Week 15: Greg Ward Seals the Deal for Philadelphia

The Eagles Keep Their Playoff Hopes Alive in a Win Over their Division Rivals

Takeaways:

1. Carson Wentz Keeps Delivering

Maybe the most scrutinized quarterback in football this year, Carson Wentz has delivered consecutive stellar performances in must-win games. Today, his top three wideouts were J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Greg Ward, and Robert Davis. If Tom Brady can get constantly excused for his play because of his “poor” receiving core of Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu, and N’Keal Harry, then Wentz should be praised for coming through with this. He finished with 266 yards, three touchdowns, and zero picks while continuing his NFL-best streak of 17 consecutive games with a TD pass. He now has 25 touchdown passes to only seven interceptions this year.

2. Speaking of Receivers…

Greg Ward, former University of Houston quarterback, is the Eagles best wide receiver right now. On Sunday, he was the only receiver to record a reception for Philadelphia. He finished with seven grabs for 61 yards and most notably came up big on the last drive, totaling 4 catches for 40 yards and what proved to be the game-winning touchdown. The best part? His winning touchdown was a contested catch in the back of the end zone. Eagles receivers this season have refused to come down with passes that have any sort of contest on them, so it was good to see that change. Carson Wentz now has five game-winning/tying touchdown passes this season. Unfortunately, only two of them were caught. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside continues to have a terrible season. He failed to record a stat this game outside of a fumble recovery. He dropped yet another touchdown and just continued to be a non-factor overall. After watching Terry McLaurin (more on him later), D.K. Metcalf, and other young receivers make instant impacts on their respective teams, it stings, even more, to see JJAW do absolutely nothing.

3. Miles Sanders, Bell Cow

In my preview, I said that the Eagles needed to run the football, and run the football they did. Miles Sanders looked amazing throughout the game, appearing to have the makings of a #1 back. He averaged a monster 6.4 yards per rushing attempt and reached the end zone twice. He also recorded 6 receptions, adding 50 receiving yards to his 122 on the ground. In the process, Sanders broke the Eagles rookie records for scrimmage yards and rushing yards. After an early-season slump, he’s broken out as one of our more consistent players. Boston Scott touched the ball 13 times, good for 65 yards and a 5.0 average. Obviously, it wasn’t going to be like the last game, but it was good to see that he didn’t regress from Monday night’s breakout.

4. The Defense Is a Problem

I touched on how the Eagles defense seems to be a remedy for struggling QBs and WRs, and Dwayne Haskins proved my point. The rookie quarterback had a measly 61.2 passer rating coming into the contest… and proceeded to raise it a full nine points. He recorded 261 passing yards on just 28 attempts, keeping the score close throughout the entirety of the contest. He also wasn’t sacked at all. Terry McLaurin, who was picked after J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, doubled down on impressive performances vs. the Eagles. Let’s compare their stats in head-to-head matches.

2 games:

J. Arcega-Whiteside: 0 receptions, 0 yards, 0 touchdowns

T. McLaurin: 10 receptions, 255 yards, 2 touchdowns

Not even close. Even worse than watching McLaurin torch the defense again was seeing Haskins pick up major yards on scrambles. Haskins has never been a running QB and was also playing on a bum ankle. If the Eagles are serious about winning this division, they can’t bring the same defensive effort next week against Amari Cooper and Co.

5. Flashback to 2017

It was fun to see the Eagles end the game on a defensive touchdown, something they did several times in their 2017 Super Bowl season (vs. OAK, vs. LAR, vs. WAS*). Defensive players don’t get many chances to score touchdowns, so it must’ve been great for Nigel Bradham to just outrun Redskins players to the house as time expired.

* against Washington in Week 1, 2017, the Eagles defensive TD came with about 1:30 to go

The Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys next week in what basically serves as the NFC East Championship.

-By: Micah Jimoh

Writer/Interviewer

Week 15 Preview: Eagles Look to Move to .500 Vs Washington

Sunday, December 15 at FedEx Field, Eagles 5-point favorites

The Eagles are tied for first place in the NFC East and a win on Sunday could keep them there alone.

Injury Report:

OUT:

Philadelphia: WR Nelson Agholor (knee), DE Derek Barnett (ankle), RB Jordan Howard (shoulder), OT Lane Johnson (ankle)

Washington: LB Ryan Kerrigan (calf), WR Trey Quinn (concussion), WR Paul Richardson (hamstring)

QUESTIONABLE:

Philadelphia: CB Ronald Darby (hip)

Washington: CB Quinton Dunbar (hamstring), CB Fabian Moreau (hamstring), CB Montae Nicholson (ankle), CB Josh Norman (illness), OG Brandon Scherff (elbow/shoulder)

With the placing of Alshon Jeffery on IR in addition to Nelson Agholor’s nagging injury, the Philadelphia Eagles will once again enter a game with only three active receivers. Hopefully, they can finish with the same number that they started with. Jordan Howard is set to miss yet another game with this mysterious shoulder injury, and one can only assume that his season is over. He still hasn’t been cleared for contact, not a good sign for his availability in the coming weeks. Ryan Kerrigan was listed on Washington’s most recent injury report, but he is now on IR, ending his season. Washington has a quartet of cornerbacks listed on their injury report, so maybe the Eagles inexperienced receivers can get some good reps. 

Analysis:

On the surface, it was discouraging that the so-called playoff contender Philadelphia Eagles had to go to overtime with the New York Giants, but it’s wildly impressive that they won that game. With exactly one wide receiver left standing, Carson Wentz, Boston Scott, Zach Ertz, and the defense stepped up to deliver a crucial victory. The coaching staff also showed the ability to adjust, something that they hadn’t been able to do often this season. After Darius Slayton racked up 154 receiving yards and two trips to the end zone in the first half, he didn’t see the football again for the rest of the game. After only scoring three points in the first half, Philadelphia reeled off twenty straight including the game-winning touchdown to Zach Ertz in the extra period. Overall, there were plenty of positives to be taken from that game.

This week, the Eagles get a poor Redskins team led by a shaky rookie in Dwayne Haskins. It’s easy to overlook a man with a 3-7 TD: INT ratio and a passer rating near 60, but the Eagles defense has proven repeatedly that it can be the remedy for bad quarterback play. Haskins also has the dangerous Terry McLaurin in his arsenal, the rookie receiver who burned the Eagles for 125 yards and a touchdown on five grabs back in Week One. Adrian Peterson will be the bell-cow for Washington moving forward thanks to another injury to the talented Derrius Guice, but Philadelphia should have no issue slowing him down. Washington is averaging over 150 rushing YPG over their last three games, but that trend shouldn’t continue against a still-stout Philadelphia run defense. Forcing Haskins to throw is the Eagles best bet, but the DBs must be careful when it comes to keeping receivers in front of them.

Washington’s pass defense has actually been stout over their last three games, holding QBs to less than 190 passing YPG. Even Aaron Rodgers couldn’t break the 200-yard barrier against them. With J.J. Arcega-Whiteside set to be the #1 receiver outside of Zach Ertz and practice squad signee Robert Davis expected to see time, the Eagles should look to run at Washington’s 27th-ranked run defense as opposed to going with the air attack. With Lane Johnson out, it’s a good idea to limit the amount of times Carson Wentz drops back. If Philadelphia finds themselves in an early hole, Doug Pederson mustn’t abandon the run game as he tends to do. Philadelphia isn’t equipped to be in a track meet even against a team like the Washington Redskins.

The Eagles aren’t going to blowout the Redskins. It’s just not going to happen. This team has been afflicted by the injury bug and they’re too short-handed to put up explosive performances. Luckily for them, the goal isn’t to blow out the other team, it’s to just beat them. By utilizing Miles Sanders and Boston Scott, the Eagles can control the clock and limit the chances that Washington has to go for the big play. Remember, a win here coupled with a Dallas loss to the Rams equals sole possession of first place in the NFC East for the Eagles. The Redskins have nothing to play for while the Eagles are in the complete opposite situation. There’s no reason they should put forth a more inspiring effort than the Birds.

Prediction: Eagles 19, Redskins 13

-By: Micah Jimoh

Writer/Interviewer