That may have been the biggest vapor lock in the career of Brandon Marshall.
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The Jets got a reality check Sunday. So, Marshall carelessly tossed the ball behind him for a teammate – and flipped the momentum right back to the Philadelphia Eagles. “So if I’m not getting open and making my plays, that’s going to hurt us”.
Marshall had a disturbingly bad game. With DeMarco Murray sidelined by a hamstring injury, Darren Sproles and Ryan Mathews came through in a big way, rushing for a combined 125 yards on 33 carries.
The Jets fell to 2-1 on the season, but 0-10 all time against the Eagles.
“It gave us our confidence back”, right tackle Lane Johnson said.
As he was being tackled on a 15-yard reception, Marshall tried to flip the ball backward to tight end Jeff Cumberland, who was standing nearby. Billy Davis’s stop unit played fast, physical, and took advantage of its opportunities, ending the game with 3 interceptions and a fumble recovery.
The 0-2 Eagles handled the Jets.
Sproles got his second score moments later, running straight ahead for a 1-yard TD that gave Philadelphia a 24-0 lead with 2:11 remaining in the half. The damage outweighs the reward so much.
“I missed a few throws and I think we had a few drops”, Bradford said.
“Maybe after our next win I’ll be able to digest that and take it all in”, said Marshall after the game. “Usually with this group, you get one first down and that leads to more first downs”. “Now that pressure’s gone”.
The 24-17 game was not an artistic success, to be sure, but the defense played very well and the offense got the running game going, particularly in the first half.
Whoever is running the ball for the Eagles in Week Four, the team needs to be more consistent offensively than they were against the Jets.
“It was messy, ” said quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who threw three interceptions. And then there was also Brandon Marshall’s ill-advised backward pass attempt – something he called “the worst play in National Football League history” – that resulted in a fumble and led to Philadelphia’s final touchdown.
Entering the half trailing by 24, the Jets had to begin throwing the ball a ton, as Fitzpatrick ended up with 58 pass attempts.
Sproles put the Eagles up by 10 with his spectacular punt return early in the second quarter, dodging at least four would-be Jets tacklers. I thought the line did a great job opening holes. If they play like they did against the Eagles then they’re in for a rude awakening.
The Eagles’ offense was only able to generate 17 points, and was completely shut down after the second quarter.
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It was the first time the Philadelphia Eagles won a meaningful game since Thanksgiving Day a year ago. It will be interesting to see how the coaching staff divides up the carries next week if Murray returns from his injury. Bowles had no immediate word on him or RG Willie Colon, who left after halftime with a knee injury…. By the numbers4: Consecutive games leading the Eagles in receptions and yards for Jordan Matthews, the first player to do that since Irving Fryar in 1997.
