2-0 Start Highlighted by Defense, Carson Wentz
by adelfish | 4 years ago | 0 Comments
The Eagles Start Season 62 2-0, with a Hot Start for Carson Wentz and the Defense
Philadelphia, PA
The Eagles have begun Season 62 2-0, with wins over the Washington Football Team (0-1) and the Los Angeles Rams (0-2). Favored in both these games, the Eagles have taken care of business to start their season, but it hasn't been as easy as the scores may indicate.
First off, the injury bug has already bit the Eagles offense, with starting left tackle Andre Dillard out for 3 more games with a torn pec, and starting running back Miles Sanders out for the next 5 games with an elbow injury. Rookie left tackle Prince Tega Wangoho has been starting for the Eagles since the injury to Dillard, and the Eagles will continue a running back by committee approach until Sanders returns.
The Eagles rush attack, even with Sanders, has struggled. Sanders was averaging 2.3 yards per carry before he went down, totaling just 61 yards in two games. Backups Corey Clement and Alex Collins have combined for 70 yards on 19 carries, and they will see more action now with the loss of Sanders. In total, the Eagles have scored 2 rushing touchdowns in 2 games.
It seems that the loss of Miles Sanders will be felt the most through the air, with his 66 receiving yards and touchdown reception.
The bread and butter, as expected, has been the passing offense. Carson Wentz is currently completing 72.9% of his throws, 530 yards, and 5 touchdowns in 2 games. He had 2 interceptions in the game against Washington on errant throws, but was nearly perfect against the Rams.
The ball has been spread around evenly, as Zach Ertz leads the way with 160 yards and a touchdown, while the trio of Alshon Jeffery, Jalen Reagor, and DeSean Jackson have combined for 18 receptions, 294 yards, and 3 touchdowns.
Alshon Jeffery pulls in a one-handed touchdown grab, his second of the year.
The aforementioned touchdown recepton for Miles Sanders came against the Rams, on a screen pass that turned into a 16 yard scamper to the end zone. The Eagles have shown early infatuation with the screen game, utilizing the speed of Reagor, DeSean Jackson, and Sanders in various formations.
Miles Sanders reaches for the goal line on his 16 yard TD reception
Defensively, the Eagles have been stout. Through two games they have allowed 13 points, and one touchdown (that came towards the end of the Washington game). The 7th ranked pass defense, the 9th ranked rush defense, and top scoring defense with 6 points on average allowed. When the yards are averaged, they are currently ranked #1 in Red Zone with total yards allowed.
The Eagles rank #1 in the league with 9 sacks in 2 games, showing their tenacity at getting after the quarterback. 6 different Eagles defenders have sacked the quarterback this season.
Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Malik Jackson, Davion Taylor, Shaun Bradley, and Darius Slay.
The scariest part is that newly signed defense tackle Javon Hargrave hasn't recorded a sack yet. If quarterback hits were recorded, there is no doubt the Eagles would be atop the list. The defensive line rotation has led to the secondary accounting for 5 interception, good for third in the leauge.
Simply put, right now the Eagles defense has been disruptive and tough to move the ball against.
Some interesting challenges lie ahead, with a home game against Joe Burrow and the Bengals (coming off a big win against Cleveland), then a road game against the very tough, albeit 0-2, San Francisco 49ers.
If the Eagles defense can continue it's pace, and if the offense can find a way to become more effective on the ground, we could be looking at a very dangerous Eagles team come playoff time. Until then, thanks for reading, and make sure to check out the next edition of 'Eagles Daily'!