The Linc

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Huge Win – Iggles Blitz
Saquon Barkley could make an argument for league MVP right now. He was 17-147-2, including a 65-yard TD run that came right after DeVonta was knocked out of the game. Barkley’s long run was a jolt of electricity that the team desperately needed. It gave them a 7-3 lead and suddenly the game felt winnable. We have to talk about the O-line. Those guys played really well. Tyler Steen took over at RG and Fred Johnson took over at RT. The line got movement in the run game. Barkley’s go-ahead TD was beautiful blocking. The OL pushed the defense backward and Barkley ran right up the middle for the score.

Saquon Barkley said the Eagles rallied for DeVonta Smith after he took a late hit – BGN
The Eagles squeaked out a win in New Orleans on Sunday, and after three quarters of a mistake-filled offense, the team finally pulled it together in the fourth quarter. Saquon Barkley spoke after the game, and admitted that DeVonta Smith’s scary injury was a bit of a catalyst for the rest of the matchup. “Obviously, the game wasn’t going our way, but we never gave up. We kept trusting each other, kept grinding. We saw our teammate go down with a late hit, which I believe, and we rallied behind that. We wanted to go out there and grind out for [DeVonta Smith], and all phases, especially defense, played lights out and we found a way to make plays at the end on offense, and come out with a win.”

Roob’s Observations: Eagles win a wild one in New Orleans – NBCSP
2. OK, how freaking good is Saquon Barkley? My goodness. And you’ve got to love the way he responded six days after that devastating drop that cost the Eagles a win over the Falcons. He’s a total pro. The dude has this crazy combination of speed, power, balance and vision, and any questions about the way the last few years with the Giants went have been sufficiently answered as far as I’m concerned. Three games in, he’s a flat-out beast. He ran 17 times Sunday for 147 more yards, and three games in he’s got 63 carries for 351 rushing yards with three touchdowns and 10 catches for 53 more yards and another TD. That’s 404 scrimmage yards in three games, most by any Eagle through Week 3 since 2013, when LeSean McCoy had 514. Other than Shady, the only other Eagles running backs with at least 400 scrimmage yards through three games are Timmy Brown, Wilbert Montgomery, Duce Staley and Brian Westbrook. What I really love about Saquon is how tough he is late in games. He’s so physically strong that he’s just as good on his 25th touch as his first. And that’s rare. Keep feeding him, and he’s going to make a huge play, and on Sunday he made a bunch of them.

Eagles-Saints Takeaways! Defense Leads the Way as Birds Escape With a Win. – The Ringer
Sheil and Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation discuss the Eagles squeaking out a 15-12 victory against the New Orleans Saints. What were the biggest takeaways of the game (2:21)? The Eagles finally remembered that they have Dallas Goedert on the team (17:11). Did Saquon save the season with his 65-yard TD run (20:27)? And how did backup offensive linemen Fred Johnson and Tyler Steen do filling some big shoes after a few starters went down (27:45)? Sheil and BLG then discuss the Eagles’ excellent defense today, which held the high-powered Saints offense to 12 points, wherein Jalen Carter was a game-wrecker (34:19). The guys later do a temperature check on Nick Sirianni (50:28). Plus, Cliff jumps in!

2024 NFL season, Week 3: What We Learned from Sunday’s games – NFL.com
Eagles’ defense steps up with a statement performance. The Eagles’ run defense was atrocious the first two games of the season, but it responded in a big way against the Saints. Kamara was held in check in spite of a heavy workload, at least until the fourth quarter. The Eagles started bending late, but Blankenship’s late pick was the save they needed. Jalen Carter , Jordan Davis and Milton Williams all played forcefully up front. Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean each made big plays on the second level. And a secondary that lost Slay to injury held together in the fourth quarter when the Saints finally found a little rhythm, making enough plays to win. The offense gained a lot of yards but couldn’t score. The special teams suffered a missed field goal and a blocked punt in the second half. Even Nick Sirianni’s decision-making once more stood to be a big postgame talking point. But because the defense clamped down for the majority of the game, the Eagles had a chance – and they turned it into a signature victory right when the doubters were circling. Next Gen Stats Insight from Eagles-Saints (via NFL Pro): Derek Carr was pressured on 11 of his 27 dropbacks (40.7%), the highest pressure rate he’s faced in a game this season. Carr was pressured on only 23.8% of his dropbacks in Weeks 1-2, which was the fifth-lowest rate in the NFL.

The Monday Morning Mashup, NFL Week 3: Vikings and Eagles Shine on Defense, Cowboys Struggle, and a New Star Emerges – Sumer Sports
Fangio’s defense sat in four down fronts as the Falcons climbed to the second level to cut linebackers. As the Eagles marched into New Orleans, all eyes were on Fangio to see how a flailing defense would deal with the league’s hottest offense. What Fangio and the Eagles defensive line put together was nothing short of a gem. Fangio dug into the playbook and pulled out the six down linemen front (the 40 package) that he used in 2018 before Bill Belichick ran it to a Super Bowl victory. This front, as well as the other five down linemen fronts that Fangio employed, let his defensive line play more aggressive to blocks, kept linebackers clean, and was the difference on the ground in a tight win over the Saints.

Handing out 10 awards from the Eagles-Saints game – PhillyVoice
3) The ‘Better Late than Early’ Award: Jalen Hurts. A week ago, Hurts was having a good game against the Falcons until his final throw of the night, which of course was a game-ending INT. On Sunday, he had a bad INT early, when he threw to a covered DeVonta Smith in the end zone, and then later had a Carson Wentz-esque fumble when he held the ball carelessly by his side while trying to escape the pocket. But with 1:57 left in the game, down five, and without four starters — A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Lane Johnson, and Mekhi Becton — Hurts got the job done. It was a clutch performance with a lot of new faces in the huddle.

Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis play like first-rounders as the Eagles defense pounds the Saints – Inquirer
Jalen Carter sat facing his stall as Jeffrey Lurie walked past him and circled back. Are you looking for your first-rounders? “I’m looking for Jalen,” Lurie said.The owner found Carter and gave the hulking defensive tackle a warm embrace and a fatherly pat on the head as they spoke. Lurie will typically single out players at their stalls after victories, and the Eagles’ gutsy 15-12 win over the Saints offered him plenty of opportunities to give additional gratitude. He went over and shook the hand of the nearby Fred Johnson, the tackle who jumped in ably for the concussed Lane Johnson, after he sought out Carter. Jordan Davis, another first-round draft pick out of Georgia, also had a significant impact on the Eagles’ defensive improvement on Sunday. But Lurie wanted to individually congratulate Carter, who physically dominated the Saints’ offensive line for much of the game. “He said, ‘Good game’ and that he was proud of me,” Carter said. “That we just got to keep going.”

Game Recap: Eagles vs. Saints – PE.com
4. Dallas Goedert was a monster all game, catching 10 passes for 170 yards on 11 targets. He lined up all over the formation, had a ton of YAC yards, and made up for the losses of Brown and then, in the third quarter, Smith (evaluated for a concussion). Great game for Goedert and a reminder that he is an elite, outstanding tight end who needs to be involved in the offense every week. “It feels really good and I’m really excited to see where we can go,” Goedert said. “It felt good getting touches this week, but I’m going to do whatever I can do to help this team win. I love blocking, too.” Goedert said that on the big 61-yard play, wide receiver Jahan Dotson did a great job setting a legal pick, forcing the Saints’ defensive players to collide, and then it was off to the races.

NFL Week 3: Biggest questions, takeaways for every game – ESPN
What is going on with coach Nick Sirianni’s decision-making? He went for it on fourth-and-short late in the second quarter and early in the third. The offense didn’t convert either attempt, and the Eagles walked away without points in a close game. When he finally did opt for a field goal attempt, it was from 60 yards out midway through the fourth quarter. Jake Elliott could not convert, and the Saints proceeded to drive for a go-ahead touchdown. His game management has been suspect the past two weeks, hindering the Eagles’ chances of winning games.

What we learned from Saints loss to Eagles – Canal Street Chronicles
The offensive line’s issues weren’t easy to hide. New Orleans lost Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy during their opening drive and missed him heavily throughout the game. The Eagles’ dominant interior defensive line prevented the Saints from forming a consistent rush attack nulling their offense. The unit only allowed one sack on passing downs on the day, but the issues were still evident. After struggling to successfully run the ball, the Saints had to try and attack through the air without the benefit of play action. Coming into the season the Saints offensive line was a big question mark surrounding the team, but offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak was able to hide the unit’s flaws. But that wasn’t the case against a strong Eagles pass rush that features premier interior defensive linemen.

NFL Week 3 had so many ugly turnovers thanks to terrible QB play – SB Nation
Jalen Hurts delivered a pair of turnovers for the Philadelphia Eagles in their game against the New Orleans Saints, perhaps the biggest surprise early this season. First was this end zone interception.

NFL Week 4 Betting: Best early bets before lines move – PFF
On offense, the Buccaneers faced a major step-up in terms of defensive competition in Week 3 — and it showed in a major way. Tampa Bay didn’t have its typical advantage on the perimeter against Pat Surtain II, who blanketed Mike Evans and made him a real non-factor. Although the Eagles don’t have a cornerback of Surtain’s quality, they are coming off their best game of the season and have a personnel group that should be able to slow down the Tampa Bay receivers. These teams are just in completely different tiers right now, and a matchup between them should see the Eagles favored by a field goal or more, which is where this line should close come Sunday. Grab the Eagles as less than three-point favorites while you still can.

Buccaneers Week 3 Top Performers vs. Denver Broncos – Bucs Nation
Well, that sucked. In what feels like classic Buccaneers fashion, the franchise followed up a massive, headline-making win against the Detroit Lions by completely no-showing against a winless Denver Broncos team and losing 26-7 Sunday. A 14-0 first-quarter deficit pretty much spelled the end before either unit really got a chance to get settled. Mistakes snowballed, and the effort looked lackluster as rookie QB Bo Nix easily picked up a depleted secondary.

Tonight, the Commanders game plan should begin and end with Brian Robinson rushing up the middle – Hogs Haven
Meanwhile, Washington’s lead running back — 3rd year former Alabama ball carrier Brian Robinson — is coming off the best rushing performance of his pro career. Last week, he gashed the NY Giants — whose defensive line features Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux — for 133 yards on 17 carries (7.8 yards per carry). In that game, Austin Ekeler, the teams’ #2 back, added 38 yards on 8 carries (4.8 ypc). Against a depleted Bengals defensive line, Robinson should have the chance to thrive. The Commanders should begin tonight’s game with a steady diet of Brian Robinson between the tackles. That run-heavy play-calling should continue until the Bengals have no choice but to bring their linebackers and safeties up in run support. At that point, Jayden Daniels can get to work throwing the ball over stacked boxes and Austin Ekeler can add some explosive plays in the passing game.

10 thoughts on the Cowboys almost blowout, but then close-but-no-cigar loss to the Ravens – Blogging The Boys
3. Run-stopping struggles continue. After giving up 190 yards on the ground last week, all we could do was hope that things would be better in this one. It wasn’t. The Cowboys’ defense surrendered 274 rushing yards. It was the most rushing yards this defense has given up in a game since the dreadful Mike Nolan days in 2020 when the team allowed 294 yards to, guess who, the Baltimore Ravens. Derrick Henry did most of the heavy lifting rushing for 151 yards on 25 carries (6.0 ypc), but Lamar Jackson added another 87 yards.

Giants-Browns ‘things I think’: After hanging on, Giants have reason for hope – Big Blue View
I wrote a post a few days ago headline ‘Can the 2024 Giants be a good football team?’ It depends what happens now. The Giants might be a bad team. This might be a temporary reprieve. A ‘feel good for a few days in a bad year’ deal. It might be the Giants taking advantage of team with more problems than they have. Then again, it might not be. The Giants have a massive opportunity four days from now against a Cowboys team that looks anything but unbeatable. Despite a furious comeback, the Cowboys are 1-2 after a loss on Sunday to the Baltimore Ravens. The Philadelphia Eagles messed up the dream of all four NFC East teams being 1-2 heading into Thursday — meaning the Giants-Cowboys game would be for first place — but if the Giants win they can put themselves in the middle of a race that does not appear to have a dominant team.