The Philadelphia Eagles rallied late in Week 3 to escape with a 15-12 victory over the New Orleans Saints. After a disastrous late-game meltdown against the Atlanta Falcons last week, the Eagles seemingly learned from their mistakes.
While it certainly wasn’t pretty, the Eagles won’t be complaining about a much-needed win against arguably the hottest team in the NFL. Philadelphia improves to 2-1 to start the regular season and will visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week.
Let’s examine which players impacted their stock the most for the Eagles in Week 3.
Which Eagles Impacted Their Stock in Week 3?
Stock Up | Dallas Goedert
Heading into Week 3, the Eagles were already without star wide receiver A.J. Brown. While many expected Dallas Goedert to step up last week, his dominant performance was delayed as he put on a show in New Orleans.
Goedert enjoyed the best game of his NFL career against the Saints, hauling in 10 receptions on 11 targets for 170 receiving yards. It was a monumental performance when the Eagles needed it the most.
Dallas Goedert has really stepped up today with injuries to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
10 catches, 170 yards 😮💨
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) September 22, 2024
DeVonta Smith was ruled out due to a concussion in the second half and Goedert stepped up as Jalen Hurts’ primary target. Considering that Brown and Smith could miss Week 4 as well, the Eagles will need Goedert moving forward.
Stock Down | Nick Sirianni
Nick Sirianni was rightfully the target of criticism following Philadelphia’s late-game meltdown in Week 2. Sirianni made several questionable decisions, as his inconsistent aggressiveness ultimately cost the Eagles a win against the Falcons.
Early in Week 3, it felt like Sirianni’s decision-making was going to hurt the Eagles once again. While Philadelphia ultimately escaped with a victory, Sirianni’s questionable calls certainly didn’t make things any easier for the Eagles.
The @NextGenStats model STRONGLY recommended a field goal attempt for the Eagles there on 4th down. +8.1% win probability to kick instead of going.
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) September 22, 2024
Benjamin Solak of ESPN pointed out Sirianni’s decision to go for it on fourth down to end the first half. As the NFL Next Gen Stats‘ model believes Sirianni made the wrong decision, similar to his end of game fiasco against the Falcons in Week 2.
Stock Up | Jalen Carter
Following an impressive rookie season performance, many assumed Jalen Carter would take a significant step forward in his second year. Yet after an inconsistent showing through Philadelphia’s first two games, many questioned if Carter could live up to the hype in 2024.
Carter returned to his dominant form in Week 3, as he was an absolute force against the Saints. After being benched for Philadelphia’s opening series last week due to being late to a team activity, Carter responded with arguably the best performance of his NFL career.
Despite the Saints fielding the NFL’s highest-scoring offense, Carter shut them down. Carter recorded four total tackles, two tackles for loss and two batted passes. It was the dominant performance that many were waiting to see from Philadelphia’s 23-year-old defensive tackle.
Stock Down | Jalen Hurts
If you look at the box score, it seems like Jalen Hurts had a great game. Hurts completed 76.3% of his passes for 311 yards. Yet two early turnovers from Philadelphia’s starting quarterback put the Eagles in a hole that Hurts was ultimately able to help them climb out of.
Hurts is tied for second in the NFL with six total turnovers in 2024. Considering that Hurts is paid like a top-10 quarterback, the Eagles need him to clean up these turnover struggles before things spiral out of control.
Hurts’ turnovers were a driving force behind Philadelphia’s meltdown in 2023. If the Eagles want to make a late playoff push this season, Hurts must take better care of the football.
Stock Up | Jordan Davis
Similar to Carter, Jordan Davis was a target of criticism following Philadelphia’s defensive struggles through the first two weeks of the regular season. Ahead of Week 3’s matchup in New Orleans, Davis recorded just one total tackle in 2024.
Davis stepped up in a dominant showing, recording four total tackles and one sack against the Saints. After an embarrassing showing against the run through the first two games, Philadelphia’s defense was stout against the Saints.
Davis was a driving force in Week 3, as the Eagles allowed Saints running back Alvin Kamara to gain 87 yards on 26 carries. After allowing 6.4 yards per carry through the first two weeks of the regular season, the Saints averaged just 3.1 yards per carry in Week 3.
Stock Down | Grant Calcaterra
While Goedert enjoyed a great game against the Saints, Philadelphia’s backup tight end struggled to make an impact. Although Grant Calcaterra isn’t ever going to be a primary target in Philadelphia’s offense, he needs to improve as a blocker.
Calcaterra was blown up as a blocker on several key plays, while also being penalized once for holding as well. The Eagles elevated Jack Stoll from the practice squad in Week 3, and he is a significantly better blocker than Calcaterra.
If Calcaterra’s blocking struggles continue, Stoll could eventually be signed to the active roster and retain his job as TE2 in Philadelphia, which he held in 2023.