EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Worse than Sunday’s loss, the first of the season for the Eagles, was losing All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson to an ankle injury on the 10th snap of the first possession.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said he hadn’t met with doctors. No disrespect to Jack Driscoll, the next man up at tackle, but Sirianni sure knows how difficult it is to play without the big guy.
“We did a couple more things where we were protecting the edge, which helps you get one less guy out in those cases,” Sirianni said. “I wouldn’t say we did it an abnormal amount of times, but we did sometimes and that’s what you do. You have to adjust your game plan based off what’s going on in the game.
“Again, I’ll look at the tape, see how I felt like Jack played, but I know we’ve won a lot of games here with him.”
When Johnson exited in the first quarter, it left Sua Opeta at right guard and Driscoll at right tackle. Hurts was sacked just twice in the game but took some hits and threw three interceptions.
“Everybody’s prepared to play and everybody has to answer that phone when the phone rings, but you know you look at this game and you have so many missed opportunities and really so many mistakes as if you’re kind of giving it away, you know,” Hurts said. “Look at the last loss I’ve had in the regular season against Washington last year and look at the turnovers. You turn the ball over four times you shouldn’t expect to win.
“So, give credit to them, how hard they played. And the tenacity and the resilience they played with. The Jets team played with great resilience, but I think we gave them too many opportunities. They did a great job of attacking the ball and then turning the ball over but those are things we can control. So, give a ton of credit to them.”
The Eagles had four turnovers on the day, including a fumble by D’Andre Swift.
The Eagles were hurt by the loss of safety Reed Blankenship, the unsung hero of the defense. He exited with a rib injury after absorbing a devastating blindside block by Allen Lazard in the third quarter. The penalty wiped out a Jets drive but left the Eagles disheveled.
The Eagles also finished the game without nickel back Bradley Roby, who hurt his shoulder.
Make no mistake, the Eagles can ill afford to lose Johnson.
“Lane’s a big part of why we’re so successful,” center Jason Kelce said. “He’s a guy that can survive out there. Whenever you have a tackle that you feel very confident about blocking the edge it expands what you can do offensively and makes you feel pretty comfortable.”
The injuries to Johnson and cornerback Eli Ricks, who exited in the second quarter after twisting his right knee, may have had something to do with the treacherous turf at MetLife Field.
Garrett Wilson, the Jets’ top receiver, left in the second quarter with an injury to his right leg but returned, catching eight passes for 90 yards.
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Kelce started his 145th straight game, a club record and a testament to his penchant for hard work.
The Eagles are 82-62-1 (.569) in that time. Five of the seasons ended in the playoffs, one with a Super Bowl title plus a second appearance in the Super Bowl last year.
Additionally, Brandon Graham appeared in his 185th game to move past Brian Dawkins (1996-2008) for second on the all-time Eagles list. Only kicker David Akers (1999-2010) has appeared in more.
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With Darius Slay scratched, Josh Jobe started at left cornerback.
Jobe was flagged for holding on the third snap of the game, giving the Jets a first down.
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Between the first and second quarters, Graham got right in the face of Jets tackle Mekhi Becton (6-7, 363), the biggest person at MetLife Stadium.
What did he say?
“Just some positive things,” Graham said. “He’s a big guy.”
Graham also believes the Eagles will benefit from the setback.
“Sometimes you need to reset,” Graham said. “I think it’s only going to help us.”
Source: Berkshire mont