2024-11-04 10:35:04
4. Saquon Barkley is just a great football player searching for perfection
Barkley wasn’t thinking about his touchdown catch or his 159 rushing yards and a touchdown on 27 carries or all of the tough yards he gained after the game. He’s his harshest critic and he was not pleased that he fumbled and Jacksonville recovered and returned it for a touchdown (Travon Walker, 35 yards) and that the score brought the Jags to within 22-16 and the Eagles had to win a tight one at the end.
“I knew it was going to be a fumble. It happened to me last year and that’s why it stings even more. You don’t let it sting in the moment, but it stings even more because you have to learn from your mistakes,” Barkley said. “I have to do a better job of getting up and bring them down. I tried, but I didn’t wrap up so have to go back to the fundamentals there and do a better job of taking care of the ball.”
But there is also a lot of good to work with here – he’s now over 1,000 scrimmage yards (he has 925 rushing yards) and has eight touchdowns scored in eight games (six rushing, two receiving) – joining LeSean McCoy (2011) as the only players in franchise history to reach those numbers so early in the season.
Of course, there’s the backwards leap that everyone will be talking about in the days to come.
“It was the best play I’ve ever seen,” Head Coach Nick Sirianni said. “And I had no choice but to give him – I’ve been giving out game balls this year for special plays. Obviously, Nakobe gets one. Ends the game with I guess would you call it a walk-off interception? It guess you would call it that. Even though you’ve got to take three knees. They should allow you to go to the next play.
“But Saquon’s play, what I think is so cool, is there are going to be kids all over the country and all over Philadelphia – I really think about that – trying to make that play and talking about that play and simulating that play as they play backyard football or Pee Wee Football. They aren’t going to be able to make it because I think he’s the only one in the world that can do that.”
5. The Eagles have playmakers at linebacker
We’ve seen the Eagles have their ups and downs at linebacker through the years, but there is no doubt they are getting terrific play from that position group this season. Baun had another tremendous game – 10 total tackles, the interception, two passes defensed, one tackle for loss – and has been a force all season. Dean came up with an incredible interception in the end zone to save the victory and his level of comfort, confidence, and production has increased week over week.
“I always feel like I’m going to have a big game,” Baun said. “It’s a mentality thing. You have to anticipate it. You have to envision it. You have to always want it.”
These two are a great linebacking tandem and a strength in this defense. There is just no getting around it.
“It’s so much fun when the work that you do in the dark shows up in the light,” Sirianni said. “I really see that from those two guys, of all the work they put in.”
6. DeVonta Smith continues to amaze
The Eagles lost wide receiver A.J. Brown with a knee injury early in the third quarter and the offense needed a play, so … who … would … make it? Uh, hello, DeVonta Smith, who followed up his great touchdown catch in Cincinnati (45 yards) with an amazing catch – one arm, his right, catching an over-the-shoulder throw from Hurts – and somehow, unbelievably, getting his feet inbounds to give the Eagles a 28-16 advantage in the fourth quarter. Unreal.
“If he (A.J. Brown) goes down, I feel like I have to step up. For me, I’m always ready for the challenge,” Smith said. “They started to change their coverage and play more one-on-one, just let me do what I do.”
The Eagles needed all of those points and will no doubt look to correct some areas where they know they need to improve. So, there is room to grow here. But a win is a win is a win and here we are 6-2 and ready for Dallas!
