Eagles Week 16 Review: PHILLY TAKES CONTROL OF THE EAST!
Eagles Week 16 Review: PHILLY TAKES CONTROL OF THE EAST!
“In conclusion, Dallas should be ashamed if they find a way to lose this football game. The Eagles are as shorthanded as it gets and their secondary just isn’t good in any way. Even if the Eagles defense can channel their inner Week 12 and slow down the Cowboys offense, the offensive side of the ball is a major concern against any half-decent defensive unit. I hate betting against the Eagles, but I just cannot see a way where this team can come out on top outside of a ridiculous meltdown by the Cowboys. As Max Kellerman said, if Dallas finds a way to lose this game, Jason Garrett shouldn’t even be allowed to take the team plane home.
Still holding out hope, though.
Prediction: Eagles 20, Cowboys 30”
The reverse jinx worked. Somehow, someway, the severely banged-up Philadelphia Eagles pulled out a signature win over the Dallas Cowboys to save their season. Here’s what we learned:
1. The Eagles Still Need to Do One More Thing
Beat the Giants. That’s it. Beat the New York Giants at MetLife and the Eagles punch their ticket to the postseason. While the Eagles have shown us that there are simply no guarantees when it comes to this team, there are not many matchups that could be more favorable in a situation like this.
2. Carson Wentz is the Real Deal
Easily the most-criticized QB in the league, Wentz delivered once again when it mattered. Against a defense allowing just 226 passing yards per game, Wentz threw for 319 yards (his second-highest total of the season) on 77.5% completion (his highest of the season) and a shade under 8.0 yards per attempt (his highest since Week 1). He had just one touchdown pass, which came on an absolute dime to Dallas Goedert (more on him later). Missed opportunities (looking at you Jake Elliott) and untimely penalties (Jason Peters…) resulted in the Eagles scoring only 17 points, but luckily the defense (with the help of Dak Prescott) came to play.
3. Weekly Review of the Receivers
On the first play from scrimmage, Wentz delivered a deep laser to J.J. Arcega-Whiteside who actually made a tough catch and hauled it in. Once he reeled in that ball, I knew this game was going to be different. Over the course of the season, the Eagles receivers have failed to haul in passes with any sort of contest, so it was good to see Arcegatron finally do what he was drafted to do. He had another nice grab later that drive to keep the chains moving. While he didn’t see any targets for the remainder of the game, it was a good start for the struggling rookie. Greg Ward added another 4 grabs for 71 yards including two third-down conversions on the opening drive. His combined stats from the last two games are 11 catches, 132 yards, and a touchdown, or a standard Michael Thomas game. Robert Davis even got in on the action, bringing in the second reception of his career.
4. Dallas v. Dallas
Dallas Goedert didn’t come to play around. He finally showcased the abilities that we all knew he had. On a whopping 12 targets from Carson Wentz, Goedert caught 9 of them for 91 yards and a touchdown. Seven of his nine receptions came in the first half. In a game where Zach Ertz was hurt early, Goedert’s best game of the season was sorely needed.
5. Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, and The Eagles Defensive Backfield
Dak Prescott did not look good Sunday evening. He missed out on several big gains and possible touchdowns because he could not put the ball where it needed to be. His shoulder injury wasn’t significant enough to place him on the final injury report, so why was the man who’s supposedly better than Wentz playing so badly in the most important game of the year? With his Kirk Cousins-Esque performances against decent or better teams, Prescott may have lost himself a lot of money this season.
Prescott’s top target Amari Cooper should also expect a lighter wallet. Just like Prescott, he was well on his way to receiving a large payday before completely disappearing in big games. Since his rookie season in 2015, Amari Cooper leads the league in dropped passes, adding another one on what should’ve been an easy third-down conversion. Prescott’s face said it all; he couldn’t believe that his #1 guy dropped such an easy pass. Cooper was also taken out of the game prior to the biggest play of the contest. Jon Gruden is somewhere laughing right now.
For the Eagles, Ronald Darby is injured once again. The defense was playing lights out until he was outclassed by Michael Gallup on a catch that should’ve never been made. He aggravated the hip that he popped up on the injury report with a couple of weeks ago, and according to Doug Pederson, it’s significant. Darby wasn’t good himself this year, but I can’t be certain that I’d rather see Rasul Douglas attempting to cover receivers with any sort of speed. Jalen Mills wasn’t terrible, but he was bailed out by a few poor balls from Prescott. I would like to see him celebrate when he forces incompletions himself.
7. Miles Sanders > Ezekiel Elliott?
Elliott, the catalyst of this Cowboys offense, was known for having big games against the Eagles. Even with a couple of nice runs in the second half, he couldn’t even eclipse the 50-yard mark on the ground. Bottling him up made the Cowboys offense one-dimensional, and we all saw what happens when you make Dak Prescott beat you (hint: you don’t score a touchdown). Sanders followed up his 172-yard breakout with 156 total yards and the run that sealed the deal. With Jordan Howard unlikely to play again this year, it’s going to be Sanders continuing to carry the load.
The Eagles travel to MetLife Stadium next Sunday to face the New York Giants for a spot in the postseason.
-By: Micah Jimoh
Writer/ Interviewer