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Roob’s Observations: Eagles have large character win in opposition to Dolphins

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Roob’s Observations: Eagles have large character win in opposition to Dolphins

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Once once more, that they had let a two-touchdown lead disappear. The franchise quarterback had simply thrown a pick-6, his second damaging turnover of the sport. The crowd on the Linc was getting skittish.

It appeared prefer it was all falling aside.

But that is the Nick Sirianni Eagles they usually don’t crumble.

Jalen Hurts bought it collectively like he all the time does and put collectively late 75- and 83-yard TD drives, and the Eagles rolled previous the Dolphins 31-17 on the Linc and on nationwide TV Sunday evening in a battle of high-flying 5-1 groups.

That record-setting Dolphins offense? They scored 10 factors.

Big win. Huge win. Character win.

The Eagles at the moment are 6-1 and nonetheless share one of the best report within the NFL.

Here’s tonight’s 10 Observations:

1. First, he referred to as it on 4th-and-1 with 10 minutes left on the Eagles’ personal 26-yard-line. Then he did it once more on 4th-and-1 from the 37 with 8:10 left. Whatever the analytics say, it takes some critical guts to go for it on 4th down that deep inside your individual territory, and also you’ve bought to present Nick Sirianni some critical credit score for having a lot belief in his offense to name these performs. We all know the mix of Jalen Hurts and this offensive line is nearly unstoppable on these keepers, however your individual 26? Your personal 37? If you fail, you’re giving one of many highest-powered offenses statistically in NFL historical past a brief area. But Sirianni didn’t hesitate. Other than the 2001 wild-card sport in Chicago after they took an intentional security with seven seconds left, the primary one was the deepest the Eagles have gone for it on 4th down with a lead way back to Stathead’s play finder goes, which is 1994. And on the second, it appeared like no one on the offense even seemed on the sideline. They simply lined up and rammed it down the Dolphins’ throats. Brilliant offense takes loads of totally different types. Big performs, electrifying touchdowns, lengthy runs. But the 2 greatest performs of all Sunday evening with the entire world watching went a complete of about 150 inches. And due to that, the Eagles are 6-1 and coming off one in all their most spectacular regular-season wins below Sirianni.

2. We talked about it in the course of the week and I’m going to speak about it now, however one in all Jalen Hurts’ finest qualities – perhaps his finest – is his potential to shrug off adversity – turnovers, dangerous performs, losses – and determine issues out. That pick-6 late within the third quarter was a horrible play, however what occurs subsequent? Hurts places it behind him and drives the Eagles 75 yards in eight performs for a TD. Hurts had a 12-yard scramble for a primary down and was 5-for-6 for 60 yards, together with the go-ahead landing cross to A.J. Brown. Are the turnovers a priority? Sure. He’s already bought 10 this yr in seven video games after committing simply seven all final yr. But each quarterback – each participant, in any sport – goes to face adversity and Hurts’ potential to bounce again from it makes him harmful irrespective of how dangerous issues get, irrespective of ugly the sport appears to be going, irrespective of how he’s enjoying. Hurts has now received 5 of six begins the week after a loss, and he hasn’t misplaced back-to-back video games in additional than two years. Hurts overcame a pair dangerous turnovers Sunday and made so many large performs down the stretch, ending 23-for-31 (74 p.c) for 279 yards with two passing TDs, one dashing TD and a 109.5 passer ranking. It hasn’t all the time been fairly this yr, however one factor we all know is that Hurts won’t ever cease battling, it doesn’t matter what simply occurred.

3. Everybody stated one of the best receiver within the NFL was going to be enjoying on the Linc Sunday evening, and he was, and it wasn’t Tyreek Hill. OK, Hill remains to be having a greater statistical season than A.J. Brown, and he’s an amazing participant, however what Brown is doing even the good Hill has by no means finished. Brown’s final 5 video games: 131 yards, 175 yards, 127 yards, 131 yards, 137 yards. Are you kidding me? There had been years the Eagles didn’t have one man with 125 yards your entire season. Brown Sunday tied an NFL report along with his fifth straight sport with not less than 125 yards, and he did it on nationwide TV in opposition to one of many NFL’s finest groups and he did when the Eagles wanted it essentially the most. Forget extensive receivers. There are only a few Eagles who’ve carried out at this stage this many weeks in a row. Quick in 1983. Reggie in 1987. Shady in 2013. Yes, Carson in 2017. The Eagles’ patchwork secondary did a very nice job on Hill, limiting him to 11 catches however for under 88 yards. After halftime, he was simply 3-for-23. The Dolphins’ secondary? No likelihood in opposition to A.J. He’s simply on one other stage proper now. A stage we’ve solely seen a number of instances in Eagles historical past.

4. The Eagles’ protection has actually been battling this yr regardless of being undermanned each week, and it’s a credit score to Sean Desai and his workers that they’ve saved the Eagles in each sport regardless of counting on so many rookies, undrafted gamers, follow squad call-ups and avenue pickups. The one factor they haven’t finished is create turnovers. Tough strategy to win. When Darius Slay picked off Tua Tagovailoa early within the fourth quarter Sunday evening, the Eagles had gone 161 consecutive performs over components of 5 video games since their final takeaway – Jalen Carter’s compelled fumble on Rachaad White within the third quarter of the Tampa sport. That’s what made Slay’s INT so large. As properly because the protection has been enjoying, you don’t beat a high-flying record-setting offense just like the Dolphins in case you don’t take the ball away. Slay was overlaying Jaylen Waddle when he broke off his man and scooted in entrance of Raheem Mostert on the Eagles’ 1-yard-line and picked up his twenty eighth profession interception. His INT and 16-yard return bought the Eagles began on a 78-yard TD drive that gave them a 14-point lead. Ballgame. This protection has been superb with out takeaways. With them, they’re going to be excellent.

5. The Dolphins got here in averaging 37 factors and 499 yards per sport, among the many highest marks in NFL historical past by means of six video games. How did it go for them? They scored 17 however solely 10 in opposition to the Eagles’ protection, and that features an 11-yard area purpose drive. They netted 244 whole yards – lower than half their season common. They managed simply 12 first downs. They had been 4-for-11 on third down. They had simply 45 dashing yards. They allowed three sacks – as many as that they had allowed of their three earlier video games mixed. Eli Ricks. Josiah Scott. Sydney Brown. Zach Cunningham. Terrell Edmunds. Nolan Smith. This was a Sean Desai masterpiece.

6. Once once more, D.Okay. McDonald and all of the secondary coaches deserve a lot credit score for retaining this secondary enjoying at a excessive stage – an extremely excessive stage Sunday evening – regardless of damage after damage. It’s actually outstanding that they only shut down a passing offense that’s been on historic tempo, they usually did it with one man they only signed off the Steelers’ follow squad, one undrafted rookie free agent enjoying in his second profession sport, a security who had performed 16 profession snaps earlier than Sunday evening and one other security who misplaced a beginning job in coaching camp. James Bradberry and Darius Slay did their factor, they usually had been distinctive, Terrell Edmunds performed in addition to we’ve seen him play, and guys like Eli Ricks, Josiah Scott and Sydney Brown didn’t again down from the second. The play Ricks made on Tyreek Hill on the Dolphins vital 4th down late within the fourth quarter was magnificent. That’s an undrafted rookie who had performed 26 profession defensive snaps earlier than Sunday overlaying a receiver on tempo for over 2,300 yards this yr. This was with out Reed Blankenship, with out Bradley Robey, with out Justin Evans, with out Avonte Maddox. Incredible efficiency by the d-backs and the man who bought them ready for this.

7. This was a sport the place the Eagles actually, actually, actually wanted their line of defense to return up large, they usually positive did. And like we’ve seen so usually, it was late within the sport that they actually took over. Build a two-possession lead, get a crew in identified cross, then simply tee off. The Dolphins don’t hand over sacks. They had been No. 2 within the NFL by means of six weeks in sacks allowed, however the Eagles recorded 4, together with two on back-to-back snaps within the fourth quarter. Josh Sweat had two extra sacks and now has 5 ½ in seven video games and has simply been enjoying at an unbelievable stage. He additionally had two tackles for loss and two quarterback hits. Flat-out beast. Nolan Smith picked up the primary of his profession and Fletcher Cox and Jordan Davis – defensive tackles of the previous and future – mixed on a giant one within the fourth quarter. But it wasn’t simply the sacks. As the sport went on, the Eagles simply pressured increasingly, forcing Tagovailoa into some erratic rushed throws. The Dolphins’ offense didn’t rating a degree within the second half, and a giant motive for that was strain. Oh, they usually additionally held the No. 1 dashing offense within the NFL to 45 yards and three.8 per carry. Monster sport by the protection, monster sport by the entrance. This is why the Eagles had been constructed this fashion.

8. Great to see one other large sport by Dallas Goedert, who was focused 5 instances and caught 5 passes for 77 yards, together with catches of 19, 22 and 22 yards within the first half, when issues hadn’t began clicking but for the offense. After 13 catches for 88 yards the primary 4 video games, he’s now bought 18 catches for 236 yards the final three video games. That’s the Dallas Goedert we’ve come to anticipate and that’s the Dallas Goedert I’m positive we’ll see these subsequent 10 video games as properly. He’s simply too good to be an afterthought.

9. Jordan Davis continues to play at a really excessive stage, and I don’t suppose he was dangerous final yr, particularly earlier than he bought damage, however he definitely wasn’t the participant he’s now. These issues can take time, and Davis is a really serious-minded child who knew he needed to work even tougher, get even fitter, research even longer. It’s all come collectively for the 23-year-old 1st-round choose. The manner Davis has been in a position to make use of his energy to interrupt down the pocket and get to the quarterback is the largest shock. We knew he might stuff the run. But his half sack Sunday offers him 2 ½ in seven video games – he didn’t have any final yr – and between him and Jalen Carter they now have 6.0 sacks. They’re already solely the ninth crew within the sack period (since 1982) with two inside linemen 23 or youthful with not less than 2 ½ sacks. And there’s 10 video games left. We discuss a lot about how nice Carter is, however the Carter-Davis duo goes to do injury round right here for a protracted, very long time.

10. You have to like how this crew is constructed to get stronger and stronger as the sport goes on. They simply put on groups down with their bodily play, their dominating traces, their potential to increase drives by changing third and 4th downs and their monster time-of-possession numbers. It’s a heck of a blueprint. They held the ball for 36:43 Sunday evening, and in case you’re going through an offense averaging 500 yards and 37 factors per sport, your precedence goes to be retaining them off the sphere. We’ve seen that blueprint all yr. They held the ball 39:28 within the Vikings win, 38:55 in Tampa, 37:55 in opposition to the Rams and now 36:43. That’s 4 video games at 36 ½ minutes or extra. The franchise report for a whole season is 5 in 1991. The NFL report is seven by Washington in 1989 and the 2019 Ravens. The Eagles are averaging 34 ½ minutes of ball management per sport, which implies their offense is on the sphere 9 minutes extra on common per sport than the opposing offense. That means the protection is rested by the fourth quarter they usually can simply tee off. It’s an nearly unbeatable formulation.

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