Takeaways from Eagles Bears Game

Eagles pulled off another victory in dominating fashion. Here are the takeaways from last nights game.

1. Wentz had another good game and made history.

Carson Wentz had a great first game as he made his rookie debut against the Browns. The question came to mind is Wentz ready for his first primetime under the bright lights? Wentz showed no fear in his first prime time game. Wentz led a beautiful first drive where he was eight of nine and went for it on 4th down which led to a field goal. Wentz continued to show leadership. He was great in the pocket, great athleticism and was able to audible when sensing a Blitz. Wentz was 21-34 and threw for 190 yards with no interceptions. Wentz made history for being the first NFL rookie quarterback to win his first two games without throwing a single interception. Wentz is only going to get better as time goes on.

2. Too many hits

Wentz took too many hits in last night’s game. There were at times when he stayed in the pocket too long and he has to get rid of the ball faster. Wentz also has to run out of bounds. Wentz made poor decisions when he was running with the football. When you're a quarterback you want to avoid hits. At times I was saying what are you doing? Just run out of bounds or slide. I’m sure coach Pederson will talk to Wentz about that. We don’t want Wentz get injured especially with how he’s playing.

3. Dropped passes

The biggest concerned with last nights game had to be the dropped passes. Wentz threw a beautiful pass to WR Jordan Matthews that was dropped and that possibly could’ve been a touchdown or at least a field goal. Wentz overthrew a pass WR Nelson Agholor but he was in position to catch the ball. There was another play in the redzone that Wentz threw another pass to Agholor and once again he dropped it. The WR’s need to catch the ball. This game could have possibly a blowout if the receivers caught the ball. The season is only going to get tougher and the WR’s need to step up.

4. Silent Game from Cox

Now the defensive played well but Fletcher Cox had a silent game. The offensive line was able to stop him. At times it looked like he was going to get sack but missed getting to the quarterback. I feel as though Cox will bounce back from this.

5. Jalen Mills

The Rookie cornerback Jalen Mills had a decent game against the Bears. Cornerback Leodis McKelvin was out due to a hamstring injury which put Mills to the test lining up against Bears WR Alshon Jeffery or Kevin White. Mills did get burnt by Jeffery on a deep pass for 49 yards but he was able to bounce back with six tackles in which he led the team and one pass defended. Mills is only a rookie so we can’t be to hard on him but if he’s able to fix these mistakes he could be a great Cornerback for the Eagles in the long run.

6. Turnovers

Defense continued to show its dominance Monday night. The defense managed to have three turnovers on the bears. Two fumbles and an interception. It’s great to see the Defense not on the field for over 30 minutes. They come out ready and not tired.

7. No Ertz No Problem

Losing Tight End Zach Ertz was definitely a huge loss but Trey Burton stepped up big time. Burton caught five passes for 49 yards and getting his first career NFL receiving touchdown. Burton can possibly have a breakout season this year and once Ertz returns we will have a triple threat at the Tight End.

8. Penalties

One frustrating that everyone can agree on are the penalties especially when it cost you a first down and that's what happened. Center Jason Kelce had two penalties and Jason Peters had one. Both of these penalties cost us a first down. At times you saw the frustration on Wentz face. They did manage to fix these problems in the second half.

In the end Eagles played a decent game. Wentz could’ve had more passing yards if his receivers were to catch the ball. The season is only going to get tougher but Wentz is looking forward to the challenge as all of us Eagles fans are. If there is anything I missed let me know in the comments.

Obversations from Eagles Browns game

Takeaways from Eagles Browns game

Eagles came out big in the season opener. It was fun seeing the rookie Carson Wentz start and putting on a show for Philadelphia. Here are some of the big takeaways from this game.

1. Wentz shines in NFL debut.

Eagles made a lot of moves this offseason. One of the biggest moves was the Eagles trading a lot of their draft picks to the Browns to move up to the 2nd spot to draft quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz only played little in College, played a little in the pre-season game, missed most of training camp. Then the Eagles traded Sam Bradford to the Vikings for a first round pick. The question came to mind to some and myself is that does Wentz have the chemistry with the players? Especially with a trade that happened toward the season opener. Wentz threw that out the window. Wentz played like a veteran and showed no fear. He had a terrific opening drive that led to a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Matthews. Wentz was also able to make smart decisions and audibled when he felt a blitz was coming. Wentz did take many hits which concerned me and he also has to get rid of the ball faster but I believe he’ll improve on that. Wentz was 23/37 completions for a total of 278 yards, 2 TD passes and no turnovers. Turnovers were a major issue as well last year but pulling off those numbers on a rookie debut is incredible.

2.  Running game looked good.

The running game looked great on this season opener. Ryan Mathews rushed for 77 yards and got a touchdown. Kenjon Barner who got some playing time rushed for 42 yards. Barner averaged 10.5-yards a carry. I hope to see Barner play a lot more this season. Darren Sproles rushed for 12 yards. All together they rushed for 131 yards which is pretty good but my only concern is can Ryan Matthews be healthy throughout the season? We’ll have to wait and see.

3. Coach Doug Pederson also shined in NFL debut

Coach Doug Pederson had a great debut as an NFL coach. He showed confidence in Wentz but not only that right before  halftime  he knew what the Eagles needed to work on and he was confident that the team will get it done. Not only did the team improved in the second half but he also gambled on a 4th and 4 in Eagles territory with a rookie quarterback. Wentz was able to get the first down which led to a 35-yard TD pass to Nelson Agholor. In the post game Pederson said great things about Wentz but the biggest comment to me is that he said “This is who he is. This is his DNA”. It’s going to be interesting to see what Pederson will do throughout this season.

4. Front Seven looks scary but Secondary scares me.

In the first quarter the Front Seven for the Eagles looked great shutting down the Browns with a quick three and out in the first three opening drives by the Browns. The run game didn’t exist with the Browns but in the second quarter Nolan Carroll got beat by Terrelle Pryor for a 44-yard catch and in the third quarter three of our secondaries got beat by Corey Coleman. Secondary need to improve on that. I trust Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney Mcleod more than I trust the corners.

5. Time of Possession

Time of Possession was a huge problem last year with Chip Kelly. Time of possession for the Eagles was 39 minutes. That’s a huge improvement from last year. It was nice to see the offense huddle and not seeing our defense on the field so many times and not running out of gas.

6. Team trust Wentz

Building trust within your quarterback in football is extremely important  and the receiver's trust Wentz. You see nothing but Eagles teammates say nothing but great things about him. Jordan Matthews talked about Wentz maturity. “He always played like it was crunch time” said Matthews. Matthews and Wentz listened to each other's music to understand each more. Music is a way to understand someone and I just thought that was interesting. Left tackle Jason Peters said “He has it. He’s very confident in the huddle.” Defensive tackle Brandon Graham coming into the locker room said “That boy number 11 is real.” It’s good to see guys on the other side of the ball have confidence in Wentz.

7. Wentz took too many hits

Seeing Wentz take hits was scary to watch because during the preseason he got hit a lot and that's how he injured his rib. Some of it was Wentz fault but it also falls on the offensive line too. The O-line needs to protect him better. Eagles fans do not want to see another quarterback go down.

8. Agholor made a catch

Nelson Agholor had a lot on his plate after a disappointing rookie season. Agholor is trying to erase that memory. Agholor had 4 receptions and a touchdown for a total of 57-yards. Not great numbers but it’s nice to see Agholor on the right track and hopefully he can have a breakout season.

9. Jordan Matthews could be Wentz favorite target

Jordan Matthews was disappointed at the end of last season having a total of 997-yards coming so close to a 1,000-yard receptions. Matthews is on a mission to get over a 1,000-yards this season and he’s off to a great start. Matthews had a great game opening the season with 7 receptions for a total of 114-yards. I would still like to see him play outside more but he’ll have to see what happens later in the season.

10. Caleb Sturgis scares me.

Sturgis has always been the one that scared me the most and he continues to do that by missing a 47-yard field goal. Sturgis needs to make these field goals or his time in Philly won’t be long if he continues to miss.