Roobs observations: A chaotic win against the Saints

Roobs Observations: A chaotic win over the Saints originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

They were missing 40 percent of their offensive players, including All-Pro Lane Johnson. DeVonta Smith was out of the game, as was AJ Brown. Nick Sirianni made one bizarre decision after another.

And then Saquon Barkley and Dallas Goedert – essentially the Eagles’ only remaining weapons – refused to let the Eagles lose.

Barkley’s 65-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter and Dallas Goedert’s 61-yard catch to the 4-yard line late in the fourth quarter helped the Eagles to a 15-12 victory over the Saints after the Saints had taken the lead moments earlier.

They haven’t played a full game yet, but the Eagles are somehow 2-1.

Wow.

It’s never easy with this team, is it?

Here are our 10 spontaneous observations on a big away win in the conference:

1. The turnovers remain a problem, but Jalen Hurts really had a great performance on Sunday, helping the Eagles win a game they very easily could have lost. And he did it despite missing nearly half the offense. Hurts completed 76 percent of his passes for 311 yards, and on a day he didn’t throw a touchdown, he made some great throws under pressure, all behind an offensive line that was missing Mekhi Becton and Lane Johnson, and Smith and Brown were both out of the game. The Superdome is a loud, difficult place to play, and this was a game the Eagles really needed to win, and a game that needed Hurts. I still believe he’s an elite quarterback, but it was natural to be concerned about him after the first two games, and I understand the doubts. He wasn’t very good in some key moments. But that was Jalen Hurts at his best, making key shots at important moments, staying confident in the face of adversity and leading the Eagles to victory when things looked really bleak. If this Jalen Hurts continues to play this well, the Eagles will win a lot of games.

2. Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter today: No sacks, no tackles for loss, no pass breakups, no quarterback hits. Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter vs. Saints: One sack, two tackles for loss, two pass breakups, one quarterback hit. It was certainly encouraging to see the monster performance from Georgia’s two interior linemen. Especially from Davis, who hasn’t had a game like this since early last year. This defense can’t be top-notch when Davis and Carter are both playing at a high level, and that’s something we haven’t seen in a while. But when they play like this? When they dominate the line of scrimmage? When they play like the beasts the Eagles expected when they drafted them in the first half of the first round? We all saw on Sunday what kind of defense this can be when Davis and Carter play inspired football. Now they just need to keep it up.

3. Can someone explain to me what Nick Sirianni was thinking on fourth down with 15 seconds left in the first half and the ball at the Saints 14-yard line? Saquon Barkley got stopped trying to find space on the left end, the Saints got the ball and took a knee, and the Eagles went to the locker room without a point. Down 3-0? You kick the field goal because if you make the first try, the chances of you getting more than a field goal are minimal anyway. So you take that risk on the fourth try, for what? Even if you make the first try, you now have 10 seconds with the ball at the 13, and I’m sure Sirianni will say they wanted a new series of tries to get a shot at the end zone before kicking a field goal if they don’t score the touchdown. Realistically, points were in short supply with the way the game was going. Taking three points means you go to the locker room with something positive after the abysmal first half offense. While we’re at it… 4th and 5 from the Saints 35-yard line midway through the third quarter… still down 3-0… Jake Elliott has made seven of his last eight field goal attempts from 53 yards and beyond… they go for it and Hurts gets sacked. On this field, a 53-yard basket is a layup. Being aggressive is great. Being wrong is not. And Sirianni’s in-game decisions are becoming more and more puzzling.

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