[ad_1]
© 2026 WWB Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved
[ad_2]
Nick Tricome
Source link
Tag: Tanner McKee
-
Eagles-Giants memories: Pivotal points and playoff victories at the Linc
[ad_1]
The Eagles-Giants rivalry brings a wealth of memories to look back on.
At the Meadowlands, it’s a history of miracles.
Back at home at Lincoln Financial Field (and the Vet before it), it’s a history of playoff victories and pivotal points in Eagles history.
The Eagles face the Giants again this week in South Philly, looking to get one back on their division rival after they flat-out got embarrassed by them two weeks ago up at MetLife Stadium.
Before they try to settle the score, here’s a look back at some favorite Eagles-Giants memories at the Linc, and some old highlight packages along with them…
The Tanner McKee Game
Jan. 5, 2025, Week 18 – W, 20-13
The Eagles were all set. At 13-3, they were locked in as the NFC’s No. 2 seed, with divisional round home-field advantage in the playoffs.
There was still a reason to play their starters, or one of them, in what was rendered a meaningless Week 18, as Saquon Barkley was pushing for the NFL’s single-season rushing record.
Head coach Nick Sirianni made the call to sit everyone in the end, though, which handed the keys to third-string QB Tanner McKee and the Eagles’ reserves, up against all of the New York Giants’ starters playing for whatever shred of pride they had left.
But McKee took it from them. He stayed cool and collected in the pocket, and tagged the Giants for 269 yards and two touchdowns on 27-of-41 passing.
He caught a floundering division rival completely off guard, but his Eagles teammates watching from the sideline? Hardly.
“Man, did you see Tanner McKee just throwing dimes all over the field?” starting center Cam Jurgens quipped afterward. “He’s fun to watch. We get to see him dice up our scout team. It’s just fun watching him go out there and make plays.”
The harder they fall
Jan. 21, 2023, NFC Divisional Round – W, 38-7
The 2022 Eagles broke out and tore through the regular season with a defense that had piled up sacks to a record degree, and with an offense that had threats all over the field and saw Jalen Hurts make his way into the MVP conversation.
They were a juggernaut entering the playoffs. The Giants, who rode Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones to a surprise playoff berth and then an upset over the Vikings in the Wild Card round, hoped to stand in their way, but their luck ran out in brutal fashion.
The Eagles had them crushed by halftime. The Giants couldn’t hope to cover anyone, playoff Kenny Gainwell became the new unsung hero of Philadelphia sports lore, and the Linc was breathing easy and celebrating a trip to the NFC Championship on the way to a 38-7 final – a familiar playoff score from the last Super Bowl run.
“Pick your poison, honestly,” former running back Miles Sanders said of how stacked that Eagles team was. “Starting with the quarterback, to the tight ends, to the running backs and the O-line, it’s just all good work. Everybody plays for each other.”
Which left the Giants with no chance.
Eagles/Giants Week! The 2022 Divisional Round Beatdown:
The 2022 Eagles swept the Giants 3-0 and the cherry on top was the 38-7 beatdown in Round 2 of the playoffs getting out to a 28-0 1st half lead and the game was over by halftime.
Here are all 5 Eagles TDs from that game: pic.twitter.com/0GRwMumgVj
— Fly Eagles Fly Bets (@Fly_EaglesBets) October 22, 2025
From 61
Sept. 24, 2017, Week 3 – W, 24-27
Carson Wentz and the Eagles had rallied back from highlight-reel Odell Beckham Jr. catches and a resurgent Eli Manning performance to bring the game down to a field goal kick with one second left.
It was just that rookie kicker Jake Elliott would have to make the shot from 61 yards away.
But he nailed it. Elliott got the distance and put the ball just inside the right upright, and the Eagles mobbed their new kicker as they improved to 2-1, in what would become one of the key moments that propelled them to their first-ever Super Bowl.
Wild Card Westbrook
Jan. 7, 2007, NFC Wild Card – W, 23-20
The Eagles rallied into the playoffs with Jeff Garcia at quarterback, and in the Wild Card round, against the Giants, Brian Westbrook kept the run going for one more week into New Orleans.
Westbrook took off on an unreal 49-yard touchdown run and had 141 rushing yards in total, Garcia fired a 28-yard laser to Donte’ Stallworth for a score late in the first half, and down to the wire tied 20-20, Westbrook marched them in close to bring the game down to a David Akers field goal.
Akers made the kick, the Giants were going home, Philadelphia celebrated, and a season once thought to have gone down along with Donovan McNabb and his torn ACL instead lived another week.
Grand T.O.pening
Sept. 12, 2004, Week 1 – W, 31-17
The Delaware Valley had waited an entire summer for this: Terrell Owens’ Eagles debut.
The Eagles finally had their true No. 1 receiver for Donovan McNabb, and along with him, the hope that they had the final piece to break through and, at long last, get to the Super Bowl.
The start of it all couldn’t have been drawn up any better.
Week 1 at home against the Giants, McNabb and Owens carved New York up and connected on three touchdown passes, with the new star receiver flexing and then flapping his wings in celebration upon each score.
The Eagles pummeled the Giants, 31-17, and it was one of those games where you just knew right away, after repeated NFC Championship failures, that this year was going to be different.
SIGN UP HERE to receive the PhillyVoice Sports newsletter
Follow Nick on Twitter: @itssnick
Follow Nick on Bluesky: @itssnick
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
[ad_2]
Nick Tricome
Source link -
Why Tanner McKee Should Be QB2 for the Eagles – Philadelphia Sports Nation
[ad_1]
The Eagles have had two exciting preseason wins so far. This was largely due to the play of second-year quarterback Tanner McKee, who has looked stellar so far through training camp and the preseason games.
Nick Sirianni is standing firm on Kenny Pickett being QB2, but Tanner McKee has proven it should be him.
McKee looks much better as a passer than Pickett does.
In his most recent outing against the Patriots, McKee threw 19 passes and completed 15 for 140 yards.
It is evident when you watch the games that Kenny Pickett isn’t any good. Against the Patriots, he had 11 completions for 67 yards. He’s already had two full seasons as a starter under his belt, and as Steelers fans will tell you, he was awful out there.
He is a first-round pick who has proven he isn’t a good QB in the league, but McKee, on the other hand, is a 6th round pick who hasn’t gotten a chance to prove himself.
Even if McKee isn’t that good, he’s a better option than Pickett.
Tanner McKee looks like a solid passer when he’s on the field, especially since he’s throwing to wide receivers who probably won’t be on the roster. He is someone who could come in and win a few games if Jalen Hurts goes down, which he usually does at some point during the season.
There were even people who thought McKee should have been QB2 last season, ahead of Marcus Mariota. McKee finished his college career at Stanford with 5336 passing yards and 28 touchdowns in two seasons as a starter. He was definitely a solid passer in college, and that could translate to the NFL.
Jalen Hurts has missed games during every season since he’s been a starter. If he goes down this season, the Eagles cannot put Kenny Pickett out there.
Philadelphia will have a much better chance to win if they put Tanner Mckee in the game, which is why he should be QB2.
PHOTO: —
[ad_2]
Nate Schweitzer
Source link -
Eagles 2024 training camp preview: Quarterback
[ad_1]
Over the next three or so weeks (basically whenever there isn’t other news to cover), we’ll take a look at every player on the Philadelphia Eagles’ roster, and how they fit with the team heading into training camp. As always, we’ll start with the quarterback factory.
QB1 QB2 QB3 QB4 Jalen Hurts Kenny Pickett Tanner McKee Will Grier Jalen Hurts
The perception of Jalen Hurts this time two years ago — after his first full season as a starter in 2021 — was that he was an intelligent, hard-working quarterback with leadership qualities who could make plays with his legs, but had serious flaws as a passer, most notably inaccuracy as well as a lack of refinement within the pocket.
During the 2022 offseason, the team had interest in trading for Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson, neither of whom wanted to play in Philly (thankfully for the Eagles’ sake), so nothing materialized. Hurts was then essentially given a one-year tryout to convince the team that they should move forward with him as their quarterback.
2022 training camp: Pressure ON.
In 2022, Hurts made drastic improvements, as he was rightfully the MVP runner-up to Patrick Mahomes, with the Eagles going 14-1 (plus 2-1 in the playoffs) in games he started. Including the playoffs, he threw 25 TDs vs. 6 INTs as a passer, and he rushed for 903 yards and 18 TDs, cementing his status as a star player and the face of the franchise.
He was rewarded with a five-year contract worth $255 million. By the time 2023 training camp had begun, he was considered the unquestioned leader of the team, with extreme job security.
2023 training camp: Pressure OFF.
In 2023, Hurts took a step backwards. As you’re all aware, the Eagles started out 10-1, with six of those wins coming against teams that would eventually make the playoffs. Hurts was squarely in the conversation for league MVP at the time, even though novice fans could pretty easily see that he and the team as a whole were not playing nearly as well as the 2022 team that often dominated opponents. From December on, the Eagles abruptly went from a Super Bowl favorite with at least a two-game lead over every other team in the league to one of the worst teams in the NFL.
Hurts was part of the problem, as he did not play well down the stretch, and his leadership skills — again, always thought to be the biggest checkmark in his favor — came into question. How effectively will he pick up Kellen Moore’s scheme? How is he interacting with teammates? Is he making quick reads and getting the ball out instead of looking to extend plays at the first sign of pressure? Those questions — and plenty of others — will be under the microscope this summer.
2024 training camp: Pressure back ON.
Kenny Pickett
The Eagles made a surprise move during free agency when they dealt for Pickett, who was a Steelers first-round pick (20th overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft. The trade compensation was as follows:
Eagles get: Steelers get: QB Kenny Pickett 3rd round pick (98th overall) in 2024 4th round pick (120th overall) in 2024) 7th round pick in 2025 7th round pick in 2025 Using the draft value chart, the swap of the 98th overall pick and the 120th overall pick is the equivalent of a fourth-round pick.
The Eagles did a lot of homework on Pickett leading up to the 2022 draft, as they were not yet sold on Hurts as the franchise quarterback at the time. Pickett started 12 games both as a rookie in 2022 and then again in 2023, with a 7-5 record in each season. His passing stats:
Kenny Pickett Comp-Att (Comp %) Yards (YPA) TD-INT Rating 2022 245-389 (63.0%) 2404 (6.2) 7-9 76.7 2023 201-324 (62.0%) 2070 (6.4) 6-4 81.4 While Pickett hasn’t turned the ball over at a high rate (particularly in 2023 when he threw just 4 INTs), his 13 TD passes in 24 career starts is an abnormally low number, as is his career 6.3 yards per pass attempt. The Steelers’ offense averaged 14.7 points per game in Pickett’s 12 starts in 2023.
Pickett suffered a high ankle sprain late in the season, but when he was well enough to play again, the Steelers continued to start Pickett’s backup, Mason Rudolph, rather than insert Pickett back into the starting lineup.
Pickett was reportedly upset with the Steelers’ signing of Russell Wilson this offseason:
Can confirm @gerrydulac‘s reporting that Kenny Pickett’s handling of the Russell Wilson signing was a factor in the @Steelers‘ decision. He communicated to the team he was fine with competing for the job, then went the other way when Wilson was added. So he’s gone.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 15, 2024
In Philadelphia, Pickett will play behind a quarterback in Hurts who is far more entrenched as the starter than Wilson is in Pittsburgh. He might also have to fend off Tanner McKee for the No. 2 job. It’s worth noting that Pickett did make some nice throws during spring practices.
Tanner McKee
McKee had a good training camp and preseason showing last year, but we (as in, the media) did not get to watch him practice once training camp wrapped. As such, it was unknown whether his play fell off during regular season practices or if he continued to impress. The team’s trade for Pickett this offseason showed that the Eagles were not yet ready to crown McKee as the No. 2 quarterback, but in my opinion, he was the sharpest of all the Eagles’ quarterbacks during their three-day minicamp in early June.
McKee dressed for all 18 Eagles games as the “emergency quarterback” in 2023, but the team never needed him to play. In 2024, he’ll very likely be the emergency quarterback again, at a minimum, with a chance to compete with Pickett for the No. 2 job in training camp.
Will Grier
Grier was a Panthers third-round pick in 2019. He has since bounced around the league quite a bit.
• Panthers (2019-2020)
• Cowboys (2021-2022)
• Bengals (2023)
• Patriots (2023)
• Chargers (2023)
• Eagles (2024)Grier played for Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore for two years in Dallas, and for about a month in Los Angeles with the Chargers last season. He started two games for the Panthers as a rookie in 2019, and threw 0 TDs to 4 INTs. The Panthers lost both games. He has not appeared in a regular season game since.
Grier will help Moore install his offense, and could be a candidate to stick on the practice squad.
Follow Jimmy & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @JimmyKempski | thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
Add Jimmy’s RSS feed to your feed reader
[ad_2]
Jimmy Kempski
Source link -
The Draft Is Coming… Will The Eagles Make Another Draft Day Trade? – Philadelphia Sports Nation
[ad_1]
We’re just under a month away from the 2024 NFL Draft.
Starting on April 25th, the Eagles will have the following picks after a fully loaded free agency.
A little refresher for y’all pic.twitter.com/yv4DQV18gH
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) March 22, 2024
After signing 13 players over the last few weeks the Eagles have found the solution to most of their 20 free agents this off-season.
Spotrac has the Eagles at a projected $10.5M in cap space, so they might be done spending as they’ll still have to sign all their rookies following the draft. If they’re looking to open up more cap space, the Eagles have yet to make any decisions on Josh Sweat or Haason Reddick.
Even after their shopping spree on the open market. The Eagles still have 8 picks in the upcoming draft, including 3 in the first 2 rounds.
The Eagles have already traded #98 and two 2025 5th round picks for Kenny Pickett and #120. Moving down 22 spots and acquiring a QB with term.
And for a team that’s always active during the draft. Don’t expect them to be quiet.
Previous Draft Trades
Below are the past 3 years of Draft Pick trades the Eagles have made
2023 Draft
- Eagles trade 10th pick and a 2024 4th to the Bears in exchange for 9th overall (Jalen Carter)
- Eagles trade 62nd pick to the Texans in exchange for picks #65(Tyler Steen), #188(Tanner McKee) and #230
- Eagles trade a 2024 3rd to the Texans in exchange for #105 (Kelee Ringo)
- Eagles trade a 2025 4th to the Lions for D’Andre Swift and #249
- Eagles trade #230 and #248 to the Texans for #191
- Eagles trade #191 to Tampa Bay for a 2024 5th
2022 Draft
- (Pre-Draft) Eagles traded #16, #19 and #194 to New Orleans for #18, #101, #237, a 2023 1st and 2024 2nd
- Eagles trade #15, #124, #162 and #166 to the Texans for #13 (Jordan Davis)
- Eagles trade #18 and #101 to the Titans for A.J. Brown
- Eagles trade #154 to Jacksonville for #188 and #198
- Eagles trade #188 and #237 to Detroit for #181
2021 Draft
- (Pre-Draft) Eagles trade Carson Wentz for #84 and 2022 #16
- (Pre-Draft) Eagles trade #6 and #156 to Miami for #12 and a 2022 1st
- Eagles trade #12 and #84 to Dallas for #10 (DeVonta Smith)
- Eagles trade #70 to Carolina for #73(Milton Williams) and #191(Tarron Jackson)
- Eagles trade #225 and #240 to Washington for a 2022 5th
Time and time again the Eagles have shown to be very active in the draft. Loading up on future picks and trading up to acquire the guys they want.
It’ll be no surprise by the end of April if the Eagles have traded more of their picks. Whether it’s to acquire players or future picks we’ll have to wait to find out.
Photo Credit: Philadelphia Eagles
[ad_2]
Tyler L’Heureux
Source link -
Hurts, McKee, Pickett & Grier! The QB Factory Is Back! – Philadelphia Sports Nation
[ad_1]
The Eagles have acquired their 2nd Quarterback of the free agency period.
While they had to trade a pair of 2025 7th round picks and drop from 98th to the 120th pick in this years draft when acquiring Pickett from Pittsburgh last week.
It was only a day later when the Steelers announced they had traded a 2025 6th round pick for Bears QB Justin Fields. Some had wanted the Eagles to pursue Fields as an Eagles backup. However, with only 1 year under contract before a $25.6M 5th-year option (which the Eagles would most likely not pick up).
Going after Pickett for 2 years with only $4.6M guaranteed is very similar to when they traded a 2022 6th round pick for 2 years of Gardner Minshew, who only cost the Eagles $3.39M.
With the following Quarterbacks under contract for multiple years
- Jalen Hurts (2029)
- Tanner McKee (2027)
- Kenny Pickett (2027)
You’d think they’d be done with the QB market.
Until the QB factory opened its doors.
4th QB On The Roster
We’ve agreed to terms with QB @willgrier_ on a 1-year deal.@Toyota | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/YZgZZDTShJ
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) March 23, 2024
There’s nothing to blow out of proportion with the Eagles signing Will Grier. Who will most likely be the 4th QB on the depth chart.
After Grier spent 2 seasons in Dallas he found himself signed to the Chargers practice squad last December, ending up with Eagles new OC Kellen Moore again. Moore is probably the biggest reason why the Eagles made this move. Bringing in a familiar face for a new system, and will bring competition to both Tanner McKee and Kenny Pickett.
Long Way Till Final Roster Cuts
Much like the Eagles signing of DeVante Parker, there’s no guarantee we’ll see Grier make it through 53-man roster cuts and could end up on the practice squad. So there’s no reason to overreact to the Eagles weekend signing. We’re a long way from the August deadline.
With the additions of LB Oren Burks, DT P.J. Mustipher, CB Tyler Hall, WR Parris Campbell, between the QB moves this week. The Eagles depth chart is being rounded out with over a month until the 2024 Draft, where the Eagles still hold three picks in the top 55. And have previously made outstanding moves in the draft, including last years Day 3 trade for D’Andre Swift.
As we inch closer and closer to April 25th, who do you expect the Eagles to announce with the 22nd overall pick?
Photo Credit: Tim Heitman / USA Today Sports
[ad_2]
Tyler L’Heureux
Source link -
Thomas helps No. 13 Utah rout Stanford 42-7
[ad_1]
SALT LAKE CITY — A few weeks ago, Tavion Thomas was on the brink of losing his place on Utah’s team.
Rushing for a career-high 180 yards on Saturday night proved he’s all the way back.
“I was just so happy to be out there with my teammates,” Thomas said. “I wasn’t worried about my carries, I was just worried about finishing this thing and playing with these guys.”
Cameron Rising threw for three touchdowns and No. 13 Utah beat Stanford 42-7 on Senior Night.
Utah (8-2, 6-1 Pac-12) started slow on a below-freezing night in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains, but scored 42 straight points after trailing 7-0 to Stanford (3-7, 1-7).
Utah’s defense was suffocating after the initial score while Thomas recorded his first 100-yard rushing game since the season opener at Florida and eclipsed his previous high (177) set at Stanford last year.
Thomas, who has been in and out of the lineup with personal issues, was pressed into heavy use because of injuries in the backfield.
“It’s been challenging but you can’t run from it, you have to attack it. I’ve got great guys here and a great support system and they got me back slowly but surely,” Thomas said.
He rushed for a four-yard TD in the second quarter and a 36-yard score in the fourth — his 28th career touchdown at Utah, moving him to third on the all-time rushing TD list.
“There were some bumps in the road … but I’m really grateful he continued to stick with it and fight through some of the issues he was having,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said.
Thomas was a 1,000-yard rusher and had 21 touchdowns last season but was away from team at times this season and missed the Washington State game. He struggled through the middle of the season but showed renewed speed and power in time for Utah’s quest for a Rose Bowl return.
“It was great to see Tavion in his last game at Rice-Eccles get back to his old self. I’m really proud of him and glad that he’s weathered the storm,” Whittingham said.
Rising went 20-for-33 through the air for 219 yards with an interception to boost Utah’s home winning streak to 14.
“Once we eliminated our mistakes, things started to go our way,” Rising said.
The Utes initially struggled to execute against Stanford, which allows the most rushing yards of any team in the conference. After three fourth-down conversions, including a fake punt, Utah finally scored on a Rising-to-Devaughn Vele 9-yard TD pass in the second quarter.
“We’ve always been good at getting off the field on third down this year but fourth down has been a different story,” Stanford linebacker Levani Damuni said about Utah going 4-for-4 on 4th down in the first half.
After that, the floodgates opened and Utah rolled to 514 total yards with 279 on the ground. At the same time, Stanford’s entire offense failed to outgain Thomas, garnering just 177 total yards.
“We are just doing our job. A lot of the mistakes that were happening early in the season were guys trying to make a big play and not doing their assignments,” said Jonah Elliss, who had 1.5 sacks.
On Stanford’s second drive, Tanner McKee evaded the rush and threw a 51-yard pass and then snuck in for a one-yard touchdown one play later.
In the end, McKee passed for 155 yards but didn’t have much time to throw and was sacked seven times.
“It’s going to be a dirty pocket. It’s going to be tight coverage. When we have those one-on-one opportunities with all the pressure, and we get the protection, we got to hit them,” Stanford coach David Shaw said.
THE TAKEAWAY
Stanford: Without any semblance of a rushing attack — just 22 yards — the Cardinal couldn’t move the ball. Stanford’s defense forced Utah to convert four fourth downs to keep drives going but eventually wore down against the run and were exposed when Utah turned to the passing game against a stacked box.
Utah: The Ute defense looked suspect earlier this season and in this game, but dominated the second quarter by keeping Stanford without a single first down while the offense awoke. Once the Utah line controlled the line of scrimmage, the game was essentially over. Now Utah heads to Oregon in a battle in of one-loss teams.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
UCLA, Oregon and Mississippi were ranked ahead of the Utes in the poll and all lost, so Utah may move up a couple notches.
UP NEXT
Stanford visits California next Saturday afternoon.
Utah plays at Oregon next Saturday night.
———
AP college : https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP—Top25 Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25
[ad_2]