Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Jets
Final Score: Jets 20, Eagles 14
Writer: Adam Nardelli (@adamnardelli on Twitter)
A nice fall late afternoon kickoff at MetLife stadium could’ve started a lot worse for the Jets if it weren’t for some Eagles’ mistakes. A D’Andre Swift fumble stripped out by CJ Mosley, and a catch by Dallas Goedert that was punched out into Quinnen Williams’ arms kept the score to a 14-9 Eagles lead at the half.
This looked like it could be another second half where the Eagles grind out a win with their run game and offensive line, but a first-half injury to Right Tackle Lane Johnson and some untimely second-half interceptions from 125740 helped change the landscape of the game. The unbeaten Eagles were actually held scoreless in the second half but held a 14-12 lead until Hurts threw his third interception of the day with 1:50 left in the fourth quarter. The Jets almost immediately scored on a Breece Hall 8-yard touchdown run (maybe too quick), which ultimately proved to be enough for the Jets to get their first-ever win as a franchise vs the Eagles.
Besides the three interceptions by Hurts, a major difference in the game was the Eagles’ struggles in the run game. New York only allowed 80 yards on the ground to a team that already has two games where they piled up over 200 rushing yards.
Three Up
- AJ Brown – I’m not sure if he can go anymore up, but when you’re breaking records I guess I have to put you in this category (more on the later).
- Garrett Wilson: After a disappointing Week 5, Wilson reminded fantasy managers why they took him so high in drafts. The 33-yard catch over Eagles DB Josh Jobe in the third quarter is worth checking out if you haven’t seen it.
- Breece Hall: Even when he couldn’t get anything going on the ground, Hall came up big as a receiver, showing he can get it done in multiple ways.
Three Down
- Dalvin Cook – Another week where he continues to look like an afterthought with minimal usage in both the run and passing game.
- Tyler Conklin – Just when I thought maybe Conklin could provide a good floor, he came back down to earth.
- DeVonta Smith: His PPR stat line wasn’t bad, but he had two easy drops and two straight relatively disappointing outings for how good we all know he can be.
Philadelphia Eagles
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts: 28/45 280 yards, 2 TD (1 rushing), 3 INTs, 47 rushing yards, sacked two times for 12 yards
The best players in fantasy are the guys who still give you good numbers despite having bad games in real life. That was Jalen Hurts today. Even in his worst game of 2023, Hurts was still fun to watch, like when he somehow got out of the pocket, ran away from defenders, and completed a pass downfield to Devonta Smith for 22 yards at the end of the third quarter. 47 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown (originally was called a fumble but was overturned) helped offset the points lost by the three interceptions.
To be fair, his first interception was knocked out of Dallas Goedert’s hands and landed right in the bread basket for Quiennen Williams, but there definitely were some uncharacteristic decisions by Hurts today. Six second-half drives that resulted in no points is relatively shocking for how good the Eagles have been. He was able to lead the Eagles to the redzone on a fourth-quarter drive highlighted by a 36-yard pass to AJ Brown, but Jake Elliott actually missed a 37-yard field goal.
It was a disappointing day for one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league, but he’s a smart enough player that he’ll undoubtedly learn from the mistakes made against the Jets and be better for it.
Running Back
D’Andre Swift: 10 Carries, 18 yards, 10 targets, 8 receptions, 40 yards, TD
Clearly, the Jets emphasized stopping the run as Swift averaged less than two yards per carry on ten of them. He was still utilized well in the passing game, which helped prevent Swift from having a dud fantasy day. Remember when it was said to not draft Swift because the Eagles don’t use running backs in the passing game? That seems like forever ago after his eight catches on ten targets today (16 targets over the last two weeks).
Kenneth Gainwell: 2 carries,13 yards, 2 targets, 1 reception, 4 yards
We know Swift is the main running back, but another game with very limited involvement in the passing game makes it hard to think Gainwell will ever be fantasy-relevant as long as Swift is healthy.
Boston Scott: 1 target, 1 reception, 14 yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
AJ Brown: 9 targets, 7 receptions, 131 yards
There’s not much more to say than Brown continues to be the elite alpha WR1 for one of the league’s best offenses. He’s the first Eagles player ever to have four consecutive games of 125 or more receiving yards. He was involved early and often as Brown had 89 receiving yards in the first half. His second half was highlighted by a 36-yard reception along the sidelines.
Devonta Smith: 11 targets, 5 receptions, 44 yards
Smith left a lot of yards (and fantasy points) out on the field today. Only catching five of his eleven targets is discouraging, none more than when he dropped a wide-open catch early in the third quarter that would’ve made his day in the stat sheet look a lot different. It was a day of missed opportunities for the Eagles as a whole, and that rang true for the former Heisman Trophy winner as well.
Dallas Goedert: 8 targets, 5 receptions, 42 yards
You’ll never complain about eight targets at the tight end position, but it felt like Goedert could’ve done a lot more with those opportunities than just putting up 42 yards. He wasn’t able to secure a catch in the second quarter that ended up going down as an interception for Hurts. It wasn’t the worst day for Goedert, but we all know he’s capable of a lot more
Olamide Zaccheaus: 2 targets, 1 reception, 5 yards
New York Jets
Quarterback
Zach Wilson: 19/33, 186 yards, 4 carries, 15 yards, sacked 5 times for 31 yards
Another so-so day for Wilson, he at least protected the ball and at the end of the day never did anything to lose the game for the Jets. He led a nice drive late in the second quarter that included a 14-yard pass to Tyler Conklin and a screen pass that Breece Hall took 25 yards. The drive stalled, however, after Wilson was sacked for a six-yard loss on third down, forcing them to settle for a field goal. Wilson showed he hasn’t shaken the potential game-changing mistakes when he took a huge sack for a 12-yard loss on a naked bootleg in the red zone that forced the Jets once again to settle for a field goal in the third quarter. Maybe the most encouraging part of Wilson’s day is his connection with Garrett Wilson looks to be heating up.
Running Back
Breece Hall: 12 carries, 39 yards TD, 5 targets, 5 receptions, 54 yards
Similar to D’Andre Swift, Hall was shut down in the running game for the most part but got involved in the passing game with a 25-yard catch and run in the second quarter leading to a field goal. All together 54 yards through the air is very encouraging and shows how Hall truly is the complete package at running back. I think we can all agree the Eagles let Hall score the game-winning 8-yard touchdown, but points are points in fantasy.
Dalvin Cook: 3 carries, 12 yards, 1 target, 1 reception, 2 yards
Sure he averaged four yards a carry, but on three carries it doesn’t mean much. I’ve been saying for a few weeks he looks to be an afterthought in this offense and that continued today. It appears he’ll only have fantasy value with an injury to Hall.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Garrett Wilson: 12 targets, 8 receptions, 90 yards
Last week I wrote that fantasy managers should be wondering when the high draft capital in Wilson will pay off. They only had to wait one game. Wilson looked exactly like the player we all know he’s capable of being after an incredible 33-yard catch along the sidelines in the third quarter. A 25-yard reception that got the Jets into the red zone was negated by an illegal blindside block, but nevertheless, the Ohio State product didn’t disappoint against a banged-up Eagles secondary. His 12 targets were seven more than anyone else on the Jets. The Wilson-Wilson connection was cooking today, and hopefully is just the start of many more high-volume weeks for the 2022 first-round pick.
Tyler Conklin: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 24 yards
After a 14-yard reception in the second quarter, Conklin looked like he might have a third straight productive outing, but instead didn’t do much else and looks to be firmly back on the streaming radar.
Allen Lazard: 3 targets, 1 reception, 8 yards
Jeremy Ruckert: 1 target, 1 reception, 8 yards