Getty Alshon Jeffery has been a fantasy disappointment over the last month of the season.
The Eagles earned a grinding, scrappy 22-14 win over the Bears. It wasn’t pretty but a win is a win is a win.
Philadelphia dominated time of possession in this one — 40 minutes, 18 seconds to Chicago’s 19 minutes, 42 seconds — and pounded it between the tackles with Jordan Howard.
The former Bear paced the offense by rushing for 82 yards on 19 carries, including a 13-yard touchdown. Backfield mate Miles Sanders chipped in with 42 yards on the ground.
Carson Wentz reprised his new role as game manager, making plays and converting first downs when he had to. He finished 26-of-39 for 239 yards and one touchdown while adding 15 rushing yards. His QB rating of 57.6 was good enough to get the job done.
Flying into the bye week 🦅 Huge win today and now time to get the mind and body right and come back ready to make a run! #flyeaglesfly #AO1 t.co/9WlXlykyul
Alshon Jeffery’s Drops Headline Great Team Win
It was a few plays that didn’t happen leading the post-game chatter.
Alshon Jeffery dropped three passes in the game, none bigger than a huge miscue on 3rd-and-11 that led to an Eagles punt. The Bears had marched right down the field and made it a one-score game at 19-14 on their previous possession. Too close for comfort.
“I should’ve made the play before that,” Jeffery said, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I was trying to catch and run, took my eyes off the ball.”
Carson has to put the ball where his receiver can get it.
Later, Jeffery made a game-saving grab when he converted a crucial 3rd-and-3 with 7 minutes and 22 seconds left in the game. That first down helped the Eagles finish off Chicago thanks to an exhausting 16-play drive that ran nearly eight minutes off the clock.
The lanky receiver finished with four catches for 36 yards on eight targets. He had just one more catch than he did drops. Remember, Jeffery dropped a key pass from Nick Foles in last year’s playoff loss to New Orleans.
He needs to step and prove why he deserves No. 1 receiver money, yet his post-game remarks seemed rather lackadaisical. He indicated that drops are part of football. Part of life.
“We’re human at the end of the day, just like anybody else,” Jeffery said. “We’re gonna drop balls. We’re not gonna make every throw, not gonna make every tackle. We just gotta flush ‘em and keep moving.”
Jeffery left the game late in the fourth quarter after visiting the blue medical tent and never returned. He was ruled out with an ankle injury. He’ll be evaluated Monday.
Zach Ertz Finally Enjoys Breakout Game
Everyone was waiting for the week that Zach Ertz got untracked. Well, this was it.
Carson Wentz got his reliable tight end involved in the passing game early and often. The quarterback hit Ertz for a 15-yard completion on 4th-and-2 on their first offensive possession and never looked back.
Zach Ertz knocks the defender to the ground and gets a 25-yard touchdown.
Ertz hauled in nine balls for 103 yards and a touchdown (and probably got away with a non-call for offensive pass interference) on the day while playing a key role in the run-blocking game.
The breakout game was met with a sigh of relief from everyone in the offensive huddle, especially Ertz himself.
“I got my number called early and then it kind of carried over,” Ertz said, via The Inquirer. “Once you get confidence as a pass-catcher, that’s huge. I was able to have a couple of good ones early and Carson just kept coming to me.”