Beating the undefeated Panthers would have given the Eagles a quality win as well as momentum going into November. It’s just getting embarrassing now and it’s killing the team.
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“We didn’t play our best brand of football tonight”, he said.
In their 27-16 win over Philadelphia, they showed that they’re legitimate championship contenders by doing what needed to be done: defeating another potential playoff contender even though they weren’t at the top of their game.
He was 26-for-46 for 205 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. “That’s staying out there and watching film and knowing what the guy in front of me is going to do and seeing what he’s capable of and taking advantage of it”.
Asked if he had a hand injury, after the Carolina game, Matthews hesitated, then said he did not.
“He was in there, but pass plays were called when he was in there, ” Kelly explained after the game.
“We’re not done yet” Newton concluded.
“We’re a team. We’re not satisfied yet”.
The Panthers are 6-0 and off to their best start ever.
After the game, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly didn’t offer up a logical reason; he just mentioned (again) that running backs coach Duce Staley handles the rotation. “We’re going to mend up and have a great week of practice and get ready for Indy on Monday”.
So far, so good. Final score 27-16 Panthers. That’s what happens when you play the NFL’s best teams. Right now, that’s what the Panthers are. Yes, 36 of them came on the game’s second snap. Chip Kelly rebuilt the offense in the offseason, but it’s not delivering consistently enough for the Eagles to put together a stretch of successful games. “Guys really need to take a hard look at what they bring to the table and what they can get better at”. And they were just as resolute about the physical nature of that offense on this Ted Ginn, Jr. end-around… His career was effectively dead.
That may change Monday night against Indianapolis. A hugely improved offensive line is the key to it all, with center Ryan Kalil and right guard Trai Turner worthy of special mention.
They, in the words of the late Carolina linebacker Sam Mills, “keep pounding”.
Giving up big-yardage running plays is a brand-new virus this group must deal with now. That’s a successful season for many defensive tackles. Kuechely, who missed three games earlier this season with a concussion, had eight tackles, Davis added 11, Norman had a fantastic pass breakup in the end zone to deny an Eagles touchdown (and only had one pass thrown his way all night for a whopping 3 yards), and Short had three sacks and a forced fumble. Ryan Mathews ran for 97 yards on just six carries, including a 63-yard touchdown, but the Eagles (3-4) were only able to convert three interceptions by Newton into six points.
The Eagles have New England, Miami and Arizona still to play while the Redskins will face key games against Carolina and New England. Though it allowed just two third-down conversions, Panthers only made it to third down nine times. Newton’s picks kept the Eagles in the game, but sustained drives were a rarity, and this is a theme all too common to the 2015 Eagles.
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Instead, Maxwell – the $63 million free agent – comes in absurdly high, makes no contact with Tolbert whatsoever, and offers a noodle-armed wave at the ball with both hands as he runs out of bounds. Nothing is more critical over the bye week layover than Peters recovering from back spasms. It’s either all out attack or extreme conservation and last night was the closest we have seen to a middle ground, unfortunately the receivers disregarded that.
