Put ‘Em To Rest

PHILADELPHIA – Eagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo swarmed tight end John Bates on Sunday, foiling the Commanders’ two-point conversion shovel pass and preserving the lead with a tick over a minute remaining in regulation.

Following a failed onsides kick attempt, returning possession to the Eagles at their own 48, there wasn’t much left for quarterback Jalen Hurts to do except kneel twice, punctuating the Eagles’ 24-22 season-opening victory at the Linc.

Ojomo, who combined for three tackles, recalled the play after the game.

“I kind of just, I got off on the ball,” he said. “Took a shot. You kind of got to play free, and I saw the guard pull, spun out of it, tight end was right there. At the end of the day, all credit to God, all credit to the people in the room. They helped me out with a lot of things and just played hard. And it was right there.”

The Commanders made things interesting late, with quarterback Jayden Daniels connecting with wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Antonio Williams on fourth-quarter touchdowns, but sandwiched in between was an eight-play scoring drive for the Eagles, resulting in a 43-yard touchdown to tight end Dallas Goedert.

That drive doesn’t survive, however, without Hurts taking matters into his own hands. On a 3rd-and-18, the Eagles quarterback called his own number for 22 yards, affording the offense a fresh set of downs.

Offensively, Hurts completed 14 of 25 pass attempts for 203 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 46 yards on seven carries. Tight end Dallas Goedert and wide receiver Tay Wicks, who totaled 77 and 73 receiving yards, respectively, led the way in the passing game.

Inactives for the Eagles: QB Tanner McKee (3rd QB), QB Cole Payton, WR Elijah Moore, OLB Jonathan Greenard and G Micah Morris.

And now, let’s get to the observations.

* Leading up to the game, the Eagles strategically refrained from naming their No. 2 quarterback, at least publicly. But the secrecy came to a halt about 90 minutes before the game, when the inactive list was released. On that list, Tanner McKee was listed as the emergency third quarterback, officially making veteran Andy Dalton the primary backup to Jalen Hurts.

While I get that the Eagles have invested more in McKee and their confidence in the fourth-year quarterback remains high, I think back to this offseason, where the team seemed to show deference to the veteran Dalton, a starter in 169 of 179 career games. Dalton also started the first two preseason games. It was a tough competition to call, to be sure, but I’d have given the edge to Dalton. His experience in the system and veteran savvy would seem to provide the most value behind Hurts.

* The Eagles’ coverage unit on kickoff (L-R): DB Michael Carter II, WR Darius Cooper, OLB Arnold Ebiketie, LB Smael Mondon Jr., OLB A.J. Epenesa, RB Will Shipley, LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr., TE E.J. Jenkins, CB Mac McWilliams, CB Kelee Ringo.

The unit lost several prominent contributors over the past year – Ben VanSumeren, Sydney Brown, Kylen Granson, Cam Latu – but the Eagles have a young nucleus equipped to step up as leaders. Look for Shipley, Ringo, Trotter Jr. and Mondon Jr. to serve as the glue.

* Not the greatest of showings from the Eagles’ offensive line, a group that represents the key to the Eagles’ offensive resurgence. The unit, as a collective, also performed well this summer, suggesting a return to dominance to begin the season. Specifically, C Cam Jurgens was tagged with a pair of first-half holding penalties, the first turning a 1st-and-6 into a 1st-and-16. The Eagles would ultimately score on the series, with Hurts connecting with TE Dallas Goedert in the on a 3rd-and-17. Hurts was sacked three times against the Commanders, but, in fairness, I’ll need to give the game a rewatch to see the contributing factors in each.

* With the offense stuck in neutral early, the Eagles took advantage of an opportunity in which they were ahead of the sticks, courtesy of a six-yard Saquon Barkley run. Hurts, operating under center, found a streaking WR Dontayvion Wicks and hit him in stride for a 64-yard pickup. Hurts would later find Wicks for a nine-yard touchdown in the second quarter. As noted in my training camp observations, the budding chemistry between the quarterback and wide receiver was evident, often reflected in timing-based completions. Good start for Wicks, who entered halftime with 73 yards and a touchdown on two receptions. If the Eagles’ passing game is to evolve, Wicks will need to have a heavy hand in it.

The former Packers wide receiver spoke after the game about both big plays in the Eagles’ 24-22 win:

“First one, it’s a clear out,” he explained. “With J [Jalen Hurts], if he trusts you, he’s gonna put it up right there. Once I broke on the out, on the deep one, I seen the ball in the air and I kept running, and it was put on the money. I was able to run under it, and I gotta score that one. The touchdown, I’d seen inside leverage, so I went outside and broke it out. Another one, he put to where I can make the play, and that’s what I did.”

* The Eagles offense under first-year coordinator Sean Mannion was always expected to feature a heavy dose of multiple tight end sets. That rang true, with blocking-centric veteran Johnny Mundt frequently accompanying Goedert as the Eagles leaned heavily into 12 personnel. While the passing game was generally modest and at times had some lulls, the star in the opener was Goedert, who reeled in 4 of 5 pass targets for 77 yards and two touchdowns. I liked some of the route diversity and play designs, perhaps best underscored on Goedert’s fourth-quarter touchdown, on a play that appeared as though the Commanders’ defense froze.

“It was a play that we had two plays in the huddle,” Goedert explained. “Jalen killed it late and I… Right as he was saying, ‘Hut,’ I slid laterally — which is legal. So, it probably gave the illusion of us moving or not moving and things like that, but it seemed like the defense kind of froze their feet for a second and played to my advantage, that’s for sure.”

The passing game, of course, runs through WR DeVonta Smith. But second in the pecking order will be Goedert, who has developed a strong rapport with Goedert over the years. The 31-year-old could be in line for more volume than he’s seen at any point in his career.

* LB Zack Baun, who combined for 12 tackles in the victory, doesn’t get talked about nearly enough. Sure, it’s widely recognized that the 29-year-old is among the elite at his position, but Baun produced a flurry of game-changing plays. One of the better examples that springs to mind occurred in the second quarter, on consecutive plays. On a 1st-and-20 from the Washington 17, Baun blanketed WR Stefon Diggs over the middle to force an incompletion. Baun, on the ensuing play, then sniffed out a short pass to Croskey-Merritt, dropping the running back for a seven-yard loss. In the third quarter, with the Eagles leading 14-9, Baun sorted through traffic to bring down Commanders RB Rachaad White on third down, stopping him four yards short of a first down. The Commanders were forced to punt. Baun’s instincts and play recognition was on full display. Outstanding football player.

* Eagles DC Vic Fangio hasn’t rotated much over his first two seasons in Philadelphia, but I did notice veteran OLBs Ebiketie and Epenesa on the field presumably a bit more than they ordinarily will be later in the season. This could be as simple as wanting to maximize the varied skill sets, or it could also pertain to the humid conditions in South Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon. Fangio last week spoke about the prospects of rotating his personnel up front to start the season:

“To me, it depends how the game’s going,” Fangio said last week. “But yes, the answer to your question is yes. But I t really ultimately is defined by how the game’s going. If they’re having a bunch of drives where they’re going eight, nine, 10 plays and in between those drives, our offense is going three and out, that stresses it more. The personality of the game will play a major part in that also.”

It’s worth noting that without headliner Jonathan Greenard, the Eagles were unable to provide much pressure on Commanders QB Jayden Daniels, with LB Jihaad Campbell producing the lone sack, the first of his career. I’m curious to see what the snap share looks like come Monday morning, but it sure felt like both veterans worked in a decent amount.

* It might get overlooked in the grand scheme, but P Braden Mann has been an extremely clutch performer for the Eagles. Mann, 28, dropped four of his punts inside the 20-yard line, including one that was downed by Ringo at the Washington two-yard line with 45 seconds remaining in the first half. Mann also drilled a long of 64 yards.

* Replacing the departed Sydney Brown at the other gunner spot opposite Ringo was WR Darius Cooper, who wears a variety of hats for this team. Cooper, who briefly moonlighted at gunner last season, registered a pair of first half stops in punt coverage, reinforcing his willingness to embrace – and execute – whatever role he’s put in.

“Really, it’s a mentality thing,” Cooper said after the game. “Whatever you do, just go fast. Just go full speed, bro. Get down there and try to make a play. But it’s really a mentality. And gunner’s one of the hardest positions to play, especially if you get viced. So, we got Kelee on the other side, so I’m definitely excited to see what we do for the rest of the year.”

* The Eagles won, delivering when it counted, but there are certainly areas in need of improvement. For perspective, the Commanders accumulated 20 first downs to the Eagles 10. They were also 6-of-14 on third down. The Eagles, at one point in the game, also had four consecutive drives result in a punt. It was the first game in a new offense, so growing pains should be baked into the equation, but perhaps something worth filing away.

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.