PHILADELPHIA − The best thing you can say about the Eagles preseason is that it’s over, and no one of major significance got hurt.
But there were things the Eagles could take out of the three preseason games, even in the finale Thursday night, as the Eagles lost 27-13 to the Indianapolis Colts.
The Eagles sat all of their starters plus some key players like rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter. But the Colts, breaking in a rookie quarterback in Anthony Richardson, did not. Indianapolis played its starters for the entire first half.
And this gave Tanner McKee, the Eagles rookie quarterback, a true test, compared to the first two games when he went against the opponents’ deep reserves.
McKee continued to show poise as he replaced Marcus Mariota after the first series and played into the fourth quarter. But McKee didn’t lead any touchdown drives, and that seemingly quieted any talk about him possibly unseating Mariota as Jalen Hurts’ backup.
McKee went 19-for-34 for 158 yards before he was replaced by Ian Book midway through the fourth quarter.
For the Eagles, the game was mainly for the players fighting to make the 53-man roster. The Eagles, like every NFL team, have to trim their roster from 90 to 53 by Tuesday.
Still, against the Colts starters, the Eagles trailed just 17-13 at halftime. Jake Elliott hit two long field goals, the first from 59 yards and the second from 52.
Those were clearly the Eagles’ highlights. But this game will quickly fade into the background as the Eagles will turn their attention to their opener against the New England Patriots on Sept. 10.
Here are some more observations:
Did Colts end Eagles backup QB controversy?
It was an easy storyline through the first two preseason games when McKee, the Eagles’ sixth-round pick, outperformed Mariota while Hurts sat out.
It even led to questions to head coach Nick Sirianni about whether McKee has a chance to supplant Mariota as Hurts’ backup. Sirianni quickly shot that down last week, and it became clear why Thursday.
McKee threw for 295 yards through the first two games and had a passer rating of 87.3. Mariota, meanwhile, had a passer rating of 56.3.
McKee’s rating was 68.0 on Thursday.
Mariota was 1-for-2 for 21 yards in his cameo, leading the Eagles to an opening-drive touchdown. Of course, Mariota was helped tremendously by Devon Allen’s 73-yard kickoff return, giving the Eagles the ball at Indianapolis’ 27.
Still, McKee was at his best late in the first half. He completed six straight passes. His sixth was a 15-yard pass to Joseph Ngata, but Ngata fumbled the ball away.
The Eagles got the ball back one more time, but went nowhere. McKee went 15-for-27 for 139 yards in the first half.
Still, he was better than Richardson, the No. 4 pick in the draft. Richardson went 6-for-17 for 78 yards. He ran for 38 more.
Eagles linebacker shines, and new signee has INT
Linebacker Ben VanSumeren, an undrafted free agent, has a game-high 17 tackles. VanSumeren is making a case for a spot on the 53-man roster. But the defensive play of the night for the Eagles goes to Tyreek Maddox-Williams, who intercepted Sam Ehlinger’s pass in the fourth quarter and returned it 42 yards.
Maddox-Williams was signed earlier in the week. The Eagles didn’t score, however.
As for the running backs, only Trey Sermon and Kennedy Brooks played, and neither did very well. Sermon had 30 yards on 16 carries, while Brooks had just 5 yards on 2 carries.
Minshew Mania strikes for Indy
While Richardson was already named the Colts’ starter, Gardner Minshew continued to play well. Minshew was the Eagles’ backup quarterback past season and a half, going 1-3 in place of Hurts.
Minshew played the third quarter, going 9-for-11 for 102 yards and an 8-yard touchdown pass to Kenyan Drake. In the three preseason games, Minshew went 28-for-32 for 281 yards.
Devon Allen shows his blazing speed, helps Eagles to early lead
Allen, a wide receiver, needed a few weeks at the start of camp to recover from a hamstring injury suffered during the U.S. nationals in track in July, where Allen is a 110 meter hurdler.
He showed that speed on the opening kickoff. Allen bobbled the kick at the goal line, then picked it up, cut to his right and picked up 73 yards before he was tackled.
The Eagles started at the Colts’ 27, and eventually scored on Trey Sermon’s 1-yard run.
Eagles Jalen Carter, many other key players sitting out
As for other players, rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter is not playing Thursday. His preseason will consisted of just 9 snaps in the previous two games. Nolan Smith, Jordan Davis and Milton Williams weren’t playing either. At linebacker, Nakobe Dean and Zach Cunningham didn’t play, but Christian Elliss and Nicholas Morrow did.
The starting cornerbacks were rookie Kelee Ringo and Mekhi Garner with Eli Ricks getting plenty of action. Veterans Terrell Edmunds and Justin Evans started at safety.
Eagles sign OL to 2-year deal
The Eagles announced that they have signed tackle Fred Johnson to a two-year contract Thursday, an indication that the fifth-year player will survive final cuts. Johnson played in five games last season for Tampa Bay. He spent the previous three seasons with Tampa Bay.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.
