What We Saw: Week 5

The What We Saw team recaps everything you missed from Week 5

Ben Brown
What We Saw 7 Months Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Bears @ Commanders
Jaguars @ Bills
Texans @ Falcons
Panthers @ Lions
Titans @ Colts
Giants @ Dolphins
Saints @ Patriots
Ravens @ Steelers
Eagles @ Rams
Bengals @ Cardinals
Jets @ Broncos
Chiefs @ Vikings
Cowboys @ 49ers

Eagles @ Rams

Final Score: Eagles 23, Rams 14

Writer: Justin Herrera (@semtexmex93 on Twitter)

 

The Eagles took their 4-0 record into Los Angeles to face the 2021 Super Bowl Champion Rams. This was a special day as we saw the return of the 2021 Offensive Player of the Year, Cooper Kupp. The game got started with back and forth touchdowns, with the Rams taking a 14-10 lead with 32 seconds left on the clock. That’s when the Eagles took a 17-14 lead after driving downfield and finishing off a four play 75 yard drive with a “brotherly shove” into the end zone. After a competitive first half, the second half kind of disappointed as the Eagles upped the pressure and got to Stafford four times. In the end, the Rams couldn’t overcome the pressure and got outscored 6-0 in the second half. A good win on the road for the Philadelphia Eagles and a decent showing for a promising Rams squad.

Three Up

  • Cooper Kupp – Right back on track as a WR1 after being out for four weeks.
  • D’Andre Swift – Showcased his ability to be a workhorse back, and should have little to no competition going forward
  • Dallas Goedert – Huge day after being slept on for the first four weeks

Three Down

  • Matthew Stafford – Started out hot and cooled off faster then the Cowboys hype train
  • DeVonta Smith – Five targets, one reception for six yards…yikes!
  • Kyren Williams – 15 touches, 57 yards = meh

 

Philadelphia Eagles

 

Quarterback

 

Jalen Hurts: 25/38, 303 yards, TD, INT | 15 carries, 72 yards, TD

 

Jalen Hurts was on fire against the Rams defense. He did everything he needed to do in order to ensure the victory on Sunday. Hurts ran for 72 yards and a brotherly shove into the end zone. The Eagles’ QB was using his legs to extend drives and make plays. It really shows what having a QB that can squat 600 lbs does for a team. During open runs he was shredding tacklers left and right. The “brotherly shove” play works so well because he’s already a load to tackle and putting him behind this offensive line is so unfair that the league almost banned it.

Outside of his running, Hurts was also surgical as a passer, knowing when to take the check downs to Swift. While still getting huge chunk plays with AJ Brown. His one interception was a big blunder because he was looking to draw attention to Akhello Whitherspoon on a possible pass interference but instead underthrew the ball right into the defenders hands. Other than that mistake he was practically golden. He had a few misses to Quez Watkins, one would’ve been a TD if he would’ve seen him open in the back of the end zone. Hurts seems dialed in and should be firmly in the MVP conversation after a game like this.

Notes

  • The “brotherly shove” is unstoppable.
  • Hurts is really good at taking his shots especially when it’s to AJ Brown.
  • Getting Swift more involved in the passing game helped open up his game.

 

Running Back

 

D’Andre Swift: 17 carries, 70 yards | 6 targets, 6 receptions, 38 yards

 

D’Andre Swift didn’t do anything out of the ordinary this week. He wasn’t the big play machine that we’ve come to know and love in fantasy. Swift was something else entirely, he was a good running back. That’s right, he ran the ball well and made the conversions that he was asked to make. He had 108 yards on 23 touches, but it was the fact that he stayed upright and in the game that made this usage impressive. Swift has been notoriously injured in the past and hopefully he’s starting to shake the notion that he’s a glorified “scat” back. He’s the real deal and should continue to be the feature back in Philly.

Notes

  • Swift played really gritty all game.
  • He ran particularly well up the middle with his line handling Aaron Donald.

 

Kenneth Gainwell: 7 carries, 17 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 7 yards

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

A.J. Brown: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 127 yards

A.J. Brown is unguardable right now and on Sunday it looked like he was always open. The major highlight was his 36 yard one-handed catch. Brown was everywhere in this game, he caught the hitches, the crosssers, the nine routes. There wasn’t an area on the field that didn’t feel Brown’s presence. He’s been a monster this year and has really stepped up and taken over the mantle of WR1 in Philly.

Notes

  • Brown caught passes at every level and showed his versatility
  • Him palming the ball on the one handed catch was sick!
  • Easily was the best receiver on a field that included Cooper Kupp

Missed Opportunities

  • Missed out on a couple TDs with a PI call and an under thrown pass by Hurts

 

Dallas Goedert: 9 targets, 8 receptions, 117 yards, TD

Dallas Goedert finally got his big game. Goedert caught all four of his targets on the first drive for 45 yards and a TD. He got hot early with his first two catches going for 12 and 19 yards, but Goedert’s biggest play came in the third quarter. Goedert ran a nine route against a defensive end and broke off a 49 yard catch and run. It was nice to see Goedert back and involved with the offense. This team is much different when he’s catching the ball due to the mismatch he provides for them.

Notes

  • Goedert was all over the place catching five of his eight receptions in the first quarter.
  • Goedert is such a mismatch for linebackers and safeties.

 

DeVonta Smith : 5 targets, 1 reception, 6 yards 

Rough game for DeVonta Smith as he had five targets, while only bringing in one catch for six yards. He looked down on the sideline, but I wouldn’t be worried about him. Every dog has their day.

Missed Opportunities

  • Five targets and one catch. Everyone else was open and he was the odd man out.

 

Jack Stoll: 1 target, 1 reception, 4 yards

Quez Watkins: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 4 yards

 

Los Angeles Rams

 

Quarterback

 

Matthew Stafford: 21/37, 222 yards, 2 TD

Matthew Stafford played a game of halves, going 12/17 for 147 yard and two touchdowns. In the first half the offense looked quick and Stafford was darting that ball everywhere. Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp got 11 and 12 targets respectively. This game looked competitive for the first two quarters then the second half came and Stafford went 9/20 for 75 yards. Stafford faced a lot of pressure from the defense in the second half, getting sacked four times and forcing a lot of bad throws. One team adjusted at half time and the other stuck to the same game plan, the Rams were looking good till they weren’t.

Notes

  • Stafford leads the league in passes of 10+ yards and it’s apparent that this team can succeed with this offense
  • Stafford’s quick release to Kupp is near unguardable.

Missed Opportunities

  • Couldn’t take advantage of Hurts’ lone give away
  • The second half went dormant

 

Running Back

 

Kyren Williams: 13 carries, 53 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 4 yards,

Kyren Williams ran hard this week but the lack of goal line opportunities and overall run chances set him back this week. It was weird because every one of his runs looked like they were going forward, and he averaged 4.1 ypc. The Rams just strayed away from their normal game plan and focused on passing the ball downfield rather than using their rushing attack. Williams showed he could run well against a good defense and the Rams will have some plus matchups going into the next few weeks, so look for Williams to regain his status in Week 6.

Notes

  • He’s a hard runner that can get downhill in a hurry.
  • The game plan after the first half switched up to being more pass centric.

 

Ronnie Rivers: 1 carry, 1 yard

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Cooper Kupp: 12 targets, 8 receptions, 118 yards

Cooper Kupp came back after a four week stint on the IR and looked exactly the same. Kupp connected with Stafford on five of six targets for 56 yards. Shaking off the rust immediately and running non-stop option routes. Kupp came back and absolutely killed it on Sunday. His biggest catch of the night went for 39 yards and if he was in mid season shape, it might’ve gone for more. If there was one thing to nit pick it would be that he looked gassed right around the fourth quarter. Kupp is crazy good and continued to show why he was the triple crown winner and the 2021 offensive player of the year.

Notes

  • No corner could stick to him.
  • Looked gassed after three quarters
  • Route running is absolutely elite, a true showcase of talent.

Missed Opportunities

  • Missed out on a TD, on a screen pass that feel two yards short.
  • Gassed out on a 39 yard deep ball catch.

 

Puka Nacua: 11 targets, 7 receptions, 71 yards, TD

Puka Nacua was supposed to revert back into a pumpkin, not get one target less than Kupp. Nacua has offically proven that he’s Cooper Kupp’s clone and that two is always better than one. Against this elite defense Nacua was still able to reel in seven of eleven passes for 71 yards and a deep TD. Nacua ran a nine route against James Bradberry and went up and snag the TD over the veteran corner. This performance was once again a class on how being open is the best talent a receiver can possess. Nacua, much like Kupp, has the abilty to seperate enough off the line to allow Stafford to quickly get the ball out to them. In this game Nacua was used primarily in the short game and took the top off the defense to score the second Rams TD. Puka should continue to be a WR1-2 depending on the matchup, with or without Kupp.

Notes

  • Nacua is just as good as Kupp at running routes
  • He was one of the better deep threats in college and they finally showcased it.
  • Look out for Nacua-Kupp to be one of the better WR duos in the game

Tyler Higbee: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards

TuTu Atwell: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 9 yards, TD

TuTu Atwell scored on a three yard pass, but he was overthrown on a ball that could’ve been taken to the house for 50+ yards.

Series Navigation
Introduction
Bears @ Commanders
Jaguars @ Bills
Texans @ Falcons
Panthers @ Lions
Titans @ Colts
Giants @ Dolphins
Saints @ Patriots
Ravens @ Steelers
Eagles @ Rams
Bengals @ Cardinals
Jets @ Broncos
Chiefs @ Vikings
Cowboys @ 49ers

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