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Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni wears his emotions on his visor. And that black hat was on fire during his team’s opening drive in the preseason opener, one that eventually ended with a touchdown.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was finishing up a nice scramble – his body was a full two yards out of bounds – when Jets linebacker Quincy Williams drilled him out of nowhere. The hit was late. The hit was unnecessary. And the hit should draw a hefty fine from the league office. The zebras threw multiple flags, but the damage was done.
Williams targeted Hurts in the head area on the play, a no-no under any circumstances let alone a meaningless preseason game. The cameras immediately caught Sirianni yelling at the refs with the venom of a million cobras.
His veins were bulging as his lips mouthed: “Saleh, what the f***! That’s f****** bull****!” Those words were directed at Jets head coach Robert Saleh. And it was warranted.
Late hit aside, Hurts was cooking on the opening drive. He hit Quez Watkins on two darts to keep the chains moving, then found Dallas Goedert for a 22-yard touchdown toss to cap it. Hurts was 6-of-6 for 80 yards with a 158.3 passer rating on his first and only series.
He also had a scoring run called back due to a holding penalty on Jordan Mailata on the drive, too. Sirianni had seen enough, especially with visions of Williams’ late hit running through his mind. Gardner Minshew took over on the next series.
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Sirianni Not Worried About Minshew
Minshew hasn’t had the best training camp and he’d be the first to admit it. That’s why it was important to get him some good reps against the Jets. Minshew thrives in live games where his competitive juices can start flowing. He finished 8-of-12 for 80 yards in the first half and the Eagles took a 14-3 lead into halftime.
No one is worried about the backup quarterback, especially not Sirianni. The head coach blamed some of Minshew’s interceptions from practice on tipped balls and really good defensive plays.
“I think he’s running the offense smoothly,” Sirianni said. “He’s had some interceptions that have happened that aren’t necessarily his fault, right, with tip balls, this and that. You always want him to keep getting better every day. I know he’ll go out there and play well in the preseason games.
“You also know like, okay, if he has a down day, you know what he’s been in the past. You know that he helped us win a game last year and he’s played at a high level. You know the games he’s played in the NFL, his 42 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, and all that stuff.”
Eagles-Jets Injury Report
Starting center Jason Kelce sat out the preseason opener as expected. He’s recovering from elbow surgery that will sideline him until at least Week 1. Rookie Cam Jurgens filled in. Starting left guard Landon Dickerson was missing with soreness in his foot. Sua Opeta started there. DeVonta Smith (groin), Kenny Gainwell (hip), Boston Scott (concussion), Grant Calcaterra (hamstring), and Jaquiski Tartt (personal) rounded out the injury report.
The Jets lost starting quarterback Zach Wilson early in the game due to an apparent knee injury. He came up limping after making an awkward cut with about 4:20 showing in the first quarter.
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