MVP? — 5 observations from Bills-Eagles a day later
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
Another game, another lousy first-half performance followed by an incredible second-half comeback led by the MVP frontrunner. That is the story of the 2023 Eagles, and it is not a bad thing by any means.
Jalen Hurts was inefficient in the first half and the Eagles, once again, trailed an AFC powerhouse by 10 points at halftime. And again, Hurts shook it off and led the Eagles to a dramatic win, this one coming in an absurd 37-34 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in front of 69,879 at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Eagles are 10-1 for the second straight year, and they are the first team in the NFL to clinch a playoff spot. This team just refuses to lose, and it is incredible.
Here are my five observations a day after the win:
MVP
Hurts may be able to throw the ball very well and run extremely fast and effectively, but his best ability is shaking off turnovers, mistakes, sacks, and any adversity.
He was terrible in the first half Monday night in Kansas City, netting just 20 passing yards and an interception. He was terrible in the first half Sunday against the Bills, netting just 30 passing yards and an interception. But with Hurts, it flat out does not matter.
Hurts has an insane ability to remain calm and focused no matter how bad things are. He is just different. And his calmness during times of adversity takes effect on all his teammates and everybody on the Eagles’ sideline. The Eagles have never had anything like it, and I am not sure the NFL has ever seen anything quite like it.
And his game-winning touchdown in overtime really just capped it all off. He is the MVP of this league.
A lot to fix on defense
There are a few negatives out of this fantastic victory and comes at the hand of the defense.
Overall, the Bills recorded 505 yards on the Eagles. It is the most the Eagles have allowed at the Linc since Washington had 521 in 2015. Chip Kelly was still their head coach.
Josh Allen threw 51 passes and the Eagles sacked him once. They allowed 339 passing yards and 173 rushing yards. The Bills were 13-for-22 on third down and 1-for-1 on fourth down.
The Eagles did force crucial two turnovers.
Overall, Sunday was the Eagles’ worst defensive performance over the last couple of years. A lot to fix going into a big game on Sunday against a powerhouse San Francisco 49ers offense.
Run. The. Ball.
Another negative award is handed to offensive coordinator Brian Johnson.
After Kenneth Gainwell’s career-long 23-yard touchdown run to set up the first score of the game, three of the Eagles’ next 18 plays were running back runs. Then all of a sudden midway through the third quarter, D’Andre Swift gets a carry and goes 36 yards to set up a touchdown. And then one of the biggest plays of the game was Swift’s 16-yard run down to the 12-yard-line one play before Hurts’ game-winning touchdown in overtime.
The Bills’ run defense is not very good. Johnson does this thing sometimes where he forgets about football’s oldest play: running the ball.
Johnson needs to stick with the ground aggression as the Eagles are really good at running the ball, and establishing a running game only increases the passing game’s effectiveness. The Eagles do not have to go to the ground for 60-70% of their plays but just run the ball enough to keep defenses off balance.
Smith’s emergence
DeVonta Smith has popped out as an elite receiver in the last few.
I am not saying he has not always been good, but these last four games he has been the best in his career. With 106 yards against the Bills, Smith has 23 catches for 355 yards and three touchdowns in his last four games.
A.J. Brown has been drawing so much attention from defenses that he only has 111 yards in the last three games, especially with Dallas Goedert out. The Eagles needed another weapon to come up huge with all these setbacks, and Smith has done that.
Jake the make
The Eagles currently have the best kicker in franchise history employed, and he has come up huge so many times over the past seven seasons.
Jake Elliott became the fifth kicker in NFL history with three career field goals of at least 59 yards. He is now 9-for-9 on game-tying or game-winning field goals in his career and 3-for-3 from 59 yards or farther.
His game-tying 59-yarder at the end of regulation was an absurdly challenging kick in the pouring rain and wild winds, and he really had to line-drive it to get it through the uprights. And he did it. He always does.
He is as clutch as any Eagles player who has ever worn the Kelly and midnight green.
