“Really, when you think about the two most important things a coach can do on game day – call the right plays and have that great rapport with his players – and Doug really showed that today”.
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Wentz threw a 19-yard TD pass to Jordan Matthews on the opening drive and tossed a ideal 35-yard TD pass down the right side to Nelson Agholor for a 22-10 lead in the third quarter, one play after converting a 4th-and-4 from the Browns’ 40. Is it built on the running game? So he doesn’t let any of the outside stuff really affect him. He remained calm under pressure, took hits, and made the smart decisions even if that meant taking a sack or throwing the ball away.
Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) walks off the field after defeating Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field. “It”s possible, even probable, that the Eagles will not face an easier opponent than the Browns.
The Eagles rushing attack was strong.
Griffin suffered a sprained shoulder in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Eagles, and while he admitted after the game that he is in pain, he also said he expects to be available for Week 2 against the Ravens. They gave up a 40-yard punt return to Darren Sproles.
The Browns kicked a field goal on the opening drive of the second half, but the game started to unravel for them when they took possession at their own 15-yard line and center Cameron Erving sent a snap over Griffin’s head and into the back of the end zone for a safety and a 15-10 Eagles lead.
“It”s not surprising,” Pederson said. “To go out there in your first start with pretty much eight days’ notice and to not have any turnovers speaks volumes about his play”.
Robert Griffin III wanted to finish what he started Sunday, as painful as it was.
Griffin threw an incompletion high for receiver Andrew Hawkins on the next play, was hit again and grimaced as he stayed down. One weakness the defense showed was allowing the deep ball.
His top receiver was Terrelle Pryor, who had three catches for 68 yards. The Eagles’ Jordan Matthews was the game’s top receiver, with seven catches for 114 yards and a TD. There is just no excuse for that.
That’s not necessarily great news for the home team as the Eagles have lost four straight games officiated by Mr. Anderson, most recently past year in the desert to the Cardinals. That is not a recipe for success in the NFL.
SLOPPY BROWNS: The Browns were driving at the Eagles 28 when Griffin’s passed was deflected by Jordan Hicks and intercepted by Rodney McLeod. To make the playoffs, the Eagles need to get better on third down. That included Wentz’s first-ever National Football League pass attempt – which Matthews dropped.
At times, the offensive line struggled to protect Wentz. No quarterback can be great with if he’s not being protected.
Whatever that means going forward, no one can ever take away an nearly flawless opening drive from the quarterback the Eagles made the No. 2 overall draft pick in the spring. “It’s a game and I try to enjoy it”.
That being said, here are five things Eagles fans would want to see happen to assure “The Birdgang” walks out with a victory. The last great franchise quarterback this team has had was Donovan McNabb, who was also drafted with the number two overall pick. Just knowing the maturity level that he has, this is who he is. It will be exciting to see how Wentz plays the rest of the season.
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His rollout as a head coach had the nation talking for a week: Twenty-six first-half points in a Monday-night showcase, a breathless pace that left the Washington Redskins defense looking, at least for a while, like triathletes at the end of a humid day.
