Five Takeaways From Eagles Narrow Week 9 Win Vs. Jaguars
The Philadelphia Eagles took care of business against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9 despite a second-half comeback by the two-win AFC South team. The Eagles looked to be on their way to a third consecutive blowout win, taking a 16-0 lead into halftime.
The Jaguars stormed back making it a 22-16 Eagles lead heading into the fourth quarter. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars’ offense had a chance to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, but the Eagles’ defense came up big as Philly squeezed by with a 28-23 win. Here are five takeaways from the Eagles Week 9 win:
Saquon Barkley Is A Human Highlight Reel
Saquon Barkley has always made highlight reel-type plays going back to his days at Penn State. The Eagles running back is having arguably the best season of his seven-year career. He started his day with a beautiful 20-yard touchdown grab to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead. That touchdown was the first time the Eagles scored any first-quarter points all season. It was set up after Sydney Brown forced a fumble on a punt return that was recovered by Kelee Ringo.
The play that’s been receiving all the attention came at the beginning of the second quarter. Jalen Hurts dumped it off to Barkley on third down and then the superstar back worked his magic. Barkley first made a defender miss a tackle, then spun around a second defender and then impressively no-look backward hurdled over a third defender before being brought down for a first down. It will go down as one of the best 14-yard gains in NFL history.
Barkley found the end zone for the second time on a 19-yard touchdown run just before halftime. The 27-year-old was untouched. Barkley finished with 159 rushing yards and 40 receiving yards. He’s averaging a career-high 5.9 yards per carry and 115.6 rushing yards per game. Barkley is over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and is just 75 rushing yards away from the fourth 1,000-yard rushing season of his career.
DeVonta Smith Came Up Big When Needed
Wide receiver DeVonta Smith was a non-factor through three quarters. The former Heisman Trophy winner had just one catch for nine yards on three targets going into the fourth quarter. Smith came alive on the Eagles’ first possession of the final quarter. He had three catches for 78 yards, including a 46-yard grab along the sideline and a 25-yard touchdown grab in the back of the end zone that he reeled in with one hand.
Smith is a reliable target for Hurts who needs to be more involved in games. He’s shore-handed and always seems to come through in the clutch. He finished the game with 87 yards and now has four touchdowns on the year.
Zack Baun Is Making The Case As The Eagles Defensive MVP Through Eight Games
The Eagles signed Zack Baun to a cheap one-year deal before the 2024 season. He was a third-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 2020 NFL Draft, but he never made the impact that they hoped he would.
Baun came to Philadelphia and won the starting linebacker job. He impressed in his first game with his new team in the Week 1 win over the Green Bay Packers with 15 tackles and two sacks. He’s been a pleasant surprise for Vic Fangio and the Eagles defense.
Baun was all over the field in Week 9 against the Jaguars. He made a diving interception in the first quarter that led to the Eagles’ second touchdown of the game. He had 10 tackles, one tackle for loss and two passes defended. Baun has a career-high 79 tackles which is good for the 10th most in the league.
Missed Opportunities
This game should’ve been a blowout for the Eagles. There were multiple questionable decisions by Nick Sirianni and the Eagles coaching staff that could’ve cost them the game.
Sirianni decided to go for it on 4th & 3 at the Jaguars 22-yard line instead of attempting a 39-yard field goal. Hurts’ pass was incomplete and intended for A.J. Brown. The Eagles attempted three separate two-point conversion attempts and failed on all three. Fans were fuming after not taking the easy points off an extra-point attempt.
Sirianni decided to go for it on another fourth down at the end of the third quarter up 22-16. A pass play was called on 4th & 1 at the Jaguars 25-yard line, and it was incomplete. Sirianni finally decided to send his kicker Jake Elliott out to attempt a 57-yard field goal on 4th & 4 with 2:16 remaining in the game to try to give the Eagles an eight-point lead. Elliott’s kick hit the upright and missed, giving the Jaguars excellent field position down only five points.
The Eagles essentially left 12 points out there. The final score could’ve been 40-23 instead of 28-23. If the Jaguars found a way to score and take the lead late in the fourth quarter, Eagles fans would’ve been calling for Sirianni’s job. The decisions have to be better moving forward.
Nakobe Dean Saved The Game And A Potentially Embarrassing Loss In Week 9
After Elliott’s missed field goal, Lawrence and the Jaguars’ offense had just over two minutes to go 53 yards to take the lead. It looked like what once seemed to be a blowout for the Eagles was going to end in an epic collapse.
The Jaguars moved the ball quickly and effectively to the Eagles’ 13-yard line. It was 1st & 10 with 1:42 remaining when Lawrence attempted a pass to the end zone. Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean was in coverage and went up to pick the ball out of the air for an interception to seal the game. It was a poor decision by Lawrence but Dean capitalized and saved the Eagles from an embarrassing loss to a bad team.
Looking Ahead
The Eagles are 6-2 and sit in second place in the NFC East behind the Washington Commanders. It was a shaky start to the season, but the Eagles are on a four-game win streak and look like one of the NFC’s top teams heading into the second half of the season.
The Eagles will head to Dallas to take on their division rival Cowboys in Week 10. The Cowboys are struggling in 2024 with a 3-5 record, including three straight losses. It’s a big game for the Eagles to stay on track and carry momentum into a tough three-game stretch against the Commanders, Los Angeles Rams, and Baltimore Ravens.
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