The Philadelphia Eagles vs. New Orleans Saints battle in the 1:00 window was on a shortlist for the best matchups of the Week 3 slate. The game didn’t disappoint, a closely contested clash throughout — it was 3-0 entering the fourth quarter. The teams combined for 24 fourth-quarter points, and things got a little heated.
The combustion point was best represented by Jalen Carter’s sideline tired in which Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni tried to calm the big fella down.
Eagles DT Jalen Carter Gets Fired Up
The Saints had just taken the lead back before the two-minute warning on a Chris Olave 13-yard reception. Shortly after, the Eagles answered right back on Saquon Barkley’s second TD of the fourth quarter.
Carter’s energy reached a bubbling point, appearing to chatter with Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu. Coaches, including Sirianni, were talking him down on the sideline.
Jalen Carter was just a little fired up at the end of the game for the @Eagles pic.twitter.com/zgBD1ge7p5
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 22, 2024
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 | 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.
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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.
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.
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