Eagles game thoughts:
- I was fine with the loss going in, but being tied with 6 mins remaining and then giving up 14 quick points stings a bit. Yeah, the Eagles almost had a miraculous comeback even then, but they were very much in the game up until those last 6 mins and could have pulled off the upset.
- Wentz looked like Wentz. Which means a lot of great plays, but some pretty bad ones as well. I find the Wentz hate perplexing. If you listened to the haters, you would think Wentz was one of the bottom 5 QBs in the league. The reality is he is near the middle (#13 in ANY/A, #14 in Rating, #15 in QBR), but for a second-year QB who has all the tools and will continue to develop, that is pretty good.
- The defense played great up until those last 6 mins. Considering they were dealing with a depleted secondary, and having to defend some short fields, I can't fault them too much. Rookie CB Rasul Douglas looked great and I'm thinking he might end up starting sooner than later. The front seven continues to dominate. Eli is in for a world of hurt next week.
Overall, this loss isn't the end of the world. They went on the road, against a tough AFC West opponent, and were in it until the end. That's better than what the Cowboys managed. If they can beat the Giants next week, they will be in good shape in the division.
Generally lines up with my thoughts, so I'll just quote you and add on.
- Losing that game at the end sucked since they had the chance, but I also had this marked as a loss. Our defense was doing everything they could, but they were gassed and injured at the end of the game. Luckily it sounds like McLeod's injury isn't too serious.
- I'm happy with Wentz' development so far. He's pretty much exactly where I expected him to be. He's nowhere near a finished product and has to seriously work on his deep ball accuracy, as well as the flat/screen passing. Also he holds onto the ball too long still and makes questionable decisions sometimes. He still has a lot of work to do and he's not ready to carry the team, so hopefully Doug doesn't continue to make that necessary. But Wentz' escapability and scrambling ability is insane, and he's good at the intermediate routes that are good enough to move the chains. The receiver chemistry with Smith and Jeffery is getting better too. I'm encouraged by his development
- A lot has been made about the run game, but I'm not sure what Doug can really do. These RBs aren't good, and establishing the run isn't really a thing when you're getting 2 ypc. The OL is doing pretty poorly opening holes also. Seumalo, after showing promise last year in multiple spots, has been horrible so far. Hopefully he can improve because it's bizarre he's regressed so much. But regardless, the run isn't working, so trying to force it won't help. I want a better pass/run ratio than 81:19, but expecting this to be a 55:45 team is probably unrealistic. If the Eagles can get to a 60:40 split I'd be happy, but this is a passing team.
- The defense was outstanding, this front 7 is legit. They were right with this Chiefs team until the very end, and when your offense can't move the ball that'll happen. The secondary also did better than expected with Watkins and McLeod getting injured. Luckily, the next 5 or 6 opponents the Eagles play have had anemic opponents so hopefully they can hang in there until Darby, McLeod, and others heal up.
- Final thought is a shout out to the rookies. After some people made a big deal last week about the Eagles not utilizing their rookies, Barnett, Hollins, and Douglas all stepped up. Barnett didn't get any stats, but he was disruptive in the run and pass and opened up some plays for Kendricks (who's actually looking good now). Mack Hollins looked good in minimal time and he should make a good WR4 this season. I have high hopes he'll eventually earn a starting job. And Douglas really impressed me. I knew he had talent but he was so raw coming out of college, and the Eagles lined him up against Tyreek Hill a few times. Luckily, he was able to contain Hill and had some really great tackling. In the future, having Douglas on one side playing zone against WR2 and Jones/Darby on the other playing man could make for a great secondary.
Overall, losing to a good Chiefs team in Arrowhead isn't the worst. That was a winnable game, but the Eagles looked like they belonged and competed hard. That's as close to a 'quality loss' you'll get, and I feel pretty good about the team going forward. I still have qualms about Doug's playcalling and the lack of run game, but I'm overall happy