The Eagles are in first place in the NFC East.
Yes, you read that correctly.
The 1-2-1 Eagles are now in 1st place in the NFC East after a shocking 25-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night, a season-saving victory that will give the team some much-needed life and momentum after a disastrous start to the season.
Here are some takeaways from the big-time win by the Eagles:
Carson Wentz: The Eagles needed Carson Wentz to be special on Sunday night.
He was.
It wasn't pretty, but Wentz was the better of the two quarterbacks on the field, and made one of his best throws of the season when the Eagles needed it most. Down 14-11 with just under six minutes to play in the game, Wentz threw an absolutely perfect pass to receiver Travis Fulgham down the left sideline for a 42-yard touchdown to give the team an 18-11 lead. The pass, which was from the pocket, couldn't have been any better as it hit Fulgham right in stride. The fact it was to Fulgham, who was called up from the practice squad this week, made it even better.
Wentz absolutely deserves credit for playing tough, inspired football on Sunday night. On a 3rd-and-nine play midway through the third quarter, Wentz evaded pressure in the pocket before taking off down the right sideline, diving for a first-down. The play was ruled just short of the first down, and on the next play, Wentz snuck it up the middle for a first down. Playing without some of the offense's best players, Wentz tried his best to put the team on his back.
Still, Wentz's night was not without some mistakes.
Like last week, Wentz threw an interception right at the start of the game, this one coming on the Eagles' second possession. Wentz once again held onto the ball too long in the pocket, tried to make something happen and had his desperation pass tipped at the line. The ball popped up and fell into the hands of a diving Azeez Al-Shaair. The interception was the seventh of the season for Wentz, which tied his total from the entire 2019 season.
Wentz had a chance to get a big play early in the game, as tight end Richard Rodgers was wide open down the left sideline midway through the first quarter, but Wentz lofted the ball and by the time it got there the defense collapsed on Rodgers and the pass was incomplete.
Was he perfect? No.
But the Eagles needed their quarterback to help them get a win on Sunday night, and for the first time this season, he made it happen.
Doug Pederson: After catching some (warranted) heat for punting in overtime last week, Doug Pederson came out aggressive on Sunday night — and his team responded.
On the first touchdown of the game, with just under four minutes to play in the first quarter, Pederson called for a quarterback run at the perfect time. The perfect call allowed Wentz to run into the end zone from 11-yards out almost untouched for touchdown. He then decided to go for two, and that worked as well, as tight end Zach Ertz was wide open for the easy conversion to give the Eagles a 8-0 lead.
Pederson once again showed some faith in his team when he went for it on 4th-and-1 midway through the fourth quarter, down 14-8 from the 49ers' 31-yard line. Pederson called a quarterback sneak with plenty of pre-snap motion, and the result was a conversion and a fresh-set of downs.
Pederson made another gust call with just over eight minutes to go in the game, going for it on 4th-and-4 from the 49ers' 36-yard line, down 14-11. Not only was going for it risky, but the play went to rookie receiver John Hightower — who held on for the catch and the conversion.
Sunday night was also arguably the best job Pederson has done this season calling playings. There were plays to be made throughout the night, especially early on, but the offense wasn't able to execute them. Part of the problem was poor accuracy by Wentz. Part of the problem was dropped passes.
But on Sunday night, Doug Pederson was not the problem — and he got his team to respond in a big-way with aggressive play calling early on.
The Defense: Going against the best offensive line they have faced this season the Eagles defensive line was dominant.
The pressure on San Francisco quarterback Nick Mullens came from all over. Derek Barnett, Josh Sweat, Javon Hargrave and Genard Avery all came away with sacks. Even when they weren't doing their part in bringing down Mullens, they were consistently in his face, and you could tell it really through off his timing.
The Eagles defense was everything the team could have hoped for in the first half. Outside of one scoring drive, when the 49ers went right down the field, the Eagles' forced three punts on five 49ers' possessions — and came away with one very important turnover.
The 49ers were driving with just under three minutes to play in the first half, and had all the momentum, when safety Rodney McLeod picked off Nick Mullens at the six-yard line. The turnover not only prevented the 49ers from putting points on the board, but with the 49ers getting back the ball at the start of the third quarter, helped to prevent San Francisco from really starting to put the game away.
The 49ers went right down the field on their first possession of the second half, covering 75 yards in 12 plays, capping it off with a five-yard touchdown to tight end George Kittle.
After allowing the touchdown drive, however, the defense settled back down, forcing a punt on the next drive — and then coming away with their second turnover of the game after that. On 3rd-and-10 with just over 10 minutes to play in the game, cornerback Cre'von LeBlanc came on a blitz and knocked the ball away from Mullens in the pocket. Defensive tackle Malik Jackson recovered, giving the Eagles' offense the ball in 49ers' territory, down just 14-11.
The Eagles helped ice the game with a pick-six with just under six minutes to play when linebacker Alex Singleton picked off a pass thrown right to him and took it back 30 yards for the touchdown, giving the Eagles a 25-14 lead.
Miles Sanders: The Eagles had a chance to make a big play on 2nd-and-9 with just under five minutes to play in the third quarter, something their offense desperately needed. Wentz hit running back Miles Sanders in the hands running across the field, but the ball bounced off and fell incomplete. Was it a perfect pass? No. It was low.
But Sanders wants to be recognized as one of the best running backs in the league. He has the talent to be just that. That was a play Sanders needed to make for his quarterback, and his drop took away what could have been a big play for the Eagle's offense.
Genard Avery: On Sunday night Eagles got the Genard Avery they thought they were trading for last season. Avery not only got the pressure on the interception by Mullens at the end of the first half, but he came away with a sack in the first quarter as well. The sack might have been the result of a blown assignment by the 49ers, but Avery still made the play when it was there to be made.
Jordan Mailata: Jordan Mailata had a really bad false-start penalty on a 3rd-and-1 with just over seven minutes to play in the second quarter. The penalty was a killer, as it pushed the Eagles back into 3rd-and-6, a play they were unable to convert and had to punt the ball away. Outside of that penalty, however, Mailata was about as good as the Eagles could have hoped for, considering it was the first time in his life he has started a football game.
Lane Johnson: Left the game after the first series. Jack Driscoll went in. With Johnson out, Eagles had just one of their five projected starters along the offensive line from the start of training camp in the game. Johnson returned one series later, but then had to leave the game again. Johnson was in-and-out of the game for most of the evening. His status for next week is definitely something to monitor.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com
