The Linc – “Unacceptable” performance from the Eagles’ DL

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 11/8/21.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Defense remains miserable, and more in Roob’s observations – NBCSP
1. Justin Herbert became the latest QB to put up huge numbers on the Eagles, and considering Avonte Maddox and Darius Slay both got banged up and had to leave the game, the Eagles didn’t have many answers for the Chargers’ passing attack. They finished the game with rookie 4th-round pick Zech McPhearson at outside corner and Andre Chachere in the slot. McPhearson had never played defense in his career and Chachere had only played 20 snaps. They played as well as you could have hoped, but to me the blame for Herbert’s passing success lies squarely on the defensive line. This is a banged-up Chargers o-line, but Herbert had all the time he needed in the pocket, and he’s too good to let him just stand there and find open receivers. Herbert dropped back 37 times and didn’t get sacked. Or even hit. The Eagles have been held without a sack three of the last four weeks, and considering that the d-line is the highest-paid and most decorated position group on the roster, that’s flat-out unacceptable.

Handing out 10 awards from the Eagles-Chargers game – PhillyVoice
1) The ‘No Show’ Award: The Eagles’ defensive line. A lot of the blame for this loss will no doubt fall on the shoulders of Jonathan Gannon, as well it should, but there was no bigger culprit than the play of the Eagles’ defensive line. On the night, Justin Herbert wasn’t sacked, which isn’t great (duh), but he was also only hit once! And that hit came via cornerback Steven Nelson. And he was flagged on the play for roughing the passer, lol. The Eagles have dumped a boatload of financial and draft resources into their defensive line, and they were a complete no show Sunday evening.

Eagles lose back-and-forth game to Chargers, 27 to 24 – BGN
This was a tough loss for the Birds. They played some good football against a quality opponent but their efforts ultimately weren’t enough. Jalen Hurts had some good drive in the second half but left some points on the board in the first half. The defense got some big stops but still ultimately allowed the Chargers to move the ball too easily, with Justin Herbert completing 84.2% of his attempts for 356 yards, two throwing touchdowns, a 123.2 passer rating, and one rushing score. Overall, it was a respectable showing from the Eagles. But a moral victory is much less satisfying than an actual win.

BGN Instant Reaction Show: The good and bad from Eagles Week 9 loss to Chargers – BGN Radio
Jessica Towne Taylor and Eytan Shander unload the Eagles Week 9 loss to the Chargers, 27-24. DeVonta Smith is a bright spot while the Eagles defense remains an area in need of improvement.

Does it matter how you lose? Eagles show growth versus Chargers, but is that enough for Jalen Hurts, Nick Sirianni? – The Athletic
There’s no column for “growth” in the standings, and the hard truth that anyone at the stoplights at Broad Street and Pattison Avenue on Sunday evening would have realized was that even if the scenes were more entertaining, this script has been written before. The Eagles’ quarterback didn’t do enough, and the opposing quarterback did too much against their defense. For as well as Jalen Hurts played on the offense’s final drive, and as important as it was for the Eagles to stop the Chargers twice on fourth down in the first half, the discrepancy between Hurts and Justin Herbert’s production was evident in the loss — just as it has been in most of the Eagles’ losses this season. Hurts finished 11-of-17 for 162 yards with one touchdown to go along with 62 rushing yards. Herbert finished 32-of-38 for 356 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a score.

Eagles’ loss to Chargers showed Jalen Hurts would be the perfect QB here … in another era of football – Inquirer
It’s a hard place that Hurts finds himself with the Eagles. Compare him to other quarterbacks the team has faced this season — Tom Brady; Patrick Mahomes; Dak Prescott; his counterpart Sunday, Justin Herbert — and Hurts’ physical and technical limitations become clear. He doesn’t have the arm strength of those players, doesn’t have their mastery of reading and reacting to a defense. Those limitations are why, finally, Sirianni has begun relying more on the Eagles’ running backs in the last two weeks and why the offense looks better for it. He’s not asking as much of Hurts, just the occasional terrific play at an important moment. But in the reality of the modern NFL, a team that considers itself a true championship contender probably can’t thrive with that kind of approach, with that kind of quarterback. No team, least of all the Eagles, wants to place its trust in a quarterback’s intangibles and work around his tangible weaknesses. Every team wants what the Eagles thought they would have with Carson Wentz and what the Chargers believe they have in Herbert.

Stopless – Iggles Blitz
On the opening drive, Hurts had Dallas Goedert open for a long TD and missed him. Hurts was under pressure, but those are the plays you have to make if you want to be a starting NFL QB. There was also a third and goal play where DeVonta Smith came open and Hurts missed him. Those errant throws cost the Eagles 11 points.

NFL Week 9 takeaways: What we learned, big questions for every game and future team outlooks – ESPN
Can the Eagles sustain this offensive identity? Philadelphia dominated on the ground for a second straight week (39 rushes, 176 yards, 2 TDs). The formula is clear: The Eagles need to feature a run-heavy attack and build the play-action off it. But the Lions and Chargers have two of the worst run defenses in the NFL. It’s to be determined whether coach Nick Sirianni will stick to the run consistently when there’s more resistance on the other end.

NFL Week 9 Game Recap: Los Angeles Chargers 27, Philadelphia Eagles 24 – PFF
Philadelphia’s secondary was torched throughout the defeat, conceding receptions on 18 of their 22 unit-wide targets for 244 yards and one touchdown. Despite suffering a hamstring injury that forced him out for the entirety of the fourth quarter, cornerback Darius Slay surrendered a game-high five receptions on seven targets for 86 yards and a touchdown.

Justin Herbert bounces back, breaks another record – Bolts From The Blue
After two of his worst games as a pro, Justin Herbert bounced back big time for the Los Angeles Chargers against the Philadelphia Eagles. In his last two games Herbert completed 56% and 51% of his passes consecutively and threw 3 interceptions over those games. Today Herbert completed 32 of his 38 attempts, good for 84% completion percentage, with 3 total touchdowns and 0 turnovers.

Week 9: Deep Breaths At NFL’s Midseason, Or Overreaction Monday? Who Knows After Another Wild Week – FMIA
Offensive Players of the Week: Justin Herbert, quarterback, L.A. Chargers. Young quarterbacks have ups and downs in the NFL, and Herbert’s mostly had ups . . . till the last couple of games, when the Ravens and Patriots got the best of him, decisively. Herbert turned the tables Sunday in Philadelphia. Herbert led the Chargers with a 32-of-38 performance for 356 yards and three TDs—two passing, one running. The win over the Eagles left the Chargers tied for first in the tightest division race in football.

Raiders reportedly signing receiver DeSean Jackson – Silver And Black Pride
The fact that Jackson is headed to Las Vegas is not a shock. Longtime NFL reporter Mike Silver reported on Saturday that the Raiders and Jackson had a Zoom meeting. It is somewhat of a surprise that a team would add any player an hour after a game, however. Jackson, who turns 35 next month, should be available to play next Sunday when the Raiders host the Kansas City Chiefs.

Multiple teams offered packages, including three first-round picks, for Deshaun Watson – NFL.com
The Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins both engaged with the Texans in the week leading up to the deadline. But Panthers owner David Tepper decided not to move forward before the deadline, and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross followed suit hours before Tuesday’s deadline in part because Watson hadn’t settled the civil cases. The Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos also did due diligence on Watson and could re-engage in the offseason.

Dallas Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos: 1 winner and 9 losers from the most deflating game of the season – Blogging The Boys
Loser: Dak Prescott. This was one of the worst games of Dak Prescott’s career. By far. We have often felt that Prescott is capable of willing the Cowboys to victory or some sort of success, but on Sunday that well was empty. Prescott was off and all over the place, trying to hit home runs instead of taking what was right in front of him (which admittedly wasn’t much). The game and blame starts and ends with Prescott. It was his first game since the Cowboys visited New England, but it was not worth remembering at all.

‘Things I think’ after Giants defeat Raiders for third victory of the season – Big Blue View
I can’t take credit for realizing this — that goes to Zack Rosenblatt of NJ Advance Media. The Giants’ 3-6 record is their BEST mark after nine games of a season since they went to the playoffs in 2016. Now, that certainly isn’t a mark of improvement. It’s really a black eye, speaking to just how awful the Giants have been the past 4+ seasons. Still … the Giants have lost games they had in their control to Washington, Atlanta and Kansas City this season. How different would the narrative about the Giants be if they had won those games and were 6-3? Or, if they had won two of them and were 5-4? It just speaks to how narrow the difference is in the NFL between success and failure.

Sunday Late Night Wrap Up #9: Titans smother the Rams + Upsets reign supreme – The SB Nation NFL Show
Find out the storylines, biggest injuries, and everything else you need to know from Week 9. Rob “Stats” Guerrera recaps every game that was played as only we can here at SB Nation.

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