Seven Takeaways From Eagles Week 6 Win Over Browns
The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Cleveland Browns 20-16 at Lincoln Financial Field in their Week 6 matchup. After entering the season with high expectations, the Eagles got off to a disappointing start to the 2024 season. Philadelphia had a much-needed bye week in Week 5 to regroup and get healthy. It was an ugly win in front of their home fans against the Browns leaving many questions about this team moving forward. Here are seven takeaways from the Eagles’ Week 6 win:
Jalen Hurts Finally Protected The Football
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts played a clean football game for the first time in what feels like forever. The fifth-year quarterback had at least one turnover in nine straight regular-season games before Sunday’s contest against the Browns. Hurts has 19 interceptions and eight fumbles lost in his last 22 regular season games. He had just 19 interceptions and six fumbles lost in his first three seasons in the NFL.
Hurts played well against a good Browns defense. He completed 64 percent of his passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns. He added 33 yards on the ground and was only sacked one time. The Eagles need Hurts to continue to protect the ball to keep the offense in rhythm and prevent the defense from being placed into bad situations.
A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith Are Back Like They Never Left
The Eagles were without star wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith in the team’s Week 4 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The offense struggled in that game, as expected. Brown missed three straight games after suffering a hamstring injury in practice leading up to the Eagles’ Week 2 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football.
Brown caught six passes for 116 yards in his first game back, including a 22-yard touchdown in the second quarter and a 40-yard catch to ice the game. The Eagles have a 27-9 record when Brown plays, so it’s safe to say Nick Sirianni is glad to have him back. Brown’s counterpart, Smith, caught three passes for 64 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to give the Eagles a 20-13 lead. Brown and Smith again proved why they’re one of the league’s best wide receiver duos.
Slow Starts Continue To Be An Issue For The Eagles’ Offense
The Eagles were unable to score in the first quarter against the Browns. They’re the only team that hasn’t scored a first-quarter point in 2024, and the first Eagles team since 1934 not to have any first-quarter points through the first five games.
Slow starts have plagued the Eagles all season. It puts the offense in catch-up mode which isn’t a winning formula. It also creates added pressure on the defense to make stops. The offense needs to do a better job of putting together sustained drives early in games that lead to points.
Nick Sirianni Remains In The Doghouse With Eagles Fans
The Eagles head coach has been under scrutiny dating back to the team’s late-season collapse last year. The Eagles started the 2023 season 10-1 but lost six of their last seven games, including a 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round. The team had high hopes heading into the 2024 season but is off to an ugly and disappointing start despite the 3-2 record.
Sirianni’s job security was one of the main talking points in Philadelphia over his team’s Week 5 bye. To make things worse, Sirianni was seen yelling at the home fans on the sidelines after the Eagles’ four-point victory over the one-win Browns. Eagles fans expressed their dissatisfaction with the team’s performance with boos and fire Sirianni chants during the game.
The fans might have a problem with Sirianni, but his players seem to respect their coach’s antics. Sirianni is a very animated head coach and the team wanted him to embrace it. This wasn’t the first time he was seen on the sidelines showing emotion, and it won’t be the last time.
Cooper DeJean Looked Good In His First NFL Start
Cooper DeJean made his first career start in the Eagles secondary taking over for veteran Avonte Maddox. The Eagles selected DeJean No. 40 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he saw little playing time with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams through the first four weeks.
The 21-year-old made six total tackles with a quarterback hit on Deshaun Watson while playing 91 percent of the defensive snaps against the Browns. He played very well and will look to build on his success moving forward alongside fellow rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.
Injury Bug Bites Again
The Eagles had the chance to get healthy over their bye week. Brown, Smith and Lane Johnson all returned from injury after missing games before the bye. Unfortunately, the injury bug struck again in Week 6.
Tight end Dallas Goedert left the game early with a hamstring injury and never returned. The severity of his injury is unknown, but hamstring injuries can keep players out for multiple weeks. Grant Calcaterra stepped up in Goedert’s absence with 67 yards, but it could be a big loss for the NFL’s second-leading receiving tight end.
Cornerback Darius Slay left the game with a knee injury and didn’t return. Slay might’ve avoided anything serious as he was seen without crutches after the game. Isaiah Rodgers and second-year corner Kelee Ringo are options to replace Slay if he were to miss any time.
The biggest injury that occurred was left tackle Jordan Mailata who was carted off the field in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury. Mailata was seen in crutches with a full sleeve on his left leg after the game. Sirianni announced that Mailata is expected to miss a couple of weeks with no timeline for his return yet. It’s a huge loss for the Eagles’ left side of the offensive line and Hurts’ blind side. Fred Johnson replaced Mailata to close out the game.
Defense Played Well Against A Bad Browns Offense
The Eagles’ defense has been heavily criticized this season. The Browns have a bad offense, so this was a perfect get-right game for Vic Fangio’s defense. Watson was held to just 168 yards passing and 5.1 yards per pass. The Eagles sacked the veteran quarterback five times after having only six sacks as a unit through the first four games. The Browns were 3-for-12 on third down and were held to 244 total yards of offense. The Eagles’ defense allowed only three field goals.
There were things to like about the defense’s performance in Week 6. The players deserve some credit, but they were facing one of the worst offenses in the league. The Eagles’ defense needs to play like they did against the Browns consistently, especially when they face higher-powered offenses.
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