Notes on Nick: Eagles are unable to put away Rams until the final minute

Oct 5, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) and St. Louis Rams quarterback Austin Davis (9) gather on the field after game at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Rams, 34-28. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Midway through the third quarter,after the Eagles scored a touchdown to go up 34-7, the game seemed as good as over. In fact, I was listening to the radio call by Merrill Reese, who essentially declared the game to be over. He said that for the first time all season, the Eagles wouldn’t be involved in a “nail biter.”

As we know, he was half correct. The deficit was indeed too much for the Rams to overcome, but the game ended up being another close contest that came down to the very end.

A few notes from the Eagles’ much harder than necessary 34-28 victory over the St. Louis Rams:

Oct 5, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles free safety Chris Maragos (42) runs off the field after returning a blocked punt for a touchdown during the first quarter against the St. Louis Rams at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

It is such a refreshing change to have a special teams unit that not only isn’t a liability, but actually goes a long way towards helping them win games. This week’s big play was a blocked punt by James Casey which was returned for a touchdown by Chris Maragos. This was the third straight week the Eagles scored a touchdown on special teams.

The scoring plays aside, the special teams continue to help the Eagles with field position. It seems like they have at least one 30+ yard return per game. And if not for them downing Donnie Jones‘ fourth quarter punt at the six yard line, the Eagles might not have won this game.

This was LeSean McCoy‘s best performance of the season, but he still didn’t look quite like the Shady of 2013. He was still getting hit behind the line of scrimmage too often, and his fumble in the second quarter appeared to be a case of him trying to do too much.

While they were eventually able to establish a big lead, if the Eagles were able to convert on a couple of early red zone opportunities, this game could have been out of reach by half time. Instead, they had to settle for two short field goals.

Their scoring drive in the third quarter might have been the Eagles’ best drive of the season. McCoy was picking up big chunks of yardage, Sproles was doing damage, and Nick Foles threw a ball to his big receiver (Riley Cooper) who went up and got it. Too bad we didn’t see much more of this effective offense for the rest of the game.

After a season where he rarely turned it over, Foles continues to be careless with the football. His interception appeared to be a bad decision, and his fumble was completely avoidable had he just slid instead of tumbling forward. If the Eagles are going to be successful on offense, Foles needs to be more careful.

Oct 5, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; St. Louis Rams wide receiver Brian Quick (83) catches 5-yard touchdown pass against Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Cary Williams (26) during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Rams, 34-28. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

It’s frightening just how poorly the Eagles’ cornerbacks played in the fourth quarter. Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher made Rams receivers Brian Quick and Kenny Britt look like superstars. If Rams quarterback Austin Davis was a little more accurate, this might have been a Rams victory.

The defense seems to be way too dependent on turnovers. Too often this season, it feels like unless the Eagles are taking the ball away from the opponent, they’re giving up points.

It certainly wasn’t a pretty win. The offense still doesn’t seem to be in top form, and the defense’s flaws were on full display. Because of that, there are many reasons to be worried about the Eagles going forward. But in the end, they came away with yet another tough win.

I would prefer that the Eagles could play a complete game and give us a nice, easy victory. But barring that, I’ll take a narrow victory over a loss any day.

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