Analyzing and reacting to the Eagles’ win over Washington

It wasn’t always pretty, but it sure got explosive once the rust was violently shaken from the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense. After going down 17-0 to Washington, the Eagles stormed back on a 29-3 run to ultimately finish with a 32-27 win. It wasn’t as close as the score would suggest, but it sure was a roller coaster.

As we do after every game, we broke down what transpired on The Kist & Solak Show #115! Here are some key points that we touched upon:

• How concerned were we when the Eagles went down 17-0? There was a good deal to criticize, but as is usually the case, things seem much worse in the moment than what they ultimately turn out to be. The play-calling was a bit of a mess, there was an unfortunate penalty on DeSean Jackson, tackles were missed, but with one play the Eagles were right back in the game and they rolled from there.
• Speaking of that one play, of course the Game Ball goes to DeSean Jackson. His return was everything Eagles’ fans dreamed of when they traded for him back in March. 8 catches, 154 yards and 2 touchdowns was perhaps more than what was expected as Jackson proved key in sparking life in an offense that proved to be more explosive than it was at any point last year.

Both of Jackson’s touchdown bombs came from reduced, slot alignments, something I banged the table for in the offseason. Carson Wentz also showed excellent pre-snap processing when changing the play for the second big connection; audibling to something akin to a smash divide concept that put Washington safety Montae Nicholson in a serious pickle. There should be zero questions about Wentz and Jackson’s chemistry and potential together.

• Cornerbacks on islands are a bad thing when blitzes are met with play-action max protect, as they found out against Washington. It’s even worse when that island is being sprinted across by Terry McLaurin. His 4.35 speed was on a full display and neither Rasul Douglas nor Sidney Jones could keep up. Rough game for Jim Schwartz and a rough one for the defensive backs despite getting their act together for long enough to survive.

You can catch those conversations and much more analysis on The Kist & Solak Show #115! Listen in on the media player below or click here if the player doesn’t load. New to podcasts?! Check out our guide on how to listen to BGN! FLY EAGLES FLY!