If your completely comfortable with the way the Eagles have gotten to 4-1 so far then this article isn't for you. I am not saying that I am unhappy with the Eagles who are atop of the NFC East, but in no way am I comfortable with where the team is considering the Dallas Cowboys are right with the Eagles at 4-1, as well as the Giants who have now won three straight to get to 3-2. Of course this is perfect timing as the Eagles take on the Giants next week on Sunday night football. The defense and special teams have been a sight for sore eyes the past three weeks. Scoring six touchdowns that are not from the offense in the past three match ups is a recipe for success, that is of course if the offense is doing their diligence as well which you can say as of late the Eagles are not doing.
The Eagles defeated the St. Louis Rams 34-28 in what was, but should not have been a close outing. After the Eagles got off to a rocking start, blocking a punt for a touchdown in the first 23 seconds of the game, it looked like the Eagles were going to finally handle a team without any trouble. That was not the case. Nick Foles threw for 207 yards on 24 completions of which two of them were touchdowns to Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper. Foles again was inconsistent with his footwork and decision making down field throwing a unnecessary interception down the middle of the field. He also got away with a few other risky lobs down the middle that were thrown off his back foot. Even though the Eagles offensive line held the Rams to 0 sacks, Foles did not look comfortable like most of this season. Is it safe to say Jason Kelce and Evan Mathis are two of the biggest pieces on this team? Another costly turnover from Foles almost gave the game away late in the second half. After scrambling for an 11 yard first down, instead of sliding on his feet ruling him down, Foles dove head first into the ground and fumbled the ball on his own. The Rams recovered and immediately scored on a Austin Davis to Brian Quick touchdown that put the Rams within two scores. Turnovers will be the life or the death of a team and for the Eagles, they got on the lucky end of the stick.
The defense was a force all game minus the end of the 4th quarter where they gave up 3 touchdowns. Connor Barwin had a pair of sacks as well as a pass deflection, Trent Cole had a strip sack, Vinny Curry had a sack again continuing to show why he needs to be on the field, and Brandon Graham had a strip tackle on Zac Stacy that end Cedric Thornton picked up and ran for the score. Thornton had two fumble recoveries including a 40 yard scamper that he nearly took to the house. Almost 2 touchdowns for a defensive end! Crazy. I have said this all along, I don't care how much Curry and Graham don't fit the traditional 3-4 scheme, just get these guys on the field. Curry is one of the most efficient pass rushers in the NFL with is limited reps according to Pro Football Focus. Together Graham and Curry have combined for 3 sacks and 3 forced fumbles in the limited work they have had, not to mention their 20 tackles between the two. Those may not look like flashy numbers, but if you go back and look at these two, all they do is make plays. The corner position continues to be an issue. Carry Williams and Bradley Fletcher were beaten bad by Kenny Britt and Brian Quick. It isn't the fact that both weren't there to make a play on the ball, it is that they simply didn't turn around. The lack of adjustment in the secondary makes me question the situation with Brandon Boykin who again saved the day with a last second pass breakup to end the Rams final drive. How much worse could Boykin and Carrol do on the outside? It is almost impossible to do worse than Williams and Fletcher have. The special teams continues it's historic run, Chris Maragos, James Casey, Trey Burton, and Darren Sproles have been absolutely huge signings for the team this year in that area.
At 4-1 things are looking good for the Eagles, but there is a lot of work to be done. With a huge prime time match up next week, expect the Eagles offense to come out swinging. I expect a wide variety of play calls by Chip Kelly to get McCoy and Sproles more involved in the offense. As of late it has been all Jeremy Maclin who is on pace to surpass Desean Jackson's career high numbers of last season. Maclin had 76 yards and another touchdown this week putting him already at 4 scores.
Is this team on the downfall and are getting plain lucky? Or is this a powerhouse with a boat load of talent that is finding ways to win and yet they just aren't clicking yet? Time will tell.
The Eagles defeated the St. Louis Rams 34-28 in what was, but should not have been a close outing. After the Eagles got off to a rocking start, blocking a punt for a touchdown in the first 23 seconds of the game, it looked like the Eagles were going to finally handle a team without any trouble. That was not the case. Nick Foles threw for 207 yards on 24 completions of which two of them were touchdowns to Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper. Foles again was inconsistent with his footwork and decision making down field throwing a unnecessary interception down the middle of the field. He also got away with a few other risky lobs down the middle that were thrown off his back foot. Even though the Eagles offensive line held the Rams to 0 sacks, Foles did not look comfortable like most of this season. Is it safe to say Jason Kelce and Evan Mathis are two of the biggest pieces on this team? Another costly turnover from Foles almost gave the game away late in the second half. After scrambling for an 11 yard first down, instead of sliding on his feet ruling him down, Foles dove head first into the ground and fumbled the ball on his own. The Rams recovered and immediately scored on a Austin Davis to Brian Quick touchdown that put the Rams within two scores. Turnovers will be the life or the death of a team and for the Eagles, they got on the lucky end of the stick. The defense was a force all game minus the end of the 4th quarter where they gave up 3 touchdowns. Connor Barwin had a pair of sacks as well as a pass deflection, Trent Cole had a strip sack, Vinny Curry had a sack again continuing to show why he needs to be on the field, and Brandon Graham had a strip tackle on Zac Stacy that end Cedric Thornton picked up and ran for the score. Thornton had two fumble recoveries including a 40 yard scamper that he nearly took to the house. Almost 2 touchdowns for a defensive end! Crazy. I have said this all along, I don't care how much Curry and Graham don't fit the traditional 3-4 scheme, just get these guys on the field. Curry is one of the most efficient pass rushers in the NFL with is limited reps according to Pro Football Focus. Together Graham and Curry have combined for 3 sacks and 3 forced fumbles in the limited work they have had, not to mention their 20 tackles between the two. Those may not look like flashy numbers, but if you go back and look at these two, all they do is make plays. The corner position continues to be an issue. Carry Williams and Bradley Fletcher were beaten bad by Kenny Britt and Brian Quick. It isn't the fact that both weren't there to make a play on the ball, it is that they simply didn't turn around. The lack of adjustment in the secondary makes me question the situation with Brandon Boykin who again saved the day with a last second pass breakup to end the Rams final drive. How much worse could Boykin and Carrol do on the outside? It is almost impossible to do worse than Williams and Fletcher have. The special teams continues it's historic run, Chris Maragos, James Casey, Trey Burton, and Darren Sproles have been absolutely huge signings for the team this year in that area.
At 4-1 things are looking good for the Eagles, but there is a lot of work to be done. With a huge prime time match up next week, expect the Eagles offense to come out swinging. I expect a wide variety of play calls by Chip Kelly to get McCoy and Sproles more involved in the offense. As of late it has been all Jeremy Maclin who is on pace to surpass Desean Jackson's career high numbers of last season. Maclin had 76 yards and another touchdown this week putting him already at 4 scores.
Is this team on the downfall and are getting plain lucky? Or is this a powerhouse with a boat load of talent that is finding ways to win and yet they just aren't clicking yet? Time will tell.
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