Eagles-Steelers Stock Market Report
PHILADELPHIA - A mix of the Eagles' first- and second-teams passed their first test of the preseason Thursday night building a 13-0 advantage before the reserves faltered from there, enabling Steelers third-string quarterback Dwayne Haskins to engineer a comeback in what turned into a 24-16 Steelers win.
Pittsburgh decided to sit Ben Roethlisberger and allowed Mason Randolph to start while Eagles signal-caller Jalen Hurts got two drives and finished 3-for-7 with 54 yards and a 69.9 passer rating while victimized by two drops, one from Jalen Reagor and the other the responsibility of Zach Ertz.
Here's the report card:
THE BULLS
WR Quez Watkins - The 4.35-speed demon has been the best Eagles receiver in training showing the ability to get deep and also makes things happen with manufactured touches. Tonight, it was the latter as Watkins took a quick bubble screen from Joe Flacco and used terrific blocks by Richard Rodgers and Brett Toth to get loose. From there it was off to the races for the second-year player who outran a defender with an angle for a 79-yard touchdown.
DT TY McGill - The Eagles defensive line is so deep and talented that McGill often gets overlooked but the backup defensive tackle has proven to be able to push the pocket pretty consistently in practice and that carried over to the game tonight with an impressive interior bull rush that resulted in a sack of Mason Rudolph.
QB Joe Flacco - The 36-year-old veteran backup was very effective running the Eagles' offense, finishing 10-of-17 for 178 yards and a touchdown with a 114.3 passer rating. He's got an interesting rapport going with QB turned tight end Tyree Jackson and got the football out on time to Watkins so the speedy WR could do something with it.
LB Alex Singleton - An instinctive tackling machine, Singleton craves contact and I'll always remember what former LB coach Ken Flajole said when I asked him about SIngleton for the first time: "Alex will show up when the pads come on," Flajole foreshadowed. Against the Steelers, it was seven tackles in short order.
PK Jake Elliott - Any worries over Elliott after an uncharacteristic season are evaporating. The veteran kicker was true from 47, 47, and 50 in the first half and seems to have his mojo back.
“It’s just good to get out there and play a game again," Elliott told SI.com's EagleMaven after the game. "I think the preseason is really valuable, obviously missed that last year.
"Getting into a rhythm with the guys and like you said, a solid start.”
OTs Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan - No, you're not in a time machine. The Eagles announced that the former bookends will be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame together on Thursday, October 14, when the Eagles host the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
THE BEARS
Third Downs - The Eagles finished 0-for-8 on third downs and allowed the Steelers to convert 11-of-17, not the situational-football start Nick Sirianni or Jonathan Gannon wanted.
WR Jalen Reagor - Reagor had a costly drop during the first drive when Jalen Hurts was moving the football. He settled down a bit when Flacco entered but it's clear that Reagor is struggling with his confidence right now.
CB Mike Jacquet - The lengthy Jacquet remains raw and occasionally struggled with his technique. That was evident against the Steelers when Diontae Johnson got loose in man coverage for a 33-yeard gain.
LB Shaun Bradley - Bradley has the misfortune of replacing Singleton and the Steelers' running game immediately showed up. He was also part of a broken coverage in the second half that allowed Anthony Johnson the easiest 22-yard TD reception he will ever have although the miscommunication seemed to start with backup nickel corner Josiah Scott.
LB Rashad Smith - Much like Bradley, Smith just didn't hold up on the second level and badly missed an open-field tackle that resulted in a 17-yard gain with Pittsburgh making its run in the third quarter.
QB Nick Mullens - The third-string QB completed just 1-of-5 passes and has two interceptions, one an absolute duck to Adrian Killins up the seam. Mullens went through offseason elbow surgery and just doesn't have the arm strength right now. A Brett Favre-like arm easily hits Killins on the play but Mullens was late and pushed the football rather than powering it in.
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
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