The Eagles came out to play this afternoon, demolishing the New Orleans Saints 40-29 for their first home win of the season. With some thinking it would be close, it was a blowout from the jump with every piece of this team clicking the entire time. Jonathan Gannon’s defense is starting to look dangerous while Jalen Hurts continues to solidify his stance as the team’s franchise QB.

Eagles destroy New Orleans’ fraudulent run defense:

Nick Sirianni did not shy away from the run game whatsoever this afternoon. Coming into today, the Saints were regarded as the best rushing defense in the league, allowing just 3.1 yards per carry and PFF’s highest rush defense grade.

Philadelphia saw that and laughed, rushing for 244 yards and 5 yards per carry over 49 rush attempts. The Saints had no answer, while the Eagles’ offensive line is amongst the NFL’s best despite several injuries.

New extensions ball out:

Avonte Maddox and Dallas Goedert didn’t slow down after getting paid over the last few days. Goedert was the Eagles’ top wideout, having five receptions for 62 yards, while Maddox was a menace in the slot. Although he left for a bit with an injury, Maddox looked to be okay, having two pass deflections during the victory.

Several other players are due for new deals, including T.J. Edwards, but Howie Roseman’s latest deals look to be paying off for the time being.

Jonathan Gannon might not be horrible?

Over the last few weeks, Jonathan Gannon has shown adjustments that could have saved his job with how the defense has been playing. From the benching of Eric Wilson and Alex Singleton to more and more blitzes, things are changing. Philadelphia sent pressure at Trevor Siemian on almost every third down, and it worked perfectly. 

Darius Slay has been having a Defensive Player of the Year caliber season, and it’s hard not to credit Gannon for a portion of it. Now granted, New Orleans doesn’t have their starting quarterback, running back, top wideout, or either starting tackle, so it has to be taken with a grain of salt. The primary thing is the overall willingness to adapt, as Nick Sirianni has on offense.

Injuries and a late-game fold:

The Eagles had such a dominant first half that they could hold onto the win despite a weak showing in the final two quarters. Their offense slowed down across the board while the defense allowed Trevor Siemian to get a few scores. It’s likely the significant amount of injuries led to the slowing down late. In the closing minutes, the Eagles’ offense came alive off Jalen Hurts’ third rushing touchdown of the day.

Darius Slay and Jordan Howard, arguably the most important players on their side of the football, left early with injuries and allowed New Orleans to get back into the game. This Eagles team has been great at finishing out games strong, so hopefully, this was a one-off showing and not a sign of what’s to come.

Mandatory Credit: Sports Illustrated