Getty Head coach Nick Sirianni has the Eagles off to an 8-0 start for the first time in franchise history.
Jordan Mailata was taking some heat for giving up some flukey sacks on Thursday night. Houston Texans defensive end Jerry Hughes got him coming off the edge twice in the third quarter, including one where it looked like Mailata was “sleep-walking” and maybe forgot the snap count.
It was very uncharacteristic for the Big Aussie who has been phenomenal since taking over at left tackle. Every sack on Jalen Hurts is something he takes personally. Head coach Nick Sirianni downplayed any issues with Mailata during his day-after press conference, saying that those two sacks were “100 percent on me and nobody else.” Predictably, Mailata had been beating himself up about them.
“Jordan is beating himself up about it, but I should be beating myself up about it more, and I am. Full responsibility on both of those sacks is on me,” Sirianni told reporters. “When we put our tape up on Monday when the guys get back in, every time we put our tape up, people’s numbers are up there if they did the wrong thing. On both of those, it’s going to say loss and it’s going to say dash and it’s going to say Nick and nobody else, because I screwed that up.”
Total Confidence in Guys Backing Up Jordan Davis
One major issue from Thursday’s game was the Eagles’ inability to stop the Texans’ rushing attack. They piled up 168 total yards on the ground and picked up 5.3 yards per carry. Marvin Wilson matched a career-high with 19 defensive snaps versus Houston, making 4 total tackles after being elevated from the practice squad.
Other guys seeing increased burn were Marlon Tuipulotu and Milton Williams. It’s going to be an ongoing experiment to fill the void left by Jordan Davis.
“Yeah, we’re confident in the guys that are there. We’ve always felt like that was a pretty deep room,” Sirianni said. “We were excited to see Marvin play and get some good reps in there, and so yeah, we’re confident in that group. I know they’ll continue to get better, and the young guys will continue to get better for sure as they see more playing time.”
#Eagles snap counts: At DT, Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave played more than usual w/Jordan Davis out. Marvin Wilson, up from p-squad, played 32%. Only 7 snaps for Robert Quinn.
Javon Hargrave Finally Healthy from Toe Injury
Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave was a man on a mission as he get into the Texans’ backfield all night. He brought Davis Mills down three times and made 7 tackles on 41 defensive snaps. He is starting to come on strong with 5 sacks in his last two contests.
Javon Hargrave in his last 2 games:
🦅 5 sacks
🦅 12 pressures
🦅 24.5% win percentage
Hargrave, who had been nursing a toe injury since training camp, told reporters the major reason why he’s been resurgent is that he’s finally healthy. The Eagles also played him more at nose tackle and lined him up over the center to put his entire arsenal of pass-rushing tools on display.
“Shoot, I got healthy. I got my rest, get my mind off football and just come back and refocus,” Hargrave said when asked what he did during the bye week. “I think I was dealing with a little nicked up, dealing with a little toe [injury] in my foot and stuff. And that bye just helped me get over it.”
if you’re wondering how javon hargrave is feeling after his 3 sack game yesterday