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The connection between DeSean Jackson and Carson Wentz was supposed to be a magical fireworks display. So far, it’s looked like a sparkler.
Jackson did have nine targets on Sunday and turned four of them into 64 yards. The Eagles relied on short passes, mainly check downs to their backs and ends, in the first half. Some of that was by design, according to Doug Pederson, and some was due to the Rams’ secondary.
The Eagles made a conscious effort to get Jackson untracked in the second half and his 25-yard grab late in the third quarter proved to be Philly’s longest play of the day.
“Made a conscious effort at halftime as one of our adjustments to get him going in the second half,” Pederson said of Jackson. “Felt like we did a good job there. He’s an explosive guy that can make some plays. A little bit was the coverage. Other times, it was play design. The ball was going somewhere else. But we’ll continue to get him involved with the offense.”
He had zero targets on 21 snaps in the first half. It’s been a bizarre two-week stretch for Jackson who was limited to just 37 offensive snaps in Week 1. He has eight receptions for 110 yards on 16 targets through two games, not exactly a fiery part of the “explosive” offense previously advertised in Philly.
“DeSean is the kind of guy that we always believe in no matter who’s on him and no matter where he’s at,” Carson Wentz said. “It was just kind of the flow of the game and how it worked out, but, you know, he’s a guy that scares the heck out of defenses and does a great job of creating separation and getting open.”
The Eagles quarterback praised the Rams’ secondary for playing “soft on the outside” and just keeping “everything in front of them.” The Eagles’ speedy receivers couldn’t always create separation and Wentz got burned twice on interceptions when he tried to force the ball in a tight window. Jalen Ramsey and Troy Hill took turns (sometimes) bottling Jackson up.
“We had to take a lot of underneath throws and take what they were presenting and giving us,” Wentz said. “That’s kind of the style of their defense.”
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Jalen Hurts Sees Three Total Snaps in Loss
There was excitement in the air when Jalen Hurts’ name wasn’t listed on the inactives. The Eagles didn’t waste too much time getting their second-round pick in the game.
Hurts came for three plays in the second quarter. The rookie quarterback moved around the formation and eventually lined up at receiver. Hurts was simply a decoy but it’s clear the team intends to grow his role from week to week.
“The decision, we always do what we feel sometimes is best for the football team each and every week,” Pederson said when asked why they activated him. “We felt this week with him up, they could give us an opportunity to possibly use him in those situations that we did, and obviously he went in, executed them well, and it’s a starting point as something we’ll evaluate each week.”
Hurts’ presence also led to comedy on social media as fans and media joked about Wentz losing his starting job. When Wentz overthrew Richard Rodgers on a third-down play in the second quarter, you could hear audible boos rain down. Strange considering there were no fans in attendance. Turns out, the stadium’s sound crew pumped them in to simulate a real game-day experience in Philly.
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