By Matt Ryan, Sports Talk Philly Contributor 
The Eagles face the Jaguars in week two of the 2019 pre-season. The Birds have played well in the first half, leading 7-3. Here’s what we saw in the first 30 minutes of action:
What Worked
- Sidney Jones has had a rough first two years as an Eagle, being injured both seasons, but has looked great so far finishing the first half with three solo tackles.
- The Eagles had a beautiful 12-play, 95-yard drive that ended with a 38-yard touchdown pass from Clayton Thorston to Greg Ward Jr. to put them up 7-0 at the start of the second quarter.
- Third year linebacker Nathan Gerry had an incredible fumble recovery, fighting off numerous Jaguars before jumping on the ball at mid field.
What Didn’t
- The offensive line was getting destroyed early, allowing a huge hit on quarterback Cody Kessler which took him out of the game and into concussion protocol.
- Penalties hurt the Birds as they committed seven for 45 yards in the first half. On the final drive of the half, the Eagles committed four penalties, causing them to punt on 4th and 20 with just over a minute left.
Halftime Adjustment
Clayton Thorston needs to do a better job getting the ball downfield. Most of his passes have been short screens with the exception of one deep ball which resulted in a touchdown. The run game has been extremely effective, picking up over 60 yards so far.
Second Half X-Factor: The Offensive Line
After a rough start to the game, the offensive line has done a great job protecting the quarterback and allowing big holes for the run game. As long as the offensive line can keep creating big holes for the running backs and protecting the quarterback the Eagles should be able to get their first preseason win of the year.
