Philadelphia Eagles: Studs and duds vs. Packers in Week 4

Dud: Derek Barnett

I don’t care that he had a sack-fumble. I don’t care that he had four total tackles and two total quarterback hits. Derek Barnett is a dud for the way that he played against Green Bay.

On the Packers’ first drive, it was Barnett that came flying in right at the whistle and delivered a dirty, helmet-to-helmet hit on Jamaal Williams that sent the Packers running back out on a stretcher. Somehow, Barnett wasn’t ejected for that and was head-hunting later in the first half down the field, trying to reign down on a Packers wide receiver.

Aggressiveness is necessary to play in the NFL. Recklessness and dangerousness are not. Barnett fell into the latter category on Thursday night and it was disappointing and frustrating to see from a talented player.

Stud: Rasul Douglas

The Eagles secondary was under the microscope entering this game and, for his part, Rasul Douglas answered the call. He was the only player on Philadelphia’s defense that could do anything against Davante Adams and was impressive with his physical coverage up at the line. Douglas is proving again to be a young bright spot in a unit that otherwise needs to be overhauled.

Speaking of…

Dud: The rest of the Eagles secondary

Prior to his injury, Sidney Jones looked like he didn’t deserve to be in the NFL, particularly when covering Davante Adams. And though Craig James did have a few moments, he wasn’t good enough to deserve not being lumped into this group.

Yes, this group is riddled with injury as Ronald Darby didn’t play on Thursday and both Jones and Avonte Maddox left the game. However, it’s frustrating to watch a clearly talented overall defense be undone by the fact that they can’t cover anyone consistently on the back end.