Eagles Quinyon Mitchell and Jeremiah Trotter make great NFL debuts against Ravens
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni discusses the quarterback’s play against the Ravens as the rookies shine in a 16-13 win.
Last season, when the Philadelphia Eagles were coming off a shaky win over the New England Patriots in their regular season opener, head coach Nick Sirianni said he would “rethink some of the preseason stuff,” particularly whether he would use his regular players during preseason games.
But Jalen Hurts and most of the offensive players sat on the bench for the second consecutive preseason game between the Eagles and the Patriots on Thursday night.
The reasons for the second week of the preseason are clear. First, it rained in Foxborough in the hours before the game. Second, the Eagles practiced against the Patriots on Tuesday, which Sirianni considers better work than the game at this point. And with a new offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore and a new offensive philosophy, Sirianni wants to have a “competitive edge” heading into the regular season.
Therefore, it is likely that Hurts will make his first appearance on September 6 in Brazil in the Eagles’ season opener against Green Bay.
Here are some insights and observations from the Eagles’ 14-13 win:
As for the game, the Eagles may still face competition for the backup quarterback.
That’s because second-year quarterback Tanner McKee, who occasionally played for the second team in practice, played better than Kenny Pickett, who was signed by the Eagles in the spring and selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 2022 draft.
McKee led the game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, culminating in a 28-yard pass to Joseph Ngata to the 4-yard line. Kendall Milton’s 1-yard run with 4:23 left gave the Eagles a 14-12 lead.
McKee completed 15 of 19 passes for 140 yards. He was better than Pickett, who played the first half, but against many of the Patriots’ starters on defense.
And although Pickett completed 11 of 13 passes for 67 yards, only two went further than 10 yards. Pickett was also sacked four times.
McKee took over in the third quarter. He completed four passes of 10-plus yards, including a 23-yard pass to Ngata. He left the field for a series in the third quarter and returned in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles secured the win when linebacker Brandon Smith recovered a fumble from Patriots QB Bailey Zappe on a failed snap.
EJ Jenkins, Ngata shine, O-Line struggles
Jenkins, competing for a third-string spot, caught a 19-yard pass from Will Grier. He finished the game with five catches for 47 yards before leaving in the fourth quarter with a leg injury.
Ngata finished with 5 catches for 88 yards.
But the game also showed that the Eagles don’t have much depth on the offensive line behind the starters. That became even more apparent when right guard Tyler Steen left in the first quarter because he re-injured his ankle. Steen was in the running for the right guard position, even though it already looked like Mekhi Becton had won that job.
Both Nakobe Dean and Nolan Smith had difficult rookie seasons, but the former Georgia stars showed two strong plays in the third quarter.
On second and 10 from the halfway line, New England’s Drake Maye threw a short ball to rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk. Dean immediately met him and tackled him without getting anything out of it. On the next play, Smith sacked Maye, causing him to lose eight yards and forcing a Patriots punt.
Kenny Pickett started at quarterback and was accurate when he had time to throw, which wasn’t often since the Eagles were down 10-3 at halftime. On the other hand, Pickett had backups on the offensive line and at wide receiver. He didn’t have Saquon Barkley to hand off to, or AJ Brown or DeVonta Smith to throw to.
And then right guard Tyler Steen injured his ankle again. Pickett was sacked four times in the Eagles’ first two drives without Steen.
Pickett completed 11 of 13 passes for 67 yards in the first half. As a team, the Eagles only managed 65 yards in the first half. But Pickett was not a good player and often held the ball too long.
It could have been worse, as Avonte Maddox stopped a Patriots attack with an interception in the end zone and a 47-yard return that led to the Eagles’ only points, a 42-yard field goal by Jake Elliott with 3:04 left in the first quarter.
But the Pats equalized and then took a 10-3 lead when rookie quarterback Drake Maye scored from 4 yards out with 1:57 left in the second quarter.
Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye scored the first touchdown of his NFL career, and he didn’t score it through the air. Instead, he ran the ball into the end zone, putting the finishing touches on a methodical touchdown drive.
The drive covered eight plays for 49 yards and took 3:58 off the clock. It was a drive that had a little bit of everything, with Maye leading a balanced attack that kept the Eagles in check.
The red zone was all about running the ball, and the rookie didn’t have to make any tight throws. Instead, the running backs did most of the running work, clearing the way for Maye to run into the end zone and score. — Danny Jaillet, Patriots Wire
John Ross, one of the receivers vying for the third WR spot, left the game to be evaluated for a concussion. Johnny Wilson was placed in concussion protocol after Tuesday’s practice.
The competition for right guard seemed to be over before Tyler Steen left the field in a cart at the end of the first quarter. Steen suffered an ankle injury, the same injury that had previously sidelined him for 10 days in training camp, allowing Mekhi Becton to take over.
Becton was one of the starters who sat out Thursday while Steen was playing. Then Steen got injured. Nick Gates took over for Steen.
Becton started the first series against Baltimore last week. Now he’s in bubble wrap with the other starters. Sirianni didn’t verbally declare the contest over, but his actions may have done so.
The Eagles’ two starting safeties, Reed Blankenship and CJ Gardner-Johnson (shoulder), sat out, so the converted cornerbacks, veterans Avonte Maddox and James Bradberry, started.
Maddox made an immediate impact. On New England’s second possession, he lined up in front of Austin Hooper in the end zone, intercepted Jacoby Brissett’s pass and returned it 47 yards to the Eagles’ 45-yard line. The Eagles scored a field goal with 3:04 left in the first quarter to take a 3-0 lead.
Many of the regular defensive players were in action, including edge rusher Bryce Huff, who had tackles on the Patriots’ first two plays.
Johnny Wilson, the Eagles’ sixth-round pick who had a good preseason, did not play Thursday because he was placed in concussion protocol after Tuesday’s practice.
Wilson had a seven-yard catch last week against Baltimore. The 6-foot-6 receiver is in the running for the third wide receiver spot.
Eagles 53-man roster: Who leads the battle for the 3rd WR?
It is becoming increasingly likely that the Eagles’ third wide receiver is not yet on the roster.
None of the receivers behind AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith took advantage of their opportunities in the Eagles’ 16-13 win over Baltimore last week. And that could potentially lead to outside reinforcements arriving before the season even starts. Coincidentally, the experienced Juju Smith-Schuster was released by the New England Patriots last week.
Contact Martin Frank at [email protected]. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.
