Zone Read: Eagles-Panthers, the Day After
GAME BALL OFFENSE: JORDAN MATTHEWS
Rookie wide receivers are making noise around the league, and Matthews delivered his finest performance yet with seven catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns on nine targets.
Matthews had three catches of 20+ yards. On the second touchdown, he broke a couple tackles and spun into the end zone.
After his first score, Matthews retreated to the sideline, but then turned to the Panthers across the field and started yelling at them. Maybe he thought J.J. Watt was over there?
There’s no doubt that the Sanchez-Matthews chemistry is real. The rookie has three touchdowns in the last two games. On the season, Matthews is on pace for 69 catches, 801 yards and eight touchdowns.
GAME BALL DEFENSE: BRADLEY FLETCHER
Obviously, this one could go to Barwin, but he got love in the first section.
We’ve criticized Fletcher plenty in this space, so it’s only right that we give him props when he plays well. The Panthers targeted him downfield often Monday night, and Fletcher came through. The box score credited him with a team-high five passes defended and four tackles. Fletcher also had the pick-six.
Quarterbacks go after Fletcher every game, and he’s been far from perfect. But he is tied for the NFL lead with 14 passes defensed. Now let’s see if he can deliver an encore performance against the Packers.
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THAT’S WHAT HE SAID
“It feels like a 9-0 team to be honest with you. When you look back at those games, I personally feel that we had that in our hands. We let it get away. But this is a great team that I’m playing for, that I’m on right now.” – MYCHAL KENDRICKS
The Eagles inside linebacker was asked if this feels like a 7-2 team, and that was his response.
This squad feels good about itself right now and believes it can play with anyone in the league.
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FIVE THOUGHTS AND LEFTOVERS
1. On McCoy’s 1-yard touchdown run, did you notice that he tossed the ball immediately to left tackle Jason Peters? Peters manhandled Panthers defensive lineman Wes Horton, clearing space for one of the easiest touchdowns of McCoy’s career.
Peters caught the ball from McCoy and spiked it in the end zone.
“I didn’t [know he was going to do that],” Peters said. “I just caught it, and that’s why I paused for a second and then slammed it. Didn’t know it was coming.”
The ground game might not have been effective, but Peters and the offensive line deserve a ton of credit for the job they did in pass protection. Sanchez had all day to survey the field and find receivers.
2. Overall, I thought Sanchez played well. He went 20-for-37 for 332 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The big question with Sanchez will continue to be his decision-making. I thought he passed his first test in that area. He threw one ill-advised ball down the sideline to Jeremy Maclin. Cornerback Josh Norman came down with it, but couldn’t keep his feet in bounds. Sanchez has had some good luck the past two weeks; there have been three near picks – Norman’s and two that were dropped by Houston Texans defenders.
But I can’t remember another questionable decision that could have resulted in a turnover on Monday night. Sanchez fumbled twice, but those were both off of snaps from Kelce.
He clearly is a better mover than Nick Foles, and Sanchez did a nice job of navigating the pocket all night long.
3. Casey Matthews and Emmanuel Acho got the job done in place of DeMeco Ryans. Matthews had seven tackles and a forced fumble. Acho added two tackles. The Panthers averaged 3.2 YPC.
“Everybody thinks about DeMeco and what he’s meant to this team and not having him, how big that is,” said safety Malcolm Jenkins. “But I think we also play for each other and had a lot of faith in the guys stepping in for him in some different roles. And it was definitely a rallying point knowing just how much he meant to us and how much he would love to be out there, but unfortunately he can’t. It was good to see him before the game and in pre-game, talk to him, so I’m sure he was happy with the win.”
Injured Eagles Ryans, Todd Herremans and Nick Foles were all at the game cheering on their teammates.
4. It seemed like every Eagles defensive player I talked to in the locker room mentioned the Packers at some point. They know they’ve got a big game and a huge challenge Sunday at Lambeau Field.
“Rodgers is probably the only real dual-threat quarterback that really excels at both – scrambling and he’s one of the really good pocket passers in the league,” said Jenkins. “So you kind of pick your poison there. And Eddie Lacy, if they get him going, it can be a long day for opposing defenses. It’s a short week, and we’ll get ready to turn this thing around and take it on the road.”
Kelly’s teams have gone 17-8 in the regular season so far. He has the Eagles playing big-time games down the stretch. Four of the next five – Green Bay, Dallas (twice) and Seattle – feel like huge regular season matchups.
5. Thing I had not seen before: The official stopping the game because, as he explained, the officials were not in position to officiate. …I like the (new?) trend of opposing players going over to injured guys when they get carted off the field. It’s a violent sport, and they are the only ones who can really relate to what their brethren are going through. When Star Lotulelei went down, Peters sought out Jason Avant, and they took a knee together. …I think we’re probably not making a big enough deal about the job Billy Davis has done this season. …I wonder if Donovan McNabb will ever show up at the Linc without Brian Dawkins by his side. The two were shown in Jeffrey Lurie’s box during the game. Dawkins was in the locker room afterwards as well. …That first sack was a long time coming for Fletcher Cox. He’s been the Eagles’ most consistent defensive player this season. …A big thank you from Birds 24/7 to all the veterans who have served this country, including some of our most loyal readers.
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