Eagles Evaluation: Saints Trample Birds

By Gia Lanci, Sports Talk Philly Staff

The Eagles play the New Orleans Saints in week 11. The Saints are the hottest team in the NFL right now with Drew Brees leading their stellar offense. Going into this game, Brees completed his passes 77% of the time and he has only one interception. It is going to be a really tough game but everyone needs to step up in order to stay in the game.

Below are my drive by drive analyses:

• Corey Clement returned the ball for 35 yards. There was an offensive holding call, pushing the Eagles back 10 yards. They cannot make little mistakes like this, especially when they needed a good starting position to help set up the offense.
• Josh Adams carried the ball for the first play of the drive and he got a loss of one yard.
• Wentz passed to Golden Tate, but a defender tipped the pass and Tate did not catch the ball.
• Josh Adams received a short pass with a lead block by Vaati who allowed Adams to gain 10 yards. They were only one yard away and it was very surprising that Doug did not have them go for it.

• Sidney Jones was unable to make the tackle and that allowed the receiver to run for a first down and more, but Corey Graham was able to eventually stop him. If he was not stopped, he may have gone all the way down the field.

Not a bad way to start our day#PHIvsNO pic.twitter.com/EDKw03p9rZ

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 18, 2018

• Fletcher Cox made a big tackle on Alvin Kamara to make it third down with three yards to go. Sidney Jones had good coverage on the receiver, however he was still able to catch the ball. Jones did not let him gain more yards after the catch.
• The Saints had four yards to go and there was good coverage on the play by LeBlanc and McGill. Then there was a pass thrown and former Saint Malcolm Jenkins halted the play with a great tackle. This forced the Saints to attempt a field goal. The attempt was good. This gave the Saints a 3-0 lead against the Birds. Luckily, the Eagles were able to hold this stellar offense to only a field goal.

• Corey Clement had a 48-yard return. This is what the Eagles need. They have not had any great returns this season other than this one.
• The protection was affected by the defense and that forced Wentz to throw the ball away. He needs to react quicker to avoid having to throw with heavy pressure.
• Wentz ran the ball and gained six yards. It was a good play gaining a few yards.
• A pass was thrown to Jordan Matthews and the defender held his jersey, holding him back from executing the catch. It probably should have been a pass interference call. This was fourth down and the Eagles offense could not get it done, forcing the punt.

• Jordan Hicks had a good tackle, stopping the run, on Ingram. They only gained one yard there.
• The quarterback was hit on the throw and did not throw accurately. The coverage on the receiver was also good by Maddox and the pass was incomplete.
• A short pass was thrown. There was pressure coming onto Brees. The runner was able to gain 16 yards with great blocking from the offensive line. They did not allow the defenders to get to the runner.
• Another handoff went to Kamara and he was not able to run the ball because of Brandon Graham and the defensive line.
• A long pass was thrown toward Sidney Jones who could not cover the receiver and he gained more yards after the run. Maddox stepped up and was able to get the tackle.
• Their quarterback, Drew Brees, attempted a pass into the endzone to two receivers. They both had coverage on them by Jenkins and Hicks.
• Brees tries to throw into the endzone again as they moved up field. He had pressure coming onto him from Hicks and Bennett, so he threw the ball to a receiver who had two defenders on him. The ball was uncatchable anyway. Avonte Maddox injured his knee on this play.
• A short pass was thrown to Austin Carr for a touchdown. He had a defender on him, but it was a good pass right in his chest.

Drew Brees finds Austin Carr for his first career NFL touchdown! #PHIvsNO pic.twitter.com/FBbcasfHZj

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 18, 2018

• Carson Wentz got sacked in the backfield, but there was a flag on the defense pushing us forward.
• Wentz threw all the way down field and the ball was intercepted. The safety read the ball and there was two defenders on Agholor. It was a terrible decision by Wentz to throw it deep on second and ten and to throw into coverage. There was no chance that play was going to go well to begin with.

Wentz is picked off by Marshon Lattimore! #PHIvsNO pic.twitter.com/SdyMVyQ8bc

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 18, 2018

• Kamara carried the ball for 16 yards. They were able to create a gap for him to go right through. Jenkins was able to get away from his man to get the tackle.
• A pass was attempted down field, but the receiver was well-covered by Sidney Jones and the ball was incomplete.
• Nigel Bradham was beaten out by the receiver and was able to stretch out and catch the pass.
• The ball was caught and Rasul Douglas fought him, eventually pushing him out of bounds.
• Malcolm Jenkins had a great stop on a run play. He read the play and was ready to stop it immediately.

• The pass was caught, but a great tackle was made by Corey Graham. He was right there and halted the play right away, however, the pass was still completed.
• They attempted to carry the ball, but were stopped quickly by Malcolm Jenkins and Michael Bennett. Then a pass was thrown and Sidney Jones was not there. He recovered and was able to get the tackle.
• Ingram runs right into the endzone. For 14 yards, he was completely untouched. There were no defenders even close to him.

Mark Ingram joins #Saints fans in the crowd after a 14-yard touchdown run! #PHIvsNO pic.twitter.com/zLZOxADPyk

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 18, 2018

• After a touchback, a pass was thrown to a wide open Jeffery. This was a great way to start the drive, with a strong pass and catch by the offense.
• A 14-yard pass was thrown to Jordan Matthews. It was a really nice catch by Matthews since he was well covered.
• A play-action play was made by Wentz and they decided to pass to Tate for 15-yards. Ertz had a really good block to allow Tate to catch the ball. Tate tried to run for yards after the catch, but was unable to because two defenders were on him.
• Josh Adams carried the ball in for a 28-yard touchdown. He shook a defender off his foot to get into the endzone. This was his first career touchdown. Finally, the Eagles were able to put some points on the board. Jake Elliott made the extra point.

Josh Adams darts in from 28 yards out, his first career NFL touchdown.#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/wjDTSFA48R

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 18, 2018

• Hill threw the ball for the Saints and had plenty of time to throw. He should not have that much time.
• Kamara, with another carry, was stopped by Malcolm Jenkins again. He allowed him to get only to the line of scrimmage.
• An incomplete pass was thrown with three defenders on the intended receiver. The pass should not have been caught since there were three people on him.
• A pass was thrown and Nigel Bradham had really great coverage on the receiver to make it an incomplete pass. This forced the punt.

• After a touchback, a pass was thrown to Josh Adams, and he was able to gain yards after the run and get a first down. He shouldered right through the defenders for the first down. Wentz also had a lot of time to get the ball out thanks to the protection by the O-line.
• Adams had another good run for five yards. Another run by Josh Adams to gain a first down. The lead blockers, Seumalo, Wisniewski and Ertz, allowed him to get the first down.
• Wentz got rid of it quickly with pressure coming onto him. He threw it to Clement who gained a few yards from a crazy play that resulted in a gain of three yards rather than a throw away or sack.
• Carson Wentz took way too long to throw the ball and got sacked by the Saints defense. Ertz was able to beat the coverage and was open, but it was too late.

• Kamara tried to run the ball but he ran directly into Jenkins and Gerry, who were able to shut him down.
• There was a delay of game penalty by the Saints pushing them back, but they were able to respond with a catch and run. The secondary could not tackle and allowed him to gain 22 yards.
• The receiver was not open when Brees threw the ball, but Sullivan did not see the ball at all coming his way and the receiver caught the ball 30 yards downfield.

Brees with an absolute DIME to Michael Thomas!#PHIvsNO pic.twitter.com/lU0rRRze2P

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 18, 2018

• Brees has way too much time to throw the ball. Someone needs to get to him. A big pass was thrown to the end zone, but it was overthrown. Douglas had good coverage and he did a great job of not getting passive interference.
• A short pass was thrown and caught, but Leblanc got a low tackle on him. He needed to prevent the catch rather than just stop it, since they now have a first down and are in the red zone.
• Corey Graham had good coverage, but was not able to execute the play. A pass was thrown for a touchdown. LeBlanc was on his man, but could not prevent the catch. Corey Graham hit him and was flagged down for head to head contact when he really did not hit him with his head. The catch was still made and it was still a touchdown regardless.

Tre'Quan Smith finds the end zone with a 15-yard touchdown grab! #PHIvsNO pic.twitter.com/XA89YdbXjB

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 18, 2018

• Corey Clement ran the ball and there was a flag on the play. This pushed the Eagles back to a starting position at the 14-yard line.
• A pass was thrown to Ertz for his first target this game.
• Carson Wentz was sacked for the third time. His protection was just not there and he took too long to throw. The pressure was coming from everywhere.

• Ingram carried the ball and was barely able to be stopped. The defensive line slowly got him. He still gained seven yards.
• A short pass was thrown and there were five defenders right there who were able to get the stop.
• Sullivan was beat out, but then caught back up to the runner. He still could not get in front of him to prevent the catch. It was a gain of nine yards.
• Malcolm Jenkins wrapped his arms around the runner’s feet but could not get the tackle.
• Douglas was beat out and Graham tried to come and help out, but Brees threw the ball right over Rasul Douglas and into the receiver’s arms for a 23-yard touchdown.

Brees drops in another dime and Thomas extends our lead with a 23-yard touchdown! #PHIvsNO pic.twitter.com/2F1MLMpgTf

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 18, 2018

• After a touchback, a pass was thrown to Jeffery for a first down. They need to get something rolling here if they want to stay in this game at all.
• A bad snap caused a bad throw from Wentz. Then a pass was thrown to Zach Ertz and he only gained a few yards with two defenders on him.
• Wentz was scrambling and tried to throw it to Ertz again, but could not execute. This forced the punt. The offense can not handle the pressure.

• Michael Bennett had the tackle on Kamara when he tried to run through the middle.
• A direct snap went to Kamara. They attempted a trick play. At this point, they were just playing around with the Eagles defense.
• A pass was thrown and Sullivan did not see that the ball was thrown towards his receiver, again. This was a 21-yard pass.
• They attempted to run the ball into the endzone through the middle, but were stopped immediately by Corey Graham.
• A pass was thrown and tipped by Brandon Graham and was nearly caught, but fell incomplete.
• Ingram ran it into the endzone and was only barely touched by Nathan Gerry. The secondary really needs help to prevent these types of plays.

Mark Ingram punches it in from one yard out! #PHIvsNO pic.twitter.com/BUFldqMljW

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 18, 2018

• Clement returned the ball for 24 yards.
• Another carry for Josh Adams. He had a good run of six yards. They should really run the ball more; at least they gain a few yards each play.
• A great catch was made by Ertz, who was well covered. Wentz placed the ball very nicely right in Ertz’s hands.
• A toss was made to Golden Tate, who went to run the ball, but was pushed back and had a loss of eight yards on the play. They then throw it to Tate again since he was able to get open. They gained 12-yards. Another pass was attempted to Tate, but he could not catch it.This forced the punt.

Cam Jordan stays home and comes up with a loss of 8! #PHIvsNO pic.twitter.com/ki3cb9Hahn

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 18, 2018

• Cameron Johnston got the tackle on Kamara who was returning the ball. It was a great tackle by Johnston, and Kamara got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the play.

• Ingram attempted a carry, but was pushed back by McGill to lose a yard.

• Brees throws all the way down field. Rasul Douglas had good coverage, but the pass was still thrown perfectly and was caught downfield.
• Bausby had a good tackle. He was being stiff armed but still made the tackle. It was a loss of one yard on the play.
• Really good coverage by LeBlanc, to shake the receiver up and force him to drop the ball.
• A 38-yard touchdown pass was thrown to Kamara from Brees. Jenkins had decent coverage, but Brees was able to perfectly place it in Kamara’s hands.

Brees hits Alvin Kamara on 4th down for another #Saints touchdown! #PHIvsNO pic.twitter.com/WdLkRILFwK

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 18, 2018

• After a touchback, Tate caught a pass and gained six yards on the play.
• Wentz took too long to pass the ball, then threw it to Adams quickly and he was unable to catch the ball. Poor pass by Wentz. If he takes that much time to throw it, he should at least make sure to complete the pass.
• A pass on fourth and one was incomplete. It was broken up by the defenders. Another turnover on downs for the Eagles.

• Malcolm Jenkins brings down Ingram and had no gain on the play.
• Ingram had the carry and was hit by two defenders Brandon Graham and Jordan Hicks,but still could not be taken down.
• Ingram ran through the middle and could not get anywhere because the defensive line.
• They attempted a 19-yard field goal and it was good. They lead the Eagles by 41 points.

• After a touchback, Adams got a nice little run to gain seven yards.
• Wentz had pressure coming to him, and he passed the ball to Jeffery who bobbled the ball and it was ruled incomplete.
• Wentz tried to make a play and threw the ball all the way down field and it was intercepted, again. He had pressure coming onto him and he tried to throw on the run. He should’ve just thrown it away.

Wentz throws his second INT of the day – easy money for @Chris1Banjo 💰#PHIvsNO pic.twitter.com/iQew619Tmd

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 19, 2018

• Teddy Bridgewater came in as quarterback and the Saints had a quick three and out. The defense was still there with Long and McGill getting a tackle.

• Tate was going to return, but got hit hard and lost two yards.
• Clement carried the ball for eight yards. He had a decent run.
• A pass was thrown to Tate for a gain of nine yards. The Eagles have no energy or motivation left to continue this game. They still want to get at least another touchdown on the board though.
• A pass was thrown to Jordan Matthews to get closer to the end zone for 19 yards.
• Wentz overthrew a pass to Jeffery, but there was a defensive penalty for pass interference.
• With under two minutes left in the game, Wentz got sacked again. They were on top of him almost instantly. He had no time to even think about what he was going to do.
• A pass is thrown in the endzone and is intercepted in the endzone.The pass was intended for Dallas Goedert, but he did not even see the ball thrown. It was an unfortunate way for the game to end.