Eagles Praised for ‘Game Changing’ Move in Win Over Vikings
For every guy or girl out there who has screamed at their television watching the Philadelphia Eagles play football the first 6 games of the regular season, the refrain has been pretty much the same.
“THROW THE DAMN BALL.”
In a 28-22 Week 7 win over the Minnesota Vikings, the Eagles finally listened.
Philadelphia took the roof off its offense with huge games from quarterback Jalen Hurts and star wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, who each caught touchdown passes.
Hurts went 19-of-23 passing for 326 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interception.
It was the first 300 yard passing game for Hurts in over a year, dating back to Week 3 of the 2024 regular season when he threw for 311 yards in a 15-12 win over the New Orleans Saints.
The win snapped a 2 game losing streak by the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles, who improved to 5-2 before coming home to face their NFC East rival New York Giants in Week 8.
The Giants routed the Eagles, 34-17, in Week 6.
“It’s almost like when you’re not predictable, results happen!” Philadelphia Sports Radio WIP host Hunter Brody wrote on his official X account on October 19. “What an ARM by my QB!!”
“This is the best passing performance we’ve seen from Jalen Hurts in a really long time … it’s a game changer,” Fox Sports color commentator and former NFL tight end Greg Olsen said during the broadcast. ” … You want to win in this league and you want to score points in this league, more often than not you have to do it by passing the ball.”
Eagles Get Career Day From DeVonta Smith
No player was better against the Vikings than Smith, who bet former teammate and Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers for a career long, 79-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Smith finished with 9 receptions for a career high 183 receiving yards on 11 targets. His previous career high was 8 receptions for 169 yards in a 24-8 win over the Washington Commanders in Week 3 of the 2022 regular season.
Brown had 4 receptions for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns, including what proved to be a game-clinching, 48-yard reception on 3rd-and-9 with 1:45 left in the fourth quarter.
“I love the play action deep shot by the Eagles,” former Eagles quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles wrote on his official X account. “Great call by Coach Patullo. Great throw by Jalen Hurts to Devonta Smith! That’s what they need more of. Run the ball and do play actions out of the same looks. Make it tough on these defenses to defend you. They won’t know what’s coming!”Embattled OC Kevin Patullo Still Catching Heat
The Eagles went into Week 7 ranked 29th in the NFL in total offense, which much of the blame directed toward first year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
Beating the Vikings seemed to do little to slow down that criticism.
“This is no longer being hyperbolic. Kevin Patullo has to go. It doesn’t matter who replaces him. Make Nick Sirianni call plays until he figures out another plan,” Eagles blog The Bird Blitz wrote on tis official X account.
“Kevin Patullo found out the forward pass was legal again,” TNT researcher Chris Jastrzembski wrote on his official X account after the win over the Vikings.
NHL Must Throw the Book at Capitals’ Goon Tom Wilson
The National Hockey League needs to step in and protect its players from unabashed cheap-shot artists like Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson.
On Sunday, Wilson lined up an easy target in Vancouver Canucks center Filip Chytil. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Wilson delivered a heavy, blindside hit on Chytil near the end of the first period.
With the Capitals trailing 3-0, Wilson decided to take out his frustration on an unsuspecting and helpless Chytil, who had just released the puck on a neutral-zone rush.
Chytil did not return to the game. The 26-year-old has a history of concussions and needed to be helped off the ice.
After review, no penalty was called on the play, and it was announced as “a clean hit.”
Back on Mar. 15, Chytil suffered his fifth career concussion when he was on the receiving end of a brutal hit from behind from Chicago Blackhawks center Jason Dickinson. No supplemental discipline was issued to Dickinson from the NHL Department of Player Safety.
Dickinson skated away scot-free. Chytil would miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season. Does that seem fair in any kind of way?
It’s Time to Get Serious About Player Safety
Now, it’s possible that Chytil may have suffered a sixth career concussion due to the whiplash nature of Wilson’s hit. At some point, Chytil will need to end his career prematurely because the NHL refuses to adequately protect the health and safety of its players.
Too Often, Greats Have Hung up Their Skates Prematurely
Calling it the Department of Player Safety is a joke. Who are they keeping safe here? It seems like they’re doing a lot more to ensure that the goons are safe from discipline rather than actually protecting the guys who play it clean.
Too often, we’ve seen great players have their careers shortened by repeated concussions.
Former No. 1 overall pick Rick Nash was one of the league’s brightest stars during a career spent mostly with the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers.
Nash suffered at least three known concussions – and probably sustained several other traumatic brain injuries that went undiagnosed throughout his 15 years in the NHL.
While a member of the Boston Bruins, Nash suffered the final concussion of his career when he was hit high by Tampa Bay Lightning center Cedric Paquette on Mar. 17, 2018.
Earlier that season, Paquette served a one-game suspension for boarding then-Bruin Torey Krug. That slap on the wrist punishment did nothing to deter Paquette from ending Nash’s career.
Nash initially waited for his concussion symptoms to fade before he ultimately retired from the league prematurely at age 34.
Paul Kariya, Eric Lindros and Pat LaFontaine are among Hockey Hall of Famers to have their careers shortened by repeated concussions and post-concussion syndrome.
Kariya was asked by TSN’s Michael Farber in 2017 about the possibility of the league hiring someone like him to work for NHL Player Safety.
“That’s a question for the league,” Kariya responded.
In the same interview, Kariya pointed to the need for the league to take head shots more seriously.
“I think today we’re in a way better spot (than) when I retired,” he said. “Things are moving in the right direction, but still those targeted head shots are still in the game. And for me, there’s no reason to have that in the game.”
Currently, the NHL Department of Player Safety is run by former enforcer George Parros. The 45-year-old recorded just 36 points across 474 career regular season games, while being whistled for 1,092 penalty minutes.
Having Parros as the head of NHL Player Safety feels a bit like inmates running the asylum. Maybe there would be actual change if someone whose career was cut short by head shots like Kariya, Nash or Marc Savard was in charge.
It's long overdue for the NHL to finally get serious about concussions and player safety.
