Joe Milton got his first chance to start for the Philadelphia Eagles, but the unfortunate headline has been written. He and the offense failed to produce the offensive spark the team desperately needed. Philadelphia again struggled with protection, communication, and execution, leaving the new starter with little room to settle into the game.
Milton completed 18 of 34 passes for 169 yards. He added 64 yards on nine carries. He was sacked seven times. He lost a fumble and finished with a 66.9 passer rating. There were a few encouraging moments, particularly when he used his mobility to escape pressure or when he had enough time to let his arm talent show. Unfortunately, those flashes were few and far between.
The circumstances weren't ideal for
a quarterback making his first start with a new team, and the offensive line certainly didn't make his assignment any easier. Still, Milton and the offense had opportunities to make plays. More often than not, they didn't, and as Philadelphia enters its bye week, here we are breaking down poor performances from yet another loss.
Joe Milton's best throws: A quality connection with Makai Lemon
This one came at the 9:15 mark of the second quarter. On second-and-eight, Philadelphia elected for some play action. This time, the protection was fine. Milton could set his feet, survey the field, and deliver the football.
He zipped one to Makai Lemon for a chain-moving 15-yard gainer with three defenders in the area. It was a nice example of what Milton could do with decent protection.
Milton also hit Lemon again for 17 yards two plays earlier. There, he was a little more uncomfortable but slid left to allow himself some room. Unfortunately, one of the Eagles' more promising drives ended when Milton was sacked on third-and-10 from the Eagles' 46-yard line.
His late throw to Hollywood Brown along the left sideline while backed up against his own end zone was also pretty, but the defense seemed content to allow those completions with fewer than two minutes remaining in the game.
Worst throws: An underthrown deep ball and several misses
Facing third-and-nine with just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter, Milton went deep to Darius Cooper and drew a pass-interference penalty that set up Saquon Barkley's touchdown run. Milton's pass eventually led to Philadelphia's lone TD, but it was underthrown, forcing Cooper to fight back toward the ball. Fortunately, the defender failed to locate the ball and crashed into the Eagles receiver.
Even so, a little more air under the ball from that rocket arm we talk about could have let Cooper run under it for an easy touchdown. Other throws missed the mark. Some of them are hard to place fully on Milton's lap, as he was constantly under duress and had no time to set his base and deliver the football. See a third-and-two toss to no one in particular at the 14:28 mark if you need evidence of that.
Accuracy and ball location: D
Joe Milton completed just 52.9% of his passes, and his 169 passing yards reflected an afternoon without much consistency through the air. Several of his attempts lacked the accuracy needed to keep drives moving. The connection with Lemon showed what was possible, but there weren't enough quality throws to offset the misses.
Again, it's hard to be critical here because he rarely set up to throw and fully trusted his mechanics. Still, this is the NFL, and it's a results-driven business. The results simply weren't good enough to warrant more than a below-average grade.
Vision and dissection: D
Milton struggled to consistently find answers against the Giants' coverage, and the protection issues made it hard to work through his progressions. The seven sacks also limited his opportunities to develop a rhythm and survey the field.
Some of those sacks were on him, though. He just couldn't identify free blitzers or where the rush was coming from. His completions to Lemon and Cooper offered glimpses of his ability to find open looks, but his overall passing production was too limited and deserves a below-average grade.
Intangibles and off-script plays: B-
Milton's mobility was one of the more encouraging parts of his performance. He rushed for 64 yards, including a 17-yard gain on third-and-6, and showed an ability to create something when the pocket broke down.
He brought a different element to the offense, even if those scrambles couldn't compensate for the problems elsewhere. His willingness to keep competing through a difficult afternoon deserves credit. The offense, as a whole, deserves blame, because he spent so much of his day playing from a place of desperation.
Decision-making: D-
Losing the ball on the sack-forced fumble was a costly mistake, particularly because Arvell Reese came through untouched and Milton never saw him coming. Milton needs to do a better job recognizing pressure and helping the offensive line get on the same page. He acknowledged after the game that he needed to improve protection communication.
Not every sack or breakdown was his responsibility, but the quarterback has an important role in identifying those situations before the snap. He missed some throws. That's to be expected because he hasn't been on the team long, so we'll see if he improves during Philadelphia's final eight games.
Leadership: C
Milton took responsibility for the protection issues and spoke positively about the communication and support he received from his teammates. He also recognized that the offense needed to clean up several things rather than dwell on the defeat. It was an encouraging response from a quarterback in an unfamiliar situation, though his first start didn't provide enough evidence to assess his command of the offense more strongly.
Overall grade: D
So, in the end, starting Milton wasn't the solution, but that isn't totally his fault. One could argue that this team is so poorly coached that it may not matter who the starting quarterback is.
The Eagles are in a state of flux, and sure, that was the case before Milton's arrival. The protection breakdowns were persistent, the running game struggled, and the overall offensive operation gave him little room for error.
His mobility and a few connections with Lemon offered something to build on, but the accuracy issues, lost fumble, and seven sacks made this a difficult debut. Milton showed enough athletic ability to warrant further evaluation, but he'll need to be considerably more consistent if he's going to give the Eagles any chance to salvage anything. Turning this around seems a lost cause regardless of who the starting quarterback is.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Joe Milton grades: Mobility cannot offset mistakes in first Eagles start
