Joel Embiid is ready to go
Doc Rivers did not mince words when asked about the performance of his star player on Tuesday evening. With Embiid getting a lot of his looks on actions that were not designed for him, the head coach viewed this game as a blueprint for how he can dominate without just standing on the low block all game. Phenomenal, Rivers said of Embiid s performance. You know, it s a great example for Joel. Like we ran our stuff, but we didn t run his stuff, and he still had 18 [points]. And you know, that s one of the things that I was telling him. Joel, we can run continuity offense and not even run any plays for you, but you re still gonna end up with the ball because you re the best player, and you ll see that happen. That did happen tonight, I thought that was a great thing for Joel to see.
Special teams: 24
Carson Wentz declined dramatically in 2020, plummeting toward the bottom in most statistical categories for QBs before being replaced in the lineup by rookie Jalen Hurts. Although there is plenty of blame to spread around, the negative plays brought on by Wentz s turnovers (19) and sacks (50) put the Eagles on bad footing all too frequently.
#JimmySays: I thought Jalen Hurts was smart with the football on Sunday, and avoided the negative plays that Wentz might not have if he had started.
Doug Pederson turned to Jalen Hurts believing the rookie quarterback could spark an Eagles offense that had flatlined under Carson Wentz. The gamble paid off in a 24-21 upset win over the Saints. Hurts threw a pretty touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery and rushed for 106 yards against a stout New Orleans defense. Miles Sanders also crossed the century mark in a 246-yard rushing effort for Philly, the team s biggest day on the ground in six years. On Monday, Pederson made it offic
Some people will exhaust their platforms asking ridiculous questions about which QB is the guy moving forward, or if Doug Pederson or Wentz was more responsible for the losing or even if Jalen Hurts can win a Super Bowl. My hope here is to ask the single most important question so far during Howie Roseman’s tenure.
More on that in a minute. First, we need some context as to what exactly happened against the Saints. There are folks in sports who are hundreds to thousands of miles away from Philly who want you to follow their narrative on Doug Pederson, not what the actual facts say.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts runs with the ball against the New Orleans Saints.
Week 14 of the NFL season is in the books, and the Philadelphia Eagles were able to delay their obituary for a week after their upset win over the Saints. Nine teams remain alive in the hierarchy. Let s just get right to it.
Obituaries
Graveyard
Visit TheLines.com, PhillyVoice’s official 2020/2021 betting odds partner, for the latest upcoming NFL game lines and odds.
Hierarchy
Case Keenum: Currently the Browns backup.
Aaron Rodgers: An all-time great, obviously.
Luke Falk: Out of the league.
Josh Allen: Before he figured out the NFL.
We re not flying blind, but we have had to take the word of the team up to this point. With that in mind, here are some things I m tracking on Tuesday night (and Friday against the Pacers, for that matter). It s good to have basketball back.
Joel Embiid s athleticism
Training camp quotable: So the majority of the time if I get a board or get an outlet, I’m going to push the ball. And so far during this training camp, I’ve made a number of assists from guys just running the floor. And that’s the first three seconds of the shot clock. I encouraged everybody to get down the floor, especially Jo. He’s been running the floor. Even if he doesn’t get it, when he’s the first one down there he’s getting somebody else open. So that kind of basketball leads to easy buckets and that’s something we’re big on this year, that’s easy points.”