5 Takeaways From Eagles Win Over Steelers
Source: YouTube.com
Last night, the Philadelphia Eagles clinched their second preseason victory by shutting out the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-0. Many consider the second preseason game to be one of the most important, as starters get extended playing time, and the chance to put on a showcase. Last week, Carson Wentz suffered a hairline fracture in his ribs, meaning that we were likely to see extended playing time from both Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel. Additionally, the absence of rookie Wendell Smallwood meant that Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles, and Kenjon Barner will get the run of the back field. Unfortunately, the first-team defense can not really be judged off of this outing, as the majority of Pittsburgh's first-team offense rode the bench. Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell, DeAngelo Williams, and Ben Roethlisberger all missed tonight's game. After having some time to look over some of the game film, here are my top 5 takeaways from tonight's victory.
1.) Good-Looking Secondary
Tonight, our secondary looked great. Jim Schwartz seems to have instilled a new drive in this secondary. In the first half alone, the Eagles came up with four interceptions, one of which was taken back for a pick-six. Granted, the Steelers didn't have their best players on the field, although Pittsburgh's #2 receiver in Markus Wheaton did see some playing time. They played strong coverage, never let their man get away from them, and most importantly, they focused on tackling the receiver. Nolan Carroll was the clear-cut MVP of the first-half, capping off his stellar performance with a pick-six.
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2.) Strong Outing from Eli Rogers
I know, Eli Rogers is not an Eagle. However, you can't overlook an impressive performance when you witness one. That's what we saw tonight. With Antonio Brown out, and Markus Wheaton playing a limited number of snaps, this was Rogers' opportunity to shine. In my opinion, he did just that. He had four passes come his way, and Rogers caught all four for 39 yards. On paper, that may not seem like much. But, he did lead the Steelers in receiving yards. Overall though, Rogers fought on these plays. He ran solid routes, kept his eye on the ball, and didn't make any costly mistakes. He's got a chance to make a solid impact this season for the Steelers.
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3.) Ineffective Offense
What we all saw tonight, is exactly what we can envision seeing come the regular season. A vanilla offense that does not deliver a lot of production. For the most part, our first team offense was mediocre. There was an awful lot of "checking down." Sam Bradford had a solid night, going 14-of-19 for 115 yards. Over the remainder of the game, Chase Daniel & McLeod Bethel-Thompson combined to go 12-of-20 for 104 yards. The big plus from the quarterbacks, was no turnovers. For the rest of the offense, well it was pretty putrid. The run game couldn't really get much going, tallying only 91 yards on 27 carries split-up among seven different players. That works out to an average of 3.7 yards per carry. Not a good sign for the regular season. There wasn't really much to be excited about outside of the receivers, either. With Jordan Matthews out hurt, we saw a lot of Nelson Agholor and Josh Huff. Agholor had a decent game, but wasn't spectacular, catching two passes for 30 yards. Huff meanwhile, only caught one pass for five yards. We did get a glimpse of Dorial Green-Beckham briefly, although Chase Daniel made a bad throw on the first Beckham's two targets. The most impressive offensive player had to be wide receiver Paul Turner, who caught three passes for 44 yards, including this incredible one-handed grab.
4.) More Balanced Under Pederson, Than Kelly
Despite the lack of "exciting" offense tonight, the Eagles were a more balanced unit than they were with Chip Kelly at the helm. The team had a nice balance of plays, with 27 run plays to counteract the 39 pass plays. They also did a solid job possessing the ball, something they had serious trouble with under Kelly. Philadelphia out possessed the Steelers by nearly a minute, 30:29 to 29:31. On third-down, the team was more efficient than the Steelers, as they also were in the red zone. Offensively, the Eagles may not be the walking, talking highlight-reel that Chip Kelly likes to promote. However, it looks like our defense will not spend 75% of the game on the field, with Doug Pederson as the coach.
5.) Too Many Penalties.
Tonight's game saw the Eagles take 12 penalties, that amassed a total of 96 yards. Of those penalties, an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty occurred at the end of the first half, nearly taking the Eagles out of scoring position. This team doesn't have the best talent on their roster, meaning that they can't really afford to take stupid, costly penalties such as this during the regular season. Not only would it give of the feeling that they're an undisciplined squad, but it could be a determining factor in the game's final score. I'm not sure what needs to be done, but Pederson needs to tighten up on the discipline, and ensure that an amount of penalties like tonight, doesn't happen again.
Tonight's game was good, but there's still a lot of room for improvement. It's not going to happen overnight, but that's why there's still a little more than three weeks until the regular season -- to hone the skills of these players. The Eagles next game will take place on August 27 against the Indianapolis Colts. That game is being referred to as a "dress rehearsal," as we'll be seeing the majority of the game played by the starters, in an effort to further develop the chemistry. In addition, we should also see the Eagles debut of rookie running back Wendell Smallwood -- a player that has garnered a lot of praise in training camp. With precious time until the start of the regular season, Smallwood doesn't have a lot of time to leave a lasting impression on the coaching staff. His roster spot is practically guaranteed, but he's fighting with Darren Sproles and Kenjon Barner for the backup position to Ryan Mathews. He'll have next week against the Colts, and the final week against the New York Jets to show coaches what he can do, and why he should be the backup to Mathews.
