Good morning, Eagles fans! Happy Victory Friday! The Eagles defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars last night 24-10 in the second preseason game. The players will be off today as they made their way back to Philadelphia in the early morning hours. In this edition of Morning Roundup presented by Microsoft, there is a lot to cover from injury updates to standout players. Let's dive right in!
1. Doug Pederson addresses injuries and quarterback situation
The Eagles' head coach talked about Cody Kessler's concussion and the plan for the quarterbacks after the victory at TIAA Bank Stadium. Along with Kessler, Pederson praised Clayton Thorson for stepping up and being a leader in this game. For the full story and the plan for next week, click here.
"We'll evaluate Cody tomorrow and again over the weekend, but we're going to get through the next few days," Pederson said. "Obviously, really excited for Clayton tonight. We're just going to evaluate where we are and make a decision as we go."
2. Game Recap: Clayton Thorson takes over for injured Cody Kessler and leads Eagles to 24-10 win
For a full summery of the victory in Jacksonville, check out this game recap by Chris McPherson. In this recap, every scoring play is covered along with analysis of Thorson's stellar performance. Along with this information, the piece features which starters saw some action in this game. For the full story, click here.
"Wide receiver Greg Ward, a former quarterback in college, came up with the first touchdown of the night on a fourth-and-4 from the Jacksonville 38-yard line with 14:05 remaining in the first half. Miles Sanders did a great job in pass protection, giving Thorson the extra moment he needed to loft the ball down the left side to Ward, who caught the ball over safety C.J. Reavis at the 17-yard line and ran the ball in for the score."
Coach Pederson said after the game that Ward would have been the emergency quarterback if Thorson suffered an injury.
3. 15 takeaways from the Eagles Insider
While an injury started the game off, persistence and good plays finished it. The rookies and some veterans took advantage of this preseason game to show what they can contribute to this team. Check out the full recap of this game by Eagles Insider Dave Spadaro.
"The Eagles ran the football for 139 yards on 33 carries, great stuff. Jordan Howard had four carries and 14 yards. Miles Sanders ripped off 31 yards on five carries, including a 16-yard gain. Josh Adams ran hard and scored a touchdown. Donnel Pumphrey picked up 29 yards on five carries and had one great juke move for a nice gain. Boston Scott came in late and gained 43 yards on 7 carries, including a 20-yard pickup."
4. RB Miles Sanders starts fast and has 'a good day' in win
The Penn State product impressed everyone in his second preseason game. Sanders set the tone with a 12-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage as he picked up 31 yards on five carries. Eagles Insider Dave Spadaro caught up with the running back after the game. Check out Spadaro's full breakdown of his performance and what Sanders' had to say here.
"That made me happy," Sanders said. "I know how important that is and I heard the ball, made the adjustment and did my job. I feel like I'm decent at that and getting better every day. I get excited when I pick up blitzes – picking up the right guy, listening to the calls and going off that. I feel like I'm getting better every day."
5. QB Clayton Thorson shows command, poise to beat Jaguars
Thorson was called into action a lot earlier than he was expecting, but he was ready. The rookie quarterback remained calm and under control in the pocket. Check out what Thorson had to say about playing in this game and how it compared to last week.
"We'll see what happens when it happens. Right now, I just feel good about helping the team tonight and playing better football than I did last week," Thorson said. "No question, the game slowed down for me. I expect that to happen. It was a big difference from the Tennessee game. The offensive line was great and we ran the ball, and that helped a lot. I know I have to be patient with all of this. That's part of how it works in the NFL."
