3 Things Philadelphia Eagles fans can’t stop discussing after Week 4

3. Did Doug Pederson win the game for the Philadelphia Eagles in the first quarter?

After a week of absolute media mutilation following that tie, Doug Pederson decided he needed to make an early statement. A first-quarter two-point conversion proved to be Pederson’s statement play, but it was not as valuable as some might assume. The analytics engine may have finally worked in the Eagles favor.

Take the two points off the board for Philly, and we might be discussing a 23-20 game heading down the stretch and the 49ers simply needing a field goal to send the game into overtime. Had that conversion failed and had the Niners hit a long field goal, and the game probably goes into OT.

No matter the outcome, Pederson’s early decision would have been questioned.

If Pederson decided to take the extra point it still would’ve been a 24-20 advantage, resulting in a victory. It was the two-point conversion play’s execution that saved Pederson, not the decision to go for two. It was a gutsy first-quarter call that proved important but not invaluable.

Pederson, like his quarterback, was not perfect, but he did seem to find a play-calling rhythm here and there. On some drives, the offense was firing on all cylinders, and on others, the offense seemed as if it was trying to fit a basketball peg into a football-shaped hole.

Pederson had little to work with on offense at the wide receiver position and the offensive line but somehow managed to squeeze out the victory. His playcalling is still the subject of some question. Miles Sanders still didn’t appear to get enough touches, but a win is a win.

Here are a few more Monday overreactions:

• Travis Fulgham has snagged JJ Arcega-Whiteside’s roster spot as ‘JJAW’ continues to sink into oblivion.
• Jordan Mailata, aside from a costly false start, proved he belongs.
• Derek Barnett lived up to his $10 million price tag.
• Jim Schwartz got his mojo back. He’s finally scheming up ways to utilize his talent.
• Jalen Hurts continues to be utilized more and more. Look for a pass attempt, or two, next week.
• Carson Wentz finally has his legs back. Look out for the speedster.
• Alex Singleton was gifted a pick-six, but the linebackers still seem clueless.
• CJ Beathard might’ve won the game had he started, let’s ignore that though.

Next on the schedule for Philly is another road date. This one pits them against an in-state rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers.