The Philadelphia Eagles are 3-0 in the 2016 NFL preseason after beating the Indianapolis Colts by a final score of 33 to 23. Here's a look at 10 things we learned from this game.
1) The Eagles looked good
Just a good overall performance from the Birds in the dress rehearsal game. The Eagles weren't without mistakes, of course, but the good clearly outweighed the bad.
Philadelphia's starting offense put three touchdown drives together. There was pressure on them to show something after not getting much done in the first two preseason games. They stepped up.
On defense, Jim Schwartz's unit continued to ball out like it has all summer long. The Colts only scored three points when Andrew Luck was in at quarterback. That sole field goal only came about due to good field position off an early Eagles turnover.
2) Sam Bradford dominates the third preseason game
Just one year after going 10 for 10 with multiple touchdowns against the Packers, Sammy Sleeves finished 17 for 20 with two scores against the Colts. Bradford had great protection all night and he took advantage of the time he was given. He made good decisions and threw accurate passes. The one interception he threw wasn't his fault at all.
3) The hype needs to be kept in check
Before the Bradford hype train gets too carried away, let's keep things in perspective. First, it's preseason. Bradford looked good last summer and it didn't translate over to the regular season. Second, the Colts were extremely banged up. They were without six total cornerbacks, including their four best ones. Indianapolis was also missing their best pass rusher (Robert Mathis) and one of their starting 3-4 defensive ends.
4) The offensive line is holding up surprisingly well
A big reason why Bradford was so successful is due to the all the time he had to throw. It's been surprising to see how well the Eagles' starting offensive line has played despite all the changes going on up front. Again, it helps that the Colts were without some of their top defensive talent. Still, this unit could easily be struggling more than they have right now. Indianapolis only sacked Bradford once and that was when a free rusher was accidentally left unblocked on the first play. The Eagles also moved the ball effectively on the ground.
5) Josh Huff is probably going to make the team
Huff hasn't really had a good offseason. He struggled with dropped in spring practices. Those issues carried over into training camp and the first couple preseason games. On Saturday night, however, Huff silenced his doubters by having a good game. He caught two passes for 60 yards and had a nice nine-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep. There's no question Huff has explosive ability when the ball is in his hands. It's just a matter of getting it there. Kudos to Doug Pederson for finding creative ways to get Huff involved. Huff is still far from a reliable option on offense but at least he's showing something and that should be good enough for him to earn a roster spot.
6) Philadelphia's defense could get a lot of sacks this year
The Eagles "only" sacked Andrew Luck three times, but they were in his face all night. Brandon Graham, who has had a great summer, started things off by dominating Indy's right tackle and flushing Luck out of the pocket to set up a chase down sack by Connor Barwin. Bennie Logan and Beau Allen generated pressure up the middle and each recorded a sack. Fletcher Cox was a beast all night and crushed Luck at one point after lining up wide as a defensive end. Vinny Curry, Steven Means, and Taylor Hart each recorded a quarterback hit as well. The Colts aren't known for having a stellar offensive line, but the Eagles have been able to generate pressure with ease all preseason. Philadelphia's defensive lineman has the potential to be very productive this year.
7) The Eagles just might have a new red zone threat
Dorial Green-Beckham scored his first Eagles touchdown on a fade pass. Bradford made a nice throw and DGB high pointed the ball for the score. The Eagles haven't had a legitimate jump ball threat like DGB in a long time, unless you're counting Riley Cooper for some odd reason. I also liked the fight that DGB showed on his 11-yard catch for a first down. He's not a guy who is going to go down easily after the catch.
8) Nelson Agholor isn't doing much to shake the bust label
Brutally bad drop from Agholor to set up that first Colts interception. The ball was right on the money and he just didn't catch it. Agholor has struggled so much this offseason. He's not going to get cut or traded because it doesn't make any financial sense, but he hasn't done a whole lot to actually earn his roster spot. He wasn't targeted again after the interception. The only good thing I can say about Agholor is that he had a nice block during Huff's touchdown run.
9) It's hard not to like what Kenjon Barner has done
The 27-year-old Barner is having a strong summer. He finished with 39 yards on six carries against the Colts. He also had a 35-yard kick return and a 25-yard punt return. Through three preseason games, Barner has rushed for one touchdown and 115 yards on 18 carries (6.4 average).
Barner really isn't all that far off from being Philadelphia's starting running back. If/when the injury-prone Ryan Mathews goes down, it's not like the Eagles are going to use Darren Sproles as a lead back. Rookie Wendell Smallwood, meanwhile, missed the first two preseason games due to injury and played sparingly against Indianapolis before leaving with a head injury. Barner could end up being a bigger part of the Eagles' offense than most would have expected.
10) Carson Wentz might be back this week?
This isn't something we learned from the game itself as much as the pre-game warmups. Multiple reporters said Wentz looked good throwing prior to the Colts game. There's a belief Wentz could play this week on Thursday night against the Jets. There's no question the fourth preseason game, which is usually pretty boring, will be much more interesting if Wentz plays. Otherwise it's just the Chase Daniel and McLeod Bethel-Thompson show, and no one really wants to watch that.