The Eagles find an identity, Jared Goff pushes for MVP, Andy Reid rolls during NFL Week 7

Brian Dawkins, a safety, and Jason Kelce, a center, are Philadelphia's most popular football players. Reggie White, a defensive end, is the best Eagle in history. Wilbert Montgomery, a running back, and Buddy Ryan, a defense-oriented head coach, are revered far beyond their accomplishments.

Philly loves to run the ball down your throat and then hit you in the mouth. Philly should love this edition of the Eagles.

The Eagles changed coordinators and restarted in the offseason. It takes a few weeks for any starting team to find its identity, and after six games the Eagles have developed a two-part identity. One part they didn't plan, the other they couldn't foresee, but both parts will delight their die-hard fans.

The Eagles are a running team that plays dynamic defense. That wasn't the plan. Nick Sirianni has a hard time admitting this.

” READ MORE: The Eagles line up behind Nick Sirianni, while Brandon Graham challenges Seth Joyner and Derrick Gunn

“Her identity is constantly changing,” Sirianni said Monday. “Our identity is our core values. The scheme is constantly being adjusted. Sometimes the identity is to run it the same way we do.”

In her case, it should be all the time.

That's not surprising. Siranni, a former wide receiver, and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, a former quarterback, believe in the passing game. They believe in fourth place gambling. They believe in scoring as many points as possible to keep the defense off the field. That includes owner Jeffrey Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman, who committed $426 million in new money to quarterback Jalen Hurts and receivers DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown in the last 18 months.

They added Saquon Barkley, but did so to supplement the aerial attack and move games late.

Amusingly, Barkley was the most productive of them all. In his six years as an Eagle, he had two of the most productive games of his career, most recently Sunday's 176-yard win at his former team's stadium. Against these Giants, the Eagles changed their game plan to incorporate more snaps under center – hopefully a trend considering that's exactly who they are right now.

Barkley ranks second with 109.7 yards per game. The Eagles rank second with 166.7 yards per game, and Hurts, still a running threat, has 218 of them. Hurts only threw 14 passes on Sunday. Tight end Dallas Goedert did not play. Smith caught a ball for minus-2 yards and the Eagles still ran away with the ball game.

They have air power, but with a quarterback who lacks a powerful arm, doesn't recognize open receivers and shys away from the middle of the field, they're a running football team.

“When we stuck with the run game, good things happened,” right tackle Lane Johnson told NBC10 after the game.

” READ MORE: Eagles-Giants takeaway: Philly Dawgs and Quinyon Mitchell show the future now lies in the Birds' defense

That's only half the truth.

With the 28-3 decision over the Giants, the Eagles won for the first time in their last 13 consecutive games. In the last two weeks, the most dynamic plays have been made by the defense. In those two games, it allowed just 12 points, zero touchdowns, 363 total yards and recorded 13 sacks.

Neither the Browns last week nor the Giants on Sunday boasted fearsome offenses, and both have struggled at quarterback, but that shouldn't detract from the Eagles' competency. The Eagles' young players are now quickly playing and shining in first-year coordinator Vic Fangio's program.

Georgia first-rounders Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Nolan Smith have found their breakthrough on the defensive line. First-round rookie corner Quinyon Mitchell might be the best player on defense. They failed in Game 1 against the Packers and Game 4 against the Buccaneers, but neither game was played in Philadelphia and both are playoff-caliber clubs. The defense ranks in the top 11 in sacks, yards allowed per game and points allowed per game.

Can they be dominant? How did that happen?

“We could dominate. If we play as a unit – as a team – we could be dominant,” safety CJ Gardner-Johnson said. “We train better. Coming together as a backend. Focus on the little things. We play for each other, not against individual things. We can be like that. It’s only Game 6. It’s a long season.”

“Yeah, defense is our identity,” said Josh Sweat, who had his third sack in as many games. “It’s our identity – see you next week.”

Jared Goff: Last laugh as MVP?

When Super Bowl-losing quarterback Jared Goff was traded from the Rams to the Lions after the 2020 season and the Rams then immediately won the Super Bowl with Matthew Stafford, it seemed as if the top two picks in the 2016 draft were for the Career determines failure. The draft was deep – Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott and Jalen Ramsey were the next three picks – but Goff and quarterback Carson Wentz were considered superstars early in their careers. At the end of the 2021 season, both Goff and Wentz looked healthy.

” READ MORE: Eagles Stats: Saquon Barkley's elite speed and defensive dominance highlight win over Giants

But in 2022, Goff was a candidate for Comeback Player of the Year. Last season, coach Dan Campbell's stupidity in the fourth game and poor clock management cost Goff a chance at another Super Bowl appearance. So far this season, Goff is the best quarterback in the NFL.

His pass rating is 111.5, supported by a 4-0 run in four games, three of which were on the road. Goff has posted a passer rating above 140 in his last three games, a feat only achieved by Roger Staubach, Kurt Warner and Aaron Rodgers; The first two have gold jackets, and the third has a will on his first ballot.

In those four games, the Lions had 18 offensive touchdowns and just 15 Incompletions. They are a complete team and the best team, and Goff is the best of them.

Wentz, now a backup with the Chiefs, still looks fit.

Andy Reid, despite Mahomes

The Chiefs remained undefeated despite another poor game from Patrick Mahomes, whose mediocre season continues. He has six touchdown passes and eight interceptions, including at least one in each of Kansas City's six games and two more on Sunday at the 49ers.

This highlights the genius of coach Andy Reid, who has won three of the last five Super Bowls. His stingy, run-stopping defense has helped the club early in its difficult schedule. To be fair, that's Reid's DNA. For example, unlike many younger (and more ignorant) coaches, Reid has consistently bucked the analytics-driven trend of going for it on the fourth down and trusting his defense.

” READ MORE: Jalen Hurts has given the Eagles exactly what they've needed lately: a calming, stabilizing presence

Deshaun Watson: Mixed feelings

No sane person is ever happy about an injury to a football player, especially an injury like the torn Achilles tendon that ended Deshaun Watson's season on Sunday and could also jeopardize his career. That's because this time next year, the 1-6 Browns will almost certainly have fired coach (and Philadelphia native) Kevin Stefanski, whom GM (and Eagles front office alum) Andrew Berry technically didn't hire; Berry landed in Cleveland a week after Stefanski.

In any case, the new coach will be hired with a mandate to maximize the performance of a Myles Garrett-led defense that led the team to the playoffs last season. So where does this leave Watson? Considering his release would result in a salary cap hit of more than $100 million next year, he likely remains the Browns' most expensive backup player in history.

Of course, it's hard to feel sorry for the franchise or a person who has cleared 25 sexual assault cases in the last three years; Amid these legal battles, he signed a fully guaranteed $230 million contract. and – and this is the least of it – was one of the worst players in the NFL.

Extra points

Tampa Bay and Baltimore went 4-2 on Monday night, and Ravens stars Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry showed up, but Tampa lost much more than just a football game; They lost receiver Mike Evans to a significant hamstring aggravation and Chris Godwin to a significant ankle injury. Not only are their Super Bowl ambitions over, but the playoffs now seem unlikely. … Russell Wilson, 35, debuted in Pittsburgh after a six-week injury layoff and was pretty good at beating the Jets, but that shouldn't surprise anyone since Wilson had 26 touchdowns and just eight interceptions last season as Broncos coach Sean Payton's scapegoat. …The Jaguars' victory in their backup home of London over the woeful Patriots secured Doug Pederson's job for a few more weeks, if not the entire season…Slim Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels, the main reason Washington leads the NFC 5-2, leads all quarterbacks with 372 rushing yards. It was no coincidence that Daniels left Sunday's game early with a rib injury and did not return.