The Eagles got ‘Darted’ by ‘two lovable idiots,’ but Jason Kelce still believes it’s ‘Super Bowl or nothing’
After two straight Eagles’ losses, Kelce said Sunday’s road game against the Vikings “is where great players are made.”
It’s been a tough couple of weeks for Eagles fans. Following the team’s Week 5 loss to the Denver Broncos, the Eagles lost again in Week 6, this time on Thursday Night Football to the one-win New York Giants. In those two games, the team scored just seven combined second-half point
“Do we have to [talk about it]?” former Eagles center Jason Kelce asked on the latest episode of New Heights. “We got Darted.”
The Giants’ rookie duo of quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Cam Skattebo fueled the team to a 34-17 win over the defending champions at MetLife Stadium. Dart completed 17 of 25 passes for 195 yards and ran the ball 13 times for 58 yards, scoring one rushing and one passing touchdown.
“It’s a frustrating thing to watch,” Kelce told his brother Travis. “I’m not going to lie, going up against New York, you know, they’re missing [Malik] Nabers who went down a couple weeks ago with an ACL injury. [Darius] Slayton was out for the game. They’re missing their two best options from a quarterback standpoint. And I thought the Eagles defense would put up a much better performance and I could not be more wrong.
“I didn’t think the Giants were going to do much offensively. I did not think that Dart was going to be able to throw the ball the way he did and I thought being one dimensional against the Eagles was going to be hard. And they weren’t one dimensional.”
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The Eagles defense was without defensive tackle Jalen Carter Thursday due to a heel injury. And cornerback Quinyon Mitchell exited the game early after suffering a hamstring injury late in the first quarter. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, the Eagles offensive line has not been fully healthy, which impacted both the passing and running game.
Despite the team’s early struggles and inconsistencies, Kelce knows there are still high expectations for his former team.
“The expectations for the Eagles are, I mean, it’s Super Bowl or nothing,” Kelce said. “Like, if we don’t go back there, it’s a letdown as far as the fan base and people are concerned. I think that’s the reality of it. And right now, they’re falling short and that is a frustrating thing as a player. You want it to go well. … Right now, they’re not playing up to what they need to.
“There’s a lot of season left and I got a ton of confidence that these guys are going to come now, especially after having a loss like that, with a rejuvenated energy. I think the Eagles have got to get back to playing with that energy, to getting things going. And I know they’ve been hard at work. They’ve had the mini-bye now to refocus a lot of this.”
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After their mini-bye following Thursday’s loss, the Eagles will face the 3-2 Minnesota Vikings — and possibly Carson Wentz — on the road.
“This is where great players are made, man,” Kelce said. “It isn’t when [expletive] is going right. It isn’t when the whole world is telling you how great you are. It’s how do you respond when everything is against you? How do you respond as a teammate when everybody is trying to separate you?
“This is when great teams, great players, and great leaders are tested, when you’re going through stuff like this. And I look forward to seeing how they respond.”
‘Two lovable idiots’
One of the most disappointing things about Thursday’s game, according to Kelce, didn’t have to do with the way the Eagles played on the field. Instead, it had to do with the team’s energy compared to the Giants.
“It was a tough game to watch as an Eagles fan,” Kelce said. “They didn’t play well. That’s the reality of it. Not only did they not play well, but one of the things that was frustrating was just the energy difference, if I’m being honest.
“[Jeff Stoutland] says this a lot: ‘Execution fuels emotion.’ And I know this as a player and you know this … Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo, these guys right now are playing with this young, youthful enthusiasm that’s excited to be realizing their dream in the NFL. They’re out there and you can feel the energy and emotion and passion with them and it’s rubbing off on the whole team.”
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Skattebo ran for 98 yards and three touchdowns in the win over the Eagles.
“This guy reminds me a little bit of Ezekiel Elliott,” Kelce said. “Like, there’s an enthusiasm and an energy about him that is just fun to watch. And I hope they lose every game as an Eagles fan, but I also kind of love watching it.”
Kelce also reacted to a photo of Skattebo and Dart posing after the big win over the Eagles, with the caption: “The Blues Brothers.”
“Two [expletive] lovable idiots,” Kelce said. “Look at this [expletive] guy. You can’t deny how the whole team has responded to this energy. Like, they are all playing and like it’s infectious and the entire team has been energized. … This is the type of energy that football — just guys that love [expletive] playing ball."