The Philadelphia Eagles head into their bye week flying on the highest note possible: On the heels of total shutout of those New York football Giants 27-0. 27-zip. 27-to-nada.
However you say it, the score is beautiful.
This is the game when LeSean McCoy finally got going, notching 149 rushing yards. The tight ends got into the act, with Zach Ertz and James Casey both getting in the endzone. Nick Foles finished the game with 21 for 34 with 248 yards for 2 touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions.
The Eagles defense showed up big time, completely stifling an offense that had averaged 35 points its last few games. But the streaking Giants simply had no answers for the Eagles, who got eight sacks (6 on Eli Manning and 2 on backup Ryan Nassib), limiting the two-time Super Bowl MVP to 13 for 23, 154 yards for exactly 0 touchdowns.
Connor Barwin was an absolute beast, getting to Manning for three sacks. Vinny Curry had a blast getting to the quarterback and sacking the Giants’ QB twice. Brandon Graham, Trent Cole and Brandon Blair also got into the each, notching a sack each. Much as the New York media wanting to claim dismay at the portrayal of “Lil Eli Manning” in the Eagles cartoons, that’s exactly what he looked like on the field Sunday night.
It’s the first shutout for the Birds since 1996, and the first at Lincoln Financial Field. Oh, the previous shutout, which took place in December of ’96. Against the Giants. In that game the Eagles won 24-0.
Darren Sproles, who added to the team’s touchdowns on Sunday night, left the game in the fourth quarter with a knee injury. We’ll wait for news and hope that everything is okay with the most dynamic Eagles player this season.
It was the most complete win the Eagles have put together all season. The victory becomes all the more important as the Dallas Cowboys improved to 5 -1 earlier in the day, beating the Seattle Seahawks. Philadelphia retains its lead in the NFC East and has shown just how good–and dangerous–they can look when everyone is on their game. It’s a wonderful sight to behold for Eagles fans, and something that hopefully makes their next several opponents very nervous as they study the Birds’ Week 6 game film.
The Eagles turned a game that should have put the St. Louis Rams away early into a contest that went down to the wire. Once holding a commanding 34-7 lead, the Rams went on a 21-0 run in the second half to come to an uncomfortably close 34-28. All this while St. Louis was led by Austin Davis, a quarterback making only his fourth start.
The cartoon above perfectly illustrates the experience of every single Philadelphia Eagles fan, every game this year, courtesy of Rob Tornoe of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Seriously, though. There has to be an easier way.
The Birds now have a 4-1 record and must be one of the luckiest teams in the league this season, as their play and stats reveal a team that does not match its wins. But, as Chip Kelly correctly stated, “tough 4‑1, soft 4‑1, doesn’t matter, you’re 4‑1, and it’s the same thing.”
While the talk surrounding Kelly always involves his high-octane offense, this season it should be about special teams. It is the only unit that has performed consistently well through five games and at this stage is saving the offense and defense from their many flaws. For the second straight week, special teams scored a touchdown off of a blocked punt. The Eagles have four special teams touchdowns so far this season, including one in each of the last three games, which is a first in team history.
While special teams makes history, the offense and defense continue to make us scratch our heads. Or come close to heart attacks. On offense, LeSean McCoy finally got a little something going on the ground, getting 81 yards on 24 carries. But, concerns surrounding the offensive line and McCoy’s own ability to find a way to get it done under less-than-stellar conditions remain. Nick Foles finished the game 24/37 for 207 yards with two touchdowns, an interception and a fumble. Foles’ decision-making is a cause for concern at times, and he had a few near-misses that the stats don’t reveal.
The Eagles defense let an unseasoned QB put up elite numbers in their home. Davis finished the game with three touchdowns and no interceptions for 375 yards. The D simply couldn’t stop the Rams in the second half of the game, particularly the last quarter, which does not bode well for upcoming opponents, like next week’s prime-time matchup with the Giants.
But the game was won, no matter how ugly, and that’s what matters. The Eagles are a team of two halves, and perhaps we’ll be treated to a complete game played well in the coming weeks. But, more likely, you probably need to continue to keep those Tums nearby.
As the 3-1 Philadelphia Eagles prepare to face-off against the 1 -2 St. Louis Rams this afternoon at the Linc, questions abound. Will the offensive line return to some of its former glory with the return of Lane Johnson from his suspension? And please, oh please: Is this the game when LeSean McCoy will FINALLY turn up and get something going?
Rams quarterback Austin Davis, though inexperienced in the NFL, has completed 72% of his passes in three starts. The Birds defense is ranked just 23rd against the pass in the league, and according to ProFootballFocus, Cary Williams is the most targeted corner in the league since 2011. That said, the Rams are not a team filled with offensive weapons, so if Philadelphia can stand firm and not give up big plays, they should be able to contain whatever the Rams try to get going.
As for the Eagles offense, the team has got to find a way to get LeSean McCoy going. “Embarrassed” by his performance last game, even with the battered line Shady has to make it work. And this is a good game to try: the Rams have given up 155 rushing yards a game this season, also allowing a 100-yard rusher each game. Will Shady finally get on the way to 2k? Currently at 2.7 yards per carry, he’s got a loong way to go to reach his stated goal for the 2014 season.
Philadelphia’s o-line will have their hands full with uber-defensive end Robert Quinn. He is just waiting to rack up some sacks, with zero this season after finishing second in the league in 2013 with 19. With Foles already battered and bruised, the Eagles can’t let that happen. He’ll be matched up against Jason Peters, the best left tackle in the league, which will make for an important battle to watch closely during the game.
There’s a big difference between being 4-1 and 3-2. An Eagles defeat against the Rams won’t settle all uneasiness about what this team truly can and cannot do, but it would help dull the queries for a little while. Major goals of the game are to keep Foles standing and get Shady going. If those two tasks can be accomplished, Philadelphia should be able to enjoy the first day that truly feels like Fall football in Philadelphia.
Now, to get your giggles on about the Rams, view this atrocious music video to accompany the team’s song “Ram It,” when the franchise was in Los Angeles in the ’80s. Overheard on 94WIP yesterday afternoon, as bad as the song is, the video is infinitely worse. Enjoy?
With the many questions surrounding what this Philadelphia Eagles team is and what it isn’t heading into the fourth game of the season, there was never a question about the offense. The 3-0 start showed that, regardless of the start, the
Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles offense could get nothing going against the San Francisco 49ers.
Birds would and could generate points in a variety of ways. Of course they can–that’s Chip Kelly’s hallmark.
Enter the trip across country to San Francisco to face the 49ers on Sunday, a game that flipped the script of the Eagles’ season so far. Yes, there were highlights, one of which you’ll see below. Even with the offense’s inability to get anything going, the game was within grasp until the last moments of the game. But Philadelphia just couldn’t finish. A 91-yard drive starting at 6:35 in the fourth quarter could have gotten the lead and probably the game for Philadelphia. They got within in 1-yard of the goal line, but they couldn’t seal the deal and fell 21-26.
Ironically, the Eagles didn’t wait until the second half to put points on the board against San Francisco. They got to a quick start and lead the Niners 21-10 at the half, but generated a grand total of 0 points in the second.
Nick Foles’ stat line for the day wasn’t pretty: He was 21 for 43 and 195 with no TDs and two interceptions. Ouch. The Eagles could have used some help from their running game, except it didn’t exist and is going to continue to struggle with the battered offensive line. LeSean ran the ball 10 times for a paltry 17 yards. After the game he called the performance “embarrassing” and said he didn’t want to talk about anything having to do with the run game. Makes sense, but, you’re the running back…
The offense’s implosion came on a day when the defense was stout. They showed that they could contain a potent offense and finally got some pass rush going. Safety Malcolm Jenkins returned an interception 51-yards to account for 6 of the Eagles total 21 points, making him the first in that position since Brian Dawkins to garner an interception in three straight games.
Special teams was amazing and accounted for the other two Eagles touchdowns, both of which occurred in the first half: Brad Smith recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown, then our boy Darren Sproles ran in an 82-yard punt return.
Quick aside: Please tell me that someone from the Eagles has at least sent flowers to the Saints organization for the acquisition of Jenkins and Sproles, as both seem to be gifts that keep on giving.
The Eagles now fall to 3-1 with a lot of reason for hope, but a number of concerns as well. A performance just as this–for the defense and special teams to step up when the offense falters–illustrates exactly why football is a team sport. But when the offense doesn’t just sputter but totally fails, you have what we witnessed on Sunday. Amazingly, though, the Eagles almost won it.
When we have a week when all phases of the team are firing on all cylinders for the majority of the game, we are going to have something wonderful to behold. It will happen. Having the o-line back to health, when it happens, will help. Until then, keep those Tums nearby.
The first Monday of the season when we’re dealing with a loss. No Dunkin Donuts coffee. The hits just keep coming. Think about this play to make your day a little bit less brutal–Jeremy Maclin’s incredible diving one-handed catch in the drive that almost pulled the Eagles through.
We’re coming to the close of Week 2 in the NFL, and significant injuries have already been unkind to many teams, the Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts included. Philadelphia will play Indianapolis in Lucas Oil stadium, where Andrew Luck has a 13-3 record since being drafted by the team as the first overall pick three years ago. Will homefield advantage be the edge that the Colts need?
The good news for the Birds is that Indianapolis will be without Pro Bowl linebacker Robert Mathis, who led the league last season with 19.5 sacks. Mathis was serving a 4-game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy but is now out for the season, tearing his Achilles while training. The Colts also will be without inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman, who was their leading tackler both of the last two seasons.
Hopefully Indy’s D, absent of star power, will help Philadelphia’s patchwork offensive line. Chip Kelly is pleased at how quickly veteran guard Wade Smith is picking everything up, and is already splitting reps at left guard with Dennis Kelly, in Evan Mathis’ stead. Andrew Gardner is in at right tackle, taking over for Allen Barbre, who was the fill-in for Lane Johnson as he serves his 4-game PED suspension.
While the o-line is a decided matter of concern for Philadelphia, the amount of playmakers on the offense is not. Look for QB Nick Foles to put in a performance more like the second half of the season opener against the Jaguars than the first. The Colts are struggling to contain tight ends this season, which means that Brent Celek and Zach Ertz may have a field day. And LeSean McCoy now has Darren Sproles to share the load on running duty, and we may even see a peek at Chris Polk on the road. Add to this the fact that Mac is back–Jeremy Maclin had a solid debut in his return from injury–and the Eagles should have little trouble getting points on the board.
While Indy may not have the big names on defense at the moment, they have one of the best quarterbacks in the league to lead their offensive attack. Just in his third season in the league, Luck is strong, athletic, poised and precise. Luck’s weapons include receivers Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton, and Hakeem Nicks. He also has tight ends Dwayne Allen, returning from injury, as well as favorite Coby Fleener. The team has almost no rushing game to speak of, with the team likely regretting their trade with the Browns for Trent Richardson more each week. He and Ahmad Bradshaw are sharing the team’s rushing “load,” if you can call it that–the Colts ran just nine times last week against the Broncos.
If the Eagles have a lead late in the game, don’t get too comfortable. The young QB has made a name for himself as the fourth-quarter comeback king.
This will be a good test to see just what the Eagles defense can do against a prolific passing attack. Big production will be needed from the secondary to keep Luck’s boys at bay. CB Brandon Boykin, who saw only 32 percent of snaps last week, should see more time on the field, and Cary Williams will need to be on top of his game in the defensive backfield.
This Monday night game could turn into a shoot out. Even with all of the assets that come with Luck, this Indy group doesn’t look like the strong teams of the past two seasons. It will be an exciting matchup that will see Philadelphia get the edge.
The level of attention that has been given to the fact that Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy chose to leave a twenty cent tip at
Charlie Sheen jumping into the fray on the LeSean McCoy tip ‘scandal’? Okay, ish just got cray.
burger joint PYT is astounding. And the story is still going, as Hollywood celebrity Charlie Sheen has oddly entered the scene of the story.
On Monday, the restaurant’s owner made the questionable decision of posting McCoy’s receipt from the establishment on social media in an attempt to publicly shame the NFL star for leaving a poor tip.
A flurry of discussion then ensued–was the receipt real or fake? Was the server trying to make a name for himself? Is Shady *really* that bad of a tipper?
The story took on a life of its own, with beat writers asking questions about the incident to the player as the team prepares for its first prime time outing of the season and the Eagles organization providing comment. Everyone had an opinion. Some felt McCoy had the right to comment on what may have been bad service, others defended the server and those in the restaurant industry.
Whatever way you slice it, the story got at least one Hollywood star’s attention. Always looking for a way to stay in the spotlight, Sheen didn’t call PYT to try to quietly show his support. No, he took to Twitter and pledged that he would give $1,000 to the wronged server. We’ll see.
A $.20 tip is not indicative of a bad tipper. It’s not someone leaving a mere 10% on their bill, or nothing at all. It’s close to nothing, but leaving a twenty cent tip is a very deliberate matter. You want to make a statement. Judging from the scores of comments that flooded the establishment’s Facebook page about poor service, McCoy exercised his right to let his wallet do the talking about his experience there.
LeSean McCoy doing his thing against Pittsburgh on Thursday night (Photo: Drew Hallowell, Philadelphia Eagles)
It was only the first preseason win for the Philadelphia Eagles after three games, but it came right on time with the Birds’ 31-21 defeat over the Pittsburgh Steelers. During their preseason home opener on Thursday night, the starters on both sides of the ball put in a strong showing to ease lingering concerns as the regular season looms near.
The defense had the most to prove this game, and they did just that by shutting out the Steelers in the first half. At halftime, the Birds were up 17-0, and Philadelphia held on to an impressive 31-7 lead late into the fourth quarter. Notably, Pittsburgh kept their starters in the game until the third quarter but still couldn’t make much happen against the Eagles D. That’s what you like in the so-called dress rehearsal prior to the start of the season.
Defensive highlights included an interception by corner Nolan Carroll in the first half, and linebacker Mychal Kendricks had a standout performance with 4 tackles and a quarterback pressure. Safety Malcolm Jenkins eased some concern about the secondary by batting away a ball intended for Pittsburgh wideout Antonio Brown.
Both sides of the ball were impressive, with the offense also putting in a strong showing. Nick Foles threw 19/29 for 179 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception, Mark Sanchez was 7 of 9 for 85 yards, and Jeremy Maclin had 6 receptions and 43 yards. And after a rocky start, the offensive line showed just how good they can be when firing on all cylinders and working together on Thursday night.
There were injury scares to both LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin, but they were thankfully just that–scares. Both returned to the field and quickly were back in action.
With good, there is always bad: Kicker Alex Henery missed a *31-yard* field goal attempt, so yeah…there is still a major problem on that front. One that can’t be left unanswered.
Next up: Players on the cusp will fight for their jobs next week against the Jets.
A priority for any football team during the offseason is to take care of those who have taken care of them. The Philadelphia Eagles did just that on Wednesday when they signed All-Pro LT Jason Peters to a 5-year contract extension.
The veteran offensive lineman rebounded from injuring his Achilles twice during the 2012 offseason, leading him to miss all of the 2012 season. Peters returned to the Eagles in 2013 and produced yet another successful season with the Birds that got him his sixth Pro Bowl nod. The strength and stability of the o-line, with Peters’ assistance, led RB LeSean McCoy to a record setting season as the NFL’s leading rusher and helped QB Nick Foles have a breakout season.
The deal, according to CSNPhilly’s Reuben Frank, will pay Peters an average of $10 million a year.
Head coach Chip Kelly had nothing but praise for Peters:
“There aren’t many people cut from the same cloth as Jason Peters.To be able to bounce back from two Achilles injuries and return to an All-Pro level speaks not only to his incredible athleticism, but proves just how hard he works at his game. Having him at left tackle provides a lot of comfort to our quarterback and to our entire offense. He’s a guy that many players look up to in our locker room.”
General Manager Howie Roseman spoke further on why securing Peters to the team until 2018 was a priority for the team.
“Jason is everything you look for in a left tackle. The unique blend of size, speed and athleticism that Jason possesses is something that everyone wants in an offensive lineman. However, what really makes him unique is his desire to improve day in and day out despite the fact that he’s played at an elite level for so many years. We are truly rewarding Jason’s excellence, as he’s a guy who has made six Pro Bowl appearances and has been selected an All-Pro five times. We’re excited to be able to keep him in Philadelphia for years to come.”
Peters is regarded by many as the best left tackle in the game, and with extending the 32-year old’s contract, the Eagles rewarded Peters for his hard work while securing his talent for the next several years.
DeSean Jackson proudly displaying his Team Sanders jersey. (Image via jaccpot10 on Instagram)
The NFL’s attempt to invigorate the Pro Bowl by having teams led by Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice has begun, with the draft selection of Pro Bowl players completed on Wednesday night. It remains to see if the elimination of the AFC and NFC designations will add additional interest to the league’s all-star game. For now, a two-day draft to select who among the best will be selected to each team was enacted to try to drum up enthusiasm. Just where did the four Eagles in Hawaii for the game land?
Evan Mathis and Ryan Kalil, proud members of Team Rice at the Pro Bowl. (Photo via @nflnetwork on Twitter)
Evan Mathis and LeSean McCoy will be together on Team Rice. They will face teammates Nick Foles and DeSean Jackson on Team Sanders. Foles escaped the embarrassment of being the last player chosen to a team, leaving that honor to former coach Andy Reid’s new quarterback, Alex Smith.
But does any of it matter? Will more people watch—or care? There seems to at least be mild interest in knowing where players wind up and who will be their opponents. Beyond that we’ll have to wait until Sunday to find out.
The Pro Bowl airs this Sunday, January 26 at 7 pm on NBC. Will you be watching?
Philadelphia Eagles football is back. It’s a celebration!
It’s finally here. Game day for the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s like Christmas in September.
It’s a great matchup to launch the season’s Monday night games. Chip Kelly’s NFL debut versus the unveiling of Robert Griffin III following 8 months of rehab. Is he truly healthy? Who will prevail?
The innumerable questions about the Birds from the offseason finally begin to get answered tonight. How will Kelly’s offense transition to the NFL? Will the transition to a 3-4 defense serve to address some of the challenges the D has had the past several seasons?
Both the Eagles and Redskins had the other’s number last season when playing with a healthy starting quarterback. Will Mike Vick and RG3 make the difference this game or will Philadelphia need to rely on the yet-to-be proven defense?
Both team’s defenses will face significant threats from the air and the ground. LeSean McCoy remains one of the most significant weapons on offense in Philadelphia’s arsenal. And Washington has the talents of 2nd year breakout Alfred Morris.
One of the biggest questions that remains for the Birds is how Philadelphia’s secondary–underwhelming in 2012 and the 2013 preseason–will perform. Is the unit still a work in progress or will they begin to make a turnaround?
To be sure, one game won’t answer every question definitively. But it’s a start, and closer than we’ve ever been before.
A new era begins today in Philadelphia Eagles football. That’s no small fact. A new coach, new players, new philosophy.
The Philadelphia Eagles head into their bye week flying on the highest note possible: On the heels of total shutout of those New York football Giants 27-0. 27-zip. 27-to-nada.
