What We Saw: Week 13

Diontae Johnson saved the Steelers' season with his two 4th quarter TD receptions

Ben Brown
What We Saw 3 Years Ago
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Introduction
Cowboys @ Saints
Giants @ Dolphins
Colts @ Texans
Vikings @ Lions
Eagles @ Jets
Cardinals @ Bears
Chargers @ Bengals
Buccaneers @ Falcons
Football Team @ Raiders
49ers @ Seahawks
Jaguars @ Rams
Ravens @ Steelers
Broncos @ Chiefs

Eagles @ Jets

Final Score: Eagles 33, Jets 18 

Writer: Adam Sloate (@MrAdster99 on Twitter)

 

The Eagles were back in the Meadowlands to take on New Jersey’s other team this week. They managed to conceal the fact that Gardner Minshew II was going to be the starting QB for nearly the whole week, as Jalen Hurts was nursing a sore ankle, and the broadcast mentioned that the Jets had been preparing for Hurts nearly all week.

Gang Green kicked off the game with a brilliant 80-yard return from Braxton Berrios and then picked up six points on a pass from Zach Wilson to Elijah Moore. The Eagles quickly answered with a TD of their own on a long TD pass from Gardner Minshew II to Dallas Goedert. The game continued to go back and forth for a little longer, with Minshew finding Goedert with regularity, and Wilson picking apart the Eagles’ defense. Eventually, though, the Eagles forced a Jets stop (finally, with 2:22 remaining in the second quarter), and off they went. The Jets couldn’t answer the bell in the second half, and the Eagles went on to win.

 

Philadelphia Eagles

 

Quarterback

 

Gardner Minshew II: 20/25, 242 yards, 2 TD | 4 carries, 11 yards

 

Minshew kicked off the game with a perfect first drive. And a perfect second drive. And a third. Seriously, Minshew’s first incompletion didn’t come until the final drive of the first half. He finished the first half with a stat line of 14/15, 188 yards, and 2 TDs. And, he sprinkled in some nice passes here and there:

 

 

If you were a Minshew streamer today, this has got to be better than anything you could have dreamed of. Kudos to you for having the foresight to do so.

Minshew also underthrew a handful of passes, although the Eagles were able to overcome those mistakes, for the most part. Watch Minshew underthrow Goedert a bit on this second TD pass:

 

 

There was also the underthrow to Goedert that was called for pass interference:

 

https://gfycat.com/untriedelatedichthyostega

 

Minshew was very good as a backup today. He completed the easy ones, didn’t make silly mistakes, and the play-calling for him was solid. Don’t get it twisted, though. This is Jalen Hurts‘ offense, and any Philly sports talk radio host that says otherwise is looking for clicks.

 

Running Backs

 

Miles Sanders: 24 carries, 120 yards | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 22 yards

Kenneth Gainwell: 12 carries, 54 yards, TD | 5 targets, 5 receptions, 33 yards

 

Miles Sanders was able to find some running room today, although it felt like Sanders was plodding for yardage instead of picking up yardage through explosive plays. It was a little surprising to see Sanders struggle, especially with most of the Eagles’ offensive line in place and the Jets boasting the 30th-ranked Rush DVOA on the season…until the fourth quarter! Sanders ran all over the Jets, finally finding the necessary space to get loose and run with authority.

 

https://twitter.com/BrodesMedia/status/1467594401480421390

 

Today was a little vindication for Sanders investors, who got to see Sanders run for 100+ yards for the first time this season. He also tacked on a couple of receptions, so it was an all-around good day for Sanders in fantasy formats. It’s too bad he couldn’t find the end zone (again) this week, but I believe. Someday, he’ll find it. The end zone connection.

Gainwell was this week’s TD vulture for Sanders, as he busted out a sweet 18-yard run for a score:

 

 

Earlier in the game, I was ready to complain about Gainwell’s usage with Jordan Howard out and Boston Scott very limited. But, with Sanders aggravating an ankle injury late in the game and the Jets out of reach, Gainwell took over and picked up chunks of yardage on the ground, ultimately making that stat line look a lot prettier than it was when the game’s outcome was in doubt.

Speaking of limited usage, though, Boston Scott didn’t see any touches today, besides the kickoff return at the beginning of the second half. According to the broadcast, Scott didn’t practice at all this week, so that likely has something to do with it.

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

 

Dallas Goedert: 6 targets, 6 receptions, 105 yards, 2 TD

Quez Watkins: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 60 yards

DeVonta Smith: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards

Jalen Reagor: 1 target, 1 reception, 7 yards

 

Goedert had an incredible first half, picking up two touchdowns on the first two drives. He also set a career-high in receiving yards, finally cresting the 100-yard mark. Minshew leaned on Goedert early and appeared to be comfortable doing so, but then began looking elsewhere in greater frequency as the game continued. See above for both Goedert TDs.

The Eagles sure do love the screen passes to Goedert, as they’ve run this same play nearly every game:

 

https://twitter.com/BrodesMedia/status/1467557902600790020

 

It’s a shame that DeVonta Smith couldn’t get more involved in the game this week, but he sure made a fun play on this catch:

 

 

Other than that, Smith was pretty quiet, as he didn’t have quite the same connection with Minshew as he does with Hurts.

Quez Watkins was a great complement to Goedert, as Minshew looked for Watkins on nearly every third down:

 

(Speaking of underthrown)

It’s hard to draw any conclusions about Minshew’s connection with the receiving corps, especially if Hurts comes back. If Minshew were to play again, Goedert would be even more of a must-start, but Watkins could be sneaky in a DFS-type contest.

 

New York Jets

 

Quarterback

 

Zach Wilson: 23/38, 226 yards, 2 TD, INT | 3 carries, 0 yards, TD

 

 

Wilson had some darn good throws… and some downright puzzling ones. There were some highs, like this pass to Elijah Moore:

 

 

And then there were some lows, like this pass that looked like it was intended for Marcus Epps:

 

 

Wilson looked unflappable for the first two quarters, finding Elijah Moore several times. He looked towards Jamison Crowder too, but it was the Wilson/Moore show today. As far as Wilson’s improvement as a starting QB, he certainly looked much better than some of the earlier games this season, so Jets fans will be keeping an eye on Wilson’s progress as the season winds down. He’s still not worth a fantasy start yet.

 

Running Backs

 

Tevin Coleman: 11 carries, 58 yards | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 19 yards

Ty Johnson: 1 carry, 1 yard | 4 targets, 2 receptions, 14 yards

 

Tevin Coleman ran all over the Eagles in the first half today and added some receptions to boot. He didn’t look quite so washed today, especially against an Eagles defense that is now up to 16th in rush DVOA allowed. Unfortunately, the Jets had to abandon the run game once the Eagles jumped ahead, but when Wilson was on, Coleman caught fire on the ground.

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

 

Elijah Moore: 12 targets, 6 receptions, 77 yards, 1 TD

Corey Davis: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards

Jamison Crowder: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 62 yards

Ryan Griffin: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards, 1 TD

 

Elijah Moore was the No. 1 in terms of targets, and he sure did play like a No. 1! He was the coal to Zach Wilson’s engine in the first half and earned shadow coverage from Darius Slay in the second half, which slowed him down a little bit. Wilson had to look elsewhere, which is where Davis and Crowder came in. Wilson hooked up with Davis, Crowder, and even a little bit of Ryan Griffin!

 

 

Griffin’s TD came one play after Wilson made a terrible throw to a wide-open Elijah Moore in the back of the end zone. Moore had a really good day but if that pass were better it would have been a truly great day. Again, though, it’s hard to trust anyone on this roster except perhaps Elijah Moore. The unreliable — albeit improving — QB play makes this offense a difficult nut to crack, but Moore is still worth a bench spot and could be a nice weapon for late in the season or for next year.

 

— Adam Sloate (@MrAdster99 on Twitter)

Series Navigation
Introduction
Cowboys @ Saints
Giants @ Dolphins
Colts @ Texans
Vikings @ Lions
Eagles @ Jets
Cardinals @ Bears
Chargers @ Bengals
Buccaneers @ Falcons
Football Team @ Raiders
49ers @ Seahawks
Jaguars @ Rams
Ravens @ Steelers
Broncos @ Chiefs

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