Section 215
Fansided

Eagles Armchair: Bitter and Searching For an Answer

By Tucker Bagley

facebooktwitterreddit

The most comprehensive weekly look at the Philadelphia Eagles on the internet. 

WALK THROUGH

Yesterday represented the 2015 Philadelphia Eagles campaign in just 60 minutes of football. Dominance early, but an inability to get out of their own way eventually led to an Eagle loss. But the Eagles didn’t just lose the game, they also lost their quarterback.

Sam Bradford left the game in the third quarter with a concussion and a shoulder injury, and was forced to watch from the locker room as Mark Sanchez marched the Eagles offense down the field, only to throw a red-zone interception, erasing at least three points and a potential lead off the board.

But at the heart of the loss, the Eagles players knew that it was a game they should have won.

“It stings bad,” said Brent Celek. “You can’t lose games like this, especially how we came out and then kind of fell off for a few quarters. We were just making too many mistakes and killing ourselves. You can’t do that in this league and expect to win games. It doesn’t matter who you are playing.”

Celek was the focal point of an offense that put up 14 points on its first two drives, but only managed three points in the final 50 minutes of the game. In fact, him and Zach Ertz combined for 11 catches and 204 receiving yards. But on the ground, the Eagles were unable to make any headway against a unit that was ranked 31st against the run before yesterday.

“You can’t just come in and expect anything,” DeMarco Murray said. “This is the NFL. They have great players on their side. We just have to come and put in the work to continue to get better. They obviously played better than us today.”

But a look at the stat sheet shows the Eagles outplayed the Dolphins in every statistical category except the one that matters, points.

“It’s a frustrating loss because it’s obvious to a lot of people that we did things on our own to lose the game,” Malcolm Jenkins explained. “We’re at home and we have the advantage, and we had control of the game for the most part. Then all of the sudden, we started doing things to give it to the Dolphins.

“They’re a team that did a good job of not making mistakes themselves, and that kept them in the game. They didn’t turn the ball over, and they made a big play on special teams that put them back in the game. They basically just sat back and watched us mess it up. That’s the frustrating part.”

There were a lot of blank stares on the faces of many Eagles players after the game. Some worried about the health of their quarterback, while others were angry about another game that slipped through their fingers.

The talent is there, but there is something missing and until Kelly and company can find that missing ingredient, they will continue to be an inconsistent team that is unable to capitalize on the fact they play in the weakest division in football.

Until then, frustration will reign.

INJURY REPORT

Did Not Play – Josh Andrews, Jerome Couplin, Jason Peters

Sam Bradford – In a scene that seemed eerily similar to Nick Foles‘s injury last season, Bradford left the game with an injury to his left shoulder in the third quarter. Bradford’s x-rays came back negative and it was announced he also suffered a concussion. Les Bowen reported Bradford’s shoulder injury was a Grade II AC joint separation. According to the internet a Grade II injury involves  “a partial dislocation of the joint. This may not be easy to see. The AC ligament is completely torn. The nearby coracoclavicular ligaments are not, however.” Healing time can be anywhere from a few days to 12 weeks.

More from Section 215

However, at this point, the concussion may be more of a cause for concern. Considering the Eagles play on Thanksgiving, if Bradford is out next week against Tampa Bay, there is a good shot he will miss the game against the Lions too.

Ryan Mathews – Around the same time Bradford got hurt, Mathews was sent to the locker room for a concussion and never returned. Before his injury, Mathews had his worst game as an Eagle, rushing for just 18 yards on eight carries. At this point, the Eagles better hope Mathews gets better soon, because if Sanchez is forced to play the next few weeks, the running game has to get back on track.

Jordan Matthews – Matthews’s injury was a scary moment as he stayed down on the ground after an errant throw from Sanchez led him directly into a huge hit. Luckily for the Eagles, Matthews just had the wind knocked out of him and was able to return to the game. Considering Eagles’ wide receivers combined for just 79 receiving yards on 17 targets, Matthews missing time would be detrimental to Kelly’s offense.

MEASURABLES

22 – It has been 22 days since a Philadelphia team has won at home. Since the Flyers beat the New York Rangers on October 24, the Sixers have gone 0-5, the Flyers have dropped four games and the Eagles are 0-1. That’s impressive. It isn’t good, but it sure is impressive.

8 – Before yesterday, the Eagles were 8-0 under Kelly when scoring 10 points in the first quarter. Yesterday they lost after scoring 16 points in the first ten minutes of the game. I have always been fascinated by the Eagles’ success when they are able to dictate the pace in the first quarter. The main focus of Kelly’s offense is to tire defenses out so the offense has a big advantage during crunch time, so if they are successful against a well-rested unit, it is usually game over. But not yesterday.

2.85 – In his last five games, Murray has averaged 24.6 touches per game. Obviously, it isn’t close usage he had last year in Dallas, but it is 2.85 more touches per game than LeSean McCoy averaged in the final 12 games of 2014. Much was made about the Eagles addition of two running backs in hopes of lightening the workload for the both of them, but with Mathews injured and Sproles struggling, Murray won’t be getting any extra breathers anytime soon.

SECTION 140

Seriously, it had been four weeks since the Eagles have played a game that wasn’t in prime-time.  With all the headlines Kelly made in the off-season, it is obvious people wanted to watch the Eagles, but it sure makes my job a heck of a lot easier when I can start writing at 4:00 p.m. and not 1:00 a.m.

 This was a common trend during the Andy Reid era and Bradford had trouble throwing to the sticks last week, but Sanchez’s last throw was especially bad. Yes, there was pressure in his face, but to throw the ball five yards on fourth and 10 is inexcusable.

Zebra Watch made the Eagles game much more bearable. Also, a referee pun would fit here nicely, because, you know, stripes.

WEEKLY AWARDS

The “Remember Me?” Award – Brent Celek

Celek absolutely exploded yesterday for 134 yards on just four catches. Leading up to the game, he had just 71 yards all season and sat in the shadows of Ertz, but he reminded everyone what a good receiver he has been in his career, ripping off 60 yards on the Eagles first play from scrimmage. The Eagles have had a lot of success running two tight end sets this season, and considering the struggles the wide receivers have endured, there are enough targets to satisfy both tight ends.

The Winston Justice Memorial Award For Blocking Impotence – Jason Kelce and Dennis Kelly

Kelce’s struggles this year have been shocking as we’ve watched him regress from Pro Bowl center to a guy who Ndamukong Suh turned into his personal whipping boy yesterday. Kelce said after the game it was the worst game he’s ever played, but this was more of a trend than a blip. Yes, he is playing next to two new guards, but his inability to consistently pass block or pull in the run game is scary.

As for Kelly, he played well last week against Dallas, but struggled to protect Bradford yesterday, allowing the fateful sack that sent the quarterback to the locker room for x-rays. Kelly is a leftover from the Reid days and it is odd that Chip Kelly has yet to give up on Dennis Kelly. Unless he is the coach’s nephew or something. I mean, considering how little we know about the coach, would that even be surprising?

NO HUDDLE

  • The Eagles really wasted a great performance by their defense. Bill Davis‘ unit sacked Tannehill four times and held Lamar Miller to just 43 yards on 16 carries. Of the Dolphins 20 points, seven came directly from the blocked punt and the other seven came off of a tipped pass that floated in the air for what seemed like an eternity before calmly landing in the lap of Jarvis Landry. The Eagles defense allowed less than 300 yards, but the one drawback from their performance may have been their inability to force a turnover.
  • What does Miles Austin offer the Eagles? In training camp, I wondered why Kelly signed him, noting his roster spot could be occupied by a young, developmental receiver. Now, through nine games, Austin is not only wasting a roster spot, but also targets from Eagles quarterbacks. Austin has been targeted 24 times, but has caught just 12 of those balls. He was targeted four times yesterday, but failed to make one catch. Hopefully Nelson Agholor can supplant him as a starter on the outside and Austin can be nothing more than a depth player and a veteran presence in the locker room.
  • Speaking of veteran presence in the locker room, the Eagles need a leader to step up and take charge of this roster. The team has a lot of veterans on the roster, but all of them are the “lead by example” type of player Kelly has shown a preference for. With all of the turnover on the roster, there doesn’t seem to be that bond between the players who have known each other for less than nine months. The stars seem disinterested in becoming a leader and if someone doesn’t take control, the locker room will fall apart.
  • For the third time this season, a missed kick by the Eagles was the difference on the scoreboard. But anyone who claims they are four missed kicks away from being 7-2 and running away with the NFC East is kidding themselves. Good teams are able to overcome missed kicks and other obstacles to win games consistently. The Eagles have not been able to do that in 2015.

WHO’S NEXT

The Eagles get to stay home for another week and will host the Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon at 1:00. Jameis Winston and company are coming off a last-second win over the Cowboys and have won three of their last five games to improve their record to 4-5. A rejuvenated Doug Martin leads a Tampa Bay rushing attack that has averaged 4.5 yards per carry.

Winston has thrown nine interceptions this year, but he has thrown five touchdowns to just two picks in the last five games.

Defensively, the Bucs have allowed 19 passing touchdowns and 30 or more points in five of their 10 games, which is good news for the Eagles offense, although they struggled against a sub-par Dolphins defense yesterday.

It’s possible the Eagles defense are able to stifle Winston and the offense runs all over the Bucs in a big win.

Next: Five Big Picture Takeaways From Eagles' Loss to Dolphins

It’s also possible the Eagles get torched on both sides of the ball and get sent to Detroit with their tails between their legs. At this point nothing would surprise me.

Home/Philadelphia Eagles