Following the important game running back Joique Bell said, “Third year in a row (we’ve won on Thanksgiving), let’s keep this streak going…Offense played great, defense played awesome”.
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Sanchez started in place of Sam Bradford, who was inactive for the second consecutive game because of a concussion and separated left shoulder.
“We got through the first quarter without him having a catch and I was sitting there going, ‘Man, we’ve got to get 81 the ball, ‘” Stafford said.
If you think it can’t get worse for the Eagles, take a knee.
The remainder of the time on the field, the Eagles defense was on the field getting worn out by the Lions offense.
The Philadelphia defense was riddled by Detroit quarterback Matt Stafford for five touchdown passes, three to wide receiver Calvin Johnson, and the Eagles were walloped 45-14 on Thanksgiving Day by the Lions at Ford Field. Watching Chip Kelly’s “grand experiment” blow up in ridiculous fashion like this is painful, and it’s bringing out the venom in Philadelphia full force.
“I think he’s really just kind of scratching the surface”, Caldwell said.
It’s the first time the Eagles have lost by 28 or more points in consecutive games since 1971, when they were hammered by Dallas, 42-7, and San Francisco, 31-3.
Matthews had just three catches, but his last one was a 24-yard touchdown and his first one was a nice shoe-string grab on a horrific Sanchez throw. His stubbornness to leave his players on islands when they’re clearly getting torched is absurd, as is his constant mediocrity. Thats the thing that I know you guys do understand the fact that we look at a game, we make a determination on the personnel groupings we get into and devise game plans off of, maybe, which group we think we can best match up against. Ansah set up the final score with a strip-sack on Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez, which he celebrated by flapping his arms like a turkey.
“The answer is there is no other option”, Kelly said. Meanwhile, Stafford threw for 337 yards and five touchdowns on 22-of-38 passing. I have a lot of confidence in those guys.
The Eagles are off until December 6 when they travel to New England to face the unbeaten Patriots (10-0).
All this and more obscured the little details that plagued the Eagles in their early close losses and continue to crop up, like the 15-yard facemask penalty that stalled a promising first-quarter drive, another missed field goal by Caleb Sturgis, poor run blocking combined with DeMarco Murray’s continued struggles to stay on his feet in open space.
Johnson ended the first half with a touchdown, and started the second half with the same result.
In comparison, the Eagles faced seven third downs over the same stretch, five for nine yards or more. The Eagles allowed six sacks after Peters departed. Left tackle Jason Peters, plagued by injuries all season, left the game with an ankle injury as well.
-CB Nolan Carroll was carted off with a broken right ankle during the second quarter. I don’t put that on the players; some, but not the brunt of it.
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The 30-year-old in his ninth National Football League season had eight receptions for 93 yards and three scores in the game.
