They’re still reeling from a 45-17 loss to the Buccaneers, but must rebound quickly. NEP, for the uninitiated, measures the value of each play on the field based on how an average team would be expected to score in each scenario using historical data. Those are the wins they have to have.
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Clearly, these are two teams heading in completely different directions. Or was Winston’s accuracy enough to keep the Birds off guard enough for the Tampa Bay running attack to succeed?
It’s tough to figure this team out and your hair will go gray if you try. The offensive line isn’t good.
If the Eagles had a general manager, he would be working on the future.
“If we allow (the loss) to affect us on Thursday, then shame on us”, coach Chip Kelly said.
Jenkins said the team needs to work on being more consistent on third downs. He doesn’t have one. We have to make sure this thing gets fixed and this is a one-game thing.
While Winston capped each of those drives with touchdown passes, it was a pair of long Martin runs that paved the way for two of those scores. The Eagles had been 5-0 all-time vs. rookie quarterbacks who were taken No. 1. “I’m not going to cry, but this is definitely a dream come true for me to play here”, Winston said after the game.
“I’ve got tremendous confidence in Bill Davis”, Kelly said Monday during his day-after press conference at the NovaCare Complex. “I always wanted to be an Eagle”. There were wide swaths of empty seats throughout Lincoln Financial Field, because there was little reason for the fan base to even stay to voice its disapproval.
He wants to be in total control, which is better suited for the college game, where you don’t have to deal with millionaire players, agents, salary caps, player unions, etc. As far as the defense goes, they just had an off day – a completely bad, mind-numbingly awful off day.
The Bucs are now 3-2 on the road in 2015 and still have a chance to tie the team record for most road victories in a season. The Eagles came out Sunday with what Bucs coach Lovie Smith said was a “fast-break” offense, an up-tempo attack Smith admited left the Tampa Bay defenders “gassed”. “So you buy into Jameis Winston”. “We emphasized that this would be a great game for us to get back on track since our past few games we have not been too great in the running game“. One is putting up absurd, record-breaking rookie numbers weekly; the other is having a resurgent season after a prolonged sophomore slump.
But two weeks ago, the Eagles had just beaten the Dallas Cowboys, 33-27, in overtime. He was still on the board when they chose to take someone else from Louisville. It was the first time Tampa Bay has won consecutive games since 2013 and the first time the squad reached. The Buccaneers did hold the 6 best rushing defense in the league, entering week 11, so passing was a necessity. The bottom line: They just played two-thirds of the easiest part of their entire schedule.
It was more than that.
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Complicating matters more is that quarterback Sam Bradford is likely to miss at least another game with a left (non-throwing) shoulder injury and concussion, though he has been cleared through the NFL’s concussion protocol to return to practice. It can only be rebuilt in an offseason that looks like it is beginning well before it should be.
