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Quinnen Williams had the interception on a pass that was tipped to him, but he had just two tackles in the game and no sacks.
However, sometimes stats don’t tell the whole story. The Eagles were constantly double-teaming him, and sometimes that led to others getting favorable matchups and making plays.
For instance, in the fourth quarter, on a key third down, Bryce Huff and John Franklin-Myers sacked Jalen Hurts, forcing the Eagles to kick a field goal that they missed.
On this sack, Williams was double-teamed, which created single blocks, and plenty of space for other guys to make plays . . .
If you told me the Jets, without their top three corners, Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed and Brandon Echols, would play this kind of pass defense against Jalen Hurts, A.J, Brown, Devanta Smith, Dallas Goedert and company, I would have said you were crazy.
In fact, I picked the Eagles to win before the game due to these injuries. How many teams can overcome being without their top three corners, and beat a top-shelf team, and amass three picks?
The Jets did just that, with guys off the street like Tae Hayes and Craig James filling in, Hurts had a 59.5 quarterback rating.
The guy you saw playing QB for the Eagles today makes $51 million a year.
The Jets made him look like a journeyman, down three key corners.
Unbelievable . . .
Speaking of missing defensive backs, the Eagles entered this game without starting cornerback Darius Slay, starting nickel back Avonte Maddox, starting safety Justin Evans, and then they lost more defensive backs in the second half to injuries – starting safety Reed Blankenship and cornerbacks Bradley Roby and Eli Ricks, and the Jets passing offense had a below average game.
“We’re still trying to figure it out on offense,” said Garrett Wilson after the game.
Jets were 2-11 on third down.
And the only offensive TD they scored was a Breece Hall rushing TD that the Eagles let them score at the end to get the ball back.
The Jets QB is still fixated on his first read, to the point that he forced a number of incomplete passes to covered receivers who were covered tight, because he didn’t want to go anywhere else.
Nathaniel Hackett has a really tough job. if he’s not perfect dialing up first reads, the play often isn’t successful.
Hat-tip to the Jets for a team win today, but as we sit here right now, I wouldn’t pick up the fifth-year option . . .
Speaking of quarterbacks, there was much made about Aaron Rodgers tossing the ball during the pregame, about a month after Achilles surgery. It usually takes about 6-8 months to recover from that surgery.
So the internet was ablaze with this video, and stories talking about how Rodgers is recovering very fast.
Well, when I was waiting to get into the Jets locker room after the game with other reporters, Rodgers came out and he was limping on the surgical Achilles.
That isn’t anything to be concerned with, but just a dose of reality.
Just because a guy is standing on the field throwing from a stationary position, doesn’t mean his Achilles is healing at a rapid pace.
Look, he could still defy the odds, but it’s early in the process, and that tossing on the field is a non-story.
October 15, 2023
