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A win is a win! Even against the Jets! There was some good stuff on tape in this one so lets get right into it.
OFFENSE
Right, I thought Gardner Minshew had a very good game for a backup quarterback and did exactly what you would want. There is no controversy after one game and I won’t really go into detail on Minshew’s game this week, I would rather focus on other players and in particular the running game without Hurts. I am going to do what I did last week and post all the passing plays then the running plays. Let me know if you prefer it that way or not!
Dallas Goedert was an absolute stud in the first half. He made so many good plays and was vital as a run blocker too. First touchdown of the game almost looks too easy for him. He really is developing into a complete tight end and is already one of the best at his position, in my opinion.
Eagles All22 Offense thread v Jets. Goedert was about as good as it gets on the 1st drive. Wins here easily v. man coverage on seam route & safety is playing to 1 side & is too slow. Good read & throw by Minshew but lack of arm talent also evident by ball hanging in the air. pic.twitter.com/nwgVUFZTLe
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
Nick Sirianni had some pretty good designs in the pass game this week to take advantage of a Jets defense that was far too predictable. One thing Minshew clearly does well is eliminate what is not there quickly and get to his checkdown. This showed up as a real strength of his. He did this well all day which is why his completion percentage was so high. This is a great example.
Interesting design here. Looks like post/wheel with Reagor & Stoll & then a hi-lo read with 2 TEs over the middle from 13 personnel under center. Flooding 1 side of the field. Minshew is quick to process and knows he has a checkdown and gets it to Sanders with room to run. pic.twitter.com/pDpruedDH5
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
This is what I mean by predictable coverage. This is so easy for the Eagles. Still, credit to Sirianni for the call and the players for executing. The Jets show man coverage and do not disguise it. Both defenders on the right of the screen are pressing right up at the line of scrimmage which makes it so easy to create a legal pick. Normally defenses will have one defender pressing and the other defender a few yards back to avoid the pick from happening, so I am not sure what the Jets are doing but oh well! As I said, like taking candy from a baby... perfect play call.
Bit like taking candy from a baby here... clear press man coverage shown pre-snap. Safety moves late but doesn't change the read. Great legal pick by Scott. No idea why both the Jets CBs are pressing so high but credit Sirianni for spotting this and calling the perfect play. pic.twitter.com/g2xsX7ejE3
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
Sirianni had a great game as a play caller. I love this design. This is also a perfect example of good scouting of the opposition and then taking advantage of it with personnel and schemep. I am assuming Sirianni knows that the Jets play man coverage on the lone receiver (with trips on the other side) and will not move their linebackers out wide to cover the running back. Therefore, by putting Smith in the backfield, Sirianni is getting him lined up on a linebacker and he is just too good for this. Once again, perfect play call!
Sirianni is killing the Jets. D played a lot of man coverage and used it v the single WR w/ trips opposite. Sirianni must have seen this before, Eagles put Gainwell out wide, move Smith to RB and get him lined up with a LB in cov. The play unfolds exactly as you expect. Perfect. pic.twitter.com/PO2QvJSUfh
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
Minshew showed me exactly what I wanted to see as a backup quarterback. He is really quick to make decisions and eliminate what is not there. He knows the scheme well and he has good accuracy and decision making. He is an elite backup / low-end starter in my opinion and I watched quite a lot of him with the Jags. His arm lacks a bit of juice, and he isn’t an elite athlete so he won’t be a top 10 quarterback any time soon, but he is a about as good as a backup quarterback as you can have.
On another note, the Eagles pass protection this game was insanely good. I know I say it each week, but this offensive line is playing at an extremely high level. This must be a great offense to run as a quarterback right now.
Easily Minshew's best throw of the game. Quez comes open late on a deep crosser and Minshew shows excellent pocket presence to step up & hit him on the run to convert. Really impressive showing for a backup QB - did exactly what you want from that position. pic.twitter.com/YynHA9mLfn
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
Now, let’s have some fun and get to the running game. I thought Miles Sanders had one of his best games as an Eagles. He made some tough runs and didn’t try to create too much and bounce everything out wide this game. It was a professional performance that I expect from a good starting caliber running back. This play highlights just how explosive he can be.
I think this was one of Sanders best games as an Eagle. He still frustrates slightly with footwork/vision but he had some plays like this that pop off the screen. This is turning a blown play and a 2 yard loss into a 5 yard gain. When he plays fast he looks so explosive. pic.twitter.com/06xfLiAyUx
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
This is a beauty. I have always been underwhelmed with Sanders’ vision, but he didn’t hesitate this game and was normally very quick to burst through a hole and did a good job getting up field quickly and following his blockers.
Big boy run. Eagles went under center a lot earlier - no surprise as read option from gun not effective without Hurts. Fast decision making here from Sanders on zone run. Cuts inside rather than bounce it. Uses his blockers to bounce outside and then finishes physically. pic.twitter.com/BnXFZ6DXQK
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
If you drew up power on the drawing board against this front - this is how you do it. What more can you say? This play is literally perfectly blocked. I bet the offensive line LOVED watching this one back this week.
This is how you run power. What a job by the OL. Kelce seals the 1T. Maliata and Dickerson double the 3T before Maliata gets one LB. Herbig pulls and takes the other LB. Reagor comes down and takes safety. Goedert takes DE. Leaves RB vs CB who takes a terrible angle. PERFECT! pic.twitter.com/Wd9qGPiO9G
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
Eagles ran a few plays this week with 2 double teams up front. I don’t think it is actually DUO (which isn’t just a play with 2 double teams) but it is something I haven’t seen much this season. I am assuming this is called a split zone RPO with 2 double teams upfront by the Eagles. The offensive line are simply so well coached and they seem to be able to run anything that the Eagles coaches throw at them.
Eagles run game is fun! Is this DUO or split zone with 2 double teams lol? Feels like quite a fun approach to run DUO with the TE taking the unblocked defender. Anyway, lovely double teams by the OL, Herbig does well to get to Mosley and Sanders makes an easy read. pic.twitter.com/AdyULZeWEQ
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
Finally, the best run of the game. Another great job by the offensive line but this is awesome by Sanders. When he gets in space he is as fast as they get. As long as he doesn’t hesitate and doesn’t try to bounce everything outside, Sanders has the tools to be a good running back. Hopefully, this is the start of a good end of the season for him (if his injury doesn’t slow him down...)
Ooof. What a run. Kelce/Maliata pull but takes a while for hole to develop. Sanders doesn't press, is patient, then bursts through after a key block from Lane on Mosley. Then he shows great vision, speed and balance to pick up a big chunk. Protects the ball well too! pic.twitter.com/KgbhTBExjW
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
DEFENSE
This was a weird game on defense. They gave up 3 straight touchdowns (remember the first one was a very short field) but after that they were really good. Both the coaches and players adjusted well, and I came away happy with the defense but I think the limitations (especially in the middle of the field) were highlighted pretty badly in this one. The Jets do have some talent on offense (if Wilson can throw the ball accurately) and they showed this early on.
Eagles All22 Defense thread v Jets. I saw people kill Nelson for this on Sunday that is harsh. Great RPO by Jets, pulling guard draws the safety up and McLeod is shading towards the 2WR side. Nelson has to play with outside leverage due to alignment and he gets done. It happens! pic.twitter.com/RQbWg50MV0
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
One thing that has been a constant theme the past few weeks has been the amount of safety rotation the Eagles now do. This continued this week, and the Eagles frequently disguised their coverage and attempted to confuse a young quarterback, with some success.
Eagles continue to disguise coverage and move the safety around late. Cover 2 zone here, Harris drops into intermediate zone and Maddox drops into the deep half. Wilson gets ball out on time but half a beat late and Harris may have jumped this pic.twitter.com/Hj5taMI6tE
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
Not a scheme point, and I don’t even think he is great to be honest with you, but my goodness Genard Avery has one or two plays a game where he looks like an elite athlete. I hope the Eagles keep him in this position for another season and see if he can continue to improve slightly because there is a talent there.
I still have no real idea if he is any good but Avery has 1 or 2 plays a week where he looks like such a good athlete! Look at the guy move here... shot out of a cannon. pic.twitter.com/gTNh4IDsZL
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
Another elite athlete at this position... a 30-year-old Fletcher Cox! How many 30-year-old defensive tackles can do this?
How many 30 year old DTs are chasing down the RB on a screen like this? This is brilliant effort and hustle by Cox. Fair play! pic.twitter.com/2tmqM2SVwZ
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
So, I know the question we all want answered. What the hell happened on the first few drives? Basically, this looked like the Eagles of the past few years. The Jets run a Shanahan style offense and used motion/misdirection to absolutely destroy the Eagles. Both TJ Edwards and Singleton struggled to read plays and they were caught out far too often. Singleton in particular was picked on early on, especially in man coverage. This led to the defense playing passive and not trusting their eyes and they were then slow to diagnose short throws and screen passes. The Jets won early on.
Eagles struggled with motion early on against the Jets. The Eagles (LBs in particular) have been much more aggressive in recent weeks but they are still caught out too much by motion taking false steps. It only takes a slightly delay on plays like this. pic.twitter.com/z0TiJBZShw
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
Two plays after praising Avery he decides to completely lose contain and get done on a WR reverse. Playing as the 5th man on the DL (and very wide/standing up) he really should do better here. pic.twitter.com/gmgEECjKZA
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
The Eagles got confused by misdirection and then started making mistakes which we haven’t seen that much regularly. I don’t know what happened here exactly, but I do know that someone is supposed to carry the tight end. My personal guess is that Harris is at fault here and Singleton plays this correctly as it would make more sense. I think Harris gets caught out quite a lot in coverage and it has become quite evident this season that the areas the Eagles defense needs to improve immediately are safety (Harris) and linebacker (Singleton and Edwards - although Edwards has had a decent season).
Eagles D played a lot of zone early on and just got caught out too many times. Can't tell exactly who is to blame but Singleton/Harris never seem to be far away from a bad play. The look at the end suggests one of them screwed up and was supposed to carry the TE deeper. pic.twitter.com/FKAVH19VVa
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
This is another example of the Jets specifically targeting the Eagles linebackers with misdirection and motion. Here I almost feel sorry for Singleton because he reads it but just isn’t athletic enough to keep up with the Jets tight end.
The Jets ran a lot and lot of plays to target Singleton's lack of athleticism in this one. Even here, when he does a decent job reading the play by seeing the TE come across the formation, he just isn't fast enough to keep up with the play. He's simply limited athletically. pic.twitter.com/bJZZGCgfwr
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
The good news was that the Eagles adjusted well. Fair play to the players and the coaches because they got it together after the first few drives. They played too much soft zone early on and started playing a bit more press man, like on this 3rd down.
The good news? Eagles played more man immediately after and got a quick 3 and out. Slay & McLeod cover the short curls and the DL does the rest. Excellent job by Hargrave and Sweat to force the Jets to finally punt! pic.twitter.com/PHT50wukhs
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
The defense started to trust their eyes again as the game went on. They clearly realized they were getting killed by screen passes early on and made sure that this did not continue in the second half. There were some great plays against screen passes in the second half and the Jets struggled to consistently get yardage.
I find it really interesting this idea of 'adjusting' and whether it comes from coaches or players, but the Eagles got killed on screens early on and they played them much better later on. Players were far more aware of the threat of a RB screen and shut a couple down later on pic.twitter.com/1rbQVonxFH
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 8, 2021
Again, another example of Eagles 'adjusting' and stopping a screen. The DE/DT & Singleton are very quick to diagnose and react. pic.twitter.com/REHcWDv0Vd
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 8, 2021
This is one of my favorite disguises of coverage by the Eagles that I have seen this year. It is easy to see this as an overthrow by Wilson but I seriously wonder if he realizes he has made a mistake and throws it over the receivers head as he doesn’t think there is a safety in the middle of the field. Who knows. But this is a cool design and a great way of confusing a young quarterback. Epps is a versatile defender who can play several different roles which helps with disguising coverages too.
This INT is a perfect example of confusing a young QB. Eagles run a disguise from 2high to single high with both safeties dropping down and Epps sprinting back as single high. Wilson expects comeback to be open in middle v C2 but it isn't. He either then skies it or throws away pic.twitter.com/S9oQxl6Rmv
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 8, 2021
That is all this week folks, please let me know any thoughts/questions as always in the comments. The Eagles are on a bye next week but I will not be and I will have something film related up still!
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