There’s a cadence during the NFL season that can be disrupted when a team plays on Monday Night Football. It can disrupt the fan base, too. You usually have a chance for Monday morning quarterbacking from the day before. Tuesday is a transition day for the next week’s game. By Wednesday, you’re all in on the next opponent.
That schedule is different this week — and it narrows the lead-up to one of the most-anticipated games of the year: Eagles-Lions, a matchup of two of the best teams from last season and two of the top contenders this season.
With that in mind, let’s wrap up the Eagles-Packers game with eight Eagles thoughts and turn the attention to the Lions game:
1. The biggest difference with the Eagles before and after the bye week was apparent when reviewing the playing time of the edge rushers in the 10-7 win over the Green Bay Packers.
Jaelan Phillips played 53 of 68 defensive snaps. Jalyx Hunt played 43 snaps. Nolan Smith played 19 snaps. Brandon Graham played 10 snaps. Josh Uche and Patrick Johnson didn’t play on defense. The Eagles received 115 snaps from edge rushers who were not on the active roster two weeks earlier. Only one edge rusher who played against the Giants before the bye week took a defensive snap against the Packers. The acquisition of Phillips, the health of Smith, and the unretirement of Graham created a seismic shift at a premium position for the Eagles — and should be a major source of optimism about the defense’s upside for the back stretch of the season and the playoffs.
Phillips’ debut was outstanding, as Brooks Kubena documented, and Phillips’ playing time demonstrates Fangio’s confidence in him. Phillips played more defensive snaps than any Eagles edge rusher this season, and there’s reason to think this could increase. In fact, the six games with the highest percentage of defensive snaps for Phillips came while Vic Fangio was his defensive coordinator in 2023. So much was about his ability to upgrade the Eagles’ pass rush, but the way he played against the run might be more of a revelation. (“It’s a bit of a pride thing,” Phillips said. “Pass rush is more finesse, more sexy. But stopping the run is gritty. It’s hard. It takes toughness.”) His size and strength give the Eagles a dimension they lacked earlier in the season. His six tackles were his most this season and his most since he played for Fangio in 2023.
You can expect Smith to earn more work as he gets healthier — he’s the only player to take more snaps at edge rusher since Fangio became defensive coordinator — and it’s important to remember that he was supposed to be the top edge rusher for the Eagles with athleticism and physicality that helped the Eagles’ Super Bowl push last season. Hunt will likely have his playing time dip to accommodate Smith. But Hunt continues to improve and deserves to be on the field. This is a top three that can be Super Bowl-worthy, and it was part of the benefit of the Phillips trade. It did not just improve the roster, but it also slotted everyone on the depth chart — almost like a pitching staff that adds an ace. Suddenly, the No. 2 pitcher and No. 3 pitchers seem even better.
Consider this: Uche averaged 30 defensive snaps in the previous five games. He was solid for the Eagles, but to go from 30 snaps per game to zero shows how much the defense has improved. They now have high-level talent with different body types and skill sets. The ceiling of the defense is higher because of the Phillips addition.
2. Speaking of playing time conundrums, I might need to concede I was wrong at linebacker after one week. In my second-half predictions, I said Jihaad Campbell will play more than Nakobe Dean because of his length and range in the passing game. Watching Dean on Monday, I don’t know how you take him off the field much more. He was a productive player last year, suffered a major injury in the playoffs, and somehow looks even better now without a training camp or preseason. The instincts are what jump out to me. He’s in the right spot at all times. And his presence seems to have a residual effect on the rest of the defense.
I don’t know what the solution to this would be for the Eagles. They’re both going to play. Zack Baun played 68 snaps, Dean played 44 snaps, Campbell played 34 snaps. Campbell might continue to be used as a versatile player who can play off the ball and set the edge, but it’s hard to see him taking the majority of snaps at linebacker if Dean continues playing at this level.
There’s also the long-term question. Campbell is a first-round pick who will only get better. Dean is in the last year of his contract. This isn’t 1995 when you play three off-ball linebackers. I don’t like the expression “it’s a good problem to have” because it’s ultimately something that still requires a solution, but barring injury, the Eagles will need to keep a good linebacker on the sideline for most of the game.
3. The news that Jaire Alexander is stepping away from football adds an unexpected wrinkle to the cornerback competition, although at the time of the trade, the belief was never that Alexander would be handed that job. The price of the trade (an exchange of late-round picks) suggested this was more of a dart throw than a solution. The Eagles activated Jakorian Bennett from injured reserve and placed Alexander on the reserve/retired list on Wednesday. Unless Alexander returns, the cornerback situation appears the same as it was entering the situation: Adoree’ Jackson, Kelee Ringo, or Bennett. Jackson played better on Monday and would seem to be the front-runner to remain the starter, but I wouldn’t dismiss the chance that Bennett wins the job. He had usurped Ringo on the depth chart before his Week 3 injury and seemed to be pushing Jackson. The Eagles never built a full evaluation of him, though, to make him a starter.
“I just never felt like I had a good handle on what he is and what he isn’t,” Fangio said. “I just don’t think he played enough to answer that with definitive conviction.”
Is Week 11 the chance to start to build that conviction? This is why I wrote last week that the Eagles won’t be any closer to finding that certain starter. And I still expect matchups in which Cooper DeJean plays on the outside and Michael Carter II plays the slot, but there doesn’t seem to be interest at this point in making that the permanent solution.
Also, it’s worth noting: Alexander passed his physical and the trade was official, so my understanding is the Eagles do not get their draft pick back. The issue came up after the fact.
“We were just really excited to get him in here, and just know he’s stepping away for health reasons, and wish him the best,” coach Nick Sirianni said.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said he stood by his end-of-game decisions against the Packers. (Jeff Hanisch / Imagn Images)
4. So, let’s discuss the end-of-game sequence. The Eagles had first-and-10 on the Packers’ 39-yard line with 1:26 remaining in a 10-7 game. The Packers had two timeouts. The Eagles ran the ball twice and forced the Packers to use their timeouts to set up a third-and-7 at the 36-yard line. They ran the ball again and gained one yard, setting up a fourth-and-6 at the 35-yard line. After letting the clock run and calling a timeout, the Eagles kept their offense on the field for a fourth-and-6 at the 35-yard line.
You saw what happened: Hurts threw deep to A.J. Brown, and the pass was incomplete. The decision was panned on the broadcast and on social media. Mind you, this was not a data-based decision — the data suggested to punt in that situation — and was more based on Sirianni’s gut not to want to go from three points to six points (as they did against Atlanta in a loss last year) or give the Packers favorable field position on a missed field goal. Here was Sirianni’s explanation of his decision:
“So at the end of the game, we were up three and I would have liked to be in a little closer to kick a field goal. Again, you play every situation a little bit differently, but it was into the wind on that one. I knew the kick would have to be a little bit lower trajectory of a kick on that particular one. I’ve got a lot of faith in our offense. It didn’t work out on this one.
“We just didn’t get it, but I stand put on that decision, especially being up three because you go up six, they are still going to need a touchdown. So we would have ended the game if we would have got that and I’ve got a lot of faith in our guys to be able to do that. But the reason I didn’t kick the field goal, again, being up three, it was just the trajectory into the wind there on that particular one.”
When I asked the question, I didn’t think about the field goal part of it. I figured go for it or punt.
I’m usually in favor of ending the game with the ball in your hands and taking the odds of a fourth-down conversion over giving the other team the ball down three points — but I did not like the play call. You need six yards, not the dagger downfield to Brown. Sirianni compared it to a game against Cleveland last year and Minnesota this season, but those situations were different.
Against Cleveland, the deep ball to Brown came on a second-and-11 while the Browns had one timeout coming out of the two-minute warning. It was not a fourth down. Against Minnesota, it was a third-and-9. These were not apples-for-apples comparisons.
It’s fair to wonder if there was improvisation, considering Hurts and Brown have improvised in end-of-game scenarios before (against Seattle in 2023, for example) and DeVonta Smith mentioned on ESPN after the game that there was a decision between Hurts and Brown on the play. The play designs often have options built into them with route adjustments based on coverage. Sirianni insisted he knew exactly what the play was. Sirianni has taken the bullets for his players before. There might well be more here, but it’s correct to suggest there are options built into the play.
If the decision is to go for it, I would have at least gone with a play with a better conversion chance or perhaps sequenced the plays differently and been more aggressive on third down, knowing you were working with two downs. Perhaps a high-percentage pass to the flat on third down to get Barkley into space (like the third-down pass he dropped against the Falcons last season)? This is all second-guessing, of course, but it’s the topic du jour in Philly this week. They’re 7-2, though, so the decisions are working in the aggregate.
5. Let’s also discuss the end-of-half situation. The Eagles had a third-and-6 at their 39-yard line with 11 seconds to go. They decided to hand the ball off to Will Shipley. That’s the exact situation in which I would have been aggressive. You’re about 20-25 yards from field goal range. The Packers only have one timeout. If that play is incomplete, you punt on fourth down. If the ball is intercepted, it’s a long punt.
Sirianni said he wanted to create a situation where the Eagles would have one last chance, as they did on a fourth down. But I would have been aggressive to try to set up a field goal. Sitting on the ball with Shipley seemed to lack aggression — and it’s not the first time the Eagles did so this season. I asked Sirianni about it earlier in the year, and he said he studies every end-of-half situation in the league and takes the clock and timeouts into account.
“We have a formula for when we do, when we don’t,” Sirianni said.
I don’t know their formula, but if you’re going to be aggressive at the end of the game, why not be aggressive at the end of the half?
6. DeVonta Smith’s contested catch ability deserves even more praise. How many times have you seen touchdown catches when he looks like Randy Moss against the cornerback?
With Brown, you often hear the expression that it’s not a 50-50 ball. Same thing with Smith, although you might not expect that from a 170-pound receiver. He’s lauded for how precise he is with his routes. He’s more than a technician, though, as he’s proven this year. Smith is tied for No. 7 in the NFL in contested catches, according to Pro Football Focus.
“I feel like I am one of the best guys at 50-50 balls,” Smith said. “The quarterback says he’s going to give me a chance and I take pride in that to go make that play for him.”
Teammates discuss his work with the JUGS machine, but this is more than just catching the ball in practice. He traces it back to his youth.
“Part of it was growing up playing basketball and things like that, playing above the rim. I was an above-the-rim guy,” Smith said. “I feel like they kind of helped me a little bit.”
Smith said the most important element is “focusing on the ball,” which might seem obvious. It’s not as obvious as one might think because, as he expected, there’s traffic when you jump. It’s easy to think about where the defender is or the spatial awareness of where he might fall, but the key is identifying the ball while in the air. There’s body control, timing, and strong hands.
7. The Fred Johnson acquisition continues to prove fruitful for the Eagles. Nobody can replace Lane Johnson, but Fred Johnson has proven to be one of the top utility linemen in the league and demonstrated that ability while filling in again on Monday. He left this offseason for a chance to start in Jacksonville, and when the Jaguars didn’t start him, Howie Roseman was smart to re-acquire him. Johnson has already played 22 percent of the offensive snaps this season. He’ll continue to have a role as the extra offensive lineman in heavy packages. His role as the top reserve at both tackle spots could prove to be critical for the Eagles, especially because they lacked a swing tackle after training camp.
8. Finally, Eagles-Lions. We’ll have more on this matchup later in the week — it’s the game football fans never had the chance to see in the NFC Championship Game last season — and it could potentially have significant implications on the postseason seeding. Consider this: A victory could give the Eagles a 52 percent chance of the No. 1 seed compared to a 35 percent chance if they lose, according to The Athletic’s playoff simulator:
It’s not hyperbole to suggest this is the biggest game remaining, especially because nobody in the NFC East is likely to challenge the Eagles for the division crown.