October 13, 2024
Colleen Claggett/For PhillyVoice
Eagles fans can feel really good about A.J. Brown, and not a lot else.
In Week 6, the Philadelphia Eagles squeaked by the very bad, very banged-up Cleveland Browns, 20-16. As always, win, lose, or tie, we hand out 10 awards, even when it's ugly.
Before we start detailing the concerning aspects of this game, let's start with a positive, which is that A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are awesome. Brown caught 6 passes for 116 yards and the following TD.
AJ BROWN IS BACK.
— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024
📺: #CLEvsPHI on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/U1QF0FGRjI
Smith had 3 catches for 64 yards and this TD:
DeVonta Smith strolls in for the 45-yard TD!
— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024
📺: #CLEvsPHI on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/0clWcCRL9z
Brown missed each of the last three games with a hamstring injury, and Smith missed the Eagles' Week 4 loss in Tampa with a concussion. They're both fully back.
The above TD wasn't the only big play that Brown made. He also sealed the win with a 40-yard reception from Hurts.
ABSOLUTELY INSANE A.J. BROWN 🥵@1kalwaysopen_ | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/3OQeT4xAgJ
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 13, 2024
Good throw, great catch.
BUT... even though the result of the play was positive, the play choice was highly questionable.
It was 2nd and 11 with two minutes left in the game, and the Browns had one timeout left. If the Eagles got any kind of first down and were tackled in bounds, game over. Or, alternatively, if they simply ran it twice, the Browns would have likely gotten the ball back with about a minute left deep in their own end, needing their garbage quarterback to drive the field for a touchdown.
A shot play deep down the sideline was a low-percentage play that honestly didn't make a lot of sense.
It was revealed after the game that Hurts checked to the play at the line of scrimmage, much like he did against the Seahawks last season, when he fired up a deep shot for Brown in a situation where that kind of play call didn't make a lot of sense either.
The fact that it happened again is highly alarming, even if in this case there was a good result.
MORE: Eagles win in a game that provides more questions than answers
The two plays made by Brown, the one by Smith, and a few Grant Calcaterra catches were pretty much all the offense did against the Browns, who oh by the way were missing their top three safeties. As usual, the Eagles got out to a slow start. In the first quarter, they went three-and-out on their first drive, then punted after gaining 16 yards on their second drive.
The Eagles have played five games so far in 2024, and they have zero points in the first quarter. In 10 first-quarter possessions, they have run 44 plays (4.4 plays per possession), for 140 yards (3.2 yards per play), with 4 three-and-outs and 3 turnovers.
The Eagles have had a penchant this season for letting one bad play turn into two, and then three, and so on.
For example, on the Eagles' drive to close the first half, they got a good 9-yard gain on a pass from Hurts to Brown. And then the badness began:
• On 2nd and 1, Hurts dumped a pass down to Saquon Barkley, who glided toward the sideline and stepped out of bounds short of the sticks.
• On 3rd and 1, the Eagles ran vertical routes with all their receivers presumably on the premise that if Hurts threw an incompletion on the play, they could just Brotherly Shove it on 4th down, except... Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah came free on a blitz, Barkley missed the blitz pickup, and Hurts was sacked for a loss of 8.
• On 4th and 9, the Eagles then lined up for a 57-yard field goal attempt, and... OH THE HUMANITY!
MYLES GARRETT BLOCKS THE FG.
— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024
BROWNS RETURN IT FOR THE TD.
📺: #CLEvsPHI on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/mTsIcPOEfQ
During the game, Sirianni got into it for a while with Browns CB Greg Newsome, which appeared to be some friendly trash talk initially (as shown on television), but seemed to turn a little nastier, as Newsome eventually had to be pulled away by a teammate.
After the game, or at least after the victory was sealed, Sirianni got into it with fans behind the Eagles benches.
Eagles HC Nick Sirianni appears to have some words towards the crowd as the clocked ticked down in the Philly victory. pic.twitter.com/XILkMvVamD
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 13, 2024
Nick Sirianni with a long answer on why he brought his kids to the podium
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) October 13, 2024
Gets emotional talking about how much football means to him and his family pic.twitter.com/OmMqmGLWDT
Sirianni said that during the week some players encouraged him to be more emotional, like he was in 2022. I think that was bad advice.
During his bizarre presser, Sirianni noted that he made the 3rd and 1 call at the end of the first half that led to the Hurts sack. He also revealed that he made a play call... on defense (!!!) that also didn't work. (He didn't reveal what play that was.)
I'm sure Vic Fangio, who, you know, has decades of experience running NFL defenses, just 💗loves💗 having Sirianni call defensive plays for him.
Mailata (hamstring), Slay (knee), and Goedert (hamstring) all left the game and did not return. Mailata's injury appeared to be the most severe, as he needed help getting off the field to the medical tent, and was then carted back to the locker room.
The Eagles headed into this game with a clean injury report, but it'll have some important starters on it heading into Week 7 against the Giants.
MORE: The pivotal plays from the Eagles' win over the Browns
Graham, the 15-year vet, played in his 200th game. He had a strong game, with 5 tackles.
There was very little to feel good about in the Eagles' win over the Browns, but they did get a win, while the two teams ahead of them in the standings — the Commanders and Cowboys — both faltered. The Commanders lost to the Ravens, and the Cowboys are down 37-9 to the Lions in the third quarter, as of this writing. The Giants play on Sunday Night Football at home against the Bengals.
Assuming the Lions hang on for the win in Dallas, the NFC East standings will look like this:
| NFC East | Record | Div record |
| Commanders | 4-2 | 1-0 |
| Eagles | 3-2 | 0-0 |
| Cowboys | 3-3 | 1-0 |
| Giants | 2-3 | 0-2 |
This feels like one of those seasons where the Eagles don't play well all year, and yet they remain in the mix to win the division deep into December.
The Eagles' Week 7 opponent is the Giants, who they have owned in recent years. Anyone feel confident about that game next Sunday?
MORE: Eagles stock watch after Week 6 win
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