Team Grades: Eagles Suffer Embarrassing 45-17 Loss To Tampa Bay Bucs
By Kevin McGuire
The Philadelphia Eagles are a complete failure of an NFL franchise right now. There is really no other way to look at the state of the franchise following an embarrassing 45-17 defeat at the hands of rookie quarterback Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field. It was rather fitting the worst loss of the Chip Kelly era came by the team that also handed the Eagles its most crushing loss in franchise history in the final game at Veterans Stadium. In many respects, this game followed a similar script with the Eagles scoring an early touchdown for an early lead and then completely melting down in epic fashion.
Offense: F
We tend to grade on a curve when backups are taking over key positions, like quarterback. That said, Mark Sanchez stunk up the joint with three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown that served as the cherry on top of Tampa Bay's ice cream sundae. Sanchez completed 26 of 41 pass attempts for 261 yards and two touchdowns, but he was 5-for-10 on third down attempts and sacked one other time. One of his completions went for a touchdown, but the credit goes more to Darren Sproles for exploding for a big gain on a screen pass. The Eagles were 7-of-15 on third down attempts and put together just 383 yards of offense; Philadelphia had four turnovers in the game. DeMarco Murray rushed 13 times for 64 yards.
There were a couple of brief bright spots that should not go unrecognized. Kenjon Barner got involved in the offense with seven rushing attempts going for 37 yards. Josh Huff caught the one pass thrown his way for a 39 yard gain. But Sproles, aside from his long screen pass for a touchdown, caught just two of the six passes in his direction. Jordan Matthews caught all four passes toward him for a gain of just 13 yards. Nelson Agholor had three catches for 11 yards.
Defense: F
Winston tossed five touchdowns against the Eagles defense and running back Doug Martin rushed for 235 yards against Philadelphia. The Eagles gave up 521 yards of total offense against a Tampa Bay team that entered with an average of 354 yards per game. At one point, Tampa Bay scored touchdowns on three consecutive offensive possessions, with each going at least 80 yards (two 80-yard touchdown drives, another for 85 yards). Tampa Bay built a 35-14 lead during that stretch. The Eagles defense simply could not get off the field, giving up 10 third-down conversions on 16 opportunities. Eight first downs were picked up on the ground by Tampa Bay. The defensive front got to Winston five times for a hit on the quarterback, but recorded just one sack.
The defense has at times been a problem for Kelly and the Eagles, but it had been one of the stronger parts of the team earlier this season. This was not the case in this one, as Tmapa Bay ran right through them, ripping out their heart along the way.
Special Teams: D-
This grade may be a bit harsher than it should be, because Caleb Sturgis and Donnie Jones did all that was asked of them. Sturgis converted both of his extra-point tries and kicked a 43-yard field goal the one time he was sent out to pick up three points. Jones continues to be the most reliable and consistent player on the Eagles with six punts traveling an average of 46.5 yards per punt, including two downed inside the 20-yard line (one went for a touchback). The Eagles did not allow many yards on kick and punt returns, which was encouraging.
Philadelphia's return game never provided a spark, either. Josh Huff had one 39-yard return, but he also made the poor decision to return one kick out of the end zone, only to get to the eight-yard line. Darren Sproles had two punt returns for a total of six yards, and that includes a seven-yard return. You do the math.
Coaching: F
If you thought the heat on Chip Kelly was hot last week following a loss to the Miami Dolphins, watch out. Kelly is going to be roasted this week. Kelly was completely outfoxed by Lovie Smith and now needs to find any way to get the team to remain focused and on the same page in a short week. The Eagles head to Detroit this Thursday for a Thanksgiving game against the Lions. This Eagles team is already playing with six losses on the year, and still has games against the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals. Somehow, the NFC East is still there to be won, but do not let that distract you from the absolute mess of a franchise the Eagles have become since Kelly has been named the general manager. Philadelphia appeared to quit against Tampa Bay, and that falls on the head coach.
Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer covering the Philadelphia Eagles and college football. McGuire is a member of the FWAA and National Football Foundation. Follow McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. His work can be found on Examiner.com.