In their Week 7 win over the New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles played 66 snaps on offense and 58 on defense. Let's just get right to the snap counts, and some other recognition.
Quarterback
• 54 snaps: Jalen Hurts
• 12 snaps: Kenny Pickett
Notes: Hurts completed 10 of 14 passes for 114 yards and a TD on what was probably his best throw of the season. He dropped a ball down the sideline on a platter to A.J. Brown in stride while getting hit. He also got away from a sack and had a nice 16-yard gain that would lead to a Brotherly Shove TD later in the drive. He did take 5 sacks, so it'll be interesting to see if he had options open and simply held onto the ball too long. But most importantly, he had his second consecutive game without a turnover.
Running back
• 35 snaps: Saquon Barkley
• 24 snaps: Kenny Gainwell
• 9 snaps: Will Shipley
• 5 snaps: Ben VanSumeren
Notes: There were a bunch of fans in the stands who wore tape over Barkley's name on their jerseys, like this guy:
I mean, I suppose I get that they didn't like that Barkley ended up with a division rival, but did they not watch "Hard Knocks"? GM Joe Schoen very clearly did not want Barkley on the roster anymore. I thought one of the telling scenes in "Hard Knocks" was Schoen discussing running backs with former player Frank Gore and NFL agent Malki Kawa at the East-West Shrine Game. Schoen states that Barkley had 900 carries at Penn State (it was actually 671), and wondered aloud if Barkley had too much wear and tear on his body.
Gore then replied, "He's very talented, dude." Lol.
Anyway, Giants fans are mad at the wrong guy.
Ben VanSumeren was very effective as a fullback, as he had two really nice blocks on consecutive runs for 41 and 14 yards.
- He found a hole for Barkley, blocked Bobby Okereke (58), then sprinted downfield looking for more work.
- He had a nice counter block on Azeez Ojulari (51), freeing up Gainwell for 14 yards.
He's no gimmick. He played wide receiver in high school and running back at Michigan before transferring to Michigan State and focusing on the defensive side of the ball. He knows what he's doing and has instincts.
Wide receiver
• 53 snaps: DeVonta Smith
• 51 snaps: A.J. Brown
• 38 snaps: Jahan Dotson
• 13 snaps: Parris Campbell
• 11 snaps: Johnny Wilson
Notes: Brown had 5 catches on 5 targets for 89 yards and the aforementioned TD. The rest of the team had 25 receiving yards.
Tight end
• 47 snaps: Grant Calcaterra
• 44 snaps: Jack Stoll
Notes: I don't have much to say about Calcaterra or Stoll individually, but the Eagles stayed in two-TE sets for most of the day and ran the ball down the Giants' throats.
Offensive line
• 66 snaps each: Cam Jurgens and Fred Johnson
• 54 snaps each: Landon Dickerson and Lane Johnson
• 51 snaps: Tyler Steen
• 15 snaps: Mekhi Becton
• 12 snaps each: Jack Driscoll and Nick Gates
Notes: Becton left the game early with a concussion and Steen filled in. Fred Johnson started in place of Jordan Mailata and struggled early in the game, but seemed to settle in as it progressed.
Jurgens was on the wrong end of some one-on-one battles with Dexter Lawrence, though that is an almost impossible position to be put in. Asking a guy to shotgun snap and then single-block that guy isn't a good idea, whether it's Jurgens or Jason Kelce. He did have several good run blocks, most notably when he got to the edge and opened up the sideline for Barkley's 55-yard run after a block on CB Deonte Banks.
Edge defenders
• 36 snaps: Josh Sweat
• 27 snaps: Bryce Huff
• 26 snaps: Nolan Smith
• 20 snaps: Brandon Graham
• 9 snaps: Jalyx Hunt
Notes: Sweat, Huff, Smith, and Hunt all had sacks. Here are all eight sacks against the Giants. In chronological order: Sweat, Smith, Dean, Huff, Carter, Carter, Dean, Hunt.
Interior defensive line
• 46 snaps: Jalen Carter
• 27 snaps: Milton Williams
• 22 snaps: Moro Ojomo
• 13 snaps: Thomas Booker
• 12 snaps: Jordan Davis
Notes: Carter had 2 sacks, as shown above. He has played well this season, but didn't have any sacks to show for it after the first four games. He now has 3 sacks in the last two games.
Davis only played 12 snaps, and only a small handful of those were against the run. Is he affecting the run when he's in there? In short, yes.
Here he throws the center out of the way, forces the running back wide, and teammates clean up on the TFL.
Here he's cutting off the backside, he bench presses the center (who then gets rolled up on), and he gets in on the tackle.
Here he anchors against a double-team, and teammates have a lane to make the tackle near the line of scrimmage because he didn't give up any ground.
Is a space-eating powerhouse against the run a nice asset to have on defense? Of course! Failed run plays lead to obvious passing downs, which lead to sacks, pressures, turnovers, etc. That was always Davis' floor as a prospect.
But… is a guy who only plays 12 snaps and isn't much of a factor in the pass rush worth the 13th overall pick? Obviously not. Is it worth exercising his fifth-year option next offseason, which will be worth an estimated $11.5 million in 2026? I think we need to see him be more than just a situational run down defender.
Linebacker
• 49 snaps: Nakobe Dean
• 48 snaps: Zack Baun
• 10 snaps: Oren Burks
• 9 snaps: Jeremiah Trotter, Jr.
Notes: Dean had a missed tackle early in the game, but thereafter flew around the field and made plays. He finished with 11 tackles and 2 sacks.
Baun injured his shoulder in the fourth quarter and did not return.
Cornerback and safety
• 49 snaps each: Quinyon Mitchell, Reed Blankenship, and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson
• 48 snaps: Darius Slay
• 42 snaps: Cooper DeJean
• 10 snaps each: Avonte Maddox and Isaiah Rodgers
• 9 snaps each: Kelee Ringo, Sydney Brown, and Tristin McCollum
Notes: Mitchell has nearly come up with his first career INT three times this season.
- He jumped a route against the Packers in Brazil, but the receiver got juuuust enough of Mitchell and the ball for the pass to fall incomplete.
- CJGJ collided with him when he had an easy one in his hands against the Browns.
- He tried to track an off-target deep ball by Daniel Jones, but couldn't make the difficult play. (And it was probably better that he didn't since it was already third and long and the INT would've been the same as a long punt.)
What is encouraging about Mitchell is that he is looking to make big plays. A lot of rookie corners simply try to survive, but Mitchell is playing with swagger and confidence.
Three stars 🤩
I've always liked the hockey tradition of awarding "stars" to each of the three best players in a game, so let's apply that to Eagles games.
⭐⭐⭐: RB Saquon Barkley
🌟🌟: WR A.J. Brown
✨: LB Nakobe Dean
Eagles game ball 🏈
🏈: RB Saquon Barkley: When you run for 176 yards against your old team and the fans are booing you instead of the general manager who very clearly didn't want you on his team anymore, you're going to be the obvious choice for the game ball.
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