Nakobe Dean for Mayor?
After his game-saving interception in the end zone with 1:42 left in the game, it is certain there would one vote he could count on...that would Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni.
The fourth-year coach called for three two-point conversions that all failed; two fourth-down plays that both missed.
Had the Eagles lost a game they led 22-0 with six minutes left in the third quarter, and after potentially throwing away six to eight points on questionable decisions, there would have been an angry Eagles Nation for him to deal with.
But his third-year linebacker came up with a spectacular grab of a ball intended for running back D'Ernest Johnson and helped the Birds (6-2) escape with a 28-23 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7).
Dean talked about the play he read perfectly in the end zone.
“It was a play I know they run,” Dean said at his postgame press conference. “They have good backs that can run good routes.
“I know Saquon (Barkley) scored on it earlier in the game. It was a play from the backfield. The play is steady and go. I got beat on it by Kenny Gainwell in practice.
“I got beat on it I remember in college and a couple of times in practice too. I was waiting on it. It was an opportune time…high red zone…they knew what (defense) we were in at the end of the game.
“But I got the read right…I just had to make the play.”
The Eagles were dominating the game from the start.
After their opening drive stalled at their own 44-yard line, Braden Mann punted to Austin Trammel at the Jaguars 15-yard line.
Trammel, just called up from the Jaguars’ practice squad, fumbled on a strip by Eagles safety Sidney Brown. Kelee Ringo recovered the ball to set ups a first down at the Jaguars 20-yard line.
Jalen Hurts hit Saquon Barkley for a twenty-yard touchdown pass to make the scored 7-0.
The touchdown was the first time the Birds have scored in the first quarter this season.
The Eagles second drive started in the first quarter and drifted into the second.
It featured a completion from Hurts to Barkley on third-and-six that saw the seven-year veteran put a wicked spin move on Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd, then turned up field to pull off a Dr.J-like backward, no-look hurdle over Jacksonville cornerback Jarrian Jones before he was finally tackled.
There were seven Jacksonville defenders around Barkley when he was finally brought down.
It is a shame his brilliant play ended with a Jake Elliott 43-yard field goal and not a touchdown.
But it was a 15-play drive that started at the Eagles own seven-yard line. So it did have an impact.
QUESTIONABLE COACHING CALLS FROM BOTH SIDES
On the Jags next drive, head coach Doug Pederson made a questionable call going for it on fourth-and-one at his own 39-yard line...instead of a sneak; he tried a quick WR screen that was incomplete.
Eagles got great field position with 7:26 left until halftime.
But on the ensuing drive, Sirianni went for it on fourth and three from the Jags' 22-yard line. Hurts' pass to A.J. Brown was well defended and incomplete. A three-point opportunity thrown away.
The Eagles did make it 16-0 with twenty-two seconds left in the first half when Barkley took a handoff from Hurts and raced 19 yards for a touchdown.
Sirianni for some unknown reason decided to go for two and the play failed.
After the Jaguars went three-and-out to start the third, The Eagles rolled 78 yards on seven plays finishing the drive with a nifty 18-yard touchdown run to go up 22-0.
Again the two-point conversion attempt failed. But the Birds had held Jacksonville to 20 yards rushing and Trevor Lawrence to 23 yards passing with an 8.3 quarterback rating at this point.
Lawrence decided he wasn’t going disappear into the night quietly.
The former Clemson star and 2021 No. 1 overall pick led Jacksonville on a 10-play, 61-yard scoring drive that ended with Lawrence scoring from the one, nailing the two-point conversion to make the score 22-8.
SAQUON’S FUMBLE WAS A COSTLY ONE
One the first play from scrimmage on the Birds next drive, Barkley runs for four yards…but when he hits the ground – untouched – the ball comes out. Defensive end Travon Walker scoops up the ball and all 282 pounds of him rumbles 35 yards for a touchdown.
Another two-point conversion works and suddenly it’s 22-16 and with 5:12 left in the third quarter, it is now anyone’s game.
The officials ruled that since Barkley went to the ground on his own; the rule that the ground can’t cause a fumble was not applicable.
The Jags sideline was alive with justifiable hope.
Hurts and the Eagles responded by rolling 55 yards to the Jacksonville 25 where the drive stalled. Instead of kicking a field goal, Sirianni went for with a fake sneak…the pass to Hurts’ right failed.
After the defense force a Jaguars punt near midfield, Hurts and DeVonta Smith put on a show.
Hurts hit Smith with brilliant 46-yard completion, placing the ball at the Jacksonville 13-yard line.
A holding call on Fred Johnson and a two-yard loss on a Hurts sack put the ball on the visitors’ 25-yard line.
On third and 22, Hurts hit Smith with a spectacular 25-yard fingertip completion in the back of the end zone to make the score 28-16. The buzz killing third try at a two-point conversion failed.
With 7:43 left in the fourth, Lawrence leads the Jags on a nine-play, 70-yard drive that ends with a four-yard run by Lawrence to bring the Jags to within five points, 28-23.
The Eagles drove from their 32-yard line to the Jacksonville 39-yad line where on fourth and four, Jake Elliott’s 57-yard field goal try hit the right upright and was no good.
With 2:11 left in the fourth, Lawrence led his team to the Eagles 13-yard line…and then Dean worked his magic.
Sirianni was asked about his aggressiveness and if he had concerns it could backfire…and almost did.
“We've done pretty good with those in the past,” he said at his postgame press conference. “You always think about everything. You think about who you have. You think about your past experiences with it. You always look at the analytics of it.
“We’ve been pretty good with those. Today they did a good job. And I'll look at everything. In the moment I'm always doing what I think is best for the football team.
“Today it didn't work. That's the way it goes. That's the hat I have to wear. When we get a fourth down and we convert a fourth down, nothing is really said. When we don't, I understand there will be questions.
“Again, I have to be able to have the balls to do that really at the end of the day and say, ‘Am I doing everything I can do to help us win the game?’ In those moments I thought I was, but I'll go back and relook at them. I'm always going to be hypercritical of myself. When it doesn't work, I'm definitely going to think even more about it.”
“I'll get some clarification on Saquon's fumble, but I thought we took care of the ball and Jalen did a great job taking care of the football.
“I thought our fundamentals we work so hard on were really on point today, which helped us get the win today. It's tough to win.”
MORE QUOTES AND STATS.
Josh Sweat recorded five total tackles including two sacks, three quarterback hits and a defended pass. Even though Lawrence led the Jaguars to a comeback, Sweat thought the defense was sound.
“We already knew that had a playmaker back there,” Sweat said at his locker after the game. “We knew he could make it happen if we give him some time. And we got after him pretty good. We did our thing. We didn't get as many sacks as we thought we could. Hats off to them.”
Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was asked to talk about the game being ending up being a nail-biter.
“It's a game of inches, the ball don't bounce with us all the time,” Gardner-Johnson said at his locker after the game. “But when you do the right thing all the time, it will eventually come our way. Shout out to Nakobe Dean for doing what he's supposed to do in a man coverage.
“It's just one of those games where you just got to keep fighting. They're never out of it. They're paid professionals too. I think the turnover battle tonight is about key fundamentals and paying attention of what's going on the field.”
Gardner-Johnson was asked about Dean getting in position to make that play because everyone was in sinc on the defense.
“Coach put his best call out there...man-to-man and told us to go make a play.”
Gardner-Johnson talked about letting a 22-point lead get away.
“We held them down to 100 yards going into the fourth quarter,” Gardner-Johnson said. “No disrespect, but it wasn't that competitive on the stat side but on a physical side, those guys made plays on defense, their defense showed up for them...the ball bounced their way a couple of times. We just got to put out foot down in the sand and say 'enough is enough' and go out there and finish the game.”
The Eagles two starting linebackers, Dean and Zack Baun came up with both interceptions. It was a position of great concern during the off season.
Baun led the Eagles (again) with ten total tackles (seven solo), an interception and two defended passes.
“Those guys deserve getting the ball,” Gardner-Johnson said. “They played their butts off all year. They've been getting scrutinized by linebacker play week-in-and-week out. For them, to start the game with one and end the game with one. That just shows our linebacker corps is doing what the hell they need to in order to win the game for us.”
Gardner-Johnson, who finished with four solo tackles continued. He was asked about how the Eagles, with all the missed two-point conversions and fourth down disappointments, still pulled out the game.
“At the end of the day, all games are going to be tough,” Gardner-Johnson said. “Two-point conversions or not, we've got to go out there and get the ball back for our offense so they can go out there and try it again and try it again as much as they want. I think today showed resilience and the fundamental side of this team that plays goods ball and plays for each other and we all can get a win today.”
Hurts was 18 of 24 for 230 yards, two TD passes, no interceptions and no fumbles.
He was sacked three times in the first half, none in the second. Hurts rushed 13 times for 67 yards and a touchdown.
Pro Bowl guard Landon Dickerson was asked to comment on how Hurts’ quarterback ratings have been so high and that fact that he hasn’t turned the ball over during the Eagles four-game win streak. Hurts QB rating was 132.3 against the Jaguars.
“He's been playing great,” Dickerson said at his locker. “I have no idea what a quarterback efficiency rating is or what it means, but he's been playing good. If you play fast and you don't turn the ball over, good things happen.”
Dickerson was asked about how the team won despite all the missed two-point conversions and lack of fourth-down success.
“We have a lot of things to clean up,” Dickerson said. “It's hard to win in this league. There were a lot of thing that we'll evaluate when we come in tomorrow...clean up and get better from.”
Barkley rushed 27 times for 159 yards and a 19-yard touchdown. He caught three passes for 40 yards, including a 20-yard score in the first quarter.
Even before the review, he said he knew his fumble and scoop-and-score would not be overturned
“Once they called it a fumble, I knew it was going to be a fumble,” Barkley said. “It happened to me before. It's one of those things where if they called it not a fumble it wouldn't have been a fumble.
"I have to do a better job of protecting...those are weird. I felt like I did have good ball security when you're falling down...and your elbow gets kind of slipped under and the ball comes out...kind of tough.
"But no excuses, I've got to be better in that kind of situation. That play kind of sparked Jacksonville and made the game a lot closer than it needed to be.”
DeVonta Smith caught four passes for 87 yards including a 25-yard touchdown.
Josh Hines-Allen led Jacksonville with four total tackles, two sacks.
Trevor Lawrence was 16 of 31 for 169 yards, two interceptions and was sacked twice. He scored two rushing TDs for the Jags.
Jacksonville as a team rushed 18 times for 60 yards.
Lawrence was asked about what the look was on the game-sealing interception.
“Yeah, they were doing a nice job of mixing it up on defense,” he said at his postgame press conference. “But, you know, we kind of started to get some more man towards the end there.
"We hit some big plays. “Just the one when we hit [Trammell], took advantage of that and got down there. And then, you know, we kind of, it was a play based off of what we did earlier, and we did some stuff with the running back and some option routes, and we tried to go over the top.
“And just have to give credit to Dean – he did a great job. He did a great job making that play. And it’s just tough when it finishes that way.
“You know, when I threw it, I thought we'd have a shot, left it a touch inside, and he got his eyes back. You know, a lot of times those linebackers don't get their eyes back and play the ball, and I thought we'd be able to go up and get it. And he did – he did a great job…and made a great play.”
And now a run for mayor? *
*
Email Al Thompson at al.thompson@footballstories.com
Comments