Eagles vs. Cowboys Week 3 Rundown

Eagles vs. Cowboys Week 3 Rundown

Pre-game injuries:
Injured Birds: RG Brandon Brooks, DE Brandon Graham, LT Jordon Malaita, S Rodney Mcleod
Injured Cowboys: DE Dorance Armstrong, DE Carlos Watkins, OT Ty Neskhe
ESPN Box Score: https://www.espn.com/nfl/boxscore/_/gameId/401326378

The Eagles lost in a disheartening game 41-21 to the Cowboys in Dallas. There were many reasons for this loss, most of which were brought on by the Eagles themselves. Jalen threw two interceptions; one was an underthrown deep ball, and one was a pick six where Jalen threw a ball to a falling Devonta Smith who couldn’t grab it. In the first quarter the momentum shifted multiple times. After the first interception thrown by Hurts, the Cowboys seemed to be in prime position to go up 14. However, the score ended up being 7-7 when the defense forced a fumble into the end zone and recovered it for the touchdown.
The Eagles’ defense scored the first points for the team, but their contributions stopped there. They had immense trouble stopping the Cowboys’ run game with Elliot and Pollard, causing the Eagles to have the ball for 25 minutes to the Cowboys’ 35 minutes. The Eagles also committed 13 penalties allotting for 86 penalty yards. This hurt the team the most in my opinion, stalling drives and making gaining first down yardage difficult, forcing
bad plays and no runs. The Eagles had 12 first downs whereas the Cowboys had 27 of them, meaning they were moving down the field more and thus scored more.
Another issue with the Eagles’ offense was the fact that their running backs combined for only 3 carries. This is a NFL record that is broken after 20 years. It is not a good record to break. The offense was in dismay after they were down early and were forced to throw more, which is understandable but even teams down multiple touchdowns still run the ball to mix it up; otherwise the team knows you are throwing every play and your offense becomes redundant and easy to stop.
There were a few unexpected spotlights during the game. Quez Watkins, the 200th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft has proven to be quite effective. He is quick and is skilled at catching contested balls. In the offseason he worked out with Falcon’s star Calvin Ridley on his route-running which is evident through his conditioned technique.  It is in the Eagles’ best interest continue to utilize him and his speed.
Javon Hargrave, the Eagles second defensive tackle, has had 15 pressures, 4 sacks, a 25.4% pressure rate, and 17 defensive stops since the beginning of the season. He leads defensive tackles in all mentioned categories. He had a forced fumble, 2 sacks and 1 tackle for loss. He plays great against the run and the pass. The defense ran poor when the Eagles rotated backups Milton Williams and Hassan Ridgeway in. Overall, it was a terrible game on both sides of the ball with a few sporadic previously latent displays of talent. Nick Sirianni must run the ball more consistently, call better passing plays, and use Hurts’ skill set more often. Also, he must work on the team’s ability to improve discipline on causing penalties.

Fantasy Football Expectations for Week 4:

Jalen Hurts has been a consistent quarterback for fantasy. With 20.54 points this week and averaging 23.7 points through the first three weeks, Hurts has been an incredible choice as a quarterback one. Hurts should stay close to his average points and get anywhere from 23-25 points next week.
Through the first three week of fantasy, Miles Sanders has not been a good player to start. With 8.5 points this week, an average of 10.9 points, and an average of 10 attempts a game, Sanders is not worthy of a running back one or two spot. With the injuries on the offensive line and the lack of rush attempts that we saw last week, I predict that Sanders will get anywhere from 9.5-12 points next week.
Devonta Smith showed up in week one with 19.1 points but has not showed up like that since that week. With the Eagles offense being shut down in weeks one and two, Smith has not been able to get many fantasy points only averaging 4.7 points in these weeks. However, if the Chiefs defense plays like they did last week, I can see Devonta getting anywhere from 13-15 points next week making him a decent FLEX starter.
Jalen Reagor has had two good games out of the three that he has played. Like Devonta Smith, if the Chiefs’ defense plays like they did last week,  Reagor can be a good target for Hurts. With his speed I can see him blowing their coverage and being a deep threat. I predict that Reagor will get from 14-16 points next week.
Dallas Goedert, like Devonta Smith, peaked in week one and has been doing worse since. With his receptions trending down, only getting 2 catches in both week one and two, I don’t think that Goedert will do good next week. I predict that Goedert will get from 4-8 points next week making him not a good starting tight end.
Zach Ertz, coming off his best game of the year, will probably do great this week. With his receptions trending upward and getting 15.3 points last week, I can see Ertz being Hurts’ main tight end target next week. If Ertz can get separation next week, then I predict that he will get from 12-15 points next week.

Expectations for NFL Week 4:

The Eagles were in disarray Monday, and it is very likely that they will find themselves in the same position on Sunday against the Chiefs at home. Nick Siriani and Jalen Hurts are going to have to adapt, or else they might fall short against the Chiefs.
However, the Chiefs offense hasn’t been performing up to par. Their defense struggled to keep Justin Herbert and Co. out of the end zone last Sunday.
Though the Chiefs are the better 1-2 team right now, the Eagles have upset some top notch teams as shown last year when the Eagles played the Saints in week 13 of the 2020 NFL regular season. With the way that the Chiefs have been playing alongside the many chips on the shoulders of Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts, it is possible that the Eagles could come out on top in Philadelphia.
However, we must remember that the Chiefs are still the Chiefs, and their personnel have stayed constant from last year. Patrick Mahomes is still the most dynamic player in football, and the skill positions at tight end, wide receiver, and possibly running back are some of the best in the league. Even with an underperforming Chiefs teams who also lost to a divisional rival, I find it hard to truly believe that the Eagles can beat the Chiefs.

The Eagles must shut down the Chiefs offense, specifically Tyreek Hill. They must also keep Travis Kelce at Bay. By keeping the two best playmakers on the receiving side of the ball in check, the Eagles can stop the Chiefs’ momentum and try to get the offense to play against a subpar defense. Andy Reid has proven himself a notable head coach, both in Philadelphia in the 2000s with multiple trips of the NFC Championship and the various playoff appearances with Kansas City. The Chiefs will see the Eagles as a rebound team. I predict the Eagles will fall to the Chiefs 32-21 on Sunday. Hurts has a great statistical game, but those stats are not enough to best the high-powered offense of the Kansas City Chief.