Biggest Takeaways from Philadelphia Eagles' Week 6 Win
Don't look now, but the Philadelphia Eagles have moved into first place in the NFC East—but just what exactly does that mean?
Left for dead by many observers after a 1-3 start, the Eagles have prevailed in three of their last four games and scored back-to-back victories after defeating the New York Giants on Monday night. Having said that, there doesn't seem to be a lot of confidence that this squad has turned a corner, as it continues to win ugly against mediocre competition.
Are the Eagles merely the cream of the crop in a terrible division, or is this a legitimate playoff team capable of making a run?
It's too early to say. It's easy to see the Eagles' flaws and point out the quality of their opponents. The important thing right now, however, is that they're winning games. Win enough, and there will be postseason play.
Does it matter when they might be eliminated in the first round anyway? Hey, the Eagles still have 10 games and a bye week to sort out all of their issues. Teams improve and regress all the time over the course of a season. They either fix their issues and correct their mistakes, or they don't.
Which type of team are the Eagles? All we know right now is they're positioned right where they need to be in the standings.
DeMeco Ryans Saves the Season?
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Because of the way the game ended—27-7 Eagles—it's easy to forget the team appeared to be on the ropes early in the first quarter. The Giants marched right down the field on their opening drive to take a 7-0 lead, got the ball right back and were on their way to the end zone again.
DeMeco Ryans simply refused to let that happen.
Ryans wrestled a pass intended for Larry Donnell right out of the tight end's hands for an interception, seemingly breathing life back into Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles promptly scored, while the Giants never came close to putting points on the board again.
The 10th-year veteran wasn't done there. Ryans batted another pass away from Donnell deep down the field. He also recovered a fumble forced by safety Malcolm Jenkins. The two-time Pro Bowl linebacker also notched five tackles, and this was all in less than one half of football, as Ryans exited the game with a hamstring injury in the second quarter.
Obviously, the Eagles defense could have reversed course on its own. Then again, if the Giants went up 14-0 in the first quarter, who knows what would have happened. Ryans prevented that single-handedly, made a bunch of other big plays and really helped lift his team—and possibly saved them from falling to 2-4.
Defense Rules the Day
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Chip Kelly teams are supposed to be known for their offense, but it's the defense that's putting the team on their shoulders this season. The unit held the Giants to 264 yards of total offense, forced three turnovers and sacked Eli Manning three times—and those numbers don't even begin to do the unit justice.
Manning had defenders in his face all night. There were several holding penalties to prevent would-be sacks. Oftentimes, Manning was practically throwing footballs right into the pass rush. He was even called for intentional grounding twice.
Credit the secondary as well, which buckled down after a rough start to provide some really nice coverage. Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham was limited to seven receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown, all of that coming in the first half. Plus, cornerback Nolan Carroll helped the offense out, taking an interception back 17 yards to the house.
This is coming off of a lights-out performance against the New Orleans Saints where only 17 points were surrendered while five sacks and four takeaways were recorded. Philadelphia's defense is legit, and they are carrying this team at the moment.
Offense Not on the Same Page at All
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Say what you want about Sam Bradford. He did not play well on Monday night, tossing three interceptions and missing several other attempts downfield. The sixth-year veteran has been inconsistent all season, and this week's regression after a couple of encouraging outings is disappointing.
At the same time, all quarterbacks have bad games, which this was. What's more troubling than Bradford's performance is simply how out of sync the offense is.
It's not merely a matter of Bradford misfiring or making a poor decision. His receivers are running different routes than what he's expecting. For the second time this season, center Jason Kelce snapped the ball before the signal-caller was ready. The offense even has troubling lining up correctly, drawing more illegal formation penalties.
You could almost explain away some of Bradford's struggles, chalk them up to being out of football for so long and learning a new offense. There is definitely truth to that. However, when the offense as a whole is just so herky-jerky, as Eagles legend Brian Dawkins described it in the locker room after the game, you start to wonder why the issues run so much deeper than that.
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DeMarco Murray Showing Signs of Life
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On the bright side, if there is one positive for the offense, it's that the ground attack is beginning to return to form, particularly DeMarco Murray. For the second week in a row, the reigning NFL rushing champion lodged over 20 carries, and this time he was able to secure his first 100-yard game as an Eagle.
Murray ran 22 times for 109 yards and a touchdown—a healthy 5.0 average—and seemed to get better as the game went along. He posted eight carries for 43 yards in the third quarter and nine attempts for 54 in the fourth to help the Eagles put the Giants on ice. The week prior, Murray ran for 82 yards on 20 totes.
New York's run defense is no slouch, either. The unit entered the game ranked No. 1 in the NFL in yards per attempt.
Obviously, this is great sign for the Eagles, and for various reasons. The passing game is erratic and could use the help, and the Eagles gave Murray a lot of money in the offseason for Pro Bowl-caliber production.
It's also a great sign that the offensive line is gaining continuity and improving gradually as the year goes on. Maybe we have yet to see the Eagles ground attack at its very best.
Special Teams Matter
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Kelly's focus on special teams is well-renowned, and it's already provided the spark in one game this season, when Darren Sproles returned a punt 89 yards for a touchdown against the New York Jets in Week 3. However, an often overlooked aspect of the third unit is the punt team, which did a fantastic job pinning the Giants in their own end Monday.
Donnie Jones only attempted four punts during the contest, but he was absolutely booming them, averaging 54.2 yards per attempt. One of those pinned the Giants at their own 4-yard line. Two others resulted in possessions starting from the 20 and 21, which may not seem all that significant, but those were punts of 52 and 57 yards, respectively.
When opponents are forced to go the length of the field for an entire game, it becomes a lot more difficult to score. Jones' punts and the Eagles' excellent coverage units can take credit for that—and not just on Monday, but all season long. Special teams continue to make a difference for the Eagles, even when we don't necessarily take notice.
All quotes obtained by the author.
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