Eagles vs. Saints: 13 winners, 4 losers, 3 IDKs
The Philadelphia Eagles are 2-1 after beating the New Orleans Saints! Time to hand out some winners, losers, and IDKs.
But, before we get started, just wanted to include a big picture thought: this is a really good win for this team. Yeah, it wasnât pretty as it couldâve been, and sloppiness has become too common of a theme dating back to last season. But this wasnât a spot where the Eagles needed to earn style points (although they kinda did, outgaining their opponent by 241 yards). It wasnât like they were massive favorites. They were 2.5-point road underdogs coming off a short week after a demoralizing loss playing against arguably the hottest team in the NFL. And they entered the game without A.J. Brown and then suffered several key injuries throughout the afternoon. This was a significant challenge and they ultimately got the job done. Moving forward, itâs absolutely important for this team to show that they can play a better, cleaner brand of football. This win could serve as a performance to build on. It certainly beats the alternative of dropping to 1-2 with things feeling like they might be going off the rails.
OK, now itâs W-L-IDK time for real.
VIC FANGIO
The Eaglesâ defense â and thus also the Eaglesâ defensive coordinator â was justifiably in the crosshairs after allowing the Atlanta Falcons to drive 70 yards in six plays over 65 seconds for a game-winning touchdown last week.
Entering the Saints game, there was serious concern about the Eaglesâ ability to both stop the run and rush the passer. As it turns out, theyâre not totally hopeless on that front!
The Saints were averaging 405.5 yards per game and 45.5 points per game. Those numbers were always bound to come back to Earth a bit … but the Eaglesâ defensive success clearly wasnât just about New Orleans regression. They went out and shut that offense down.
From the Eaglesâ game notes:
Philadelphiaâs defense held New Orleans to 219 yards of total offense (130 passing, 89 rushing).
The last time Philadelphia held a team under 300 yards of total offense was on 12/25/23 vs. NY Giants (292; 106 rushing, 186 passing).
The last time Philadelphia held a team under 100 yards rushing was on 11/5/23 vs. Dallas (73).
The last time Philadelphia held a team under 150 net yards passing was on 9/25/23 at Tampa Bay (133).
Six of the Saintsâ 12 total points came after a missed Jake Elliott field goal allowed the opposition to take over at the 50-yard line. Itâs truly impressive that they didnât score more considering the Eagles turned the ball over twice and had a blocked punt that allowed the Saints to start a drive at the Eaglesâ 27-yard line.
Fangioâs adjustments â which included heavier defensive fronts and playing Bryce Huff less often â clearly worked. This was a masterful defense performance.
The #Eagles did not allow the Saints to convert a single one of their 20 first down snaps into a first down on Sunday, the only time that has happened in any game in the NFL this year. (It happened only 9 times last year in 544 offensive performances, just 1.6% of the time.)
â Deniz Selman (@denizselman33) September 23, 2024
JALEN CARTER
Now THIS was the version of Jalen Carter that we were expecting to see when projecting him as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
After saying he played like âtrashâ in his first two games, Carter stepped up big time in New Orleans.
Carter logged four total tackles (three solo), two tackles for loss, two pass deflections, and one quarterback hit but the box score doesnât even do his performance justice. He was flat out dominating the Saints:
The #Eagles DT Jalen Carter had the greatest game I have ever seen from a DT vs the Saints.
He impacted 18 total plays (in 51 snaps). I have never seen a DT have that high of a rate when it comes to his impact on a game. Absolutely incredible game by one of the best IDL in the⊠pic.twitter.com/eR3dfX2YUk
â The Football Scout (@NFLTrenchBattle) September 23, 2024
Carter was undoubtedly aided by the Saints losing their starting center, Erik McCoy, and their starting right guard, Cesar Ruiz. But Carter was also having his way with Ruiz before the latterâs exit.
Nick Sirianni revealed that Carter received a game ball for his performance in this game. Pro Football Focus graded Carter as the top interior defender in the NFL from Week 3.
Carterâs dominance reminded me of watching Fletcher Cox in his prime. There were games in Coxâs career where he absolutely took over. And games when he needed to do that because the offense wasnât able to get anything going. With the Eagles unable to score until early in the fourth quarter (lol) in this one, Carter played a huge part in keeping this game winnable.
If Carterâs truly turned the corner after a sluggish start … well, I feel bad for the offensive lines tasked with blocking him.
REED BLANKENSHIP
Weâve said it before and weâll say it again: Reed Blankenship is a playmaker. His diving interception to seal the game was no gift; that was a really impressive catch in a key moment.
Blankenshipâs first interception this season also came at an important time to give them a lead against the Green Bay Packers that they never surrendered. Itâs not like heâs stat-stuffing in low leverage situations. Heâs majorly contributed to two wins so far.
NFL safeties with more interceptions than Reed Blankenship since the beginning of 2023:
Jessie Bates
Geno Stone
Xavier McKinney
Tyrann Mathieu
Kerby Joseph
End of list. #Eagles
â Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) September 22, 2024
Blankenship had a nice little speech after the game. Weâre seeing a young player evolving into a team leader:
Nick Sirianni: âThe fâing defense, though!â
Reed Blankenship: âI love yâall boys, manâŠI want to ride and die with this fâing team.â
What a win! Vibes are high. ïž pic.twitter.com/ozQxG1K86W
â SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) September 22, 2024
BRANDON GRAHAM
Itâs impossible not to love Brandon Graham.
Definitely doesnât seem ideal that the Eagles had to rely on the 35-year-old to play the most edge rusher snaps. But Graham answered the call and â true to form â he stepped up when the team needed him most. Graham played a part in blowing up the Alvin Kamara run that was stopped short for a turnover on downs. He also hit Derek Carr as the quarterback was throwing to help force the game-sealing interception caught by a diving Reed Blankenship.
Itâs cool that Graham seems poised to finish his career on a strong note as opposed to having to walk away simply because he doesnât have the capability in him anymore.
ZACK BAUN
Baun was unexpectedly good in Week 1 before really struggling to handle the Falconsâ cut blocks in Week 2. Fangioâs adjustments put Baun in a better position to succeed in Week 3 and the Birdsâ top linebacker took advantage against his former team. Baun was the one to tackle Kamara for a turnover on downs and that was just one of his 13 total tackles. PFF credited Baun with four âstopsâ, which are tackles that constitute a âfailureâ for the offense.
Encouraging to see the Baun at linebacker experiment get back on track in a big way.
Baun is up to 37 combined tackles this season, which ranks second in the NFL only behind Nick Cross (39). Baunâs previous season-high for tackles was 30, which he had in both 2021 and 2023. Through three games with the Eagles, heâs already seven beyond that mark.
QUINYON MITCHELL
Mitchell broke up a deep pass to Rashid Shaheed, who has incredible speed, to prevent a likely touchdown. Q looks incredibly unfazed for a rookie. Heâs allowed just a 69.7 passer rating when targeted this season. He had another pass breakup that was … too good? Like, he got in position so well that he shouldâve been able to pick the ball off but instead spiked the pass into the ground.
Itâs exciting to think about Mitchellâs ceiling if heâs already looking this good.
JORDAN DAVIS
Davis needed a game like this. From our snap counts analysis:
He notched his first sack since having half a sack in Week 7 of last season. It was his first game with a full sack since Week 2 last season. And just the second game in his career where heâs had a full sack. Davis was also credited with his first TFL since Week 2 of last season. Can he build on this performance?
There are obviously some drawbacks to stunting, so itâs not as simple as the Eagles always having Davis do that, but they should probably taking advantage of his athleticism in that capacity more often. If his impact taking on offensive linemen one-on-one is going to be limited, get him on the move. Milton Williams drew the extra attention on the stunt that allowed Davis to get home to Carr but the big manâs movement ability aided him in arriving there. The Eagles need this Davis more often.
SAQUON BARKLEY
How are we only getting to Saquon now? I wanted to start with all things Eagles defense since that unit really deserves their flowers. But Barkley was also excellent once again.
His 65-yard touchdown run was such a huge play. Not just because it resulted in the Eaglesâ first points of the game to take a 7 to 6 lead. But also because of the context of DeVonta Smith taking a dirty hit on the play before. With no A.J. Brown or DeVonta, Barkley decided to do it himself and pick the offense up when the team really needed him to make a play.
Barkley looked incredibly fast on his run and, shocker, it turns out he was:
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Saquon Barkley reached a top speed of 21.66 MPH on his 65-yard touchdown run.
It was the second-fastest speed by a ball carrier this season and the fastest on a run play. pic.twitter.com/avRDkfEhze
â Anthony DiBona (@DiBonaPFN) September 23, 2024
If that felt like the Eaglesâ longest touchdown run in some time, well, thatâs also because it was:
Saquon Barkleyâs 65-yard TD was the longest rushing TD by an Eagles player since Miles Sanders in December 2020 (also against the Saints!).
â Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) September 22, 2024
Barkleyâs 17 carries went for 147 yards (8.6 average) and two touchdowns. He directly scored 14 of their 15 points. Heâs scored 32 of their 70 points this season (and came very close to having six more before his receiving touchdown was overturned in Week 2 and a Brotherly Shove vultured his score on the next play).
Barkley leads all NFL running backs in rushing with 351 yards. He ranks second in yards from scrimmage with 404. Iâd argue heâs been even better than most expected. Aside from dropping a game-sealing pass in Week 2, heâs been pretty incredible. And this weekâs performance helped him earn redemption for his one mistake.
DALLAS GOEDERT
It is INSANE that this dude only saw four targets in Week 2. Four of 29 possible targets! While Britain Covey had six! Why?!
At least they didnât make that mistake again here. The Eagles made an effort to get Goedert involved from the jump with a designed play for him on their very first drive.
Goedert finished the game with a team-high 11 targets, catching 10 passes for 170 yards. Two plays especially stood out: 1) the one-handed grab on a pass nearly thrown too wide to convert a third down and 2) the 61-yard catch-and-run to set the Eagles up for their game-winning touchdown. Goedert was wide open in no small part due to scheme on the latter play but not just every tight end can move after the catch like he can.
The Eagles probably shouldnât do the thing where they forget Goedert is on the team again.
Dallas Goedertâs 170 receiving yards were the most by an Eagles tight end since Pete Retzlaff in 1965.
Most by an Eagles player since A.J. Brown in October 2023.
â Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) September 22, 2024
DEVONTA SMITH
Itâs really unfortunate that DeVonta took a big shot to the head on a play where the whistle obviously shouldâve been blown earlier with his forward progress stopped well ahead of where he was ultimately contacted.
DeVonta was having another productive game prior to getting knocked out. He caught seven of his 10 targets for 79 yards. His longest reception, a 21-yard effort, was a tough grab that immediately offset the damage of a holding penalty that set the offense back.
Eagles players with 7+ receptions and 75+ receiving yards in 3 consecutive games:
Irving Fryar
Harold Jackson
A.J. Brown
Zach Ertz
DeVonta Smith
â Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) September 22, 2024
FRED JOHNSON
How often have we seen the Eagles look pretty hopeless without Lane Johnson playing? It was concerning, then, when Lane left the game early due to a concussion that apparently caused him to throw up and required him to lean on Big Dom to get back to the locker room.
Fred Johnson is clearly no Lane Johnson â no one is â but he did exactly what you could hope for out of an offensive line replacement: not get annihilated. PFF did mark Fred down for five pressures allowed but they were all âhurriesâ as opposed to sacks or quarterback hits. They also graded him out well as a run blocker.
Speaking after the game, Fred admitted he was emotional. And understandably so after grinding away behind the scenes before finally getting to play in his first regular season game since December 2021.
“I almost cried on the sideline, I ain’t gonna lie.”
Fred Johnson stepped in for an injured Lane Johnson and held it down on the right side for the Eagles during their comeback win against the Saints. pic.twitter.com/Cp6H9mLqkP
â NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) September 23, 2024
Back in training camp, Sirianni singled out Fred â unprompted â as one of the Eaglesâ most improved players. While everyone would obviously prefer for Lane to never miss time, itâs cool that Fred made the most of his opportunity. Seems like the Eagles just might have a solid swing tackle.
TYLER STEEN
PFF graded Steen as the Eaglesâ best pass blocker, allowing zero pressures in 35 pass rush opportunities. He also had the third-best run blocking grade, just behind Lane and Fred.
That kind of outing was probably a nice confidence boost for a player who could use one after entering training camp as the starting guard and losing his job to Mekhi Becton. Steen losing that battle wasnât so much about him looking awful as much as it was him dealing with an injury and the Eagles seemingly being intrigued by Bectonâs massive size.
If Becton misses considerable time, I wouldnât rule out Steen taking the job back. For now, though, Steen is a good backup to have.
JEFF STOUTLAND
The Eaglesâ rushing attack against the Saintsâ …
No. 1 run defense in 2020: 36 rushes, 246 yards (6.8 average), 2 TD
No. 1 run defense in 2021: 50 rushes, 242 yards (4.8 average), 3 TD
No. 3 run defense in 2024: 25 rushes, 172 yards, (6.9 average), 2 TD
Dennis Allen isnât a great head coach (the Eagles should be thankful that his conservative approach helped keep them hanging around) but heâs respected as one of the best defensive minds in the NFL. And Stoutland has clearly gotten the better of Allenâs defenses in their last three meetings.
Stout did it this time with the Eagles missing two starting offensive linemen for about half of the game.
LOSERS
TEAM HEALTH
The Eagles are banged up entering Week 4.
Itâs currently unclear if A.J. Brown will be able to return from his hamstring injury. The Eagles might want to hold him out until Week 6 so that he can rest over the course of the Week 5 bye. Never good to rush a player back from a hammy only for them to quickly re-injure it.
DeVonta Smith obviously suffered a huge hit to the head. Heâll have to pass through the NFLâs concussion protocol before being eligible to return.
Lane Johnson didnât look to be in great shape as he left the game. Heâs in the same boat as DeVonta in terms of needing to be cleared to return.
Mekhi Becton is dealing with some kind of finger injury.
Britain Covey reportedly suffered a broken shoulder bone that could cause him to miss six weeks.
Darius Slay tweeted that heâs OK despite being driven into the ground out of bounds well after the play was over by Trevor Penning.
Weâll find out more about these injuries when the Eagles begin their practice schedule on Wednesday.
The receiver situation seems especially concerning. If the Eagles donât have Brown, Smith, and Covey, theyâre without three of their top four receivers. They might have to find a way to get by with Jahan Dotson, Johnny Wilson, Parris Campbell, and … someone else from the practice squad?
Oh, itâd also be nice if there wasnât some totally unexpected injury that pops up on the report like has been the case for the first three weeks.
NICK SIRIANNI
The 4th-and-1 decision towards the end of the second quarter was wild.
For the second game in a row, Sirianni ignored the analytics model suggestion and went with his gut. The Eagles shouldâve kicked the 32-yard field goal there to tie the game at three points apiece entering halftime.
Instead, Sirianni said it was him â not play-caller Kellen Moore â who called the fake Brotherly Shove run to Saquon that got called for a turnover on downs.
Had the play worked, the Eagles wouldâve had a first down with … about nine seconds or so left and one timeout to work with the ball around the plus 14-yard line. They couldâve taken one shot (maybe two) into the end zone.
But risking the near-certainty of three points to make a frantic throw or two into the end zone doesnât seem like a great proposition. Especially with the additional context that the offensive line had just lost two starters and the Eagles couldâve benefited from the emotional lift of tying the game entering the half while knowing theyâd receive first in the third quarter.
The trick play there was just too cute. And thatâs hardly Sirianni can be accused of overthinking things.
I will say I think there actually is a situation where going for it made sense. If the Eagles were playing an aggressive head coach and/or really good quarterback, they may have left too much time remaining in the first half after a field goal kick there. The clock wouldâve been around 0:10, which is enough for a top passer to get his team a chance at a field goal of their own. If the Eagles were playing Patrick Mahomes, I couldâve seen running the actual Brotherly Shove (you know, the play thatâs mostly been unstoppable for them just like it was in Week 2), forcing the other team to take their final timeout, kneeling the ball, taking their own final timeout, and then kicking the field goal to go to halftime. But, again, that wasnât the situation here. Dennis Allen has a track record of being conservative and his punt from the Eaglesâ 40-yard line on the previous drive served as a reminder of that much.
If Sirianni truly wanted to be aggressive on that fourth down, I think it would’ve been more respectable if the Eagles passed the ball (perhaps a play-action throw) to totally try to catch the Saintsâ defense off guard in that situation. That course of action would be consistent with a balls to the wall identity. Unfortunately, Sirianniâs decision-making too often lacks a pattern of conviction and instead comes off as haphazard.
You canât convince me that Nick Sirianni goes for it on 4th and 1 at the end of the half (where the upshot was 1 chance to throw to the endzone before kicking a FG) if he didnât catch so much flack for kicking a FG against the Falcons.
Therein lies the problem. Sirianni isâŠ
â Shane Haff (@ShaneHaffNFL) September 23, 2024
I get it, this is a lot of words about one decision, and it can come off as nitpicking. But Sirianni is supposed to be acing the game management now that itâs one of the main things heâs overseeing. And yet his actions do not inspire confidence that he gives the Eagles an edge in this regard.
Not to mention there were issues of the Eagles once again looking like a poorly coached team in this game. For example, a 12 men in the huddle penalty turned a 3rd-and-2 into a 3rd-and-7 and the Eaglesâ punt that got blocked. The Eagles are tied for being the sixth-most penalized team in the league thus far.
Also, to circle back to Sirianni saying he called the play instead of Moore … isnât that concerning? We thought that Sirianni wouldnât be meddling after that appeared to be an issue last year.
BRYCE HUFF
For the second game in a row, Huff did not appear in the box score. The Eaglesâ defense looked a lot better as he played his lowest snap count percentage of the season.
When Huff did play, it was in obvious pass rush situations. And he failed to generate any pressure.
Perhaps he can eventually find his footing but, for now, it looks like he could be a total free agent bust.
GRANT CALCATERRA
Calcaterra was dinged for a holding penalty and he generally just did not look good as a blocker. Heâs a better pass catcher than Jack Stoll but, with the Eagles often using their second tight end primarily as a blocker, itâs kind of a problem that Calcaterra isnât good at blocking.
I DONâT KNOWS
JALEN HURTS
Parsing Hurtsâ performance this season requires nuance, which is something that people definitely hold in high regard these days. Itâs not as simple as saying heâs been âgoodâ or âbad.â
Hurts clearly did some good things against the Saints. He completed 76.3% of his passes and threw for 311 yards while averaging 8.2 yards per completion. He helped engineer the Eaglesâ game-winning touchdown drive in a clutch situation late in the fourth quarter.
But itâs hard to ignore the turnover issues that continue to plague him. One can argue Hurtsâ interception isnât so much on him because DeVonta shouldâve done a better job with his route. Thatâs reasonable. But the fumble was terrible. And, zooming out, heâs at 26 giveaways in his last 21 games. That high of a number canât just be the result of misfortune. Hurts has turned the ball over more than any other quarterback since Week 1 last year.
Here are the giveaways leaders since then:
Jalen Hurts: 26
Josh Allen: 23
Sam Howell: 23
Tua Tagovailoa: 22
Patrick Mahomes: 21
Trevor Lawrence: 21
Allen and Mahomes clearly stand out on this list in a way that makes one wonder if itâs such a big deal that Hurts turns it over so much.
Several thoughts on that much: 1) Hurts still has considerably more giveaways, which is an issue. 2) Allen and Mahomes have to carry the weight of their offenses in a way that Hurts doesnât give the Eaglesâ superior supporting cast. 3) While committing three fewer giveaways, Allen has also accounted for seven more touchdowns in one fewer game played than Hurts (whose TD numbers are boosted in part by the Brotherly Shove). 4) Allenâs volatility has worked against him in getting over the hump. 5) Mahomes has just nine giveaways in 18 playoff games, where heâs 15-3. Heâs playing mistake-free football when it matters most.
Speaking of just nine giveaways in 18 games, those are the exact numbers from Hurtsâ excellent 2022 season. He needs to get back to taking care of the ball. Itâs hard to understand how he hasnât been able to do it since 1) we saw him do it that season and 2) he was great at protecting the ball in training camp this year!
Turnovers (among other issues) were a big reason why this game was much closer than the yardage differential indicated it shouldâve been. Hurts has to stop giving the ball away.
JAHAN DOTSON
Dotson played an important role in Goedertâs 61-yard catch-and-run:
Jahan Dotson on his role picking multiple Saints DBs on this play:
âItâs crazy, we were running it all week because we knew they were going to play a lot of man. And I wasnât running it right at the beginning of the week. Countless reps during practice … and we got it right⊠https://t.co/D3gM5iHAD4
â EJ Smith (@EJSmith94) September 22, 2024
Good stuff!
The bad news is heâs basically been a non-factor as a receiver in three games. And one of those games he led all Eagles receivers in snaps played while he ranked second in another.
Dotsonâs been targeted just five times for three catches and 14 yards. Even with the acknowledgement thatâs probably still adjusting to the offense, thatâs pretty light production. The Eagles need to figure out how to get him going a little bit more, especially if theyâre without both Brown and Smith in Week 4.
JAKE ELLIOTT
A 60-yard field goal clearly isnât a layup but Elliott has earned the right to be considered among the NFLâs very best kickers. And so for him to miss wide right â in a dome, no less! â without the ball ever looking like it had a chance wasnât great. Not trying to totally crush him and not actually worried about him moving forward but I think itâs fair to be disappointed with that miss.
