State of the Eagles: Week 13 (2023)

2.) Slay & Bradberry

In a season where both Slay and Bradberry have slightly struggled, they bounced back well against Buffalo. Josh Allen was 1-5 for 22 yards with a 39.6 rating when targeting Slay, and went 6-15 for 62 yards and an INT with a 42.4 rating when targeting Bradberry. Both corners played 95 snaps, and Bradberry’s interception helped shift the momentum in the game.

3.) Jake Elliott

Signing Jake Elliott off of the Bengals practice squad in 2017 may have been Howie’s greatest move as GM; Jake Elliott went 4/4 on extra points and hit a clutch 59 yard field goal in the rain to force overtime. Elliott has been the epitome of consistency this season; an argument can be made that he is the best kicker in the NFL right now.

4.) Georgia boys

Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter have been so special for the Eagles so far this season; they combined for 9 tackles while Carter blocked a field goal late in the first half. Both players got off the ball quickly & were wreaking havoc in in the Buffalo backfield.

Negative Observations

1.) Play calling

Death, taxes, and Brian Johnson calling bubble screens to Julio Jones on 3rd down… although Johnson found a rhythm in the 2nd half, the first have was nothing short of abysmal. Questionable situational football & some head-scratching play calls left Eagles fans less than thrilled during the first half of the game; simply put, Johnson needs to figure out how to get his offense going early on in games. (A great way to do this is give Swift more than 3 carries in the first half).

2.) Defense

The defense was… not great on Sunday; they gave up 505 (!) total yards & a whopping 29 first downs. The defense was seemingly unable to get off the field, as Buffalo had the ball for over 40 minutes in the game. Although they tightened up in the 4th quarter, the defense certainly left much to be desired.

3.) First half Jalen Hurts

Hurts struggled in the first half; he went 4/11 with 55 total yards, 1 Td, and 2 turnovers. He showed a little bit of his 2021 self during the first half, as he bailed from the pocket early and didn’t look comfortable. Buffalo was able to score 14 points off of Hurts’ turnovers in the first half; although Hurts played well in the 2nd half, more is expected from the Eagles franchise QB.

Upcoming Opponent

The Eagles (10-1) host the San Fransisco 49ers (8-3) Sunday at 4:25pm. The 49ers are looking like a dangerous team this year, as they are the biggest threat to the Eagles in the NFC. Brock Purdy has had a great year so far, the 49ers defense is one of the best in the NFL, and CMC is having an outstanding year as well. The key to this game lies within the trenches: Brock Purdy’s QBR drops significantly while under pressure; the Eagles need to pressure him into making mistakes. The Eagles need to get the run game going as well, as Swift provides the offense with a spark that makes Hurts’ life much easier.

Final Prediction- PHI: 30, SF: 20

NFC East Standings

The updated NFC East standings are as follows

1. Philadelphia Eagles: 10-1
2. Dallas Cowboys: 9-3
3. New York Giants: 4-8
4. Washington Commanders: 4-8

Final Thoughts

Although it looked ugly at first, the Eagles are the first team this year to 10 wins; they consistently find ways to win regardless of the circumstances. Although many Eagles fans want to see opponents getting blown out, it’s important to remember that the Eagles are playing a much more difficult schedule as opposed to last year, and that wins are the most important stat. That being said, if the Eagles continue to let teams hang around late in games, chances are it’ll come back to bite them. As always, Go Birds!