The 700 Level - Home of the Ginger Jesus.

[Haffa]

As crazy as this sounds, I don't think the eagles (starting) secondary played poorly. Honestly. Aside from the 1 end zone td Reed gave up on his side (caught between a rock and a hard place) the starting secondary played really well. I was just thinking this off the top of my head... no stats to prove it, but going by the eye test... this was Slay and Braberry's best game. Every time I saw their reps, they looked good and fresh.

But the nickel spot--primarily when Rick's was in--hurt. And Roby's missed tackle hurt.

Besides those two guys in the secondary, they played some of the best ball I've seen all year. It's the run defense--primarily the LB spot that got beat bad today. Either waiting to long to find the RB instead of shooting the gap; or just being flat out out of position, despite the Dline disrupting the run. No LB seemed to ever be available to clean up the play.

As crazy as it is, Cunningham may be one of our most important players on the defense, against the run. He seems to be the only instinctive LB we have. The others have to see the play develop. He just says "screw it, I'm gone."

 

[Haffa]

https://x.com/Jeff_McLane/status/1731496639993397580?s=20

Do they ever take accountability? Weirdest team in sports.

 

[Valheru]

https://x.com/Jeff_McLane/status/1731496639993397580?s=20

Do they ever take accountability? Weirdest team in sports.

They are an elite football team but thoroughly unlikeable.

The carry on after the NFCCG was embarrassing. Unfortunately they are now vindicated in their minds. Our turn to have a chip on our shoulder now and I expect a very different game next time round.

 

[Valheru]

So with some time to review the game and reflect a bit more....

I maintain the offence was good enough to beat the 9ers. We actually passed for as many yards as the 9ers (314) but were made to work much harder for it by their defence with 45 attempts compared to 27. We didn't turn the ball over and Jalen was protected well enough and scrambled when he had to. If you had of told me our first 8 drives would have yielded four scores and 3 punts (one other drive was only 2 plays at end of first half) I would think we were going to the wire with them. My two areas of criticism would be not turning one of those first two drives in to a TD which may have made this a different game and not really establishing the run. We got 200 yards out of Brown and Smith but IMO also missed Goedert. The only play we got out of TE was called back for interference.

The defence is what cost us this game. They started the first two drives red hot then the 9ers settled in and we could not get off the field 6 straight times! they didn't give the offence any chance to come back in the 2nd half at all. On those 6 TD drives in a row they went 1-11 on 3rd down and the one they did succeed on was converted on a 4th and inches. If equal concern were the chunk playes after the catch through missed tackles or missed assignments, the 9ers didn't do that which made us work for everything

It's not all the LB and DB fault though as the DL didn't get anywhere near enough pressure on Purdy and failed to stop their run game.

Having said all that it's not all doom and gloom as I believe these types of results can reset a team. We are now three quarters of the way through our 8 game gauntlet of MIA, WAS, DAL, KC, BUF, SF, DAL and SEA and if you had of told me that at this point we would be 5-1 in that stretch albeit with a blow out loss I would take it without a 2nd thought.

Also, to your point @nick87 in hindsight this was probably a somewhat predictable result given the 9ers chip combined with us coming off the back of a Monday game at arrowhead followed by an OT game as well as (and this point hasn't got enough focus IMO) the 9ers having 10 days to prepare.

Dallas of course get help with the scheduling next week as well getting 10 days to prepare between home games but I expect our guys to turn up and if we win this result is well and truly filed away for what it is... A regular season loss and nothing more.

 

[nick87]

I think if the eagles lose to Dallas next week it's going to feel like its panic stations but its really not. We've gone against SB calibre teams and we've won most of the games. We got our arse kicked on this one
But this is the NFL, we were not going to go 16-1, i mean even if we lost to dallas, and went 14-3. Back to back 14 win seasons is no joke
Like that big boy team stuff. Heard on the Philly Special pod today that even if the Eagles lose agianst dallas, if they win their final 4 games, they have a 60% chance to still win the 1 seed and the #2 is locked up at 14-3

as long as the eagles learn the right lessons from the loses. Obviously thier defensive approach to SF today wasnt up to scratch. So what can we do if we play them again? What do we do differently? I mean hopefully we have our full LB room, and that'll help a bit because the LBs today were put in a blender. Shaq Leonard would be such a nice pick up for us, not because he's the all pro he once was, but because man, we need help at the LB spot and he's at least competent

REEALLY hoping to wake up the find he's picked up but last reports i saw he was leaning Dallas and today's performance wont help.

I think defensively we need to change the picture, drop more into coverage and really just hope the front 4 wins, that's what they're paid to do. Rush 4, drop 8, rally and tackle. Our slot corner situation needs to be sorted because Eli Ricks is not getting it done. Think they've got to go full steam ahead with Roby

Offensively i agree, its fine. I just think they need to run the ball more against the niners. They really didnt commit to that. And i think ball control offence, leaning on the running game, play action shots. Complimentary football. Keep the defence off the field and fresh so they can get after Purdy and they've got the legs and energy to be physical with a guy like Deebo.

im not scared to play them again in the play offs, think there is some stuff we need to clean up,

 

[nick87]

Thank god Shaq Leonard choose us

 

[Valheru]

Thank god Shaq Leonard choose us

You beat me to it

Huge development. He ain't going to make the unit elite or anything but him and Cunningham should at least be competent which is far better than what we saw yesterday.

 

[Valheru]

I'm low key loving the American media writing us off now.

Don't get me wrong, we need to improve and 9ers should be warm favourites for the NFC now but like how is this result any worse than the 9ers losing 3 straight to CLE, CIN and MIN or Dallas losing to the 9ers and ARI? This all happened in the context of 7 days rest vs 10, the brutal schedule we were coming off and the massive chip on the 9ers shoulder that led them to treat this like a personal vandetta. Add to that both Goedert and Cunnningham being out. I'm not saying they couldn't beat us again, they should be favoured regardless of where we play but it's fair to say that perfect storm won't happen again and we have every opportunity to secure the 1 seed and force them to come back to our house.

 

[nick87]

As predicted, it *feels* like panic stations
If you told me we'd be 10-3 with the NFC E in our control and a 70% at the #1 seed if we close out 4-0 over @SEA, NYG, ARI, @NYG then id have taken it in a heartbeat and i think most eagles fans would

does it feel good to play those two games back to back and get hammered? Nope, but we played both teams coming off 10 days rest, which stats show is a significant advantage, and im confident that we can iron out some chinks over the next month or so and be prepared for return games in the play offs.

 

[Pippen94]

As predicted, it *feels* like panic stations
If you told me we'd be 10-3 with the NFC E in our control and a 70% at the #1 seed if we close out 4-0 over @SEA, NYG, ARI, @NYG then id have taken it in a heartbeat and i think most eagles fans would

does it feel good to play those two games back to back and get hammered? Nope, but we played both teams coming off 10 days rest, which stats show is a significant advantage, and im confident that we can iron out some chinks over the next month or so and be prepared for return games in the play offs.

Smashed by two top contenders in successive weeks including at home.

 

[Valheru]

Obviously not a great day at the office.

Starting with the defence, it was terrible in the first half. Too many yards in the middle and they just couldn't get off the field on 3rd down. A stat popped up on the coverage that we have something like the 4th highest to go yardage on 3rd downs forced yet one of highest allowed conversion rates. At the end of the first half, the defence was at the point that over their last 10 meaningful drives (the last one against 9ers doesn't count) they conceded 62 points via 8 touchdowns and 2 field goals. To their credit they tightened things up in the second half but the game was effectively over as you can't give teams like that an 18 point head start. This defence is run of the mill but has the pieces to do the job under the right circumstance which leads me to the offence...

Like last week, I thought we moved the ball completely fine and with ease on most drives. Turnovers prevented us form being competitive in this game. That first drive we were rolling down field and Dallas weren't stopping a TD until the fumble, Jalen needs to look after that ball better and slide before contact, you don't need to push for the extra yard on first down. If we score a TD there this game takes a very different path. Then to start the 2nd half we were rolling again and had AJ Brown fumble which cost us any chance of a comeback. Speaking of AJ, i'm really going to need him to stop moping around because he dropped two dimes on the first two drives that puts us deep in the red zone. The first one had some difficulty but that's what you're paid to do bro and the 2nd was was in his lap on the 10 yard line.

We definitely left a lot of points out there during this game but more broadly in regards to the offence, the play calling and overall strategy has been awful. Where is the commitment to the run? This team thrives when it conducts long clock killing drives which gives the defence the environment it needs to excel.

Anyways, we are still 10-3 and have every chance to win the division and secure the 1 seed. Either we bounce back and this becomes a blip during the season like the 9ers when they lost 3 in a row or Dallas when they lost to Arizona or we simply aren't as good as the first 11 games suggested.

Big game against SEA who we haven't beaten since 2008. It's on the road but we get an extra day break and the team we play has the same break. If we win that these last 2 weeks really don't matter as the schedule really eases thereafter.

 

[nick87]

Smashed by two top contenders in successive weeks including at home.

As said it doesn't look good and doesn't feel good and talking heads will have questions on the team as a result.
But ignoring the Screamin A's and Skip Bayless's of the world...

The eagles are about to finish off a 8 week stretch that analytics say is the hardest period of scheduling in recent NFL history. Since Week 7, the eagles have played 6 Super Bowl contending teams in 7 weeks. They went 4-2 over those teams. What was the expectation? That the eagles would go 16-1? 15-2? That they'd walk through an incredibly tough schedule and come out 8-0?
Of course not. Post seasons runs are hard because there is no let up. It's good team after good team.

The MIA-DAL-KC-BUF run (with WAS in-between) in which they went 4-0... that's equivalent to a full SB run. 4 games against 4 absolute contending play off calibre heavyweights teams. 4-0.

And then they come off that brutal stretch and then get the Niners off a 10 day break whilst the eagles were playing their 3rd game in 13 days, and then back up the following week with the Cowboys again coming off a 10 day break with the Eagles playing their 4th game in 20 days. And yeah, they're flat and they got belted by really good and well rested teams who had extra time to prepare for these games.

But i go back to the point in my post. In August, had someone sat down with me and said "hey, guess what? The eagles are 10-3 coming out of the Niners game and have @SEA, NYG, ARI, @NYG left on the schedule, with a good chance to go 14-3 again and lock up the #2 seed minimum, but probabilities say if they win out, they're likely the #1 seed... i'd have taken it and i bet every eagles fan would have

 

[nick87]

Anyways, we are still 10-3 and have every chance to win the division and secure the 1 seed. Either we bounce back and this becomes a blip during the season like the 9ers when they lost 3 in a row or Dallas when they lost to Arizona or we simply aren't as good as the first 11 games suggested.

Ben Solak put it nicely on the Philly Special. This Seattle game and the next month of football needs to be a mouthwash football... first things first, go and just get a good win against Seattle. That's a good team, with a strong home field advantage. Go in there and get yourself a nice solid 33-20 sort of win. Wash the taste out of the mouth from the last two weeks.
Then go and crush NYG and the Cards. Really dominate those games and go into the post season feel confident about what you are as a football team and what you do well.

Reset, recalibrate and start and get the eyes looking forward to redeeming ourselves in the play offs against these other contenders. And if they cant do that over the next 4 weeks, then it is what it is and it's not our year.

Jalen Hurts is a 27-4 in his last 31 games. Sirianni is a career 33-13.
They've earned my BOTD to get this thing back on track to a level where we can come out of the NFC if we play our best football.

 

[nick87]

Eagles have essentially fired Sean Desai and replaced him with Matt Patricia

The last two weeks have been ugly, defensively in particular but I didn’t think there was a great need for panic. Felt a lot of it was correctable and at least partially due to getting banged by the schedule

But there is no way to talk around this, it’s a panic move by the eagles, and imo unnecessarily so. The team is 10-3, this is 6-7 type of mess
Does not bode well for the season ahead. I don’t have a great deal of confidence in Matt Patricia. And now as a result of this move, I am in panic mode

 

[Pippen94]

Jalen Hurts maybe sick.

9ers & bills surging, although injury scares show how quickly that can change.

 

[Valheru]

Dem Boyz humbled by the bills

We win tomorrow and we win the division. Even if we lose we probably still win it but a win tomorrow puts it beyond any real doubt.

 

[nick87]

Yeah very important game tomorrow
Hopefully Hurts can go, sounds like Geno is unlikely to go

Just get a dub tomorrow, fingers crossed Detroit or the Dolphins can stack another L on Dallas and it will allow us the chance to sit players in week 18 and avoid that awful MetLife field (unless the #1 seed is still on the line)

 

[nick87]

But there is no way to talk around this, it’s a panic move by the eagles, and imo unnecessarily so. The team is 10-3, this is 6-7 type of mess
Does not bode well for the season ahead. I don’t have a great deal of confidence in Matt Patricia. And now as a result of this move, I am in panic mode

Matt Patricia, one of the worst DC's ive seen had his defence fall woefully short in protecting the endzone against Drew Lock, 92 yards and 1 time out
I brings me no joy to announce this Eagles team's ceiling is the NFCCG

At best, we'll be the #2... win WC and divisional week and get bounced in the NFCCG. Matt Patricia isnt getting enough stops to beat the niners or dallas

 

[Pippen94]

Lots of eagles fans here for some reason but..lol

 

[Valheru]

Matt Patricia, one of the worst DC's ive seen had his defence fall woefully short in protecting the endzone against Drew Lock, 92 yards and 1 time out
I brings me no joy to announce this Eagles team's ceiling is the NFCCG

At best, we'll be the #2... win WC and divisional week and get bounced in the NFCCG. Matt Patricia isnt getting enough stops to beat the niners or dallas

That last drive was woeful in every conceivable way. Seahawks needed a TD, not a FG so why you wouldn't double coverage their receivers I have no idea. To allow a 92 yard drive in 90 seconds against that offence is a complete disaster. It does squarely fall in Patrica's hands however the players have to take some of the blame, there were at least 2 dropped interceptions on that drive.

BUT

This loss falls on the offence IMO because as bad as that last drive was defensively, we shouldn't have been in a one possession game. The defence other than that last drive was fine conceding 1 other TD, 2 FGs and forcing 5 punts. This offence needs to be winning games when the defence pulls those numbers through 58 minutes. The play calling for that first interception was inconceivable. We were 17-13 up after a good stop to force a FG in the redzone and moved the ball to 1st and 10 at SEA 45. It makes absolutely no sense to throw it deep, keep the ball on the ground or pass short and we are better than even money to score a TD there IMO or take some minutes off the clock getting a FG.