Week 8: Eagles vs. Jaguars in London Recap

Bruce Adler Sports Photography Via Flickr

NFL

Philadelphia Eagles Escape Loss in London as Jacksonville Jaguars Slip to 3-5.

Before kickoff in Great Britain, both locker rooms were hyper-aware that it was likely “lights out” for the loser of the contest. Both the Eagles and Jaguars came into the game at 3-4 and a narrow second in their respective divisions.

This game could be the kill shot to either season. After an unimpressive four quarters of football, Philadelphia came out on top 24-18.

Game Overview

Offense by the Numbers:

Philadelphia Eagles: 262 passing yards (21/30), 133 rushing yards (28 carries), one interception, one fumble

Jacksonville Jaguars: 265 passing yards (24/41), 70 rushings yards (17 carries), two fumbles

Defense by the Numbers:

Philadelphia Eagles: 40 tackles, four sacks, nine QB hits, one forced fumble, one unforced fumble, one fumble recovery, six pass deflections

Jacksonville Jaguars: 43 tackles, four sacks, nine QB hits, one interception, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, four pass deflections

First Half

Philadelphia’s opening drive was emblematic of their season thus far. Quarterback Carson Wentz threw and then caught his own pass after it was batted to secure a new set of downs. The drive almost ended in a punt but Carson Wentz’ 31-yard pass to wide receiver Jordan Matthews moved the chains and put them near striking distance.

The 43-yard and 7-play drive abruptly ended on Jacksonville’s 33-yard line via a Wentz fumble. As Wentz was going down, defensive tackle Marcell Dareus punched the ball out of Wentz’s hands. Linebacker Telvin Smith recovered the fumble setting the Jaguars’ offense to open up shop in their own territory.

The Jaguars quickly put up three points off a 50-yard field goal. After the kickoff, Philadelphia took the ball 63 yards upfield. A nice run-pass balance led to another deep ball pass from Wentz, this time a 39-yard throw to Nelson Agholor. Just two plays later Wentz would throw an interception in the end zone that was intended for tight end Josh Perkins but instead picked off by cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

Eagles Take Control

Jacksonville wasn’t able to capitalize off the turnover. After three short plays, the Jaguars accrued negative six yards. After the punt return, the Eagles put together a second 60+ yard drive but had to settle for a field goal tieing the game 3-3. “Good Blake” came to play in the Jaguars’ following drive. Two 15+ yard passes set Jacksonville up for another field goal.

After a 3 and out-drive by Philadelphia, Jaguars’ WR Keelan Cole fumbled the ball off a short pass by Bortles. Cornerback Avonte Maddox forced the fumble and safety Malcolm Jenkins recovered it taking the ball to Jacksonville’s 44-yard line. Four plays later the Eagles would score their first touchdown of the day off a 32-yard pass from Wentz to rookie TE Dallas Goedert. Philadelphia went into the half up 10-6 and maintain a lead for the rest of the game.

Second Half

After a Jacksonville punt, the Eagles and Jaguars would score back-to-back touchdowns. Philadelphia’s 95-yard drive included a 21-yard run from former practice squad running back, Josh Adams. Ultimately it was another Eagles’ RB, Wendell Smallwood, who ran a short pass for 36 yards across the goal line.

Bortles put together his best drive of the day and answered with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Dede Westbrook. A 19, 8, 24-pass from Bortles to Donte Moncrief and David Grinnage helped set up the touchdown. After a failed two-point conversion attempt the score was 17-12.

The Eagles were unable to respond and were forced to punt after just three plays. The Jaguars put away their third field goal of the day with 13:14 left in the fourth-quarter cutting the Eagles’ lead to 17-15.

Wentz Bounces Back, Bad Blake Appears

Philadelphia’s offense was able to recalibrate and eat 75 yards in just six plays. Matthews would catch another longball from Wentz, this time for 36 yards. A nine-yard scramble by Wentz and 17-yard run by Adams eventually led to another touchdown pass, this time to TE Zach Ertz for 11 yards.

A 37-yard pass from Bortles to Jaguars’ RB T.J. Yeldon looked to be the beginning of a Jacksonville rally. A series of incomplete passes from Bortles would force the Jaguars to kick the field goal putting the score at 24-18 where it finished.

The Jaguars had one more chance to try and win the game with a touchdown and extra point, but the Eagles’ defense was able to hold them. Bortles was only able to complete two passes both for less than 10 yards on the last drive.

Take Aways

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles saved their season for now after leaving London at .500 once again. To date this, this Week 8 contest was one of head coach Doug Pederson’s most balanced games. The Eagles threw the ball 30 times and ran it 28 times. Philadelphia’s run game ended the day with 133 yards on the ground thereby averaging 4.75 yards-per-carry. With lead RB Jay Ajayi on IR, the active backs more than carried their load against one of the top defenses in the league.

Josh Adams had 61 yards off nine carries, Wendell Smallwood at 24 yards off eight carries, meanwhile Corey Clement had just six yards off five carries. Both Carson Wentz (28 off six carries) and Nelson Agholor (14 yards off one carry) were more effective on the ground than Clement. With the trade deadline approaching quickly it’s unclear if Philadelphia will sign another back. What is clear is Clement will surely not be the lead back even without a trade.

While the Week 8 contest was not the Eagles’ best performance given the interception and fumbles, it was their most efficient in many respects. Wentz found a host of receivers rather than just Ertz and was able to rely on his backfield to save and extend drives. It’s evident that when the Eagles run the ball, Wentz plays better.

Defensively the Eagles were just good enough. When Jacksonville can’t run the ball in an efficient matter, they simply cannot win games. Philadelphia only allowed 71 yards on the ground on Sunday, 43 of those came from Bortles. The Eagles continued to skip on the blitz in preference of sending help downfield. A better QB would have been able to pick apart the openings in Philadelphia’s secondary.

Unlike in games past, Philadelphia didn’t let up any big plays and was able to contain the opposing offense well. The Jaguars were forced to kick long field and saw the red zone just once. If nothing else this game should give a renewed confidence to the Eagles’ defensive and offensive squads.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars have all but cleaned out their lockers after the loss. Their only lingering hope is the overall poor performance of their division as a whole right now. The Houston Texans are the only above .500 team at 5-3. The Titans are 3-4, and the Colts join the Jaguars at 3-5.

A not so new revelation is that Blake Bortles cannot be the Jaguars’ quarterback if they want to return to the AFC Championship and win. Jacksonville’s defense remains one of the best in the league. Overall their defense ranks second in the league behind the Baltimore Ravens, yet it means little when the offense can’t score. The absence of RB Leonard Fournette has only magnified the Bortles problem. However, Yeldon has been a fantastic stand-in.

Hypothetically, if the Jaguars had traded for Eagles’ backup QB, Nick Foles, this offseason they could arguably be above .500. Several quarterbacks are set to become free-agents in 2019. Tyrod Taylor, Trevor Siemian, and Josh McCown are just a few of the quarterbacks who will be available to sign. While the Jaguars may be better suited to find their QB in the draft or a trade, this is also an option for the front office.

The season is nearly over for the Jaguars, and it is time to look ahead for them. They will need to decide on how best to handle Fournette’s return along with finding a new shot caller. The Jaguars will also have to make critical decisions regarding the 16 unrestricted free agents sitting on their roster come 2019.

Looking Ahead

The Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars will take their bye week this week. Their next matchups will come in Week 10. The Eagles will face division rivals the Dallas Cowboys at home followed by the Saints, Giants, and Washington. The Jaguars will travel to play the Colts followed by the Steelers, Bills, and Colts again.

Photo Credit

Featured Image courtesy of Bruce Adler Sports Photography

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