‘Unreal’

The 6-2 Philadelphia Eagles had their ups and downs but ultimately relied on elite playmaking to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars.

On the latest episode of “Q&A” on “Inside The Birds,” former Eagle standouts Jason Avant and Quintin Mikell reacted to the team’s fourth straight victory. 

GETTY IMAGES: Philadelphia Eagles RB Saquon Barkley continues to be one of the best playmakers in the NFL.

Nick Sirianni

Quintin Mikell: “Statistically, by the numbers, the Eagles are not 100% wrong by going for it on fourth down in some of those situations. But sometimes you have to throw that out the window. I don’t have a problem with them going for it, I have a problem with the play selection.”

Jason Avant: “He is speeding in a school zone. He’s aggressive, but it’s not the time and not the place…we are destroying this team defensively, don’t give them momentum, it’s not the time. I think he can possibly hurt us if he doesn’t understand the scenario when it’s time to bring the energy. You have to pick and choose, you can’t be the same thing everywhere.”

Saquon Barkley

Mikell: “I have never seen a player quite like him. All day, all we could talk about is that hurdle. This dude is unreal. He’s so good to watch, he’s smart, he’s a good human being, a strong player, runs with speed and quickness and power, catches the ball, does everything so well.”

Jalen Hurts

Avant: “He’s looking more athletic, revived and refreshed when he’s running the ball. It changes the game for the Eagles when he has 13 for 67. It keeps people honest on the backside, it gives Saquon a little bit of extra space, so that’s always good…as far as his play under center, he has to get acclimated to it…he has to have way more urgency. When you are under center, you have to get the ball and get back as fast as you can because the timing of the play is different.”

Safeties

Mikell: “In the second half, [the Jaguars] found the matchups that they liked, they attacked C.J. (Gardner-Johnson) and they attacked Reed (Blankenship). If I’m gameplanning against this defense again, I’m going to scheme up ways to get a one-on-one with Reed and C.J. because they are both playing with bad eyes right now.”

Linebackers

Mikell: “They are playing good…Nakobe (Dean) was responsible for two turnovers. (Zack) Baun is playing lights out, aggressive, downhill.”

Avant: “The [Baun interception] made that game. All you heard was ‘Zack Baun’ for the first half of the game. This dude is out here cooking. And Nakobe Dean called game.”

– Benjamin Paul is a staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.