Before reading the Official Review, presented by AAA, check out our other content from Thursday night's, 34-17, loss to the New York Giants.
- Eagles Insider Dave Spadaro's 7 observations from Eagles-Giants
- Matt Ryan's in-depth game recap story
Review all the perks of being a AAA Eagles MVP Member! AAA.com/Eagles
Nick Sirianni's: 'Just get up and keep fighting'
Head Coach Nick Sirianni shared his message to the team entering the mini-bye following Thursday night's game against the Giants.
"We're going to take some time off and just get up and keep fighting. Got a lot of things to fix. Been here before. Let's go," he said.
When Sirianni notes that he has been here before, he can point to last season when the Eagles were 4-2 through the first six games of the season.
"What makes me confident is the guys we got in the room, coaches and players we have in the room. This is life in the NFL. You're going to have some ups and downs. We've been here before. Last year started out four and two as well," Sirianni said. "Different way we got there. So, yeah, there is no panic on us. It's, hey, get back up, go back to work, you know, and get better from it. It's really that simple. But love the guys that we have. Love the coaches that we have. Obviously these groups – this group of guys and group of coaches have been to the top of the mountain, been to playoffs and figured out ways. I know we can figure out ways to get this thing rolling. We've been good at that in the past and got to be good at that again."
Jalen Hurts: I didn't execute well enough situationally
Jalen Hurts threw for a season-high 283 yards, but he said after the game that he needs to be better, especially pointing to his fourth-quarter interception deep in New York territory.
"I didn't execute well enough situationally and obviously can't turn the ball over in the red zone," he said. "So I'll look into the tape, and I know our team will as a group, and we'll be critical of ourselves on that and learn from it."
The Eagles didn't score in the second half after posting 17 points in the first half against the Giants. Hurts took accountability for the lack of points after halftime.
"I gotta be better," he said. "I take ownership for it, a lot of autonomy and a lot of opportunity there with the ball in my hands. And given those situations, I have to be wiser and more detailed with it. So always looking inward first, looking inward on the things that I can control, and I see a lot of opportunity in this."
Saquon Barkley thinks the extra time off will be beneficial
Following Thursday night's game, the Eagles will have extra time to rest and recover before returning to their regular schedule on Monday.
The Eagles benefited from an early Bye Week last season, and Barkley thinks the break could help the Eagles bounce back after losing two games in a row.
"Just take accountability. Look in the mirror, and it's perfect, for these four days, a little mini break," he said. "Get away from each other for a little bit, sometimes that's good. And last time we had a little break, a little bye, it helped us out a lot. I don't wanna compare it to the years prior, but I know what it's gonna do for my body, I know what it's gonna do for my mental, and hopefully it does the same for everybody else."
After Thursday's game, Barkley said he's tired of talking about how close the run game is to taking off. He feels there are plays to be made every time he touches the ball, and he's going to use the mini-bye to assess how he, and the rest of the team, can improve.
"I'm gonna go back, watch film these next four days, let my body recover, and just be honest and see what I can do better as a teammate, as a leader on the field," Barkley said. "And I do know one thing, I gotta start making more plays. At this point, last year, I made more plays. So, I just gotta do that, and I feel like we all gotta take that mindset."
Jordan Mailata says it's 'gut-check' time
The Eagles sit at 4-2 and still lead the NFC East heading into Sunday's slate of games. The last two games have been tough losses, but the Eagles know they still have their goals ahead of them.
"It's not a make-or-break. Now, is it a gut check for us? Yeah, 100 percent," left tackle Jordan Mailata said. "It's not a make-or-break. It's a gut check to see how fast we can react. How did we react? Like I said, this team came out, punched us in the mouth, and we need to look at the film and really hold ourselves accountable."
The Eagles have 10 days until their next game against the Vikings in Minnesota, and Mailata said accountability is the main thing he is looking for in that time.
"Turn that film on," he said. "Don't point the finger out. Point the finger inward. Really, no one should be walking away from this game thinking that they're the reason why we could have won it or they played a perfect game."
Zack Baun: 'We'll be back'
In his first year with the Eagles, Zack Baun was part of one of the most successful teams in franchise history.
But Baun is quick to point out that the highs didn't come without some lows.
"This isn't the most adversity," Baun said after Thursday night's game. "We ran into a similar thing last year I think around this time. As a captain, just keeping everyone together. Make sure no one's pointing fingers. Just make sure everyone's taking accountability for their own group, for themselves. There's leaders in every group, especially on defense. Just make sure everyone handles their group accordingly.
"I think having that experience last year, you draw on that to figure out how to face adverse times and how to get through them."
The Giants, with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, scored touchdowns on three of their four first-half possessions to take a 20-17 halftime lead before winning 34-17.
"We'll be back. We'll have more opportunities," Baun said. "We all want the same thing. We want to play good football. We want to win football games."
Baun was asked if the Eagles are at a make-or-break point in the season, entering the mini-bye with a 4-2 record.
"I think every part of the season is make-or-break. Something can happen whether it's one-third into the season or at the end of the season. We just gotta play better ball, honestly," Baun said.
Lane Johnson: 'As professionals, we've got to fix it'
The first two plays of Thursday night's game against the New York Giants highlighted the "flashes" that the offense has shown this season. Running back Saquon Barkley ripped off runs of 18 and 13 yards to put the ball in New York territory.
The Eagles got points at the end of the drive with a Jake Elliott field goal for an early 3-0 lead. But the Eagles wanted more.
"There's flashes, but flashes don't score points. It's about consistency," tackle Lane Johnson said. "It's about once the big play hits, let's continue until we finish."
Despite the fast start, Barkley finished with 58 yards on 12 carries as the Eagles were unable to put up points in the second half.
"It starts with us up front," Johnson said. "If the run game isn't there, it makes it very hard for the passing game. Guys can just tee off on it. Teams are going to do different stuff schematically towards us. That's what they've shown the first few weeks of the season. We've got to do better. That's what it comes down to."
The All-Pro tackle is frustrated because the players and coaches know what it should look like when everything is clicking.
"A lot of it comes down to execution. We'll go back and look at this tape and see what we've got to get fixed. We'll move forward," Johnson said.
"As professionals, we've got to fix it. We have a lot of season left ahead of us. Confident with the guys in this room in how we work to get it fixed and to make games not so hard on ourselves."
