The Eagles have the day off from practice, allowing them time to recover from their dramatic overtime win over the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. Head coach Chip Kelly will speak with the media about the victory at 1 PM. While waiting for the press conference to begin, take a look at some of the other views for this Monday, November 9th ...
Bradford To Matthews For The Win
After a tough start to the season for both wide receiver Jordan Matthews and quarterback Sam Bradford, the two came together over Dallas.
A 41-yard touchdown in overtime sealed the win for the Eagles, and as Les Bowen of *Daily News* reported, Bradford knew the ball would be going to Matthews before the play began. Bradford couldn't have been happier with the result.
"Sure enough, he ran a great route. The run after the catch was huge," Bradford said. "I don't know if I've ever seen anybody work as hard as he did last week. I believe it was Thursday in practice, he had a drop in the red zone. After that drop, I think he took every rep on the offensive side of the ball, and he took every rep on the scout team, playing against the defense.
"I don't know if I've ever seen a starting wide receiver do that. You could see it in his eyes; just hunger to get out there, and to fix it, and to improve."
Improve is exactly what he did. Bradford and Matthews connected nine times in total for 133 yards during the game, and the two helped their team get the much-needed victory.
Johnson Found Success At Left Tackle
Heading into the game, all eyes were on the Eagles' offensive line, specifically Lane Johnson. With Jason Peters out of the lineup with a back injury, Johnson was shifted from right tackle to left tackle, playing at the position for the first time since his senior year of college.
As NJ.com’s Mark Eckel wrote, Johnson passed his first test at the position, as he was instrumental in the protection of Bradford throughout the night.
"To be honest it was awkward being on the left,'' Johnson, said after the game. "It's kind of like being right-handed and then writing with your left hand. But I thought I did all right. (Allen Barbre) was helping me all night and Jason was a big help all week and on the sidelines.''
Whether or not Johnson will play on the left again this week depends on the health of Peters, but the Eagles now know he can be successful on the right and left.
Hicks An Emerging Star
When the Eagles drafted Jordan Hicks in the third round of the draft, many were confused by the choice. However, Hicks has proved to be one of the most valuable players on the Eagles' defense this season.
As Jimmy Kempski of *Philly Voice* wrote, the inside linebacker has had one of the best starts to his rookie season in Eagles history. He has already recorded 50 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions. His latest interception was a 67-yard pick six against Dallas. Hicks is clearly a special player.
"I'm confident in my ability in coverage," Hick said during the week leading up to the game. "I've done it in college. The Big 12 is huge for coverage. They try to get you in mismatches, put you in space and see what you can do, so I've had a lot of preparation coming up."
A Big Step Forward
The passing game came alive against the Cowboys this weekend, which is exactly the type of game the Eagles needed to have. Tommy Lawlor of IgglesBlitz.com wrote about the game, where Bradford and his receivers were able to connect on numerous plays for large gains.
"It doesn't really matter what happened, only that the Eagles passing game came alive," Lawlor wrote. "There were six pass plays of at least 27 yards. Matthews had three of those plays. Finally, a game where a wide receiver made several big plays. Riley Cooper and Miles Austin delivered long touchdowns verse the Redskins. Josh Huff had some good plays in the win over the Saints. But Matthews was 9-133-1, the best game by an Eagles WR all year long."
Clearly this game was a step in the right direction for the Eagles' receivers.
