Another week, another defeat for the Eagles in a game where there were several opportunities to come away with the victory.
In Sunday's 28-23 loss to the Giants that moved the Eagles to 4-4 on the season and 0-3 in the NFC East, there were many aspects that could be criticized, but let's focus on head coach Doug Pederson first.
Just when things couldn't get worse for him after the Dallas game, they did. On two separate occasions in the first half, the Eagles were able to march into Giants territory, but both times were stuffed on fourth down. The first of these two failures came on the first play of the second quarter. Facing 4th-and-2 from the Giants 23 and down 11, Pederson elected to try a quarterback sweep with Carson Wentz instead of taking the points. This play was blown up immediately, and Wentz never got close to the first down. The next failed conversation occurred with 3:55 left in the first half, when running back Darren Sproles could not gain a yard on 4th-and-1 from the NY six-yard line. At that point, a field goal there would have made it 21-13, if not 21-16 had Pederson decided to take the field goal earlier in the second quarter. Let's not forget, the Eagles were set to get the ball to start the second half.
Many fans liked the aggressiveness of Pederson, but hated the play calls. For starters, Carson Wentz is not Cam Newton, and that sweep was doomed from the beginning. Second, Darren Sproles is listed on the Eagles roster as 5-foot-6, 190 pounds, while Ryan Mathews checks in at six feet, 220 pounds. So why Pederson decided to give the ball to Sproles instead of Mathews when the latter could have just bullied his way into gaining a yard is beyond questionable. How many points did the Eagles leave on the board? Six. How many points did the Eagles lose by? Five. Hindsight is obviously 20/20, but Philadelphia is looking at a 5-3 record instead of 4-4 if those field goals were attempted.
Besides Pederson, Wentz once again started off a game slow and then got hot towards the end. On his second pass of the game, the rookie was picked off by Landon Collins, which led to the first Giants touchdown. The very next possession, Wentz threw another interception, this time by Andrew Adams. By the time he went back out on the field, NY was already up 14-0, leaving the rookie to try and lead another comeback. To his credit, he went 27 for 47 for 364 after that, but the slow starts will have to stop so he isn't constantly put in a position when he has to play from behind. He even had a chance to win it on one last drive after a Jordan Hicks interception set up the Eagles at the Giants 34-yard line with under two minutes to go down 28-23, but was unable to find the end zone. On fourth down from inside the 20, Wentz lobbed what seemed to be a perfect pass towards Jordan Matthews in the end zone, but it appeared the receiver turned the wrong way, and the pass fell incomplete. It remains encouraging that Wentz is able to shake off bad play, but the big plays need to start coming at the beginning of games.
Finally, there's the defense. Cornerback Leodis McKelvin looked silly out there going up against Odell Beckham Jr., and the secondary did not have its best game. They did give up 28 points, but I'll give the defense the benefit of the doubt on the first two touchdowns. It's a whole different ballgame when the opponents are starting from their own side of the field instead of your 31 and 30 yard lines, which is where Eli Manning set up shop after Wentz's interceptions. Regardless, Manning still threw four touchdowns, and as Reuben Frank said in his 10 observations, the Eagles defense will now face a stretch of games against Matt Ryan, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers.
Other Notes
- Bryce Treggs was finally active, and fans are left wondering what took so long. In one game, he recorded the longest catch an Eagles receiver has made all season, a 58-yard bomb from Wentz in the second quarter. he finished with one more catch after that, but it's evident he could be called upon as a deep threat in the future.
- The Eagles had a chance to cut it to an eight-point game with just over a minute left in the first half but Caleb Sturgis' attempt from 40 yards out was blocked by Jason Pierre-Paul.
- Tight ends Zach Ertz and Trey Burton were called upon often by Wentz, combining for 11 catches and 152 yards, a welcomed sight to the Eagles offense.
