Goedert breaks out after patient start to 2023 season

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Dallas Goedert found a way to put it all into perspective.

Sure, the first four games didn’t go exactly as he planned from a personal standpoint. His favorite thing to do on a football field is to catch passes and run with the football in his hands.

And he didn’t get to do a ton of that in the first four games.

But the Eagles were undefeated, he was blocking his butt off and he was still able to suit up every game day.

“Every time I walk onto the field, I just thank God that I’m able to play this game,” Goedert said. “It’s a blessing to be here. That’s what it is for me. I don’t want to complain and do all this stuff. It’s a blessing to be out there. I don’t take anything for granted. I’m just thankful that I get to play with a group of amazing guys.”

All that patience finally paid off on Sunday in Southern California.

Because Goedert had himself a breakout game.

The Eagles’ No. 1 tight end caught 8 passes on 9 targets for 117 yards and scored his first touchdown of the season in the Eagles’ 23-14 win over the Rams to improve to 5-0 on the season.

That came after he had just 13 catches for 88 yards coming into Sunday.

“Obviously, I’m always ready for my opportunities when they come,” Goedert said. “When they do, I try to make the most of them. I got more opportunities today than I usually do. [Jalen Hurts] was doing a good job of giving me space to run. I was able to make the most of my opportunities. That’s what I always want to do.”

The Eagles didn’t waste any time getting Goedert involved early on Sunday. The second pass of the game went to Goedert for a 12-yard gain, the third went to him for a pickup of 19.

Goedert said from his first catch, he knew he had a chance to have a big game.

“That just kind of got my juices flowing,” he said. “I figured whatever opportunity I got from there, I was going to make it happen.”

On that opening drive, Goedert caught 4 catches for 45 yards and capped the drive with a 6-yard touchdown catch from Hurts. Eventually, he finished with 117 yards receiving, the second-biggest game of his NFL career, behind just his 135-yard performance against the Commanders in 2021.

This was Goedert’s fifth-career 100-yard game.

What really stood out about this performance from Goedert on Sunday was his yards after the catch. YAC has always been a big part of Goedert’s game but he hadn’t had many opportunities to pick up yards in chunks this season before the Rams game.

“My back wasn’t against the defense the whole time,” Goedert said. “I was able to catch some running down the field, running across the field, where I had momentum. It’s harder for the defense to close fast when you’re running full speed. It gives you a little bit more time to be able to make a move on somebody.”

The Eagles are never shy about saying their passing offense runs through three players: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Goedert. Brown had another huge game with 127 receiving yards and it was Smith who had the quiet afternoon with just one catch for 6 yards.

None of those three are ever going to be thrilled when they have a down game or when the ball isn’t coming their way. But there’s a big enough sample size to show all of them that their big game is going to come.

It just so happened that it was Brown and Goedert who went off on Sunday.

“It meant a lot just to see [Goedert] get going early,” Brown said. “He gave us momentum early. When he was breaking tackles, that’s huge. He gave us the momentum and he just kept going. Jalen kept finding him. That’s the one thing about Jalen. If you got the hot hand, he’s going to feed you.”

When asked if this could be a jumping off point for him in the passing game, Goedert didn’t lie. He said he wasn’t sure.

Because that’s not really how this all works.

Maybe Goedert will have a big game again next week. But maybe defenses will work to take him away, which could lead to opportunities for Brown or Smith. Therein lies the beauty of the Eagles’ offense.

And Goedert understands that as well as anyone.

“We have a really special offense,” Goedert said. “We can run the ball, we have really great running backs, we have great receivers on the outside. You just gotta be ready for your opportunities when they come. Because it’s tough not to throw A.J. the ball when he’s 1-on-1, it’s tough not to throw Smitty the ball when he’s 1-on-1.

"You just gotta be patient and make the most of the opportunities you get.”

Subscribe to Eagle Eye anywhere you get your podcasts: 
Apple Podcasts | YouTube Music | Spotify | Stitcher | Simplecast | RSS | Watch on YouTube