Jaguars @ Eagles
Final Score: PHI 28 – JAX 23
Writer: Chris Helle (@ChrisHelleQBL on Twitter)
The Eagles, repping their Kelly Green jerseys, welcomed the struggling Jaguars to Lincoln Financial Field with open arms. The game started as many may have expected. After a muffed punt, Jalen Hurts threw a 20-yard touchdown to Saquon Barkley on a wheel route. Each team traded a few punts before Jake Elliott connected on a 43-yard field goal to go up 10-0. Both teams then vied for field position as they each failed 4th down conversion attempts and then traded punts again. Travis Etienne bobbled a very catchable ball, deflecting it up in the air enough for Zach Baun to make a diving interception. With a short field, it wasn’t long before Saquon broke off another touchdown, this time on the ground. The Eagles forced a punt and got another rushing touchdown, this time from Hurts after keeping a read-option; however, the score was only 22-0 because the Jaguars stuffed the “brotherly shove” on both 2-point attempts. Trevor Lawrence found his groove and marched the offense down to the 1-yard line before getting a touchdown on a QB sneak and connecting with Brian Thomas Jr. on the ensuing 2-point conversion. Disaster struck for the Eagles as Saquon fumbled the ball, and Travon Walker returned it for a touchdown. Lawrence found Evan Engram in the corner for the 2-point conversion, and it was quickly a 1-score game at 16-22. Deep in Jacksonville territory, another questionable coaching decision attempting to go for it on 4th down failed to convert. After a Jaguars punt, Devonta Smith hauled in an incredible 1-handed touchdown, but another failed 2-point conversion kept the score at 28-16. Lawrence struck back with a scramble up the middle for his second rushing touchdown of the game. A missed 57-yard field goal from the Eagles opened the door for Jacksonville to lead a potentially game-winning drive. Lawrence got his squad down to Philly’s 13-yard line but threw an interception intended for D’Ernest Johnson.
Two Up
- Devonta Smith – His second week in a row with an incredible touchdown catch. A.J. Brown was also injured during the game, so more opportunities may come his way should he miss any time.
- Evan Engram – The absence of Christian Kirk seems to always result in Engram soaking up the targets.
Two Down
- A.J. Brown – It seemed like he had returned to full form after coming back from his hamstring injury, but tweaking his knee in the 2nd quarter kept him from returning to the game.
- Travis Etienne – Another inefficient day on the ground, and now handing away an interception. This man seems to be a walking embodiment of the “yips.”
Jacksonville Jaguars
Quarterback
Trevor Lawrence: 16/31 169 Yards, 2 INTs | 5 Attempts, 8 Yards, 2 TDs
This was nearly a game of two halves for Lawrence. He started the game just 4/12 with an interception (even though it was entirely Etienne’s fault). He deserves credit for rallying his team back into the game by riding the momentum from a defensive touchdown and nearly pulling out the win. The second interception was the dagger that ended the game, and that was entirely his fault for a bad throw. While the inaccurate throws were sprinkled in, there were a few passes that were decently thrown but simply broken up by the defender. He was also under duress more times than not and was forced to make throws on the move. He is very mobile, though, and was able to extend several plays despite rarely electing to scramble it up the field. One of his rushing touchdowns was a scramble he took to the house, so maybe he should consider keeping it more. He should also consider looking toward Brian Thomas Jr. more, too.
Running Back
Travis Etienne: 3 Attempts, 24 Yards | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 6 Yards
Tank Bigsby: 8 Attempts, 22 Yards
D’Ernest Johnson: 2 Attempts, 6 Yards | 1 Target, 0 Receptions
The Jaguars were playing from behind from the get-go to make sense of the mere 13 combined rushes from these RBs. Travis Etienne did have the longest rush of the day out of the group, though his snap share seemed to have taken a hit after handing away an interception. Tank Bigsby’s explosiveness was seen best on a kick return he took out to the 40-yard line. D’Ernest Johnson was also put in the game more often in the red zone, and he had a goal-line carry that was stuffed for no gain, including the target on Lawrence’s final interception that was aimed to be in the end zone.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Christian Kirk: DNP
Gabe Davis: DNP
Evan Engram: 10 Targets, 5 Receptions, 45 Yards
Parker Washington: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 41 Yards
Brian Thomas Jr.: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 22 Yards
Austin Trammell: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 40 Yards, 1 fumble
Tim Jones: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 10 Yards
Luke Farrell: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 5 Yards
Parker Washington stepped into a bigger role out wide with Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis both sidelined with injuries. His snap counts may have taken a minor hit after he was thrown back into punt return duties following Austin Trammell fumbling the first return. Lawrence mostly looked the way of Evan Engram, who had two of his targets broken up by the defenders and three other incompletions from bad throws. It was an oddly quiet day for Brian Thomas Jr., who was often being guarded by the Eagles’ first-round pick, Quinyon Mitchell. Nonetheless, all of the pass catchers were stymied by Lawrence’s struggles under pressure.
Philadelphia Eagles
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts: 18/24 230 Yards, 2 TDs | 13 Attempts, 21 Yards, 1 TD
An asterisk should be put next to the fact this is Hurts’ 4th straight game without a turnover because he had two throws he sailed over the middle that were nearly intercepted. With that said, it’s his third straight game with touchdowns coming both from the air and on the ground, with his rushing touchdown being an impressive 18-yard keep on a read option. He looks as mobile as ever, though his efficiency through the air may take a step back should A.J. Brown miss any time.
Running Back
Saquon Barkley: 27 Attempts, 159 Yards, 1 TD, 1 fumble | 4 Target, 3 Reception, 40 Yards, 1 TD
Kenneth Gainwell: 5 Attempts, 9 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 1 Yard
Saquon Barkley added another gem to his highlight reel after breaking tackles and doing a reverse, no-look, backward hurdle. This was his 7th game breaking 100 scrimmage yards, which would be expected for a guy of his talent being given 30 touches behind a good offensive line. It was another game with one of his patented wheel-route receiving touchdowns as well.
https://www.twitter.com/Eagles/status/1853191937022480891
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Dallas Goedert: DNP
A.J. Brown: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 36 Yards
Devonta Smith: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 87 Yards, 1 TD
Grant Calcaterra: 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 30 Yards
Jahan Dotson: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 36 Yards
Ainias Smith: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 0 Yards | 1 Attempt, 2 Yards
Ben VanSumeren: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 0 Yards
A few storylines came out from this receiving corps. A.J. Brown exited the game in the second quarter after what was said to be a knee injury, the severity of which is to be determined. In his stead, Devonta Smith hauled in a one-handed grab in the back of the endzone for his fourth touchdown of the season. Filling in for Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra is a reliable relief valve to bring in those short grabs in the flat and on quick outs. Finally, Jahan Dotson saw only 1 target, but it was a very impressive contested grab to convert a 3rd & long. Should A.J. Brown miss any time, Devonta will be the obvious number 1 here, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Calcaterra and Dotson get more usage.
https://www.twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1853224773326672062