The Day After – Eagles Own PA

Posted: October 31st, 2022 | Author: Tommy Lawlor 

The Battle of Pennsylvania wasn’t much of a battle. The Eagles got up 7-0 early and never trailed. The Steelers did tie the game at 7-7, but it was a boat race after that. The final score was 35-13 and it was only that close because the Eagles pulled their starters with nine minutes to go.

This isn’t a fierce rivalry since the teams usually only play every four years. This meeting came about because of the move to the 17-game season. Still, with the teams being at opposite sides of the state and having such rabid fan bases, it is a bit of a rivalry.

Pittsburgh hasn’t won in Philly since 1965. They did score their first TD at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday so they do have that going for them.

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Nick Sirianni would never admit it, but I think he approached this game with the short week in mind. I’m guessing his goal was to be aggressive, build a lead and then rest his starters as much as possible. And that’s exactly what happened.

Miles Sanders only had 9 carries. He’ll be fresh on Thursday night. Jalen Hurts only had 2 carries. They limited how much he was getting hit.

Veteran OL like Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson and Isaac Seumalo only had to play 46 snaps. Normally that number would be in the 60 to 70 range. The Steelers starting OL yesterday played 76 snaps each. Essentially the Eagles veterans took off the whole fourth quarter. Taking away that wear and tear on a short week can be a big help to their bodies and keeping them fresh.

The pass rushers really got rotated. Backup LB Patrick Johnson got 26 snaps. He got to play throughout the game, not just at the end. None of the Eagles key pass rushers played more than 48 snaps.

Sunday worked out really well with a short week coming up. The Eagles coaches had a good plan and the score let them maximize time off for key veterans.

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The Eagles offense is 3rd in both points and yards.

The defense is 4th in points allowed and 3rd in yards allowed.

The team remains 2nd in DVOA.

The Eagles aren’t 7-0 by accident. This is a really good team.

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A few people asked me about next year. Will the Eagles re-sign Bradberry or CGJ? If they can’t afford both, who should they keep?

First, let’s remember to enjoy this year and not get too caught up in the future.

If those players all want big deals, the Eagles won’t be able to afford them. Bradberry will be 30 next summer, but he plays a critical position and is playing really well right now. I could see him having a good market.

CGJ might be the more important guy to sign. He’s in the prime of his career and it feels like it is harder to find safeties than corners.

We do need to see how the season plays out. We’re not even halfway through 2022 so a lot can change between now and the offseason.

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It is crazy to see how good the NFC East is now after being so bad for the past few years. What a turnaround.

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The Eagles continue to dominate the second quarter. They outscored the Steelers 14-3 as they took control of the game yesterday.

The Eagles have scored more points in the second quarter this year than the Steelers have all season. Crazy stat.

The Eagles have scored more points in the second quarter this year than the Texans have all season. Ditto.

The Eagles are really good. And they play some bad teams.

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I wrote in my gameday piece on Sunday morning that I thought the Eagles might throw more deep balls. They sure did. Here is a good breakdown of what was happening on some of those plays.

Great plan from Shane Steichen and Nick Sirianni. Great execution by the players.

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The Eagles pass rush is better than some people think. There isn’t one great player to focus on so that makes them less compelling. They don’t blitz much so there isn’t that narrative to focus on.

But the Eagles are second in the league in sacks per game. They are fourth in the league in QB hits per game.

Haason Reddick leads the team in sacks. Josh Sweat leads the team in QB hits.

Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave give the Eagles a pair of DTs that each has 3 sacks.

Brandon Graham is good coming off the bench. He’s got 3 sacks and is tied for second in QB hits.

Robert Quinn just missed a sack yesterday.

The Eagles might not be as sexy as some other defenses, but they are getting regular pressure on opposing QBs.

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Hurts has led the offense to 400 or more yards in 5 of 7 games.

The team has scored 24 or more points in 6 of 7 games.

You love to see that kind of consistency. Another sign of just how good a team this is.

http://igglesblitz.com/2022/10/the-after-eagles/

You've got to love that they managed their starters, gave them essentially the whole 4th quarter off and limited some of their snaps during the game... And still won big and easy.