What We Saw: Week 17

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Eagles @ Football Team

Final Score: Eagles 20, Football Team 16

Writer: Adam Sloate (@MrAdster99 on Twitter)

Washington couldn’t miss in the first half. They scored on each of their possessions, knocking in all 16 of their points in the first 30 minutes of the game. Taylor Heinicke found an open receiver on virtually every play, while the Football Team’s defense made key stops on third down to keep the Eagles mostly off the scoresheet. The good times didn’t last, as the Eagles regained their footing and scored 14 unanswered points to down Washington and maintain a playoff spot. Philadelphia’s defense shut down Heinicke and Co. in the second half, with the Football Team picking up just 89 yards across their four second-half possessions, 55 of which came on the final drive. Philadelphia will host Dallas next week, with both teams potentially resting starters, while Washington will travel up to New Jersey to take on the Giants in Week 18.

Philadelphia Eagles

Quarterback

Jalen Hurts: 17/26, 214 yards | 7 carries, 44 yards

It was a disappointing fantasy day for Hurts, but perhaps Eagles fans will be encouraged by the way Hurts found open receivers over and over again for big plays. I was wholly impressed by Hurts as a passer today (not really Hurts’ strength), especially on throws like these:

https://twitter.com/BrodesMedia/status/1477727453946818572

Greg Ward Jr. made a sweet catch here, but what I found most impressive was the way Hurts moved around in the pocket, kept the play alive, and then picked out Ward in a crowd of Washington defenders. He didn’t leave the pocket, which is something he regularly does when receivers aren’t open within 2-3 seconds, but it didn’t hurt him this time around.

And, of course, Hurts made some nice runs, too:

https://twitter.com/BrodesMedia/status/1477717562662215691

Even with Hurts rushing seven times today, I got the sense that he wasn’t as willing a runner as he has been previously. At the height of the Eagles’ emphasis on the rushing attack (ie against the Saints, Broncos, and Chargers), Hurts was rushing 10+ times and racking up 50+ rushing yards. Here, Hurts was less willing to step out of the pocket and pick up the necessary yardage with his legs, and I’m not sure if it was just in the game plan or if Hurts is still feeling the lingering effects of his previous ankle injury.

Those rushing attempts are key to opening up bigger rushing lanes for the Eagles’ running backs. Without those rushing attempts, defenses don’t have to respect Hurts’ running ability and adjust accordingly. I’m not sure Hurts is talented or skilled enough as a passer to pick apart defenses solely from the pocket, so I would have liked to see Hurts rush a little more. The Eagles were still able to keep the ball moving, even with Hurts’ muted rushing attack.

Speaking of attacks, FedEx Field apparently wasn’t pleased with Hurts or the Eagles:

#Eagles QB Jalen Hurts was sacked only once during today’s game. Almost had a second on his way to the locker room. pic.twitter.com/WwBE5pXaxO

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 2, 2022

Running Backs

Boston Scott: 14 carries, 47 yards, 2 TD | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 39 yards

Jordan Howard: 11 carries, 26 yards | 1 target

Boston Scott always saves his best games for NFC East opponents, it seems. Scott was instrumental to Philadelphia’s attack today, picking up key chunks of yardage in the second

half. He was also a popular target for Hurts, coming away with the second-most receptions for the Eagles.

Plus, he had this sweet run to cut the Football Team’s lead (it looked like Hurts killed this run before it even started):

https://twitter.com/BrodesMedia/status/1477728240592728067

As you can tell from the stat line, Scott wasn’t ripping off huge runs against the Football Team, but he was able to pick up the pace/yardage a bunch in the second half. As with the rest of the Eagles, he was able to move the ball much more effectively after halftime.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Dallas Goedert: 7 targets, 6 receptions, 71 yards

Devonta Smith: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 54 yards

Greg Ward: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 35 yards

Quez Watkins: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards

Well, I hope you didn’t have to start any of these guys, minus Dallas Goedert. Goedert was able to do what he usually does: serve as a safety blanket and a weapon for Hurts. If I was only allowed to show you one play from Goedert, it has to be this one:

https://twitter.com/BrodesMedia/status/1477726748271943687

Something about him falling into the kicker’s net and then onto the trainer’s table is hilarious to me.

The rest of the receivers? Well…not much there. Jalen Hurts narrowly missed Devonta Smith for a long touchdown pass on the same drive as the Goedert catch above, but Hurts put a little too much juice on it and overthrew Smith. Jalen Reagor is, well, not very present in the game plan. Quez Watkins would probably be better used if the Eagles took more deep shots down the field, but there wasn’t much for him today, either.

If you have a fantasy matchup extending into next week, I wouldn’t feel comfortable starting anyone in this receiving corps, with the exception of Dallas Goedert.

Washington Football Team

Quarterback

Taylor Heinicke: 27/36, 247 yards, INT | 2 carries, 14 yards

As I said in the introduction, Heinicke looked pretty good in the first half, but once the Eagles started to bring more pressure and muddy up the pocket in the second half, Heinicke looked lost. It sure doesn’t help that he was sacked three times in the second half, but he also had a handful of passes tipped or blocked at the line of scrimmage.

Heck of a pass here by Heinicke early on:

https://twitter.com/BrodesMedia/status/1477706846320353285

And, here’s Heinicke’s interception, which he, unfortunately, threw on the final possession of the game:

RODNEY MCLEOD INTERCEPTION FOR THE WIN 🔥

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/x3suTjp7A7

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 2, 2022

From my view, Heinicke just plain overthrew Jessie Bates. There may have been some funny business by the Eagles defender on Bates, but there really wasn’t much Bates could have done, with Heinicke putting a little too much mustard on that throw.

Overall, it wasn’t Heinicke’s best and it wasn’t his worst. If you’re looking for a QB to stream in Week 18, it might not be a bad idea to look Heinicke’s way, as he gets to play the truly terrible New York Giants’ defense.

Running Backs

Jaret Patterson: 12 carries, 57 yards, TD | 5 targets, 5 receptions, 41 yards

Wendell Smallwood: 4 carries, 12 yards | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards

Those of you who started Patterson in place of Antonio Gibson were likely thrilled to see him make this sweet run into the end zone:

You might remember this guy from @UBFootball …

Jaret Patterson finds the end zone early for WFT. pic.twitter.com/FbeRlt5Okc

— Rachel Lenzi 💁🏻‍♀️😎 (@rachelmlenzi) January 2, 2022

If he can keep squeezing through spaces in the offensive line like that, he will be a tremendous replacement for Gibson, if needed. It was also encouraging to see Patterson getting involved in the passing game when the carries dried up. If Gibson is out next week, Patterson is a great replacement option.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Terry McLaurin: 8 targets, 7 receptions, 61 yards

Cam Sims: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 48 yards

Jessie Bates: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 35 yards

McLaurin had some nice catches today, keeping the chains moving when Heinicke needed him to. Unfortunately, since the Football Team and Heinicke don’t really push the ball deep down the field, which is where McLaurin does his best work, there’s not much in the way of fantasy points for any Washington receiver.

Jessie Bates was obviously fairly involved in the passing game, but there were approximately only 3 red-zone targets for the Football Team, and Heinicke overthrew Bates on one, connected with Bates for a short gain on another, and Jaret Patterson took the third one. So, there wasn’t much for Bates to do, fantasy-wise, but it’s nice to see him get a little attention from Heinicke in that scenario. Bates seems like a better DFS option than a fantasy option next week.

Now, if McLaurin were ever to get a real QB? Watch out: