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In their Week 5 loss to the Denver Broncos, the Philadelphia Eagles played 61 snaps on offense and 74 snaps on defense. Let’s just get right to the snap counts, some notes, and some special recognition.
Quarterback
• 61 snaps: Jalen Hurts
Notes: Hurts’ passing numbers look decent enough on paper. He finished 23 of 38 for 290 yards, 2 TDs, and 0 INTs. He only ran twice, for 3 yards. Whether you think Hurts played well or not should not be the takeaway from this game. His leadership is what matters more right now.
I’ll always remember this game for the missed connection between Hurts and Brown deep down the field that should have put a dagger in the Broncos. The ball came out a little later than Brown was expecting, so he stopped momentarily on his route, and the ball sailed over his head as a result. Fine. It happens. But Hurts and Brown did not talk after the play, nor do they talk on the sidelines at all, really. They used to, but not now.
Personally, I’m typically not much interested in the “who’s getting along with whom” drama that sometimes accompanies this team, but if Hurts and Brown can’t communicate in game, that is going to affect their play on the field. I don’t know what their relationship is, but it’s not the same as it was when they celebrated their “bestie” status. That’s clear, right? And really, they don’t have to like each other, but they do have to figure out how to put whatever differences they have aside for other 51 players on the roster… and, you know, the city.
Running back
• 44 snaps: Saquon Barkley
• 9 snaps: A.J. Dillon
• 8 snaps: Will Shipley
Notes: Running back rushing numbers:
| Eagles RBs | Rush | Yards | YPC | TD |
| Saquon Barkley | 6 | 30 | 5.0 | 0 |
| A.J. Dillon | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 0 |
| Will Shipley | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 9 | 42 | 4.7 | 0 |
The Eagles led in this game for almost two full quarters, from when Dallas Goedert caught a TD pass with 7:20 left in the second quarter, to when the Broncos went ahead in the fourth quarter with 7:36 left in regulation. They led by 14 for almost a full quarter, from when Barkley caught a TD pass with 13:23 left in the third quarter, to when the Broncos scored their first touchdown with 13:11 left in the fourth quarter.
To have leads for stretches that long and for Barkley to have only had 6 carries in this game is pretty wild. In fact, during the two-quarter stretch that the Eagles had the lead, Barkley only had one carry count in the box score. (He had another that was called back on a Brett Toth penalty.) During that stretch the Eagles punted five times.
In past seasons, the Eagles have gotten leads and choked out their opponents with the run game. That has kind of been their identity when they’ve been at their best.
Asked if he believes he can still rely on the run game to close out games, Nick Sirianni said, “I still believe so much in the guys we have up front, and who we have in the backfield.”
It didn’t appear that way on Sunday.
The Eagles are currently 25th in the NFL with just 99.8 rushing yards per game.
Wide receiver
• 60 snaps: DeVonta Smith
• 57 snaps: A.J. Brown
• 44 snaps: Jahan Dotson
• 4 snaps: John Metchie
Notes: Smith caught 8 passes for 114 yards. He also made what could have been one of the plays of the day when he made a leaping contested catch for a 30-yard gain on 4th and 4. Except… it was called back on a procedure penalty. He also nearly came down with the final Hail Mary of the game, and it was actually Brown who broke it up while trying to make a play on the ball himself. This could have been a signature DeVonta game, but it wasn’t to be.
We covered Brown in the quarterback section above.
Tight end
• 48 snaps: Dallas Goedert
• 22 snaps: Kylen Granson
• 7 snaps: Grant Calcaterra
• 2 snaps: Cameron Latu
Notes: Goedert had his fourth TD catch of the season. He’s actually only one TD reception away from his career high. He was also interfered with twice on the Eagles’ final drive, though only one of them was called.
Calcaterra was involved in the offense early, as he had 2 catches for 18 yards before leaving with an oblique injury. He did not return.
Offensive line
• 61 snaps each: Jordan Mailata, Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen, Lane Johnson
• 49 snaps: Brett Toth
• 12 snaps: Landon Dickerson
Notes: Dickerson hasn’t looked healthy all season. On Sunday he left with an ankle injury and did not return. The internet docs are saying it’s likely a high ankle sprain.
If so, the Eagles should seriously consider shutting him down for a bit to allow his whole body to heal before putting him back out there for the second half of the season.
The Dickerson injury aside, there were a lot of plays in which Hurts had all day to throw. I thought their pass protection was mostly pretty good against a very good Broncos pass rush, even if the stat sheet says that Hurts took 6 sacks.
It’s hard to judge their play in the run game, because we didn’t see it.
Edge defenders
• 43 snaps: Jalyx Hunt
• 34 snaps each: Za’Darius Smith, Azeez Ojulari
• 29 snaps: Josh Uche
• 8 snaps: Patrick Johnson
Notes: This was the first game this season that Ojulari wasn’t a healthy scratch. He contributed, with his best play being a QB hit on a good pass rush that beat Broncos LT Garett Bolles.
Smith had a sack, and Hunt had Bo Nix wrapped up for what should have been either an “in the grasp” sack or an intentional grounding penalty.
I thought this group showed some life after a few quiet games.
Interior defensive line
• 67 snaps: Jalen Carter
• 41 snaps: Jordan Davis
• 38 snaps: Moro Ojomo
• 15 snaps: Byron Young
• 1 snap: Ty Robinson
Notes: Carter seemed to have a lot of wins on his reps, as usual, but not a lot to show for it on the stat sheet. He also got held all day, on one occasion that was plain for all to see by RT Mike McGlinchey. I do think he is playing well, and is primed for a breakout game.
Linebacker
• 74 snaps: Zack Baun
• 71 snaps: Jihaad Campbell
Notes: Baun and Campbell combined for 23 tackles and a sack. Baun was flagged for unnecessary roughness penalty on a key 3rd down play late in the game.
Man, what a weak call in such a big spot. The ball carrier was still trying to reach for a first down, and here’s no way Baun can know for sure if his knees are down. He’s just finishing the play.
Cornerback and safety
• 74 snaps each: Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Andrew Mukuba, Reed Blankenship
• 62 snaps: Kelee Ringo
• 1 snap: Adoree’ Jackson
Notes: After a competent performance Week 4 in Tampa, Ringo got the start in place of a healthy Jackson. He gave up a handful of completions, particularly in the second half, but he also had good coverage on a number of reps. That’s probably about what we can expect from him, for now. The Eagles’ hope is that he’ll continue to improve with more playing time, but it’s reasonable for there to be bumps along the way.
Courtland Sutton had a good day against Mitchell:
Courtland Sutton caught 6 of 8 targets for 81 yards against Quinyon Mitchell, with 3 receptions for 64 yards in the fourth quarter alone.
Mitchell had previously never allowed more than 2 receptions OR 49 yards to a receiver in an entire game.#DENvsPHI | #BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/fIXSqJEsBS
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 5, 2025
DeJean nearly caused Nix fumble on a blitz, but Nix’s arm had juuuust started moving forward.
That’s close, but I thought that was a rare high-leverage call that the officials got right.
Three stars 🤩
⭐⭐⭐: WR DeVonta Smith: It feels like DeVonta is often the only guy who shows up in some of the Eagles’ worst games.
🌟🌟: Cooper DeJean: He makes open-field tackles with ease, and nearly had a monster play on a blitz.
✨: Za’Darius Smith: Smith had a sack that pushed the Broncos out of field goal range and saved some points. He also had a couple of QB hits.
Game ball 🏈
- Week 1, vs. Cowboys: Jalen Hurts
- Week 2, at Chiefs: Andrew Mukuba
- Week 3, vs. Rams: Jordan Davis
- Week 4, at Buccaneers: Quinyon Mitchell
- Week 5, vs. Broncos: DeVonta Smith
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