NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
Can anybody other than A.J. or DeVonta catch the football? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
If it’s not A.J. or DeVonta, who is it?
Since Dallas Goedert’s injury – and really to a great extent before it – the Eagles’ passing game has revolved almost exclusively around their two star wide receivers.
Over the last five games – two of which DeVonta Smith missed – A.J. Brown and Smith have 622 receiving yards and no other Eagle has more than 66. Total.
Nineteen times this year an Eagle has had at least 64 receiving yards in a game. Ten times it’s been Brown. Seven times it’s been Smith. Once it was Dallas Goedert and once Grant Calcaterra.
On Sunday in Washington, Brown had 97 yards, Smith had 51 and Kenny Gainwell 6. It was the first time in 27 years the Eagles didn’t have a third player with at least 10 receiving yards.
That last happened Week 2 of 1997 in a 10-9 win over the Packers at the Vet. Irving Fryar had 125 yards, Michael Timpson had 18 and nobody else reached double figures.
Nick Sirianni doesn’t seem to mind not having a legit third option beyond Brown and Smith. At least that’s what he says.
“The pass game is always going to run through those guys,” Siriianni said Thursday. “They’re such dynamic players. I think what’s unique about us is that not a lot of teams have two 1A receivers like we do. So you want to give them opportunities. You want to give them chances.”
And they’ve gotten them. Smith has 92 targets in 12 games and Smith has 82 in 12 games. But the Eagles are one of only five teams that has only two players with 50 or more targets.
Wouldn’t it help to give other people chances? To help draw coverage away from Brown and Smith and keep defenses honest?
That just hasn’t happened lately.
Goedert had 301 yards in four games before the bye but just 140 in five games since the bye. He’s been out the last three weeks but will be eligible to return from Injured Reserve next week.
His replacement, Grant Calcaterra, had…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/anybody-other-j-devonta-catch-120000225.html
Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia
Publish date : 2024-12-27 12:00:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
