Defense was optional early in this game. Gardner Minshew and Zach Wilson alternated driving their teams down the field in a first half that saw 42 points scored, but the Philadelphia Eagles held Wilson and the New York Jets’ offense scoreless in the second half on their way to a 33-18 victory.
Tight end Dallas Goedert led the way on offense with over 100 receiving yards and two of Philadelphia’s three touchdowns.
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Philadelphia Eagles
Quarterback
Minshew’s stat line as a passer is going to end up being more impressive than his PFF passing grade. Just over 60% of his passing yards in the game came after the catch, and his numbers were aided by receivers running free downfield like on this touchdown pass to Goedert.
Another TD from Gardner Minshew to Dallas Goedert! #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/vbl7CJroGj
— PFF PHI Eagles (@PFF_Eagles) December 5, 2021
It was still a solid showing overall with few big mistakes to speak of in his first start with Philadelphia.
Running back
Miles Sanders returned to a lead-back role for the Eagles in this game after being out-snapped by Boston Scott last week. Sanders did a good job of making the most out of less-than-ideal blocking. Ninety-seven of his 121 rushing yards in the game came after contact.
Kenneth Gainwell operated behind him as the primary receiving outlet out of the backfield for Minshew. Gainwell was targeted five times on 13 routes, resulting in five receptions for 32 yards.
Wide receivers/Tight ends
This was Dallas Goedert’s best game of the season. He caught all six of his targets for 105 yards and two touchdowns while forcing three missed tackles after the catch, pending review.
Quez Watkins led all other Philadelphia receivers with 60 receiving yards on three receptions. All three of his catches went for first downs.
Offensive line
This group provided plenty of clean pockets for Minshew to work from. He was pressured on just seven of 29 dropbacks in the game despite an average time to throw of over three seconds. The only Eagles offensive lineman charged with a pressure allowed on PFF’s first-run analysis was Jordan Mailata.
It wasn’t as dominant a showing in the run game as we’ve seen for much of the season, though.
Defensive line
Josh Sweat and Javon Hargrave both got in the sack column, and each recorded at least four pressures, according to PFF’s first-run analysis. Hargrave was credited with six, which would tie his single-game high this season if it stands.
A decent chunk of that pressure came in the fourth quarter while New York was making one final push at getting back into the game.
Linebackers
Much like early in the season, Alex Singleton was a target in coverage. Pending review, Singleton was charged with allowing five receptions for 74 yards. Those 74 yards were the most of any defender, pending review.
It was a solid showing for T.J. Edwards at the other linebacker spot. He was the first contact defender on a team-high 10 defensive snaps.
Secondary
It was another quality performance from Darius Slay as he continues to bounce back from a couple of down seasons. Slay allowed 38 yards into his coverage on six targets and added two forced incompletions.
New York Jets
Quarterback
It was a tale of two halves for Wilson. He didn’t miss a throw in the first half, going 12-of-14 for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson’s only two incompletions were dropped.
| Half | Adj. completion % | Yds per attempt | Passer rating |
| First half | 100% | 7.7 | 138.4 |
| Second half | 64% | 4.9 | 43.4 |
A lot of Wilson’s struggles came when pressured. He generated a 113.3 passer rating clean compared to a 20.1 rating under pressure, pending review.
Running back
With Michael Carter out of the lineup, Tevin Coleman and Ty Johnson split most of the backfield work with a clear division between run (Coleman) and pass (Johnson) downs.
Coleman carried the ball 11 times for 58 yards. No other Jets running back took more than one carry. Johnson ran 21 routes compared to Coleman’s nine, but Coleman actually ended up with three receptions to Johnson’s two.
Wide receivers/Tight ends
Elijah Moore was Wilson’s clear top target in the passing game. He was targeted 12 times, and no one else on the offense saw more than six. Moore drew that volume downfield, as well. His 17.7-yard average depth of target was the highest on the team.
Moore turned those looks into six receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown on seven catchable targets.
Offensive line
Rookie left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker got the worst of his matchup with Hargrave. He was charged with a team-high six pressures allowed, per PFF’s first-run analysis. Greg Van Roten replaced an injured Laurent Duvernay-Tardif at the other guard spot in the second half.
Defensive line
It was a quiet game rushing the passer for New York’s defensive line. Shaq Lawson led the way with two pressures, including a sack. No one else was credited with more than one pressure.
Quinnen Williams and Folorunso Fatukasi were both credited with three-plus run stops in the contest.
Linebackers
C.J. Mosley and Quincy Williams were both around the football often with 12 and 10 plays as the first-contact defender on the ball carrier, respectively. Williams ended the game with three tackles for loss or no gain.
Secondary
It was another solid showing for second-year cornerback Bryce Hall. He finished with two receptions allowed for 23 yards and a forced incompletion on 28 coverage snaps, pending review.
Javelin Guidry was the weak link of the group, allowing four receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown.
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