The Philadelphia Eagles walked into their Week 11 matchup with the division-rival Washington Commanders. They walked out the winners and on the right side of a 26-18 final score. The game was more lopsided than the final game indicates.
Where do we start? Where do we begin? We'll tell you what. We have all week to break this down. Let's take a moment, catch our breath, and hand out some game balls.
But, first...
Worth nothing: What's wrong with Jake Elliott?
It wasn't that long ago that we asked why the Eagles aren't kicking field goals. Following Week 11, we're discussing Philly's kicker for a different reason.
We'd like to say we're willing to absolve Jake Elliott, but we won't lie we're worried. Two missed field goals and a missed extra point? He hasn't made one from 50 yards or further all season.
Okay, we got that off our chests. Let's end this on a high note with some game balls.
Saquon Barkley, running back
Saquon Barkley is so good that we treat him unfairly. We know he's elite, so when we hand out game balls we try to ignore him and spread the love around to some other guys.
We can't do that this week.
He makes phenomenal plays look routine. He has the potential to be remembered among the best Eagles tailbacks of all time. We're calling it now.
But, we're also running out of superlatives to describe this guy.
Grant Calcaterra, tight end
For the record, we've always been fans of Grant Calcaterra. We're even bigger fans after watching him jump on that Grant Calcaterra fumble. Where might we be had the Commanders recovered that one?
Grant didn't catch a single pass in this game and is still one of the heroes. Hey, you have your memories of the game, and we have ours.
Jalen Carter, Zack Baun & Reed Blankenship
Game wreckers... That's the only phrase needed to decsribe these three guys. Jalen Carter makes plays even when he doesn't make plays or crack the stat sheet.
The numbers will come. He'll get his sacks, and he'll continue growing into a great Eagle. Meanwhile, Zack Baun and Reed Blankenship stack numbers like created players on Madden. As is the case with Saquon, we're running out of superlatives to describe their efforts.
Quinyon Mitchell, cornerback
Quinyon Mitchell went toe to toe with Terry McLaurin, a man six years his senior and one of the best wideouts in the game, and Q WON!
These guys were matched up 20 times per Next Gen Stats. Mitchell didn't allow a single reception.
Quinyon Mitchell aligned across from Terry McLaurin on 20 of 25 routes (80%), including 19 of 20 aligned wide (95%).
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 15, 2024
Mitchell was not targeted on any of his coverage snaps against McLaurin and was targeted just once all night (0 receptions allowed).#WASvsPHI | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/ivlaRKu6rx
This list needs to be thrown out if Mitchell's name isn't on it. We've seen all we need to. He has our vote for the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year Trophy.