Eagles Beat Skins 24-34 Good and Bad

Eagles Beat Skins 24-34 Good and Bad

Robert Lewis Knuckles

The Eagles have improved their to 6-1 against the Skins so let's dive into the good and bad. Now I was only able to watch the second half of this game and I had people fill me in on what happened in the first half.

Bad:

1. Slow Start: I had a very strong feeling as well as almost every Eagles fan probably knew that they will probably have a rough start because its been 10 days since the last time they played and they did have a rough start. Washington receivers were just eating up the Eagles secondary and got the early lead. Also the Eagles first drives all had flags which is very struggling
2. Giving up big plays: Once again our secondary continues to give up plays on 3rd and long. We’ve seen this WAY TOO MUCH and it will continue to be an issue especially when it comes to facing a team in the playoffs. Now I understand our corners are young but this issue has to be fixed ASAP.
3. Running Back Rotation: This running back rotation really confuses me. It seems like every week a new player gets more touches. I still feel as though Blount should be getting more touches and I’ll admit the running game wasn’t effective but you really have to give Washington’s front seven credit. It’s very hard to run against that team.
4. Jason Peters and Jordan Hicks: The big win came with a big cost with Left Tackle Jason Peters tore his ACL and middle Linebacker Jordan Hicks tore his achilles. Both guys are out for the year and you can say both guys are leaders on their side of the ball. It’s a huge loss losing both guys but just like in the NFL next man up.

Good:

1. Carson Wentz: I mean what can I say about this kid? He continues to impress me especially in his second season. Wentz was 17-25 and threw for 268 yards and threw for four touchdowns. Wentz also rushed for 63 yards one of those rushes came on 3rd and 8 where it looked like he got sacked but somehow got out and ran for a big gain. Without him making that play we would’ve punt the ball back to Washington and they might’ve gotten a touchdown to tie the game. But man it really is something special when Wentz is on the field.
2. Zach Ertz: Ertz finished the game with 5 receptions for 89 yards and touchdown. He’s having a breakout year. We always ask when is Ertz going to have a breakout year and to Ertz’s defense he had to gain a relationship with a different quarterback and after already having a year with Wentz he’s leading all Tight Ends in receptions and touchdowns. The Wentz and Ertz combination is deadly and the NFL has to watchout.
3. Everyone is a Weapon: We knew coming into this game Josh Norman was inactive and maybe Alshon Jeffery was going to have a big game but that wasn’t the case. Almost every receiver played well this game. Jeffery had a decent game, Nelson Agholor had a good game, Corey Clement had a good game and Mack Hollins got his first touchdown from a 64 yard pass from Wentz. Everybody is a threat and sure the Eagles don’t have that receiver that’s like a Julio or Odell but you have to watch out for everybody on this Eagles offense.
4. Swept a divisional rival: The Eagles last year lost to each of their divisional rival but this year they are 3-0 in the division and swept the Skins pretty much almost putting the nail on the coffin for them to win the division. The NFC East has to watch out for the Eagles.
5. Defensive Line: The Defensive line continue to bring pressure all over the place and giving the Skins no running game. Chris Thompson didn’t have a good game and he’s always been a huge problem for the Eagles. Cox, Graham, Curry, Jernigan, Allen, Long and rookie Barnett are always fresh and causing havoc. You can rotate these guys anywhere and it can still be a problem for offensive lines. This is arguably the best defensive in football and just having so much depth it can be extremely helpful.

In the end I’m really happy to see the Eagles at 6-1. A lot of people including myself didn’t see the progression of Wentz develop already when he’s only in his second year. He’s already 3-0 in the division and he’s playing like an MVP candidate. Now it's definitely early to say he’s the MVP but you can’t ignore the numbers he's making I mean he’s leading the NFL in Touchdown passes. Now it's not just Wentz playing well but the whole team around is playing well. The offense is playing at an extreme level. Everyone is a threat on that side of the ball. The defense is playing like a top ten defense now granted the secondary is the biggest weak point but it's a bend but don’t break defense. I’m also impressed to see the rookies doing well. Hollins got his touchdown on a beautiful pass from Wentz, Clement the undrafted home town rookie is making an impact on the team with his touchdown pass from Wentz when it almost looked like Wentz was going to get sacked and Barnett the Eagles first round draft pick had two sacks and a couple tackles for loss. Now I said before the biggest loss was losing Peters and Hicks. You can’t replace like Peter's but whoever takes his spot has a big role and the same goes for whoever takes Hicks spot.

The Eagles control their own destiny but they need to take one game at a time and take their opponent seriously. Their next game is against the 49ers and they are still looking for their first win and it could be a trap game. The Eagles CANNOT take the 49ers lightly. Take every game seriously as if it's a playoff game. Let me know what you guys think about this game.