Eagles snap counts: Emptying the bench on the Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles took it to the Giants on Sunday in a 28-3 win at MetLife Stadium and began emptying their bench early in the fourth quarter.
By the end of the game, all 48 players who were active saw game action and all 45 non-specialists saw time on offense or defense.
It’s a big deal to get the starters out of the game and off the turf at MetLife. Avoiding injury up there can be hard to do.
The only players in this game to play every snap were Cam Jurgens and Fred Johnson, who each played 66 of 66 snaps on offense. And the only reason they played the whole game is because there just aren’t enough backups on a game-day roster to give them a break.
Offensive notes
• Jalen Hurts played 54 of 66 snaps before getting pulled early in the fourth. He attempted just 14 passes on Sunday, which ties the fewest he’s thrown in one of his NFL starts. The Eagles were able to run against the Giants and then got a lead so it didn’t make sense to pass. Kenny Pickett played the final 12 snaps and attempted just one pass that was incomplete.
• In his return to MetLife Stadium, Saquon Barkley played 35 of 66 snaps and had a tremendous day. He went off with 17 carries for 176 yards and a touchdown and also caught 2 for 11. But Kenny Gainwell had a nice day too. Gainwell played 24 snaps and had 56 rushing yards on 13 carries. And at the end of the game, rookie Will Shipley played 9 snaps and got 8 carries for 15 yards behind a backup O-line and in a situation where everyone knew they were running. Those were the first 8 carries of Shipley’s NFL career.
Barkley finished just 13 yards shy of his career high and Nick Sirianni left it up to him whether or not he’d go for it. But Barkley was fine to let the younger players get those snaps. “Let the other guys eat,” Barkley told Sirianni.
• One of the more fun developments in this game was fullback/lead blocker Ben VanSumeren. While VanSumeren is a backup linebacker and special teamer for the Eagles, he does have a history playing offense and got five snaps in the fullback role on Sunday. He looked good doing it and even helped spring one of Barkley’s long runs.
• Snaps at WR: DeVonta Smith (53), A.J. Brown (51), Jahan Dotson (38), Parris Campbell (13), Johnny Wilson (11). Brown had a nice day with 5 catches for 89 yards but Smith had just 1 for -2 and Dotson and Campbell each had just one target and no catches. Again, just 14 passing attempts for Hurts in this one.
• Without Dallas Goedert, the Eagles had just Grant Calcaterra and Jack Stoll as their tight ends in this game. Even though this ended up being a heavy 11 personnel game, they did come out in 12. Calcaterra played 47 snaps and Stoll played 44. Calcaterra had 1 catch for 5 yards.
• Mekhi Becton left this game after just 15 snaps with a concussion. We’ll see how he progresses through the concussion protocol but he was waiting outside the locker room at MetLife to greet his teammates after the win. Tyler Steen played the remaining 51 snaps at right guard and seemed to hold up well.
Defensive notes
• Nakobe Dean, Quinyon Mitchell, Reed Blankenship and C.J. Gardner-Johnson all played 49 snaps in this game to lead the Eagles defense. Zack Baun and Darius Slay both played 48 snaps and missed time. Baun left the game with a shoulder injury and Slay had to limp off briefly with his lingering knee injury. Dean had two sacks.
• At cornerback, Mitchell played 49 snaps, followed by Slay (48), Cooper DeJean (42), Avonte Maddox (10), Isaiah Rodgers (10), Kelee Ringo (9). At safety after Blankenship and Gardner-Johnson, Tristin McCollum and Sydney Brown each played 9 snaps. Brown made his return from an ACL tear in Week 18 last season.
• On the edge: Josh Sweat (36), Bryce Huff (27), Nolan Smith (26), Brandon Graham (20), Jalyx Hunt (9). Sweat, Huff, Smith and Hunt each got a sack in this game. Hunt got the first of his young career.
• At DT, Jalen Carter played 46 snaps (79%), followed by Milton Williams (27), Moro Ojomo (22), Thomas Booker (13) and Jordan Davis (12). The Eagles didn’t use their base defense a ton in this game so Davis didn’t see a ton of action. Carter had 2 sacks.
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