• March 19, 2024

Eagles Found A Way To Win, But…….

You’ve got to give the Eagles defense most of the credit for the win, especially cornerback Ronald Darby for the interception and kicker Jake Elliot for the great kick.  The Birds pulled out a 13-10 win over the Oakland Raiders on Monday night in front of the nation, but it wasn’t an impressive performance by the Eagles.

They did clinch home field advantage throughout the playoffs with the win, but they know they will need to play better in order to win in the playoffs.

I don’t see how anyone can be confident about this team getting the job done in the playoffs after such a lackluster effort against the Raiders.   I will give them credit for finding a way to win the game, but how can you feel confident about this team in the playoffs, when you know they’re going to face Super Bowl tested teams like the Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks or Atlanta Falcons.  We could also be in a situation where we will need to beat good football teams like the New Orleans Saints tor Minnesota Vikings.

The Eagles offense had only two first downs in the second half.  They were two for 14 on third downs in the game.  That isn’t winning football, so they know they will need to make improvements.

I’m not surprised the Eagles starting quarterback Nick Foles and the offense struggled against the Raiders.  Foles has been told to take care of the football and stay away from turnovers.  He’s not getting the ball out of his hands quickly unless he sees somebody clearly open. It’s going to take some time for him to throw the football to Alshon Jeffery despite the fact that he has a defender climbing all over him.   Jeffery does have the ability to go up and take the football away from the defender, but Foles doesn’t feel comfortable making that throw because he’s supposed to stay away from turnovers. Foles targeted tight end Zach Ertz 14 times in the game.  Ertz made nine catches for 81 yards.

Jeffery isn’t the kind of receiver, who gets clear separation from the defensive back, so Nick will need to make get enough confidence in him in order to get the ball to him more often.

Foles said he didn’t think the team executed well enough on third downs and it prevented them from staying on the field.   The Birds quarterback said they need to make some serious improvements in order to make the offense more productive.  He said he will be watching the tape of the game tomorrow and finding out what he needs to do to play better.

Foles said he was high on a couple of throws to Ertz which should and could have been touchdown throws.

Foles was 19 of 38 for 163 yards with one touchdown and one interception for a 59.4 quarterback rating.

The Eagles defense was the difference in the game.  They’re the main reason the Birds won the football game.  They were especially effective in the second half of the game.

In the second half of the game on Monday night, Oakland got the football five times on their 41 yard line or in better position.  On those possessions, the Eagles defense held the Raiders to zero points by picking off two passes, forcing a fumble, forcing a punt and forcing a missed field goal. That was true championship football.

Numerous defensive players made big plays at the end in order for the Birds to get the win.  Malcolm Jenkins made a great play by pulling a ball loose with the Raiders in position to kick the game winning field goal.

Vinny Curry had a great pass rush on the Darby interception.  He got pressure in the face of Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.  It obstructed his vision and was one of the causes of the interception.

Eagles defensive end Chris Long got the lone sack for the Birds defense and he made a number of big plays with his pass rush pressure on Carr.

Eagles cornerback Patrick Robinson made a big interception and a good return.  Robinson has made some huge plays for this team this year.  He’s played well at both the slot back and cornerback positions.

On the negative side, Eagles cornerback Jalen Mills got caught looking in the backfield and not at the receiver he was covering and gave up a long Carr touchdown 63-yard TD pass to Amari Cooper.  This is the second week in a row that Mills has been beaten badly because he foolishly got caught looking in the backfield and not at the receiver he was covering.  It’s unacceptable to do that.

He’s letting down all his teammates, by trying to get an interception and risking an easy touchdown.  They should have a long talk with him about the selfishness in that decision to risk a touchdown in going for an interception.

GCOBB

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Everz11
Everz11
December 26, 2017 12:34 am

Yuck. I didn’t like the defense the last several weeks and i guess they were better”ish”. They were able to force a couple turnovers, but were still bailed out by a missed FG, a bomb into triple coverage where one raider out-played our 3 defenders and came down with the ball, and again, another bad team and QB. I just still don’t feel like this defense can take away what the opponent wants to do and dictate to an offense. Tonight though, man was this offense bad. They better play the starters vs. Dallas and hope to iron some of this mess out. I’d hate to see 14-2, or 13-3, with home field throughout and be one and done- not a lot going on right now to inspire confidence against play-off caliber teams.

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
December 26, 2017 2:04 am

I have to say I have a bad taste in my mouth….not from the Eagles, but from the fans.

I was at the game with my son tonight (first game), and just really couldn’t believe the negativity.

Boos were raining down all second half….the people behind me complained about ever single play….if the ru didn’t work, they should have thrown, if it was inc they should have run.

Was unbelievable.

And the boos?

Jeezus man….no Wentz, no Peters, no Sproles, No Hicks….and the team is still IN FIRST PLACE!,,

I don’t give a shit if the team is (rightfully) struggling. The boos are COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE right now.

Loved the gritty win…..really disappointed in the fans.

CT
CT
December 26, 2017 2:16 am

That’s sad vinnie

It’s not every day you play on Christmas in 19 degree weather with 15-20 mph winds

The WRs couldn’t get open. Had some bad drops today by nelson, Jeffry and ertz.

Foles missed some guys and looked hesitant to throw the ball scramble
He could have picked up 1-2 first downs easy running. I know he’s not wentz but damn!!

Missed fg hurt us, because that was the same drive ertz dropped a tD

Foles should get better. He has to play agaisnt cowboys for atleast a half or quarter

patrik411
patrik411
December 26, 2017 3:18 pm

The booing was unacceptable but this why we are nicknamed negadelphia, I dont go the games , my wallet is thinner than a cup of jailhouse gravy , but I know you can feel the fear from the fans,F oles is in ,a tough spot ,and the fans are not much help to the Eagle cause . Real tough losing the Q.B. what a dfference maker he was, TRuly believe Eagles could have won the super bowl with Wentz . still can, but it will take a lot of mistake free football, Sometimes I think the fans in negadelphia cant wait to give out their drunken boos, SAD Sad

mhenski
mhenski
December 26, 2017 3:45 pm
Reply to  patrik411

lmfao its a fans right to boo shit performance. i love you guys saying ohhhhhhhhh dont boooooooo we are in the middle of a game and 12-2 and blah blah blah

dudes its christmas day

at home

we were a huge favorite

the performance on offense was absolute shit.

foles was pure garbage

#1 wr invisible

coach inexplicably refused to run

pass pass pass to open the game

it was an inexcusable performance and game plan.

fans are smart enough to see A. the game plan was trash. B. the performance was trash C. coach not adjusting

fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck that dont complain. that was embarrassing and unacceptable

mhenski
mhenski
December 26, 2017 3:50 pm
Reply to  mhenski

maybe in canada and whack ass transient cities in usa that dont give a fuck about their teams that performance would be unacceptable but not here not never

we aint cheerleaders. we fans, we want players to not look like they in highschool and want coaches that realizes their strengths and limitations and call a game accordingly

sorry you traveled all this way for a shit performance and the nostalgia of philly or the vacationer in you made you wanna be all rah rah rah and now u whining saying the fans just werent nice to the players STOP. we played a trash team and looked every bit if not more trash offensively. UNACCEPTABLE. This needed to be a statement game for foles and the offense in the final game before the playoffs. now we got a meaningless week 17 game thats gonna be treated like a preseason game so we gonna have like 3 weeks off coming off an embarrassing showing. not good

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 26, 2017 4:23 pm
Reply to  mhenski

Every real fan base boos…. shut up about Negadelphia, that is pure lazy criticism

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
December 26, 2017 11:49 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

“Every fan base boos”

Bs. Not at any rate close to how quickly a significant portion of Eagles fans bails on their team. I have been to games in over 20 nfl stadiums. Multiple times in many cases….

No f-ing way do other fan bases, with a 12-2 team, missing as many starters, including the q.q, and playing for the #1 seed in horrible conditions rain boos down in the first half of a tie game.

There is no excuse for that. It’s pathetic. Every other fan base would see that position as a time to “rally” not bitch and moan about every single play.

I think it’s pathetic that there are so many clueless idiots out there that immediately roll with the boos the moment the Eagles aren’t winning 30-3 with 3 mins to go.

No consideration of the situation, the roster, the weather, anything….just Booooooo! Because the Birds are doing well offensively in freezing temps and 30mph winds.

It may be their “right” but it’s pathetic.

And BTW Mhenski…it wasn’t a terrible performance. It was a gritty, hard fought win in horrible conditions.

Listening to the idiots on WIP driving out, you’d think the Eagles had lost by 48.

Sat night in the cold the Minnesota offence looked terrible…they only

mhenski
mhenski
December 27, 2017 10:14 am

A. not at any rate? Where do you get your information to make this assessment? From TV if you can hear the booos or not? or you are that well traveled that you have had the chance to go see multiple teams in their home stadium, multiple times, and heard them get booed when they played like shit?

B. Booing is not bailing on your damn team!!!!!!!!!!! its saying we love our team but you’re playing like ass!!!!!!!!!

C. Foles and Pederson were booed. 1 played like ass and deserved it for god awful play. shit regular non philly fans were booing that slop

D. The winds were not any where close to 30 MPH, they were steady 10-15 mph with minimal to no gusts

E. NO the offense wasnt gritty AT ALL. Its what they shouldve done, and what every fan wanted. POUND THE GOD DAMN ROCK but noooooooooooo our coach had a 3 hour long brain fart and kept throwing throwing throwing with a patch work left side of the O Line and a backup qb. and when they came out with throw throw throw and couldnt they didnt adjust. BOO THE SHIT OUT OF THAT. Every play was shotgun WTF. In the cold with blount and ajayi POUND IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! COMMON FING SENSE.

F. Back to weather it wasnt horrible conditions. It was cold. big deal. no rain, no snow, no wind impact. COLD STOP

G. “Listening to the idiots on WIP driving out, you’d think the Eagles had lost by 48”. fair point for sure. WIP and fanatic is nothing but troll hosts and kicking and screaming fans. I beat that addiction a few years back and dont listen at all anymore. too awful and dumb

my final thoughts if i paid $200/seat and another $100 in beer and food to watch that shit on christmas night i wouldve booed to. Doug and Foles were embarrassing.

if thats your opinion so be it but at the end of the day fans arent robots. they celebrate good, say minimal for average, and boo shit. its human nature. they aint cheering that offense on monday ever, no city, no fan, no team is celebrating or cheerleading for that offensive showing after a quarter and a half of pure feces

deserteagle
deserteagle
December 26, 2017 9:53 am

I understand that the obvious loss of a league m.v.p.at the helm will have domino effects ..leadership is earned ,and not inherited.The elements had an effect last night,as did the coaches. . a qb hesitant, and clearly inadequate ,a defense, again porous on the back end..all give us pause..this team has lost its mojo..after 3 straight road games and a p I ss poor home game for the whole league to see,the defense saved the game ,and secured its place in its quest to achieve greater goals..its too easy to find the obvious reasons why theyve been exposed. .in my estimate, this now falls 99% on the coaches to recalibrate this team,and play to its strengths. .im not assuming it will be easy,but im content @13-2 and still think a team that hasnt lost at home can reinvent its identity. I see it more as an identity issue than anything else

patrik411
patrik411
December 26, 2017 3:20 pm
Reply to  deserteagle

nice well thought post

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 26, 2017 1:14 pm

13-2 home field throughout, questions about coach have been answered emphatically, young stud qb, good young players signed through at least next season, Barnett your first rounder is a real good player, Jones will be like adding another first rounder, Douglass looks like he will be a player…Merry Christmas and stop saying…they won BUT…..

deserteagle
deserteagle
December 26, 2017 7:43 pm

A few factoids. I attended the Rams game and boorish drunks ,are a common problem throughout the league. fueled by booze..on xmas night in fridgid wintery conditions, watching that slop ,was a predictable, tempest..im only surprised vin,that you seem shocked by it..you add in the enormity of a home field path to the superbowl..its should be a bunch of crazed deprived fans..nothing less..i heard all pressers and if nick doesnt have a future taking snaps ,he could opt for politics. .what a bunch of bs. .vegas has the birds at 5-1 after the ram game 8-1 after the giants and now 15-1 even after clinching home field. Tells you slot more succinctly than nick..

CT
CT
December 26, 2017 7:48 pm
Reply to  deserteagle

People are always going Too overreact and act dramatic as fans. It’s in our nature.

Not all however.

Cam Newton had a very similar game agaisnt the Tampa bay Bucs and still won.

These cold weather, windy night games are insane and I didn’t expect us to drop 30. It’s harder to play offense in those conditions then defense

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
December 27, 2017 12:02 am
Reply to  CT

Minnys offence was pretty terrible in the freezing cold against a terrible GB d, despite Hundly gifting them the ball.

You think their fan base does not recognize the effect of the weather on an offence?

There are only 2 legit complaints about Mondays game:

1 Pederson did not seem to take the weather and game situation (a tie) and should have had a 2 to 1 run to pass ratio, not the other way around

To wit, this game reminded me so much of another game years ago against Jax where the wind was howling and Reid called about 4-1 passes and Eagles lost 10-3 or something like that.

2: About 1/3 of Eagle fans with a very pathetic performance themselves.

Lastly,

Despite horrendous conditions Foles ran 2 two min drills.

In the first he went 7 of 11 to get down to the 15 and a short fog attempt.

In the second 4 of 5 to move into fog range for the winning kick.

When it counted……btw…that final pass with 25secs to go should have been a run!

deserteagle
deserteagle
December 27, 2017 8:46 am

Not for nothing Vin,but i think youve reiterated,my point.Coach needs to morph this offense to fit nicks strengths,and not assume that players morph into systems.When in a quick release offense ,nick seems much more comfortable. Receivers routes,need br shortened, and left side protection, which was as much an issue,might be minimal. Run the ball ,and soften the pass rush..nobody is confusing Nick with Wentz and his escapability,lets structure the offense to fit Nick,and not the other way around. .if we have 3 tightends,lets utilize them more..This game was an absolute perfect template for the coaches. We,are 13-2 ,we have 4 conceivable weeks to get this right..im confident that Nick and Pederson will be able to discern,the same thing..

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
December 27, 2017 10:14 am
Reply to  deserteagle

There is a distinct possibility, that with a weaker opponent, and really 3 chances to clinch (Oak, Dall who will quit, and Minny resting next week) that Pederson was just using the game as a test. “Let’s see what Foles can do in these situations/conditions”.

Something Bellicheat would do, Last 2 games.as a big Nick Foles test/learning situation.

mhenski
mhenski
December 27, 2017 10:18 am

id be stunned if nick played anymore than 1 qtr to 1 half.

at the end of the day this is all icing on the cake to me. i thought the eagles would be a 7-9 win team but show tremendous growth. they slayed that expectation and got home field throughout. wentz looks every bit of a mvp qb and wouldve finished in top 3 for mvp if not for that injury (he still may though…) so if we lose that playoff game or win to me its irrelevant this season was a major success

deserteagle
deserteagle
December 27, 2017 10:42 am
Reply to  mhenski

Mhenski. Not even on my radar,is,being satisfied with having exceeded expectations. .this leads to designs for mediocrity. Every game at home is and should be winnable. Dome teams in philly and a California team are in all likelihood standing in our path..a major success,is taking a #1 seed and capitalizing upon it.

mhenski
mhenski
December 27, 2017 10:38 am

bellicheck any testing out theories in game situations. he implements his gameplan to win and rolls with and dont adjust until he has too. never in my life seen bellicheck tinker and test hypothesis. he wouldve smashed blount and ajayi all night long and imposed his will unless or until the results were complete trash for a half or so

deserteagle
deserteagle
December 27, 2017 11:30 am
Reply to  mhenski

Mhenski..I think we are all missing the obvious.In the Ram game nick was special, he tosses on the 3rd road game ,4 tds ,albeit against the giants (lowercase).Defense was the culprit,best concerns were given to schwartz to tinker…Pederson,took a b9dy blow monday n8ght.For the first time he realizes,how succint the” foles gold ” can show up..Hes aware his r9utes need be quickened.Timing and thus changing it are very complex.Will coach,knowing adjusted game plans take time..He has 2 bye weeks,i think hell be coy,until then,to implement, m9re of an AR scheme,to hasten nicks release. .Theyre not surveying deep routes. No time,and escaping to make a play left and is sitting upstairs freezing. Can somebody get my man,more than a pad and pencil anf 10cent popcorn..lmao and the girl above has a fidshbowl in front of her. And while we4e at it..put the heat on for 11…

eagles0superbowls
eagles0superbowls
December 27, 2017 11:20 am

Eagles deserved to be booed against Raiders- their offense was horrible.
Eliot missing a 2 minute warning easy FG.
Lane Johnson OL penalties.
Agholor dropping first downs.
Kelce with the horrible shot gun snaps.
Foles missing multiple players for TDs (wide open).
Ajayi fumbling again.

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 27, 2017 11:28 am

Lots of banter about nothing. Folks we are 13-2. Lots of games end up being slop. As for the complaints of where was the running game… we e heard that before from you guys. Teams are gonna load up and make Foles beat them. If they stack the box then Pederson will throw the ball as would any coach in the league. A sloppy win in many ways is a beautiful win.

CT
CT
December 27, 2017 4:46 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

Nick Foles is 17-4 last 21 starts in philly.

That’s if u include the game he got hurt in (Houston Texans 2013) and the rams game 2 weeks ago considering he made the GW throws.

I know he didn’t start the ram game, but he finished it.

He is 9-0 in Lincoln financial field. No way he doesn’t play better with another week of reps under his belt against dallas and a bye week with the starters.

GET THE GOOSIES AND BAD GAMES OUT OF THE WAY. That’s why I’m happy
The raiders game went down the way it did.

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 27, 2017 5:16 pm
Reply to  CT

Ct agreed. The way I see it, they are 2-0 with a backup and I believe they were down when foles entered the ram game. They are in about as good of hands as they can be.

CT
CT
December 27, 2017 6:12 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

They were also down when he came into the Giants game.

Foles has played a lot of football and has been in a lot of big games. He beat the dallas cowboys to get into the playoffs in 2013, and put us on top of the saints the following week in the playoffs at the end of the game. The saints won but Foles had us in position to win but the defense and special folded.

He is experienced and has seen it all before. Teams are going to stack the box and force this man to beat them every single week now. He has to prove he can do
It which will allow that running game to get loose.

Can he do it? At home? With all
These weapons and oline? Damn straight. The oline and running game is gonna need to step now more ever with teams focused on it now

And for the love of God. Start MACK 10

eagles0superbowls
eagles0superbowls
December 28, 2017 9:11 am

just noticed no Thursday, Saturday, Sunday Night or Monday Night NFL games this week ( 17) Just Sunday day games. NFC last playoff spot come down between Atlanta or Seattle. Who would the Eagles rather play if they can defeat the #3 seed ? The defending NFC champion ( Atlanta) or a team that beat them this year ( Seattle ) I think I would like to see Atlanta. Eagles had too much trouble trying to block Frank Clark, I think I would like to see the Eagles avoid Frank Clark in the playoffs.