Eagles Offense Looks To Rebound Against Washington
By Ed Benkin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Chip Kelly's high-powered offense has been running on empty in recent weeks.
After sputtering against Seattle and putting together an inconsistent effort against Dallas, the offensive unit knows time is running out. With just two games left on the regular season schedule, the Eagles will need to produce more points or their playoff hopes will fade away.
Quarterback Mark Sanchez has seen several highs and lows in recent weeks, and is hoping the offense will get back on track against Washington on Saturday.
"There have been some good plays," said Sanchez. "There have been some not so good plays. That's kind of the way it's gone. We've had some really good games down the stretch. We've been in some really good games, so we'll see."
After receiving high praise during his first few appearances as a starter, Sanchez has heard his share of criticism recently. However, the man who once dealt with the glare of the New York spotlight with the Jets says he doesn't mind the pressure of big games late in the season. Sanchez also stressed he hasn't lost his confidence.
"Not with the kind of players we have," Sanchez said. "Not with the play calling we have. We're going to be just fine. We can handle some adversity. This week will be a great test of who we are and what we're made of. It'll be fun."
Part of getting back on track means putting the Dallas loss to rest. Players such as Brent Celek insist the damaging defeat at the hands of the Cowboys is already in the rear-view mirror, and the team has turned it's full attention to the game against Washington on Saturday.
"It's the culture of this league," said Celek. "You come back on Tuesday and you've got to let it go. If you don't let it go, it affects you the next week, and I know we talk about that a lot."
Playing Washington means going against former Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson. There has been a lot of talk about the absence of Jackson hurting the Eagles offense, but Jeremy Maclin was quick to defend the Eagles' receivers from criticism.
"You guys really like to get after some guys on our receiving core," Maclin said. "I think we've done a great job in that room. We've had to play with two different quarterbacks. Both guys are very capable, but obviously in the NFL, you've always got to be ready, but when you switch quarterbacks, it does kind of take some time to get used to."
Eagles Defensive Coordinator Bill Davis said he didn't think Linebacker Trent Cole would be able to play on Saturday, but was confident he would play in the season finale against the Giants. Reports say Cole suffered a broken hand in the loss to Dallas last Sunday.
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