Eagles' Comeback Bid Grounded Intentionally

The Eagles had more first downs than the Redskins, outgained them by 100 yards and ran 20 more offensive plays than did the Redskins on their way to yet another demoralizing loss.

The reasons the Eagles managed to lose their 10th game in 11 outings are twofold: they again lost the turnover battle, and they again were badly outplayed in the red zone. Final score: 27-20.

Nick Foles played relatively well, but committed two costly turnovers. The Eagles defense intercepted a pass for the first time in 270 pass attempts by opponents—spanning an unbelievable 9 games—but it was too little, too late.

More damaging was the disparity in Red Zone effectiveness between the two teams. The Eagles converted just 1 of 3 opportunities, while the Redskins were 3-3 within 20 yards. That more than erased the Eagles advantage in yards and first downs.

The Eagles defense is soft and toothless; that is beyond dispute. No matter any statistics to the contrary, and there aren’t many, this defense is an embarrassment to the Green and Silver.

There are gaping holes all over the field in which opponents can roam without fear because the Eagles have no hard-hitters in the defensive backfield. The shoddy tackling, poor coverage and average pass rush are not what the Eagles have long been known for. It is a disgrace for any longtime Eagles fan to watch.

The offensive line is horrendous. It allowed 5 sacks on Foles, and Eagles running backs frequently met defenders in their own backfield a split-second after taking a handoff. Provided some injured offensive linemen return next year, the line should be a lot better, but that seems a long way off right now.

Lesean McCoy played well in his return, making Foles’ job a little easier. The rest of Foles’ supporting cast is comprised of too many backups. He finished 32-48 for 345 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Those impressive numbers should be graded on a curve because his protection was poor all game long.

Brandon Graham did not record a sack, but again played well, leading the team with 7 tackles. There were few other positives to point to regarding the Eagles D.

The only significance of this dressed-up preseason game was that it was probably the last home game for Andy Reid. It ended fittingly.

Foles engineered the 2-minute drill admirably again, driving the Eagles down to the Redskins 5-yard-line with less than 20 seconds left on the clock. Foles made a costly bad decision and tried to elude a tackler instead of getting rid of the ball early. He did finally get rid of it under duress, and with 1 second left on the clock, he had one more chance to recreate the last second TD he threw against Tampa Bay.

What seemed like 5 minutes later, the officials stepped in and called a very questionable intentional grounding penalty. That carries with it a 10-second runoff and the game was declared over. Eagles fans were deprived of even an opportunity to play spoiler. Officials are there to officiate, not decide the game. Referee Ed Hochuli often forgets that and did so again Sunday.

Andy Reid’s impressive accomplishments of his first 12 seasons should not be minimized. However, this team is back to being the basement-dweller it was when he became HC in 1999. Clearly, it is time to go in a new direction. Over the next two-to-three weeks, fans will be watching with Eagles-eyes to see if Jeff Lurie agrees.