It’s not on Kellen, it’s not on the players. I put them in a horrible spot. I made that call.”
Sirianni could also be trying to protect his guys, something he did in Seattle last year when Hurts and Brown went wild and cost the Eagles a game. Either way, the lack of transparency could create problems for CEO head coach who has been making some questionable decidions early this season.
PLAYIN’ THE HITS – It’s an old tale but Sirianni also tapped into the us vs. them mindset that has been a calling card of this franchise since the Doug Pederson time.
“I heard it all. I’ve heard everything. I mean, I try not to listen, but I gotta come talk to the media five times a week, so you hear it all,” Sirianni said of the criticism he and his squad experienced after a Week 2 meltdown against Atlanta. “And [the players] replied because they didn’t care about what anybody thought of me. And so when they weren’t riding with them while we were losing, they ain’t going ride with us when we win.”
It absolutely feels like the contrary and far too many in the organization worry far too much about talking heads outside the building.
