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NFL Week 12 Review: The Philadelphia Eagles Have Their Winning Formula

Macdonald's defense, McDaniel's offense, and the Eagles look to the top of the NFC. Here is what you need to know from NFL Week 12.
by Shawn Syed|November 25, 2024

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Welcome to The Monday Morning Mashup! In this column, I will share all of the things from NFL Sunday that I think are worth your time. It may be good things, it may be bad things, it may be plays or play calls or players, but it will all be rooted in my love for this beautiful, ugly, fascinating, frustrating game we call football.

Jump to:

First Things First: The Philadelphia Eagles have won seven straight. Can they win the NFC?

If you only remember one thing from this Sunday, this is what it should be.

The Philadelphia Eagles have won seven straight games, are leading the NFC East by multiple games, and have their winning formula. They are led by a dominant offensive line, a commitment to running the ball, and their Chemical X: Saquon Barkley.

Chemical X or Compound V? You decide, but Barkley is superhuman:

Saquon Barkley has transformed the Eagles offense this season and is guaranteed to generate an explosive play every week. The Eagles offensive line deserves a ton of credit for opening up space (Saquon Barkley had 213 rushing yards before contact against the Rams!), Kellen Moore has a diverse run game menu, and Barkley is making the most of it. Barkley set a career high and Eagles single-game record with 255 yards as he was the best player on the field, and maybe the league, on Sunday.

Barkley and the Eagles can run on any defense, but this offense’s ceiling will be defined by its passing game. With DeVonta Smith out, Jalen Hurts managed an 81st percentile EPA/dropback performance as A.J. Brown went for 109 yards and a touchdown on six receptions. Brown was uncoverable in this game, as usual, and Hurts looked comfortable throwing in-breaking routes. Los Angeles was able to stir the pocket a bit with five down fronts and blitzes, but Hurts took just one sack and avoided throwing an interception on 22 pass attempts. Hurts has thrown just one interception during Philadelphia’s win steak after throwing four in three games to open the season.

The Eagles offense still needs to figure out its red zone issues, though, as they went 2/5 on scoring touchdowns inside the Rams 20-yard line. Philadelphia had two great drives early in the game end in field goals as A.J. Brown saw no red zone targets. On their third drive into the red zone, A.J. Brown was targeted and scored a touchdown. Causation? Correlation? Unclear.

Vic Fangio’s defense has been playing lights out football during the win streak, but the Rams attacked them in a few notable ways. Los Angeles was calculated in throwing at the cornerback opposite Quinyon Mitchell as Darius Slay was targeted early and Isaiah Rodgers was targeted after Slay left the game with a concussion. The Rams also used slide routes from one side of the formation to the other side of the formation for multiple successful plays. This route forces the defense to either communicate the route through multiple players or chase the route through traffic.

Though the Rams had success when avoiding third downs and throwing isolation routes, the Eagles defensive line won when it counted behind fantastic efforts from Milton Williams and Brandon Graham while Jalen Carter faced double teams on 63% of pass rush snaps. Graham, who started this season on his retirement tour, has shown up in the biggest ways making splash plays when others on the defensive line couldn’t. He had a sack, two tackles for loss, and three hits on Matthew Stafford before he suffered a heart-breaking triceps injury that will keep him out for the rest of the season. If this was indeed his last game as an Eagle, his final season will be remembered for high-level play all the way to the end. The Eagles defense has had an edge rusher problem all season and this injury only adds to it. With Bryce Huff on injured reserved, Nolan Smith, Josh Sweat, and rookie Jalyx Hunt will need to produce from the outside to bump this defense up from great to elite.

The Eagles will play the Ravens next week and if they extend their win streak to eight games, Eagles fans will begin to have even louder Super aspirations. The Eagles will finish the season with four of their last five games at home and won’t have to travel further than Maryland the rest of the way.

The Matter Meter

How much does what we saw on Sunday actually matter?

It Definitely Matters: Mike Macdonald’s Seattle Seahawks defense is good enough to win the division.

Mike Macdonald took Seattle’s head coaching job after he put together two suffocating defenses in Baltimore. Macdonald’s streamlined teaching process helped create a unique pass rush that put odd players in odd places to create odd looks. Macdonald’s Seahawks tenure was off to a hot start with three straight wins before three straight losses ruined the fun. A win over the Falcons was followed by losses to the Bills and Rams heading into the Week 10 bye.

Coming out of the bye, Macdonald’s defense seems to have made a mentality shift as they have two straight game-winning performances. The Seahawks challenged the 49ers on the outside in an upset Week 11 win while Tyrice Knight and Ernest Jones flowed comfortably through the run game from the linebacker position. In Week 12, the former division leading Arizona Cardinals were shut down on the ground, through the air, and everywhere in between.

The Seahawks defense held the Cardinals offense to a 2nd percentile rushing success rate, 21st percentile EPA/play, and six points while Kyler Murray was sacked five times. Arizona has built a strong unit behind James Conner breaking tackles and Murray stressing the defense horizontally, but Arizona was not able to create anything on the ground as Seattle’s front keeps improving. Trey McBride put up 133 yards, but Seattle held Arizona to 3/12 on third down as Leonard Williams’ nine pressures led the way and a Coby Bryant pick six (take a look at Devon Witherspoon chasing Murray here, too) was enough to match Arizona’s offensive scoring.

Seattle’s offense has faced consistency issues behind a struggling offensive line, but Seahawks fans should be excited about how this defensive unit is playing. Geno Smith still gives this offense a high ceiling with the continued emergence of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Macdonald’s defense is raising the floor. The NFC West keeps trading leaders at the top, and the Seahawks will have the crown within their grasp as this season comes to a close. Week 12 also featured losses from the Rams and the injured 49ers to support Seattle’s division title hopes.

It Might Matter Later: The Miami Dolphins have won their last three games. Can they make a push for the playoffs?

The Miami Dolphins faced choppy waters on the way to a 2-6 start this season that made Miami look like sellers at the trade deadline. After Calais Campbell was retained instead of traded to Baltimore, the Dolphins won back-to-back games heading into a Week 12 matchup with the New England Patriots. The Dolphins offense took it to the Patriots as they used motion on over 90% of their snaps, Tua Tagovailoa had just a 2.34 average time to throw (his third quickest this season), and Jaylen Waddle went over 100 yards for the first time since Week 1.

The Dolphins offense doesn’t have exactly the same explosive feel as it did last year yet, but the offense is trending in the right direction as Jonnu Smith is emerging as a legitimate third receiving threat. Mike McDaniel keeps on drawing up fun screens for De’Von Achane, and rookie Chop Robinson is generating pressures at a high rate for the defense. Robinson had eight pressures against the Patriots as this defense has held three straight opponents under 20 points. Miami’s path to a Wild Card spot may be tough as they are currently two wins off the 7th seed, but moving in the right direction is huge for Miami. The Dolphins have a quick turnaround as they head to Green Bay for a cold Thanksgiving night matchup with the Packers.

And the Award Goes to…

Here are some very real, very important awards handed out by an esteemed committee (containing me and only me) based on this week’s performances.

Best Performance by a Quarterback Benched Earlier This Season: Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

Bryce Young has been on every seat of the roller coaster this season. After a slow start that led to a benching, Bryce Young returned to the lineup and has been improving as of late. Young made some tight window throws in a win over the Giants in Germany before facing off against Steve Spagnuolo and the Chiefs defense in Week 12.

The Chiefs turned up the heat with a 40% blitz rate, but Young was still able to push the ball down the field accurately with defenders closing in; he finished the day 11/14 for 123 yards and a touchdown against the blitz. Young’s NFL story is far from finished, and he is rewriting this season’s chapter with highlight plays, pocket poise, and increased consistency.

Best Box Score Shenanigans
1. Dallas Cowboys 34, Washington Commanders 26: Two kick return touchdowns, one blocked field goal, one missed game-tying extra point, four turnovers, and 41 4th quarter points

The Dallas Cowboys have faced ridicule inside of their stadium, outside of their stadium, and about their stadium over the last few weeks. Dak Prescott’s season-ending injury devastated Dallas as Cooper Rush has been leading the Cowboys through falling debris and a fall in the standings. With questions surrounding every aspect of the franchise, the Cowboys made the trip to Landover, Maryland for a division game against the Commanders. Washington was looking to get back on track after two straight losses to teams from Pennsylvania before a deeply weird game took place.

The Cowboys entered the 4th quarter with a 10-9 lead and the box score was already busy with a blocked field goal and another miss from usually sure-footed kicker Brandon Aubrey. Dallas was able to generate pressure on Jayden Daniels between Micah Parsons and DeMarvion Overshown, but Daniels went 13/16 for 193 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter led by this wild play:

The problem with that beauty was it was followed by this:

Not to be outdone, the missed extra point was followed by an onside kick returned for a touchdown. If the returner slid in the field of play it would have led to a kneel down to surely end the game and avoid a Hail Mary situation (that did occur to end this game), but who can blame the returner for capturing touchdown glory? Not me!

The Cowboys showed life in this win as Cooper Rush was 8/11 for 129 yards and two touchdowns against man coverage while having the lowest time to throw from a Cowboys quarterback this season. Don’t let that all distract you from KaVontae Turpin putting up a potential play of the year on a kick return that started out rough and went all the way to the end zone:

2. Tennessee Titans 32, Houston Texans 27: 12 total sacks, five total turnovers, one defensive touchdown, one missed game-tying field goal, one muffed punt, and one safety

The Houston Texans have seen injuries, upsets, and disappointments during their 7-5 campaign this season. C.J. Stroud has been under pressure often, and the offense has struggled to build on the magic of last season. Despite the rocky moments, Houston has a comfortable lead in the AFC South even after dropping a home game to the now 3-8 Tennessee Titans.

In Week 12, C.J. Stroud was pressured on 40% of his dropbacks on the way to a 22nd percentile EPA/play and two interceptions. The run game did not add much as Houston had successful rushes on just 14% of carries, good for a 2nd percentile performance. Nico Collins was a bright spot, though, as he scored a touchdown and had 92 yards on five receptions.

It is fair to say that the Texans have not performed up to expectations on offense so far this season. Stroud has been pushed out of the pocket and has had throws he would love to have back. Still, this team is the clear favorite for a division title and has a pass rush that racked up eight sacks in Week 12. A missed game-tying field goal robbed us of extra football in this one, and Houston will have to face down its problems.

3. Minnesota Vikings 30, Chicago Bears 27 (OT): One blocked field goal, one muffed punt, one goal line fumble, and four total players throwing a pass

The always entertaining Minnesota Vikings pushed on to 9-2 in their overtime win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Justin Jefferson had just two catches for 27 yards on the day, but Jordan Addison’s 162 yards and T.J. Hockenson’s 114 yards made it hard to say that Chicago contained Minnesota’s passing game. Sam Darnold had an 80th percentile total EPA performance and was happy to find his other targets. Caleb Williams had a 56th percentile EPA/play but completed tight window throws and showed his play extension magic.

The Vikings took a 27-16 lead through the two-minute warning in the 4th quarter on a field goal that pushed their win probability up to 99%. Chicago drove the ball down for a score and two-point conversion with 22 seconds left before the usually low percentage onside kick hit a Viking and was recovered:

The Bears move the ball quickly for a field goal before an overtime punt made way for a Vikings walk off field goal. The Bears lost their fifth game by just one score as the growth from Caleb Williams in this game was overshadowed by the failed comeback.

Best Celebration of the Week: Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions

After entering the stadium in an Allen Iverson jersey, Jahmyr Gibbs had my favorite celebration of the Week as he recreated the iconic AI step over on Tyronn Lue. Gibbs gets extra bonus points here for tying his celebration to another part of his game day routine.

The Lions 24-6 win over the Colts was almost borderline close to being close at times, but Indianapolis penalties removing gains of 21, 19, 30, 21 (again), and 22 interrupted some quality Anthony Richardson runs and throws. Richardson ran over defenders, threw through defenders, and looked a bit more comfortable again this week. A six-point effort, another under 50% completion day, and an 18th percentile EPA/play performance are hard to feel positive about, but there was some good for Richardson in Week 12.

Special thanks to NFL Pro and RBSDM.com for the stat assistance!

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