NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday afternoon in a game that the world was watching following last week’s win against the Carolina Panthers and the remarks made by AJ Brown regarding the Eagles’ offense. How would the Eagles respond?
Well, they not only won the game, but they showed just how dangerous of an offense they could be when they decide to be. Jalen Hurts completed 25 for 32 passes for 290 yards and 2 TDs and was in control of the offense for the vast majority of the game.
The Philadelphia Eagles, on a 10-game winning streak, decided to abandon their run-first approach. Maybe it was designed due to the Steelers’ defensive schemes or maybe it was done to silence the critics. Either way, the team came out and did what they were supposed to do and they did it against a quality opponent.
Brown caught 8 passes for 110 yards and 1 TD while his counterpart, DeVonta Smith hauled in 11 passes for 109 yards and 1 TD. This was the Eagles offense fans and analysts have been waiting for. But it was one that the rest of the NFL did not want to see.
For many, stopping Saquon Barkley was enough. The Steelers held Barkley to just 65 yards on the ground on 19 attempts. This game was not about him. While Barkley did manage to hold things down in the 2nd half with the help of Kenneth Gainwell, who amassed 60 total yards from scrimmage, Kellen Moore and Nick Sirianni pulled out all the stops.
The Eagles are 12-2 and find themselves tied with the Detroit Lions for the best record in the NFC. The whispers were loud regarding their one-dimensional offense but not anymore. Sometimes it’s best to let sleeping dogs sleep. Why wake a giant when you don’t have to?
Moving forward, Moore will have to find a way to get the balance going. In all fairness, he did do a good job against the Steelers, just that their defense was geared to stop Barkley. As a team, the Philadelphia Eagles still managed to run for 131 yards on 42 carries.
What happened was everyone asked for this to happen. They questioned the game management of the OC and Hurts’ ability to read a defense and deliver the ball where needed. Hurts responded like the former MVP candidate he was. Moore responded like the good OC he is. Brown and Smith responded like one of the best WR duos they are.
No locker room issues following this game. And maybe there never was one. The media gets a piece of a story and runs with it. They create their own narratives and in the end, it cost the Steelers and the rest of the league. Be careful what you wish for.
