Jalen Carter won this game for the Birds
Jalen Carter may be the best player on the Eagles, certainly one of the most impactful. The entire arithmetic of this game changed with his late first-half PAT block. The score should have been 14-10 following a short touchdown run by Commanders running back Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt. But Carter got a big finger on the ball, and the score stood at 14-9. That single point kept the game out of reach for the Commanders, forcing them to go for two in the game’s final minutes.
Additionally, the Carter play that has been talked about far less is the potential game-ending dagger Carter nearly delivered in the final five minutes. He executed a perfect “Peanut Punch” on Croskey-Merritt. No Eagle was able to fall on the loose ball, but if the bounce had gone the Eagles’ way, we would be calling this the game Carter won, and we still should be calling it that.
DeVonta Smith’s sideline toe taps belong in Cirque du Soleil
We all know it to be true: DeVonta Smith is incredibly gifted. His body control wows me year after year. I truly think he could have an alternate career as an acrobat. The Birds need to target him more next week. I keep watching the slo-mo video of his catch on replay.
The pass rush just couldn’t quite get there
Close but no cigar. That was the motto for the Eagles’ pass rushers on Sunday. The eye test tells us they nearly sacked Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels several times, but the stats show they brought him down only once. According to Next Gen Stats, Daniels was pressured on 19 of his 38 dropbacks, but he was sacked just once. That is a horrible pressure-to-sack conversion rate. As a fan, it was extremely frustrating to watch, and presumably frustrating for the players, too. Hopefully, offseason addition Jonathan Greenard can return next week and boost that conversion rate.
I need more from Sean Manion
Sean Mannion was OK in his first game as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator. The offense felt stagnant and Patullo-like for long stretches throughout the game with far too many three-and-outs. The pre-snap motion and added creativity I was hoping for were not on display. But Mannion’s offense did produce explosive plays, including a long touchdown to Dallas Goedert over the middle. I’m hoping for more passing over the middle next week against the Titans.
Is it time for Willie Lampkin?
The Eagles’ interior offensive line looked bad, especially in the run game, a place where the unit should have dominated Washington on paper. Saquon Barkley had a decent game, boosted by his 42-yard run, but he was regularly hit behind the line of scrimmage. According to my tally, he had four carries that went for negative yardage. Left guard Landon Dickerson looked especially bad, but right guard Tyler Steen had his fair share of mishaps, too.
Backup interior offensive lineman Willie Lampkin looked great in the preseason. Jordan Davis nicknamed him a “bowling ball of knives,” praising his quickness, power, precise hands, tenacity and ability to command the line.
I’m hoping Lampkin gets a chance to start at one of the guard spots next week.
What’s with all the Will Shipley carries?
Will Shipley played 10 offensive snaps; Tank Bigsby played six. That’s totally backward. After what Bigsby put on tape last season, he should be the clear RB2. I’m keeping an eye on those snaps going forward.
Makai Lemon was OK
His stats were bad: three catches for minus-5 yards. That’s really bad. But he had a few nice blocks. I am still optimistic about the first-round rookie receiver.
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