Wrap Up

This game started off with a foretelling sequence in which the Eagles had a 29-yard muffed punt to start the Jags in Philadelphia territory. Without even attempting a pass, Jacksonville was able to pull off some easy runs. On a 4^th-and-3, the Eagles linebackers dropped back in coverage and allowed David Garrard to show his mobility and scramble for an easy 1^st down, and right after that, Fred Taylor ran nearly untouched up the middle for a 15-yard TD. Taylor certainly looked youthful, getting most of his 103 yards before being rested for most of the second half. The Eagles got a big play when Maurice Jones-Drew ended the first quarter with a lost fumble in scoring range. Unfortunately, the second quarter began with more of the same and the Eagles were still scoreless. Midway through the quarter, the Eagles earned their first first down with some hard-earned yards from Westbrook. Soon after, Donovan McNabb overthrew the end zone with Reggie Brown wide open, and then Donte Stallworth could not come up with a tough catch. Going for it on 4^th and 6, McNabb waited far too long and went down in the backfield.

 

The defense started the second half out right, setting back the Jags 7 yards to get the ball back quickly. The Eagles’ drive came to a screeching halt with a too many men on the field penalty, a Reggie Brown drop, and a Jon Runyan false start. Then with the Jaguars driving nearly unopposed, Trent Cole and Dhani Jones teamed up for a huge sack to force Jacksonville to settle for a 40 yard FG from Josh Scobee. The Eagles finally make it to the red zone, but after another incompletion to Brown in the end zone, David Akers hit a 25-yarder to make it a one-score game.

Drew continued to help Jacksonville run the clock out and chew up the field. Garrard then found Matt Jones wide open on a slant for 24 yards. Just inside the 10, the Eagles were able to put a stop to the Jags’ running game, but it was too late to prevent Scobee from putting the Jaguars up by 10. Despite a holding penalty which gave the Eagles a great opportunity to make a stop, Drew kept grinding it out and kept Jacksonville alive with just over 5 minutes remaining. Though Jacksonville did not get across the 50, they managed to run the clock to 2:45 before giving the Eagles one last chance. With no timeouts left, McNabb gave the sparse crowd left at the Linc something to cheer about with a big completion to Stallworth right out of the gate. B-West dropped two nearly identical balls with nobody covering him that could have easily given the Eagles first downs, and two more plays went down the middle and cost the Eagles precious time. After a deflected pass on 3^rd down, Akers came in to put 3 more on the board. Next came the onside kick attempt. The Jaguars nearly coughed it up, but no Eagles were close enough to find the ball and the day belonged to Jacksonville.

 

Post Game Positives

 

Donte Stallworth Returns

When this is the first headline, you know we’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel for positives this week. Yes, Stallworth had a big drop, but he also gave the Eagles three big first downs when the game still seemed to be in reach. He may not have been in week 1 or 2 form, but after playing less than a game over the last five weeks, he looked healthy enough that he should be at 100% and more involved in the offense after the bye.

 

Pass blocking

If you ignore the false starts and the measly 48 yards from running backs, the O-line did a pretty good job today. More often than not, McNabb had a ton of time to make decisions in the pocket. The line cannot be faulted for two of the sacks: one was due to McNabb holding on to the ball an inordinate amount of time, and another happened when he ran to the outside for a short loss.

 

Trent Cole

Where is the defensive line that started the year as the Eagles’ deepest unit? Cole seems to be the only member who stood a chance against Jacksonville’s impressive protection, and put pressure on Garrard sporadically as well as registering half a sack. Again, we’re really stretching it here.

 

Post Game Negatives

Missed opportunities

All day long, there were junctures in the game where it looked like the Eagles might have a chance to gain some momentum and get the crowd behind them, but they were never able to capitalize. From failures to make routine stops on 3^rd or 4^th down to going 3 and out after recovering a fumble, nothing seemed to go our way. Speaking of fumbles, Drew had trouble holding onto the ball on several occasions, but the defense was unable to force more turnovers in spite of this weakness. By the time the Birds missed a chance to recover the final onside kick, there was barely anyone left in the stands to care.

 

Time of Possession

This includes both the offense and the run defense. The Eagles didn’t get a first down until midway through the second quarter, and only two drives lasted longer than 2:04. Even worse, the first sustained drive resulted in a turnover on downs. Lots of incomplete passes and a largely ineffective running game kept the Eagle offense off the field today. The defense was even more embarrassing. Everyone knows the Eagles tend to give up a lot of rushing yards, but 209 is inexcusable. Taylor, Drew, and Garrard tore up the field at will thanks to great lead blocking and painfully exposed weaknesses among Jim Johnson’s defense, especially up the middle and to the right side. Ultimately, the defense bent too much; Philadelphia safeties combined for as many tackles (11) as the outside linebackers. Final score: Jaguars 36:51, Eagles 23:09.

 

Chemistry between McNabb and wide receivers

Whether it was dropped passes, overthrown passes (in the end zone!), or botched routes, #5 and his wide receivers were not on the same page today. Struggling early, the offense lost this dimension completely until Reggie Brown hauled one in late in the third. For most of the game, however, the Eagles made very little effort to throw to the sidelines or stretch the Jags’ D by throwing downfield. Brian Westbrook gets a dishonorable mention here for dropping two cupcakes during the Eagles’ last gasps.

 

Punting unit

The Eagles’ first two punts of the game were plain ugly. Bad snapping and protection allowed the Jaguars to get excellent field position which led to the decisive touchdown on their first drive. Later, this unit would allow a 29-yard return and set up a drive that killed the Eagles’ chances of scoring before the end of the half.

 

Closing Remarks

 

This is the first game in recent memory in which a reasonably healthy Eagles team put forth such a poor effort for an entire 60 minutes. Plain and simple, Sunday’s game was a complete embarrassment to anybody affiliated with the Eagles organization. It is tough to imagine a worse response to a tough loss. Perhaps the only consolation for the Philly faithful is that we will definitely not endure a similar performance next week. Of course, that’s only because next week is the bye. Here at the Eagle Report, we no longer expect the Eagles to be a playoff team. We’ll need to see a big turnaround in the way the Eagles play for several weeks before we think otherwise. It’s still too early to give up, but from this point on, every Eagles game will be a must-win.

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