The Philadelphia Eagles went into Denver in Week 10, playing a game against the Broncos which — at kickoff time — was rated very close to dead even. The game ended very unevenly, and Philadelphia could not have been happier about the outcome.
Here are four Eagles takeaways from their Week 10 game.
Philadelphia Eagles Week 10 Takeaways
4. Jalen Hurts is not regressing in 2021
Just how much is Jalen Hurts improving for the Eagles? That is a legitimate point of debate. Is he regressing? Clearly not.
The Eagles have played some bad games and some bad halves this season, but Hurts is not overwhelmed by the speed of the NFL game. He is growing in comfort and confidence, processing the game better and avoiding the anxious mistakes other young quarterbacks make.
For more insight on the Eagles' Week 10 victory over the Broncos, listen below:
The Denver Broncos have a very good defense, and the Eagles handled them on the road. Vic Fangio might not be a very good head coach, but he has been one of the better defensive minds in the NFL for some time. Philadelphia hammered Fangio's defense in a convincing victory. Yes, the Philadelphia offensive line had a lot to do with this (more on that in a bit), but Hurts didn't mess with success.
Perhaps the best way to characterize Hurts' play so far this season is that he is giving the Eagles more opportunities to do well, instead of taking them away. He is adding to the offense rather than subtracting from it. Carson Wentz, whom the organization allowed to go to Indianapolis to play for Frank Reich and the Colts, probably has a higher ceiling than Hurts right now, but he interestingly has a lower floor. One would typically expect a younger quarterback to have the higher ceiling and lower floor, but no, it's the veteran who has more variance between his best and worst levels. Hurts is actually steadier right now; Wentz very nearly cost the Colts a win at home against the Jaguars.
The Eagles have to be quietly encouraged about the progress of their quarterback — it isn't meteoric, but improvement is definitely winning the battle against regression.
3. Offensive line might have been underestimated
The Eagles have had a lot of offensive line problems in recent years. This was one of the position groups which couldn't stay healthy. It limited what this team was capable of. Sunday, the offensive front blasted a very strong Denver Bronco defensive line, the same Bronco line which smothered the Dallas Cowboys on the road one week earlier. One can say that week-to-week results are varying wildly in the 2021 NFL. Nothing seems to be sustained from one Sunday to the next. Yet, if an offensive line can mash against the Broncos' front seven, that's a solid indication of a unit's capabilities. This offensive line wouldn't be confused with an elite offensive line, but it's probably better than it was given credit for.
That said: Let's see this kind of performance week after week before we get too excited.
2. Eagles' defense isn't hemorrhaging, a contrast to the Raiders loss
The blowout loss to the Las Vegas Raiders felt like rock bottom, or something close to it. The Eagles had been shredded on previous occasions this season. Coaches and players were not on the same page. This is hardly a brilliant defense, but Sunday produced a competent, coherent performance against the Broncos. We don't need to throw a parade, but this group has given up fewer big plays and committed fewer unpardonable errors in recent weeks. Like the team as a whole, this group has made progress in unspectacular but real ways.
1. It's only the Denver Broncos; let's see this against the Cowboys or another NFC contender
While the Eagles should be happy with this performance, it isn't an indicator of where the Eagles stand in the NFC. They need to bring this level of play against the Dallas Cowboys or another prominent team in the conference.
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