Week 14: Not-so-sweet revenge
Plus, Jalen Hurts and the future in Philadelphia, the Pain Index, and more.
Jalen Hurts is (probably not) the Eagles’ answer
For one glorious, slightly confusing day, Drew Lock was better than Patrick Mahomes. Mitchell Trubisky dismantled Deshaun Watson. Geno Smith played multiple drives!
And, for the first time since November 1, the Eagles had a winning quarterback.
Week 14 was a smorgasbord of wild QB play, but no team may have benefitted from its unexpected glow-up more than Philadelphia. The Eagles, in dire need of relief from Carson Wentz’s ongoing expedition to find on-field rock bottom, threw their 2020 second-round pick into the fire for the first start of his NFL debut
… against the NFC’s top team
… and its No. 2 ranked defense
… after completing less than half his passes in relief duty the week before
And, against most odds, it worked out! Hurts threw for a touchdown and ran for 100+ yards as the Eagles kept their postseason hopes alive in a 24-21 victory that snapped the Saints’ nine-game winning streak.
The positive reinforcement should only tighten Hurts’ tenuous grip on the starting role, and though his team is an unfortunate 4-8-1, it’s also only 1.5 games behind the Washington Football Team for the top spot in the NFC East.
Does this mean the Eagles offensive problems are fixed?
Probably not.
Hurts looked good, but still has plenty to work on as a passer
The rookie completed 17 of his 30 passes and avoided turnovers, but much of his efficiency can be attributed to head coach Doug Pederson’s conservative gameplan. A potent running game effectively kept the Saints from continually dropping extra linebackers and defensive backs into coverage, allowing for 1-on-1 opportunities downfield. That meant a depleted receiving corps had shots to win against man coverage. For Alshon Jeffery, that meant dad-strengthing his way to the team’s only receiving touchdown:
Of course, that play doesn’t happen unless Hurts stands up in the face of a blitz and throws a smart (or, maybe, lucky) back-shoulder throw. That’s good! But it was also an anomaly; Jeffery’s touchdown was the longest completion, by air yards, of the Eagles’ afternoon.
80 percent of Hurts’ throws were short passes of 10 yards or fewer. Pederson’s quick-hit offense allowed Hurts to roll out and use his judgment to either offload the ball to short-range, fast-developing routes or tuck the ball and run with it. The good news is Pederson believed in his rookie’s arm enough to trust him with longer throws toward the sideline. Those difficulty-angled attempts are tough to complete without strength and precision. He went 7-12 on throws past the line of scrimmage and beyond the numbers.
That’s not amazing, especially against a defense whose run-conscious defense meant corners had limited support behind them from a secondary whose first focus was to watch the run. With little roving help in the backfield, the Saints corners were limited when it came to jumping outside routes for fear of allowing a monster gain if they slipped up.
Still, as former Eagle Malcolm Jenkins pointed out after the game, it was enough to set a foundation for success in an offense in dire need of a cantilever to a stacked running game.
That’s where the rookie did his best work. While Miles Sanders’ 82-yard touchdown run led to a 17-0 halftime lead, he was inefficient elsewhere. His 13 other carries gained just 32 total yards, including seven runs of one yard or less. That left work to be done. Hurts was up to the task.
He ran the ball 18 times for 106 yards, easily setting career highs in both categories and joining Lamar Jackson as the only rookie QB in NFL history to run for 100+ in his first pro start. His wheels kept him upright and the Saints without a sack. That is a monumental achievement for an offensive line that had allowed Wentz — a solid scrambler in 2020 in his own right — to be sacked 50 times in 12 games before Sunday. Philadelphia only converted four third downs all afternoon, but three of those were the result of Hurts’ ability to move the chains with his legs.
This created a scenario where the Eagles ran for significantly more yards per play (6.8) than Hurts passed for (5.6). That’s not a recipe for long-term success. The gold standard of QB rushing, the 2019 Ravens, only had one win where they averaged more yards per rush than yards per pass.
Even so, the threat of a productive running game will continue to create space downfield for Hurts, who needs every advantage he can get as he makes the adjustment from “pretty good NCAA quarterback” to “NFL starter.” There’s reason to believe this can work.
The rookie was tremendously efficient in his final season at Oklahoma after leaving Alabama. His 69 percent completion rate and 11+ yards per pass both line up favorably with other former Sooners Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield, each of whom has built cause for optimism on Sundays. And, like that duo, he seems to do his best passing on designed rollouts or other throws on the run.
We don’t know what Hurts is going to be as an NFL quarterback, but at the very least his journey is off to an encouraging start. His running proved to be the difference between a win and another defeat. His inexpensive contract (a little more than $5 million in cap hits the next three seasons) makes him an invaluable addition next to Wentz and the $101 million in cap room he’ll soak up through 2023. At the very least he can be a useful change-of-pace, gadget-play specialist alongside a rehabilitated Wentz.
At the other end of the spectrum is the marriage of Hurts’ running ability and Pederson’s penchant for run-pass options and other offensive innovations. We saw Hurts make judgments at the line of scrimmage before tucking the ball and charging upfield, which would be the 2020 NFL evolution of the RPO gameplan with which Philly rode NICK BY-GOD FOLES all the way to the Super Bowl. The rookie’s ability to run adds extra depth to a sneaky game script, allowing Hurts (in a best case scenario) to make a snap decision to hand it off in one direction, run in the other, or take a step back and deliver a pass downfield. That’s a lot of moving parts for a young passer to figure out, but if he can pull it off just imagine how tough it would be for defenders to figure out.
The jury is very much out on Philadelphia’s future, and a quarterback who averaged 5.6 yards per pass isn’t going to move the needle. A quarterback who can consistently strike for 5+ yards per scramble might. The way 2020 has gone for the Eagles, that counts as a win. — CD
Week 14 results, in five words or fewer
Cowboys 30, Bengals 7
Bears 36, Texans 7
Cardinals 26, Giants 7
Chiefs 33, Dolphins 27
Buccaneers 26, Vikings 14
Bucs’ kicker curse strikes Vikings
Broncos 32, Panthers 27
Broncos break out the HamlerLock
Titans 31, Jaguars 10
Another 200-yarder for Derrick Henry
Colts 44, Raiders 27
Chargers 20, Falcons 17
Falconing worse than Chargering
Seahawks 40, Jets 3
Seahawks back? Maybe … but Jets
Packers 31, Lions 24
Eagles 24, Saints 21
Washington 23, 49ers 15
NFC East is Chase-ing Washington
Bills 26, Steelers 15
Not-so-sweet revenge
I was excited for what I thought was a revenge narrative running through the NFL this week. It started on Thursday, when the Rams kinda sorta got back at the Patriots for the Super Bowl loss two seasons ago. On Sunday, I was ready to see scorned veterans and passed-over players get their bloodthirsty Beatrix Kiddo-style vengeance on. Unfortunately, the day ended up going more Captain Ahab than Edmond Dantès for most of them.
Here are the five most disappointing “revenge” games:
1. Deshaun Watsonvs. the Bears
Watson had a chance to show the Bears, up close, what they missed out on when they drafted Mitchell Trubisky over him three years ago. Instead, Watson did not have his best game of the year (213 passing yards, a season-high six sacks), while Trubisky did (267 passing yards, three TDs, no INTs, 126.7 passer rating). Then again, maybe Watson is playing the long game here. This Bears win, their first since mid-October, could help save Matt Nagy’s and Ryan Pace’s jobs, after all.
2. Trent Williams vs. Washington Football Team
Trent Williams played against Washington for the first time since the left tackle was finally granted a trade. He got banged up early but returned, only to have to go up against Chase Young for most of the game. Young solidified his status as the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner with his most impressive performance yet: six tackles, two passes defensed, two quarterback hits, one sack, one forced fumble, and a 47-yard fumble return touchdown.
3. Younghoe Koovs. the Chargers
The Falcons’ most reliable weapon this season encountered his first NFL team on Sunday. The Chargers released Koo three years ago when he missed last-minute kicks in back-to-back losses. He worked his way back to the NFL and has been one of the top kickers in 2020, connecting on 97 percent of his field goal attempts. Although Koo was perfect against the Chargers, it was their kicker, Michael Badgley, who got to play the hero with a 43-yard field goal as time expired:
4. Malcolm Jenkins vs. the Eagles
The veteran did his part. Jenkins recovered a fumble against the Eagles and stopped Miles Sanders on a fourth down early in the game. But it wasn’t enough, and the Saints fell in Philadelphia — and ceded their hold on the NFC No. 1 seed in the process.
5. Alex Smith vs. the 49ers
For just the second time ever (and first in a Washington uniform), Alex Smith faced off against the franchise that drafted him first overall 15 years ago. Smith played poorly (3.0 yards per throw, one pick) and left before halftime with a calf injury. Even though he had to watch the rest of the game from the sideline, his team did get the win and took over sole possession of first place in its division.
On the other end of the spectrum, a few players got to exact their own form of revenge — granted, against two of the worst teams in the NFL. Still, let’s give a shoutout to:
Jamal Adams vs. the Jets
Adams isn’t quite having the season he or the Seahawks expected when they gave up two-first round picks for him. But at least he’s playing for a team that isn’t the Jets, which means he knows what it’s like to win a game. The Seahawks blew out Adams’ former team and Adams notched a sack to bring his total to 8.5 in 2020, a single-season record for defensive backs.
Andy Dalton vs. the Bengals
The former Bengals quarterback played his most efficient game yet with the Cowboys (122.6 passer rating, two touchdowns, no turnovers) in a double-digit win at Paul Brown Stadium, his old stomping ground. Dalton was better than both of the Bengals’ backup quarterbacks and kept the four-win Cowboys alive in whatever the NFC East race is at this point.
Geno Smith vs. the Jets
Geno Smith’s tenure as the Jets’ full-time starter ended in 2015 after he was punched in the face by a teammate during practice. Smith remained the backup for two seasons, then took a similar role with the Giants and Chargers. He’s been the No. 2 in Seattle since 2019, but because he’s behind Russell Wilson, he had yet to appear in an NFL game with the Seahawks — until Sunday:
Smith is still in the NFL, with a successful franchise, and has made over $2 million with the Seahawks to hardly ever play. Sometimes the best revenge is living well. — SH
Buck off
There’s no denying Justin Jefferson is having a terrific rookie season, better than any other first-year wide receiver this year. This is not an insult or to take away from what Jefferson is doing, either, but c’mon, he’s not the best Vikings rookie receiver ever:
Randy Moss erasure? Why, I think that’s a disgusting act by Joe Buck. — SH
The Week 14 Pain Index
This time of year, nearly every game takes on extra significance. A win or loss can be the difference between a playoff spot and an elimination, between a bye and a tough matchup on Wild Card Weekend.
The Chiefs and Packers both fought off late charges by their opponents to clinch their respective division — and to take over their conference’s No. 1 seed and the all-important bye that comes with it (for now, anyway). They had some help with that quest, courtesy of the Steelers and Saints. Both came up short on the road, two losses that were setbacks in Week 14 but could be the most damaging when the first week of January rolls around.
But teams with playoff hopes aren’t the only ones that suffer difficult losses in December. Even those officially out of the postseason picture can find their way into our pain index. — SH
3. Houston Texans
It’s one thing to lose a game; it’s another matter entirely when you blow it so horribly as to revive Mitchell Trubisky’s career and a lifeless Bears team riding a six-game skid into this one.
Obviously this is a lost season for the Texans, so, really, what’s a 36-7 loss to the Bears in the grand scheme of things? (Speaking of schemes, the empty gap defensive plan seems bad.) But it’s hard to shake off a loss like that when you wake up to scoops like this:
Brian Schottenheimer?!? Don’t do it. — RVB
2. Atlanta Falcons
Checking in at the half, I just assumed Atlanta had this one in the bag. A seven-point after two quarters isn’t much for most teams, but if you’re forcing Anthony Lynn and the Chargers into a close game in the second half, well, the script pretty much writes itself. I mean, this is how the Chargers ended the half:
But leave it to the Atlanta Falcons to have a passing play blow up in their face in crunch time. This time we don’t have a rogue offensive coordinator or a clueless head coach who’s a little too obsessed with the Navy SEALS to blame. This was all Matt Ryan, playing his way into a weird second act for his career, throwing an interception that sealed their fate.
Now we can definitively conclude that the Falcons are the Chargers of the NFC, rather than vice versa. It sounds like semantics, but this is an important designation. — RVB
New Orleans Saints
Using Taysom Hill as a full-time backup in place of the injured Drew Brees never made much sense. Why not go with Jameis Winston since you’ve got a wealth of pass catching options around him, most notably Michael Thomas?
Still, Hill seemed to work out okay for three games, two of which were against the Falcons. When he had to play quarterback with the Saints trailing bigly, well, it’s just not quite the same as beating up on the Chargers of the NFC. They still came close to a comeback win, and it might have actually happened without some costly mistakes from Hill.
Unlike the losses for the Falcons or Texans, this one has real implications for the playoffs. The Packers now control the No. 1 seed in the NFC, while the Saints’ chances of grabbing that top spot slipped to 26 percent with the loss. Here, let the map guy explain.
Elections have consequences, so do the wrong backup quarterback decisions. — RVB