Kirk Cousins and the Skins owned the Eagles in recent years. Cousins played some of his best football against Gang Green and the Skins averaged 28 points per game in their 5-game winning streak.

Jim Schwartz put together an aggressive gameplan. As in the second meeting from last season, he blitzed more than he does against most teams. This wasn’t BuddyBall, with multiple guys coming on the majority of snaps, but Schwartz turned his guys loose regularly.

Eagles blitzed on 13 of 44 pass plays (29.5%) v. WAS. That's higher than their 2016 ave. (21.1). Blitzed 4 times on 1D, 6 on 2D, 3 on 3D — Paul Domowitch (@pdomo) September 12, 2017

The results were good.

Good. Cousins was just 5-for-12 for 69 yards w/INT and sack when Eagles blitzed. https://t.co/kuGRLUCecd — Paul Domowitch (@pdomo) September 12, 2017

There was actually another sack in there as well, but it was wiped out by a holding penalty.

The Eagles played good defense for most of the game. There were mistakes here and there, but WAS ended up with 264 yards and 10 offensive points. You don’t do that by accident. The Eagles had 4 sacks, 3 takeaways, 4 TFLs and kept constant pressure on Cousins. One of the hidden keys to the game is how the Eagles played the run. Skins RBs were 13-34 for the game, with a long run of just six yards. That is pretty stifling run D.

That had a trickle-down effect, putting WAS into 2nd and long and 3rd and long situations for most of the game. That let the pass rushers go into attack mode and allowed Schwartz to blitz when and how he wanted. Cousins really struggled on 3rd downs.

3rd down passing tells the story… Wentz: 9/11, 148yds 2 TDs 0 INTs. 158.3 Rating Cousins: 4/9, 1 INT, 1 Sack. 18.1 rating#PHIvsWAS — Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) September 11, 2017

If you’ll notice in a Domo tweet up above, the Eagles blitzed more on 2nd down than 3rd. Schwartz is a big believer in playing the sticks on 3rd down. There were a couple of plays in the game where receivers caught the ball and got near the sticks, but were just tackled short. Giving up nine yards on 3rd and 10 is okay. You’d rather break up the pass or get a sack, but the ultimate goal is to get off the field. The Eagles did a great job of that, limiting WAS to just three 3rd down conversions

Schwartz used a special DL package on 3rd downs. From left to right, Chris Long – Brandon Graham – Fletcher Cox – Derek Barnett. Schwartz was trying to get his best combination of pass rushers on the field at the same time. I did find it interesting to not have Vinny Curry in there. I’d like to see Graham stay at LDE and put Curry in his spot.

There were different coverage combinations. Schwartz has a deeper, more talented set of DBs this year and he can be more creative. Malcolm Jenkins played in the slot when the Eagles wanted him there, not when they were desperate. Corey Graham played in certain sets. Jaylen Watkins took the place of Ronald Darby in some sets when Darby got hurt. This isn’t like Seattle where you have great players. The Eagles have to mix and match DBs to get the most out of the group.

This game was another example of how coverage and pass rush go hand-in-hand. The Eagles got regular pressure on Cousins and that caused him to speed up his reads, get sloppy with his mechanics and make some poor choices. His accuracy was a problem all game long. The Eagles covered well most of the game. There were some breakdowns, but the Skins couldn’t capitalize on those plays because pressure affected Cousins.

Another 3rd down, another Jim Schwartz blitz. Kirk Cousins under pressure. Cousins overthrows target. A common theme on Sunday pic.twitter.com/M7XYCA3O1P — Gayle Saunders (@EagleSessions) September 12, 2017

One of my favorite aspects of this game was the energy and emotion the Eagles played with. They flew to the ball. They gang-tackled on runs and passes. There wee usually multiple defenders there at the ball. For the most part, the Eagles tackled well. There were some exceptions, but the Skins didn’t get many yards after contact.

It was also good to see the Eagles play smart football. There weren’t many blown coverages. They limited penalties. For the most part, you didn’t see players taking bad angles to the ball or getting in the wrong gaps. Schwartz and the coaches have issues to address, but they can be very happy with the way the defense played on Sunday.

PLAYERS

DL

Brandon Graham – Great game. Played LDE and LDT. Came up with a couple of TFLs on early run plays. Had 2 sacks and a FF. Actually had a 2nd FF, but the officials didn’t call it a fumble. WAS recovered the ball so it wasn’t of significance. Graham also drew a holding call when Jordan Reed tried to “block” him on a deep pass play. Graham’s combination of speed and power was impressive as he overwhelmed RT Morgan Moses on a regular basis. Even on plays where Graham didn’t hit Cousins, he forced him to get rid of the ball quicker. Dropped back into coverage on at least one zone blitz. Great motor. His final sack came when he was knocked to the ground, kept going and got to Cousins.

Vinny Curry – Good game. Played the run well. Was only in on one tackle, but set the edge consistently. Used a bull rush a lot when rushing the passer. Got a couple of hits on the QB. Didn’t stand out as a pass rusher, but was going against Trent Williams, one of the best LTs in the league. One hit came on 3rd down in the Red Zone and helped to force FG as Cousins didn’t have time to find the receiver he wanted.

Fletcher Cox – Great showing. Had a strip sack. Recovered a fumble late in the game and ran it in for a TD to seal the win. Got regular pressure. RG Brandon Scherff has played well against Cox at times, but that wasn’t the case on Sunday. On the late play where Graham caused the controversial fumble, Cox was also running free right at Cousins. His sack came on a blitz and Cox beat the RT to the edge, then knocked the ball from Cousins’ hand.

Tim Jernigan – Best game as an Eagle. Had a somewhat quiet summer, but came alive in his first real game. Had a sack and a TFL. The sack was a thing of beauty. Used a good swim move to blow by the LG and absolutely floor Cousins. That was a clean, but violent hit. Got penetration on multiple plays. Used multiple moves to win, showing strength and athleticism. Has violent hands. Stout vs the run. Helped to clog inside running lanes.

Chris Long – Played both DE spots. Overall solid, but had one big lowlight. Lined up at RDE and was unblocked. Ran to Cousins, but hesitated and let him escape. Long will hear about that in the film room. Every pass rusher’s nightmare. Got some pressure, but no standout plays.

Derek Barnett – Strong debut. Very good against the run, which surprised me. Played with discipline. Engaged blockers and moved them backward on multiple plays. Had a TFL. Played with a great motor, as he did this summer. Got one hit on the QB.

Beau Allen – Played with a ton of energy. Flew around the field. Love backups who come in and give max effort. Solid against the run. Didn’t do much as a pass rusher.

Destiny Vaeao – Got in on a couple of tackles. Got his hand on a pass, but the ball still got to the RB.

LB

Jordan Hicks – Was in on 7 tackles and recovered a fumble. Had a chance for an early INT and leapt for the ball, but couldn’t get his hands on it. Good vision to see that and to try to make the play. Blitzed several times. Very smart. Got pressure, but didn’t go out of control and draw penalties for roughing the passer. Should have had a sack, but was wiped out by a penalty on Bradham.

Nigel Bradham – Solid overall, but a couple of frustrating moments. Had a chance for an INT and possible pick-six early on. Read the play perfectly and jumped the route. The ball hit him in the hands and Bradham dropped it. Ugh. Negated a sack by Hicks on 3rd down play when he held the TE. The Eagles should have been off the field, but that mistake kept the drive alive. Ugh. Was in on 4 tackles. Good vs the run and showed excellent range. Had a strong coverage moment late in the game when WAS tried to use pick vs him to get speedy RB Thompson free. Bradham stayed close and had good coverage. Pass was incomplete and they threw OPI flag on the Skins.

Mychal Kendricks – Didn’t play as much as the other LBs, but was on the field more than last year. Was in on 3 tackles and had the highlight tackle of the game. Rob Kelley got loose to the outside, Kendricks worked through the trash, got low and made a beautiful form tackle. He planed Fat Rob on his fat butt. Very encouraging to see Kendricks making the most out of his role.

S

Malcolm Jenkins – Great game. Played all over the field and hit everything that came near him. Had 4 solo tackles and broke up a pass, but that doesn’t come close to showing his impact. Played in the slot, in the box and back deep. Broke up a pass down the field when he hit the receiver in the back as the ball got there. Did a good job as a blitzer. Ran over the blocking back several times. No pussy-footing with Jenkins. He means business. Cousins kept the ball on an option play and got loose outside. Jenkins got there and slammed him to the ground. Wasn’t dirty, but let Kirky boy know that he’d be paying for that real estate in flesh. Those kinds of hits take their toll and affect a QB. Did a good job when covering Jordan Reed. Gave up at least one catch over the middle, but MJ was all over him and didn’t give any RAC yards on the play.

Rodney McLeod – The one starter that was up and down. One of my complaints is that he didn’t seem to be deep enough on some pass plays. I don’t know what McLeod was supposed to do for sure. I can only offer my opinion. Took poor angles to the ball on a couple of plays. One was a pass where Pryor got loose over the deep middle. Not sure McLeod realized just how fast Pryor is. McLeod missed the tackle on the Christian Thompson play that turned into a 29-yd TD. Highlight moment came vs the run. Curry went hard inside and spilled a run to the outside. McLeod flew down to the LOS and floored the runner. Was in on 3 total tackles.

Corey Graham – Played S in some packages. Got in on a couple of tackles. Was on the field for the Thompson TD and wasn’t able to make the tackle.

CB

Jalen Mills – Played the best game of his young career, but that statement needs context. Led the team with 9 tackles (8 solo), but part of that is because WAS kept throwing the ball his way. Mills generally kept things in front of him and he did tackle well. Broke up a pass in the end zone. Got away with a bit of contact, but was playing the ball. Went up high for that and knocked it away. Got his first NFL pick when a pass came right to him. Easy catch. Love the fact he was aware on the play and made the grab. The return was awful. I’ve seen punters look more instinctive with the ball in their hands. Heck, Fletcher Cox needs to teach Mills how to run with the ball. Had a highlight moment vs the run when he took on a pulling OL, got off the block and still made the stop. Love that kind of effort and toughness. Lack of deep speed was an issue on a couple of plays, but didn’t hurt him in this game.

Ronald Darby – Solid showing before he got hurt. Gave up one completion to Pryor that turned into a long catch and run. Didn’t have many passes come his way. Had one tackle.

Patrick Robinson – Played in the slot and outside. Good game. Had tight coverage on a deep ball that was thrown to his side. Was in perfect position and the ball was overthrown. Did a good job vs Crowder in the slot. Had 4 solo tackles, with one of them being an impressive, physical stop on a run play. So much more confident and comfortable than he was a month ago. One lowlight. Got confused on Red Zone play and left a receiver wide open. Cousins never saw the guy so Robinson got lucky. Can’t let that happen again.

Jaylen Watkins – Took over for Darby when he got hurt in certain packages. Gave up a catch and run to Pryor. Was playing off and just didn’t have the speed to run with him over the middle. Generally seemed to cover okay. Had 3 solo tackles. Highlight moment came with WAS backed up very deep. They threw short pass to Crowder, hoping for RAC yards. Watkins flew up and planted him. Gave up 2 yards. Key possession.

*****

Make sure to read Fran Duffy’s great All-22 breakdown.

*****

STs

All the worries about the sloppy STs play from the preseason proved to be meaningless. Dave Fipp’s group had a strong performance.

KOR – No deep returns. Brent Celek got squib kick and ran it back 8 yards.

PR – No returns.

Donnie Jones – Solid game. Averaged 42.5 yards per punt. Had one downed at the 1-yard line and that helped set up a scoring drive. Had one punt just got 37 yards.

Caleb Sturgis – Missed an extra point, but 3 for 3 on FGs. Nailed a 50-yarder late in the half that was huge. Put Eagles back on top. Got hurt late in the game. Solid on KOs.

MISC – Rick Lovato got through the game without any bad snaps. You know he had to be nervous. Corey Clement made the tackle on the opening KO and added another tackle after that. Joe Walker had a stupid late hit penalty while covering a punt. Trey Burton recovered a muffed punt. Jaylen Watkins downed the punt at the 1.

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