By Connor Thomas
What a football weekend it was for the Philadelphia Eagles. They bounced back from an awful loss to the New York Giants by taking down the Jets in the very same building. They watched the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings both lose thrillers to help their playoff position. They saw Carson Wentz get to the threshold of playing enough snaps to earn them a 3rd 1st round pick in 2022. And, of course, they did all of these while creating another QB controversy in Philadelphia as Gardner Minshew showed up and showed out in his replacement chance for the injured Jalen Hurts. Just another weekend of wild football in Philly, with plenty of takeaways from the game against the Jets. Here are the 5 biggest:
1.) The Eagles defense is still an issue
We’re going to get the negative out of the way first here, because it’s easy to look at a 33-18 road win and just go with the good things. The reality is, the birds’ defense had some major issues at the start of the game yesterday against a Jets team that frankly isn’t in the same stratosphere as average teams in the NFL. The Jets scored touchdowns on their first 3 drives of the game, the first time this season they’ve scored any points on consecutive drives to start a game. Thankfully, New York missed their first 2 extra points and failed on a 2 point conversion to keep the Eagles in better shape, but the defense that Jonathan Gannon rolled out was unacceptably bad at the start. They righted the ship in the 2nd half of the game, but it was another example of the team simply not being prepared on the defensive side of the football. If the Eagles put forth that effort against a more capable team like Washington, they’re going to be in trouble when it comes to a playoff push.
2.) Jalen Reagor can’t rightfully play anymore
The Jalen Reagor experience was in full form again this Sunday, as the 2nd year man out of TCU continued to make mind bending mistakes. His first kick return opportunity of the game nearly bounced short of the goal line, and yet Reagor never seemed interested in fielding the ball at all. The very next kickoff, he did the same thing, only this time the ball fell short and bounced backwards, becoming a live ball and forcing Reagor to scramble to prevent the Jets from recovering. He also fumbled a punt return opportunity, even though that one did turn into a solid return once he recovered it. He had the typical Reagor stat line again, 1 reception for 7 yards. It was exactly the performance Philadelphia has come to expect from last year’s 1st round selection, but what is unacceptable is the fact that Reagor outsnapped DeVonta Smith in the contest. Reagor played 7% more snaps than the clearly more talented Smith, which is an egregious misuse of roster by the birds. Some have speculated that Howie Roseman is asking that Reagor be used to justify the selection, and honestly, it’s looking like a realistic theory considering the fact that Reagor hasn’t been sat down yet. He’s become completely unplayable, and yet, he plays.
3.) Dallas Goedert had his coming out game
The Eagles recently extended Tight End had the best game of his career Sunday, clearly cementing his status as a strong receiving option for years to come. Yes, it was the New York Jets, who are terrible in just about every facet of the game, but Goedert showed out regardless. It was the first time in his career that he eclipsed the 100 yard receiving mark in a game, ending with 105 on 6 receptions. It was also the first multi-touchdown game for the 4th year man out of South Dakota State, and his 2 TDs were already notched just 1 minute into the 2nd quarter. For a team like the Eagles, who are still very much searching for a true franchise QB, a security blanket like Goedert is a great asset to have. There were questions about his ability to truly be that guy, but Sunday was the biggest example of his young career that he does have that playmaking prowess in him. It will need to become more consistent, but he’s already proving that he’s worthy of his 4 year $57 mil extension.
4.) Jake Elliott is quietly having a really good season
The Eagles kicker had a nightmare season in 2020, and there were talks about potentially finding a replacement this offseason despite the costly contract that Elliott currently is signed to. Well, that conversation has gone completely out the window with what the 5th year man out of Memphis has done this season. Elliott has gone 22 for 24 on field goal attempts so far this season and a perfect 33 of 33 on extra points. His FG% of 91.7% is good for 5th in the NFL this year, and he’s one of only 4 kickers in the NFL to be perfect on extra points. It’s a resurgent year for a player that was struggling, and it could even result in a pro-bowl appearance. There hasn’t been a lot of elite performance out of the Eagles so far this year; some great, some good, a lot of average, but Jake Elliott has been an elite place kicker through 13 weeks of the season. It has certainly helped take one more thing off the table that the birds would’ve had to worry about. Here’s hoping he keeps it up for the remaining 4 games of the season.
5.) Ok, so Gardner Minshew kind of balled out
Yep, it’s the storyline we have been waiting for all year. Philadelphia knew it was coming. This city is addicted to QB controversies, and it seems a new one could be brewing in the city of brotherly love. Gardner Minshew showed out yesterday in place of the injured Jalen Hurts, completing 20 of his 25 attempts for 242 yards and 2 TDs. He was surgical, and even if it wasn’t the most exciting performance, it was atypical of what fans have seen from an Eagles QB so far this season. Minshew was incredibly accurate, and showcased arm talent that Jalen Hurts simply doesn’t have. There’s no guarantee that Hurts wouldn’t have also led the Eagles to victory over the lowly Jets, but it was strikingly evident that Minshew is the better passer when compared to his counterpart. Now does this mean that Minshew has a chance to start going forward? Well if you believe Nick Sirianni’s post-game comments, Hurts is still the guy. But again, this is Philadelphia. If Hurts struggles against Washington, there will be a percentage of the fan base that will call for Minshew Mania once again. Hurts can still control the narrative by playing well, but the wheels are already in motion. For better or for worse, there’s going to be another QB argument in Philly.