Game ball, three stars, and snap count analysis: Week 12, Eagles at Rams

In their Week 12 win over the Los Angeles Rams, the Philadelphia Eagles played 73 snaps on offense and 64 on defense. Let's just get right to the snap counts, and some notes.

Quarterback

• 71 snaps: Jalen Hurts

• 2 snaps: Kenny Pickett

Notes: Hurts didn't have to do much with Barkley running wild through the Rams' secondary,. He finished 15 of 22 for 179 yards and a TD.

Running back

• 50 snaps: Saquon Barkley

• 23 snaps: Kenny Gainwell

• 5 snaps: Ben VanSumeren

Notes: I've been asked quite a bit recently about Barkley's heavy usage this season, and whether or not he can continue to play at a high level into December and January.

Barkley has 250 touches on the season. He is on pace for 386 regular season touches, plus whatever he does in the playoffs. That is a lot of wear and tear to put on a running back in one season, and in the past we have seen running backs around the league have down years after that level of usage.

I think the Eagles have tried to get Barkley off the field whenever appropriate, but the reality is that he is their best player right now, and he is winning them games. It's hard to take a player off the field when he is playing at an otherworldly level like Barkley is. Do you lean toward preservation, or the best record possible? The Eagles are trying to achieve both, but winning game is the priority.

As the season has progressed, Barkley only appears to be getting stronger.

Saquon Barkley	Rush	Yards	YPC	TD
First 5 games	91	482	5.3	4
Last 6 games	132	910	6.9	6

As long as he doesn't suffer some kind of injury that will hamper him (the odds of which increase with a continued heavy workload, obviously), I think he'll still play like the elite player he is the rest of the way.

I do think that the wear and tear he is taking on this season could affect him in 2025 and 2026, though.

Wide receiver

• 65 snaps: A.J. Brown

• 51 snaps: Johnny Wilson

• 50 snaps: Jahan Dotson

• 7 snaps: Ainias Smith

• 3 snaps: Britain Covey

Notes: Hurts only attempted 22 passes, and Brown still caught 6 balls for 109 yards and a TD. If this game didn't turn into The Saquon Barkley Show, it could have very well been The A.J. Brown Show, as the Rams didn't have any corners capable of covering Brown man-to-man.

The rest of the Eagles' receivers combined for 1 catch for 4 yards on 2 targets.

DeVonta Smith missed this game with a hamstring injury. They'll need him Week 13 against the Ravens.

Tight end

• 55 snaps: Dallas Goedert

• 40 snaps: Grant Calcaterra

• 16 snaps: C.J. Uzomah

Notes: There isn't much to say about the tight ends from this game. Goedert had 4 catches on 5 targets for 19 yards.

Offensive line

• 73 snaps: Jordan Mailata and Cam Jurgens

• 71 snaps each: Landon Dickerson, Mekhi Becton, and Lane Johnson

• 2 snaps each: Jack Driscoll, Fred Johnson, and Tyler Steen

Notes: The Eagles' offensive line dominated in the run game, and only allowed one sack to a good, young Rams defensive line.

Edge defenders

• 39 snaps: Nolan Smith

• 36 snaps: Josh Sweat

• 29 snaps: Brandon Graham

• 24 snaps: Jalyx Hunt

Notes: Graham said that his season is over with a torn triceps. More here.

This was a new high snap count for both Smith and Hunt. They're going to have to play a lot more with Graham out.

Sweat has 7 sacks in the last 7 games, and has quietly had a very good season after the team shopped him this past offseason.

Interior defensive line

• 54 snaps: Jalen Carter

• 24 snaps: Milton Williams

• 23 snaps: Moro Ojomo

• 15 snaps: Jordan Davis

• 11 snaps: Thomas Booker

Notes: Carter had a heavy workload yet again, until the outcome was decided, at which point he got some rest.

Williams had a pair of sacks and a forced fumble. He now has 5 sacks on the season after posting 0.5 sacks in 2023.

Linebacker

• 53 snaps: Zack Baun

• 52 snaps: Nakobe Dean

• 9 snaps: Oren Burks

• 5 snaps: Jeremiah Trotter

Notes: Dean had 8 tackles and a sack. Baun only had 3 tackles, but he made a really nice pass breakup while in coverage on Cooper Kupp. His play against the pass has been shockingly good.

Cornerback and safety

• 64 snaps: Quinyon Mitchell

• 62 snaps: Cooper DeJean

• 57 snaps: Reed Blankenship

• 56 snaps: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson

• 28 snaps: Darius Slay

• 13 snaps: Avonte Maddox

• 8 snaps: Tristin McCollum

• 6 snaps: Sydney Brown

Notes: DeJean had a couple of pass breakups. PFF had him down for 6 catches allowed on 9 targets for 49 yards. That's 5.4 yards per attempt. The Eagles landed two of the best players in the 2024 draft in DeJean and Mitchell.

I thought it was interesting that Tristin McCollum — and not Sydney Brown — filled in for Blankenship when Blankenship was banged-up for a few plays.

Three stars 🤩

I've always liked the hockey tradition of awarding "stars" to each of the three best players in a game, so let's apply that to Eagles games.

⭐⭐⭐: RB Saquon Barkley

🌟🌟: WR A.J. Brown

✨: DT Milton Williams

Eagles game ball 🏈

🏈: EDGE Brandon Graham: We could very easily give the game ball to Barkley, but Graham may have played his last NFL game on Sunday.

Season game balls

Week 1, vs. Packers: Saquon Barkley
Week 2, at Falcons: Nobody
Week 3, at Saints: Vic Fangio
Week 4, at Buccaneers: Saquon Barkley
Week 5: BYE
Week 6, vs. Browns: Brandon Graham
Week 7, at Giants: Saquon Barkley
Week 8, at Bengals: Fred Johnson
Week 9, vs. Jaguars: Nakobe Dean
Week 10, at Cowboys: Nick Sirianni
Week 11, vs. Commanders: Jalen Carter
Week 12, at Rams: Brandon Graham

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