The Philadelphia Eagles‘ offensive line delivered a much better performance in the 19-17 Week 5 London loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars than many expected.
Philly had to start Willie Lampkin and Jake Majors in their first NFL games and starts. Rookie third-round pick Markel Bell made his second career start after taking over for the recently retired Lane Johnson in Week 4.
After allowing just one sack, the young offensive line earned praise for holding its own despite all the changes. Their leader, Jordan Mailata, assessed how they did on the field.
Jordan Mailata Talked Philadelphia Eagles Young Offensive Linemen
Mailata appeared on SportsRadio 94 WIP, where he was asked about how Lampkin, Majors, and Bell did together in the Jaguars game. The veteran left tackle was impressed with them.
“I thought we did great. You know, two of our guys, their first time starting in an NFL game and then also start playing their first NFL game. Um, and don’t forget, Markell played just his second game in the NFL. And so, you know, I was super excited. I thought the boys did a great job. Now, did we play a perfect game? No. But we made, you know, when we had to make plays, we made, we made the plays happen and put ourselves in a position to win the game. And so I was super, super proud of my guys up front. Super weird because I’ve never gotten reps with these guys, you know, and this is the beauty of the business, man. Like, when, when you’re the next man up, you have an opportunity to go earn your money and earn your keep in the team. And these guys, they got that opportunity, and I thought they made the most out of it, and they played well.”
Lampkin finished with 5 pressures and 1 quarterback hit allowed, but 4 came in the first half, showing improvement. Majors allowed 4 pressures and 1 quarterback hit from the center position. In 43 pass-blocking snaps, Bell allowed 1 pressure and 1 hurry.
Eagles’ Young Offensive Line Shows Promise
It was far from a perfect game, but for them to play as well as they did, and for the three to combine to keep the sack count down, is huge. They all played better as the game went on, giving hope for the future.
Questions remain about whether Lampkin will stay in the starting lineup with Landon Dickerson close to returning from IR. The Eagles will see about Drew Kendall and whether he returns from injury. Bell will hold strong at right tackle the rest of the season.
The Eagles still have a lot to figure out about this offensive line for the rest of the season. It’s at least promising to see the unit improve in the game.
Jordan Mailata Shared Final Verdict on Eagles’ Young Linemen After Week 5 Loss