The Philadelphia Eagles are no longer winless and the New York Jets are no longer undefeated after the Eagles defeated the Jets 24-17. The Jets were plagued by turnovers, while the Eagles offense finally showed signs of life. Here are three things we learned about both teams in the Eagles' 24-17 win.
Eagles:
1. Reports Of The Eagles Demise Were Greatly Exaggerated
The Eagles' season is not lost. With a win over the Jets and a Cowboys loss to the Falcons, the Eagles are only a game back in the wide-open division. The Eagles have the ability to win the NFC East and the win over the Jets showed that.
2. The Running Game Has Life
No DeMarco Murray, no problem for the Eagles. Ryan Mathews had a great game, picking up 108 yards on 25 carries. He also chipped in 20 yards and a score in the passing game. The Eagles have had zero success on the ground this season, but the ground game showed life against a good run defense. The Eagles will need to continue to run the ball if they want to have sustained success this season.
3. Still Room For Improvement
A win is a win, but the Eagles weren't perfect. The Eagles forced several Jets turnovers (more on that below), but the Jets outgained the Eagles by more than 100 yards. Sam Bradford didn't throw a pick, but only completed 50 percent of his passes. The execution is better, but it's not where it needs to be.
Jets:
1. Jets Must Run The Ball
If the Jets pick up 47 yards on 16 carries each game for the rest of the season, they might not win a single game. Chris Ivory didn't play, which hurt, but the Jets have to run the ball more. Trailing early didn't help, but the Jets averaged less than three yards per carry. The Jets don't have the passing attack to win games with a one-dimensional offense.
2. Fitzpatrick Can't Carry The Team
Perhaps we already knew this, but the Jets aren't going to win games with Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing the ball 50-plus times. He completed 35 of 58 passes for 283 yards. He threw two touchdowns, but was picked off three times. The lack of Eric Decker didn't help, but Fitzpatrick simply isn't good enough to put this Jets team on his back and carry them to a win. That's fine, but Fitzpatrick can't turn the ball over as often.
3. Turnovers Will Kill
The Jets turned the ball over four times and only forced one. That is not the recipe for success. The Jets' defense is good, but they were put in a tough position several times. The Jets won't win games losing the turnover differential by such a wide margin. New York can still make it to the playoffs, but cutting down on the turnovers is a must.
Back to the Philadelphia Eagles Newsfeed