Hello Friends!
The Eagles had to be singing that old John Denver tune "Hey It's Good To Be Back Home Again" when they walked out onto Stub Hub field this past Sunday. I wrote last week that the Eagles should have no problem hearing the snap counts because the stadium was so small. I had no idea though that the Eagles fans would outnumber the Chargers fans by far. So in reality, it was a home game for our Birds.
Hats off to Doug Pederson and staff for drawing up a very solid game plan and doing a great job with a well balanced attack. And how about that #29 LeGarrett Blount? He ran over and through the Chargers defenders like they were made out of cardboard. Tt was a beautiful thing to watch. By the time the smoke cleared, Blount ended up with 136 tough yards on only 16 carries. It looks like the signing of Blount in the offseason is another stellar move by GM Howie Roseman. Of course, Blount had help in achieving all those yards and props must go out to the Eagles offensive line for a great job of run blocking. I don't think it's a coincidence that the run game has really kicked it up a notch since the insertion of Stefan Wisniewski at left guard. Once again Carson Wentz was steady and in control making throws when needed and scrambling to escape trouble although sometimes he still holds onto the ball a little too long. That is a part of his game that will improve as he moves forward.
Once again this week, I would have to give a game ball to last week's hero Jake Elliott for kicking 4 field goals, and when you win a road game by only 2 points you can see how huge those kicks were! Defensively, the Eagles were without their best player, Fletcher Cox, who's still nursing a calf strain and hopefully he'll be back this week. For the most part, the defense held their own with the exception of a couple big plays up the gut and if Cox was playing I don't think that would happen. The secondary minus Ronald Darby continues to be troublesome as the Chargers hit on some pass plays beating Rasul Douglass as well as Jalen Mills. They are young players that are learning as they play and will get better game by game, but will be tested once again this week against the savvy veteran Carson Palmer.
3 Things To Look For In This Week’s Game...
1. Going long.
This week the Eagles are back at their "real home," Lincoln Financial Field and will be playing in front of the BEST fans in the NFL as they look to make it three wins in a row against the Arizona Cardinals. I look for the Eagles to once again grind it out on the ground with Blount, Smallwood and Clement toting the rock to wear down the Cardinals. The Cards defense has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 4 games this year so the Birds will have their work cut out for them. The Cards do have solid pass rushers in outside linebackers Chandler Jones & Markus Golden. Jones had 11 sacks last season and Golden produced 12.5 so these two playmakers must be given attention. Carson Wentz should be able to take advantage of the Cards secondary with Patrick Peterson being the only impact player there. Look for Wentz to make some big connections with Torrey Smith, Nelson Agholar and Alshon Jefferey on deep routes this week. Also, Zach Ertz should be able to continue being a dominant force at tight end as he shows why he is at the top of all the tight end statistics in the league. This offensive unit is growing up together right in front of our eyes and as we go along each week I predict they are going to become a very dominating unit.
2. A Weak Offensive Line.
The Cardinals offensive line is a sieve and they allowed their quarterback Carson Palmer to be sacked 6 times last week versus the 49ers. Palmer also was hit a total of 16 times in that game and he must be having nightmares thinking of facing this elite Eagles unit that is rushing the passer as well as any team in the NFL. Palmer, like the Chargers Phillip Rivers, is a smart veteran and the Birds cannot let him get too comfortable as he does have some threats at receiver. Larry Fitzgerald is still one of the best in the league and always plays well against the Eagles. Also Jaron Brown is a playmaker and had 8 catches for 105 yards versus the 49ers last week. Running back Andre Ellington is also great at catching the ball out of the backfield and had 9 catches for 105 yards versus the 49ers. The Cardinals really are hurting at running back as the great David Johnson is injured and will be out for quite some time. Johnson is one of the very best in the entire NFL and his loss really hampers the Cardinals running game and it showed against the 49ers as the Cardinals rushed 22 times, gaining a paltry 51yards. If they can't run the ball, this puts immense pressure on Carson Palmer who could be in some real trouble this week against a very aggressive Eagles front four. The Cardinals right guard Evan Boehm had 3 false starts against the 49ers last week and he might double that amount versus the Eagles and the unbelievable crowd noise at the "Linc.”
3. Overall, the Cardinals were among the worst in the league last year and really haven't added anything to make teams fear them.
The Eagles on the other hand have one of the league’s best special teams units (although it remains to be seen how much they'll miss Darren Sproles going forward). It looks like it's gonna be newly signed Kenjon Barner to replace Mighty Mouse in the return game. Philadelphia's newest super hero and kicker Jake Elliott hit 4 clutch field goals versus the Chargers and is making a case for himself to remain the kicker even when Sturgis comes back from injury. The flight from the west coast, the rabid crowd that's going to be rocking the "Linc," and an Eagles team that is feeling really good about themselves and just starting to come together spells some real big trouble for the Arizona Cardinals. Maybe, just maybe, we can finally have a game where the outcome doesn't come down to the final minute of the game. That's my take on this week’s game and please check in with me next Thursday as we take a look back at the Cards game and look ahead to the next opponent the Carolina Panthers.
Until then, as always I wish you…
Love, Luck, Lollipops & Linguini,
Barry "The Hatchet" Vagnoni
Fly Eagles, Fly!
