Rube’s Remark: The Eagles misplaced their first house recreation, shedding to the Falcons within the final minute

Rube’s Observations: Eagles open house recreation with last-minute loss to Falcons firstly seemed on NBC Sports activities Philadelphia

Welcome to 2023.

After shedding 3 video games final 12 months by which they held the lead with two mins ultimate, the Eagles did it once more on Monday evening.

A dramatic comeback win within the Lynx house opener became a horrific 22-21 loss after the Eagles took a six-point lead with 65 seconds ultimate within the ultimate mins.

Right here we provide our 10 observations.

1. At the final pressure Kirk Cousins ​​- who can not transfer – wanted simplest 65 seconds to pressure the Falcons 70 yards for the game-winning landing. The Eagles were given away with some lovely deficient protection for lots of the recreation, but it surely all stuck up with them at the ultimate pressure. Deficient protection. Deficient tackling. Deficient the entirety. They did not publish a combat. You in reality need to suppose that the best way final 12 months ended was once out of this group’s gadget, however it is a recreation you’ll’t lose if you wish to name your self a Tremendous Bowl contender. For your personal development? In your house opener? By contrast group? It was once inexcusable. And till the Eagles end up that is now not 2023, till they end up they have got the psychological toughness to win a recreation like this, till they make the play to complete the sport, the shadow of final 12 months’s disastrous 2023 Eagles end will proceed to loom over Nick Sirianni and the 2024 Eagles.

2. It is arduous to criticize Saquon Barkley an excessive amount of. He is a beast. An influence beast and he is performed nice two weeks in a row. He had 132 scrimmage yards in his Eagles debut towards the Packers and added 116 extra on Monday evening. Some nice video games. However he has to catch the soccer. He simply has to catch it. There is no excuse for that drop. Catch the ball, collapse, ballgame. It is over. 3rd-and-3. Eagles lead 21-15 with 1:46 left. Ball at the Falcons’ 10-yard line. No person round him. At the sticks. Simple first down. I imply, once he catches it and falls down at the 7-yard line, the sport is over. Barkley tries so arduous and performs so neatly. However that may’t occur. It isn’t the one reason why the Eagles misplaced Monday evening, however, guy, that was once a terrible drop.

3. OK, we need to communicate in regards to the run protection. They have got misplaced two weeks in a row. They are simply over. The Eagles escaped Sao Paulo with a win within the opener, however they allowed 163 dashing yards and seven.8 yards in keeping with pop. On Monday evening, they allowed 152 extra and 5.4 yards in keeping with pop. What is the drawback? The whole lot. They are getting driven to the entrance. They are lacking tackles at the second one degree. They are letting backs get choked up prior to they even contact them. The Eagles have now allowed 316 dashing yards and six.5 in keeping with raise via two video games. That is the maximum dashing yards they have got given up via Week 2 in 38 years — since 1986, Good friend Ryan’s first 12 months as head trainer, once they gave up 403. Additionally, it is the first time since 1986 they have got allowed 150 or extra dashing yards in every of the primary two video games. And the ones 6.4 yards allowed in keeping with raise? That is the eighth worst because the merger in 1970 and the worst in franchise historical past. The dreaded factor is there is no lend a hand at the means. They drafted Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter with top-13 alternatives to be a drive towards the run, however it isn’t taking place. The tackling has been horrible, and that’s the reason everyone’s drawback. I do not understand how you repair that. I have no idea if it may be fastened with the fellows they have got. I know something. You might be no longer going to win very many video games giving up 6 ½ yards in keeping with raise.

4. In a similar fashion worrisome and regarding is the unexpected loss of move force. Zack Baun had two sacks blitzing towards the Packers and inside lineman Milton Williams had an enormous sack on third-and-four from the Eagles’ 8-yard line that pressured the Falcons to accept a box purpose on Monday evening. However the edge guys? Invisible. Josh Sweat, Bryce Huff, Nolan Smith and Brandon Graham haven’t begun to make a sack this 12 months, and Sweat was once the one edge rusher who made a hurry on Monday evening. Going again to final 12 months, the Eagles edge rushers have had 4 sacks within the final 10 video games — 3 through Hassan Reddick, one through Brandon Graham — and none within the final six video games. How are you able to pass six video games and not using a sack through an edge rusher? Huff nonetheless hasn’t been in a position to get just about the quarterback this 12 months. Like he is not even within the body whilst you watch the video games. You do not see him. It is only been two weeks, however he is beginning to seem like a $51 million mistake.

5. One encouraging factor that got here out of this recreation was once that Jalen Hurts… Rapid? Sure, very speedy. We have not noticed him run this speedy in a long time. Rapid. Tough. Elusive. Tricky. And maximum of all, making just right choices with the ball in his fingers and protective the soccer as neatly. His 23-yard run on 4th-and-3 in the second one quarter was once the longest in his final 15 video games and paired his overall runs from scrimmage of a minimum of 23 yards in his final 20 video games. He adopted that with scrambles of 9 and 15 yards, that means he had extra working yards on that pressure — 47 — than he had in 16 of his final 20 video games. Hurts appeared slow working the soccer final 12 months — perhaps because of accidents that by no means formally surfaced — and in addition on opening day — perhaps because of indecision and most likely a loss of spontaneity in his first recreation below a brand new offensive coordinator. Truthfully, it was once a priority that Hurts was once a step at the back of. He could be a superb quarterback even with out working, however his legs upload this sort of unhealthy size and one we have not in reality noticed a lot of since 2022. But if he began working on Monday evening he appeared decisive, assured and speedy. He completed with 85 dashing yards – the 5th maximum of his occupation and probably the most because the finish of 2022 – along side a landing on a tush push and 6 dashing first downs. I wasn’t positive we would see Jalen Hurts once more.

6. Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Nolan Smith have performed two video games up to now: two solo tackles, one quarterback hurry, no sacks, no huge performs. When will those guys get started making performs? When will they display up? Carter hasn’t performed anyplace just about the extent he did early final 12 months, and that’s the reason in reality unexpected. I anticipated much more from him. Davis has been invisible. He simply does not display up. Smith hasn’t proven up both. The Eagles spent first-round alternatives on all 3 Georgia guys, top-13 alternatives on each Carter and Davis. While you dedicate that more or less sources to somebody on each side of the ball, you are expecting vital contributions as a rookie and a large jump ahead in Yr 2. Carter’s first six weeks have been nice final 12 months, however the place has it been since then? There may be nonetheless time. Week 2. However it isn’t even that a lot time. Davis is now in Yr 3, Carter and Smith are in Yr 2, and we’ve not noticed it but. When will he get started taking a look like what the Eagles anticipated once they drafted him?

7. I believe Kellen Moore is an excellent play caller and has a just right aptitude for retaining defenses off-balance. However here is what I do not perceive: Saquon Barkley’s first 4 carries at the Eagles’ first pressure gave the impression of this: 9-yard-gain, 9-yard-gain, 10-yard-gain, 11-yard acquire. It was once the primary time in Barkley’s seven-year occupation he had 4 runs of a minimum of 9 yards at the identical pressure and the primary time he had 4 runs of 9 yards or extra in the similar quarter because the 1/3 quarter of a recreation towards the Bears in 2018. The Falcons could not prevent him. So what took place at the ultimate 4 performs beginning on 1st-and-10 from the Atlanta 15-yard-line? Two runs through Kenny Gainwell for 6 yards, a move after all zone to Johnny Wilson — who by no means stuck an NFL move — after which an incomplete move to Dallas Goedert on 4th-and-4. Saquon’s shortest run at the pressure was once 9 yards. His final run at the pressure was once 11 yards. I am not pronouncing Barkley must be given the ball each and every time, however it is arduous for me to imagine he wasn’t the most suitable option on any of the ones 4 performs within the pink zone. From time to time you simply need to journey the new hand.

8. Jahan Dotson had a six-yard catch on his simplest goal early, however he wasn’t in reality a large a part of the offense, leaving DeVonta Smith as the one veteran large receiver at the box for the Eagles. Britain Covey stuck six passes and it was once great to look his contribution, however the ones six catches simplest went for 23 yards. So Smith had 76 of the Eagles’ 105 large receiver yards. And it’s arduous to have an explosive offense with one true large receiver at the box. And whilst I don’t blame Dotson, I believe a large a part of the issue is that the fellows Howie Roseman picked to compete for the 1/3 receiver spot in coaching camp — Parris Campbell and John Ross — simply weren’t just right sufficient. It is advisable see lovely early on that they weren’t the solution, and whilst Roseman was once searching for lend a hand over the summer season, by the point he traded for Dotson, camp was once over and opening day was once about 2 ½ weeks away. So now A.J. Brown will get harm and the Eagles haven’t any respectable backup large receiver at the roster. Campbell was once an elevation on game-day, however does not appear to have a lot firepower. Perhaps Dotson can to find some chemistry with Hurts and transfer on, however at this time the Eagles haven’t any respectable backup if one of the vital starters will get harm. Brown in reality must get that hammy fastened temporarily.

9. I am not positive what Darius Slay was once taking a look at on that final Falcons landing, however he must be higher. He wasn’t anyplace close to Drake London. What was once he considering? At the deciding play of the sport, with part a minute left, the sport at the line, you ask your five-time Professional Bowl celebrity big-money cornerback to make a play. However Slay was once up to now out of his place that it was once most likely the very best landing ever thrown through Kirk Cousins. Slay is without doubt one of the few guys at the protection you felt in reality assured about going into the season, however he is 33 and in Yr 12 and it is a little frightening to stand the chance that possibly one in every of your absolute best defenders is slowing down. I am not positive that is the case, however he hasn’t been superb those first two video games, and the Eagles want him to be nice.

10. Flash ahead to subsequent Sunday, and the Eagles will likely be at the street coming off a brief week towards a Saints group that has scored 91 issues in wins over the Panthers and Cowboys. That’s the 4th-most issues scored through any NFL group as of Week 2 and the second-most because the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. How will the Eagles prevent Alvin Kamara, Rasheed Shaheed, Chris Olave and Derek Carr? You might be speaking a few traditionally unhealthy protection dealing with one of the vital best possible scoring offenses in historical past in two weeks. It indisputably seems like a mismatch. We can be told so much in regards to the Eagles on Sunday afternoon in New Orleans as it seems ominous. If you’ll’t prevent Kirk Cousins ​​and Drake London and Bijan Robinson, how are you able to prevent Carr, Kamara, Olave and Shaheed? Perhaps the Eagles will come again in a large means and placed on a super efficiency and switch the season round. However after what all of us noticed on the hyperlinks on Monday evening, it is arduous to be in point of fact assured.

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