Eagles Team Grades: Pederson's Questionable Play-Calling Dooms Eagles In Loss To Giants
The Philadelphia Eagles dropped their second straight game in the NFC East and fell to 0-3 against NFC East opponents after losing to the New York Giants on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium, 28-23. It was a rocky start for the Eagles as they fell behind by two scores following interceptions and some poor play calls on fourth downs in the first half, which resulted in leaving up to six points off the scoreboard.
Offense: C-
It was a rough start for the offense. Carson Wentz threw two interceptions on the first two drives, which contributed to an early double-digit deficit. Wentz was without a touchdown pass in the game. Zach Ertz was a machine catching the football with eight catches on all eight targets for 97 yards. Jordan Matthews came through with some fine catches and new addition Bryce Treggs showed off what he can do as well.
Defense: B-
The defense was put in a horrible spot right out of the gate with two Eagles turnovers putting the Giants on the Eagles' 31 and 30-yard line early in the game. It would have been nice to hold the Giants to field goals in these early spots, but instead the Eagles gave up two touchdowns on two passes of 26 and 30 yards. After the Eagles cut the Giants' lead to 14-10, the defense gave up a touchdown on the ensuing Giants possession. The same thing happened right out of the gate in the second half, when the offense marched down the field in six plays for a score to cut the Giants lead to four once again, only to have the Giants answer with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. It was a game of missed opportunities to seize any momentum or stop any bleeding for the defense, although it did have its moments in keeping the game within reach. Jordan Hicks had the play of the game with a late interception of Eli Manning to give the offense one last chance to tie the game.
Special Teams: B
The Eagles typically have a reliable special teams performance and that was mostly the case on Sunday. The biggest blemish was having a field goal try by Caleb Sturgis blocked, but he did convert his three other field goal tries as well as both extra point attempts he was called on for. Punter Donnie Jones continues to be consistent as well with three punts traveling 141 yards, with one pinned deep inside the 20-yard line. Darren Sproles had a huge 66-yard punt return and he was close to taking it all the way to the end zone before he stepped out of bounds.
Coaching: D
For the second straight week, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson left himself wide open for criticism. Even though his decisions to go for it weren't necessarily poor, the plays called to try and convert the first downs were easily guessed and expected by the Giants. In hindsight, leaving a possible six points on the field hurt the Eagles, but a better play than a Wentz keeper or a slowly developing hand off to a running back would have had a better chance for success. That falls on Pederson and his offensive play calling.
Up Next: Atlanta Falcons, November 13, 1:00 p.m. ET
The Eagles will look to snap this losing streak at home next week against Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons will have had a couple of extra days to prepare for the game after blasting Tampa Bay on Thursday night. The Falcons are 4-1 on the road this season and sitting comfortably on top of the NFC South as the only team with a winning record in the division.
Post Author: Kevin McGuire.
