Eagles shine under the bright lights of Monday Night Football!
The stars were out as the Eagles opened the 2022 domestic season on Monday night time against the Minnesota Vikings. They peppered the stands stars from the arena of sports James Harden, Bryce Harper and film stars Bradley Cooper and tv actors Quinta Brunson and musicians Questlove and that they got here out in full throat and with first-rate power a top-time crowd for a Monday Night Football game.
In their 2nd recreation of the yr, the Eagles gave them all precisely what they wanted: A twine-to-twine win in a countrywide-highlight second, 24-7 over the Vikings that felt each bit as correct because of the final score. The Eagles served word of what happens while the offense places on a video-sport kind of performance and the defense clamps down on one of the high-quality attacks inside the NFL.
It was football poetry because the Eagles upped their report to two-0, and whilst the team will quickly wash the win and recognition on a street journey to Washington in a quick week, it becomes something to behold.
It felt tremendous out there, it actually did, said defensive address Fletcher Cox, who had 3 overall tackles, a quarterback sack, and a pressured fumble. It turned into electricity. The crowd becomes splendid. You ought to sense the strength and, guy, we just got here out flying round on offense and on defense.
The listing of standouts starts offevolved with quarterback Jalen Hurts due to the fact he turned into fantastic in every way from the very start of the sport. On the Eagles’ first ownership to open the game, Hurts completed all five of his passes to four one-of-a-kind receivers for 63 yards on an eleven-play, 82-backyard landing pressure that he ended with a 3-yard landing run on which Hurts dragged 3 defenders into the quit area.
Overall, Hurts turned into pretty much ideal: He finished 26 of 31 passes for 333 yards, one touchdown, and an interception a pass that went off the fingers of jogging returned Kenneth Gainwell and ran for fifty-seven yards and two touchdowns on 11 include. Hurts escaped stress whilst there was some, he threw to his receivers on time, he read everything the Vikings threw at him from a scheme point of view, and he brought in the take hold of. On a seventy-five-yard power that ended the primary half of with a Jake Elliott discipline intention to boost the result in 24-7, Hurts started with a primary down at the Philadelphia 5-yard line and gave the offense some breathing room with a nine-yard run. Instead of killing the clock and retaining a -touchdown lead, Head Coach Nick Sirianni had Hurts drop back and wing it.
We ran for a primary down there simply to get some room and then it was on Jalen and he stepped up and brought, a tight stop Dallas Goedert stated. Coach confirmed a variety of self-assurance within the offense, in Jalen specifically. Jalen become simply amazing.
Hurts definitely changed as he rushed the Eagles into the scoring role, completing passes to DeVonta Smith (sixteen yards) and to Goedert (19 yards and 24 yards) to set Elliott up for the 38-yard area purpose going into the half.
That power was simply an instance of Hurts’ brilliance. He threw an excellent fifty-three-yard scoring strike to huge receiver Quez Watkins, who ran a high-quality blend route with Goedert Goedert covered up inside Watkins and ran a route closer to the sideline, drawing two Vikings defenders, and Watkins ran his course directly down the sphere right into a huge-open sector and Hurts found him for the smooth pitch-and-trap score.
Hurts also accounted for the team’s 0.33 touchdown whilst he had a sensational 26-backyard landing run, a designed run on which he carried to the proper facet, followed a Goedert block on protection Harrison Smith and alternatively broke more than one tackle earlier than lunging into the stop area.
Great run, Goedert said. I had a chance to make a block and I changed into capable of getting my frame on the man (Smith) however then it turned into all Jalen. He showed his electricity. He performed an incredible recreation in each manner. He led the offense all over again.
There was plenty extra on this night, although. Some of the macro-stage storylines to appreciate …
- A lot of the splendor of this offensive night time on which the Eagles racked up 486 yards became the stability of the offense. The running recreation accounted for 163 yards on 34 tries. Eight exclusive receivers stuck passes, with Smith catching seven passes for eighty yards on seven goals and A.J. Brown contributing 5 catches and sixty-nine yards. Goedert was a beast with five catches, a game-excessive 82 yards, and a stellar activity blockading. The offense opened with some no-huddle pace that center Jason Kelce said was given them the Vikings worn-out up the front. The Eagles used Smith out of the slot, moved Brown around, and honestly had fulfillment with their formation variant. Sirianni and Offensive Coordinator Shane Steichen have the offense cooking and they are utilizing each weapon on that aspect of the ball.
- Minnesota’s protection stymied Green Bay in Week 1 and was given after Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers with a strong skip rush that produced four sacks and an interception. The Eagles’ offensive line replied to the mission against strong aspect rushers Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith and the offense followed healthily. It all begins up front and the Eagles again ruled inside the offensive trenches.
We knew how right they had been and we were up for the task, left address Jordan Mailata stated. We have plenty to easy up, for my part. Our purpose is to be first-class as a unit and we knew that to win this recreation this night we needed to win towards a great front. We had a few mistakes, but generally, I assume as a unit we got the task executed.
- Cornerback Darius Slay become in insurance in opposition to celebrity extensive receiver Justin Jefferson tons of the night and, wow, did he have a ballgame? Slay recorded two interceptions one on the intention line and one ultimately zone and had 5 passes defended. Jefferson opened the season with 9 receptions, an NFL-nice 184 yards, and 2 scores against Green Bay. On Monday night, he had six catches for forty-eight yards on 12 targets. The Eagles came out and rallied to the soccer and confined Jefferson, muzzled Adam Thielen (4 catches, fifty-two yards), and shut down jogging returned Dalvin Cook (17 yards on 6 includes, and four catches for 19 yards).
We had our minds set to exit here and dominate and play this sport with a whole lot of effort and with a number of talent, said Slay, who ran over to Philadelphia 76ers celebrity James Harden and exceeded him in the football after the first interception. Guys have been accessible executing their tasks. That is what we do. Coach Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon placed us in a notable role to win.
- Miles Sanders changed into again very productive, dashing for 80 yards on 17 contains as he broke tackles and ran tough and showed first-rate vision and power. The Eagles had those 163 yards at the ground after the Week 1 overall of 216 yards and, if you had any doubts, don’t. The going for walks game may be very real once more.
I’m telling you, whilst we get this offense rolling, with the guns that we’ve got, it’s a variety of fun, Sanders said. That first half when the Eagles scored 24 points and won 347 total net yards, we were transferring the ball up and down the sector. The thing is, we failed to maintain that. We did not score inside the 2d half. I suppose it really is going to be our recognition this week, what we didn’t do right. What received the game for us this night became the defense. Those men did a tremendous activity.
Five. OK, the protection. The insurance became manifestly amazing. Slay was dominating. Avonte Maddox had an interception and managed Thielen. Linebacker T.J. Edwards had 10 tackles, an address for loss, a quarterback hit, and a bypass defense. He cherished the execution of the defense and he loved the mindset.
We knew we had to rally to the football on each play and we had to be sound in our assignments, he stated. I assume that’s what we did. We had been solid. It’s something to build on.
- Cox and stop Josh Sweat had quarterback sacks and the Eagles managed the line of scrimmage. They allowed just sixty-two speeding yards on 11 consists, with a protracted of 17 yards. Very staggering. In all, the defense gave up a paltry 264 total net yards and the Vikings converted just 4 of 12 third downs. The longest pass finishing touch for Minnesota changed into 19 yards. That’s going to make the coaching group of workers very glad.
With all of it, the Eagles felt top-notch as they left Lincoln Financial Field on Monday night. But they recognize what is beforehand: It’s a brief week. The NFC East schedule opens Sunday in Washington. Nothing is going to come back easily for this football crew.
Let’s get proper again to commercial enterprise, center Jason Kelce said. A win is excellent and it feels good, but we comprehend it’s a protracted season and that is simply one week. It’s proper to depart right here with a win and now it is directly to Washington and that’s what topics next.