The Eagles had settled, the team was starting to gel and they were going to mount a huge comeback and be the hot team entering the playoffs. Perhaps not, it’d seem that some people got carried away with a couple of wins. After two losses in six days, the Eagles are now back on a losing skid and staring the ambiguity of being a non-playoff team in the face. So much for that “Dream Team”…
As much as this was an embarrassing and potentially devastating loss for the Eagles, for the Cardinals this was a much-deserved win on the East Coast. Arizona looked on for at least one win on their two trips to the Beltway against Washington and Baltimore but couldn’t pull out the win. This time it was them getting the big play at the end of the game and putting the win on the board.
For the Eagles, that uphill battle to the playoffs is now a sheer cliff face and almost out of reach, the inconsistencies remain and just as it looks like things might have been starting to click, the injury bug hits and suddenly those players that started to look comfortable with each other aren’t on the field together. There is still an awful lot of talent on this team, but it needs time to gel and it looks increasingly like Eagles fans will have to wait at least one more year for that deep playoff run and a shot at all the marbles.
Arizona – Three Performances of Note
Mr. Dependable
What is the true measure of a wide receiver? Is it what you achieve when everything is right? When you have the great quarterback and the other threats in the offense to allow you favorable coverage to put up the gaudy stats and be part of a hugely successful offense. Or is it what you do when you have very little around you, an inexperienced quarterback and no legitimate threat elsewhere in the offense? Whether it is the latter or the former Larry Fitzgerald (+3.8) has shown time and again that he is one of the elite wide receivers in the NFL. Once again this Sunday in Philadelphia he was a difference maker, providing the go to target against the Philadelphia “all-star” backfield that second year quarterback John Skelton so desperately needed. Fitzgerald showed excellent concentration making two catches off of tips by Eagle defensive backs on the drive on which he scored his second touchdown. On that very drive he picked up two first downs and the touchdown. Perhaps the play that best illustrated his value to a young quarterback came at 11:16 of the fourth quarter. Spotting a scramble by Skelton and breaking off of his crossing route to come back out to the right and pick up a crucial third down conversion inside the Philadelphia 35.
Mr. Active
If there is one Arizona defender who you should not help but see yourself drawn to, ahead of the much lauded pairing of Darnell Dockett and Adrian Wilson, when watching games is their second-year inside linebacker Daryl Washington (-0.6). He plays the game as if he is pumped up on Red Bull (other energy drinks are available) and many times that leads him to have outstanding games, using his boundless aggression and energy to cause a nuisance for offenses in every facet of the game. This week however it led him to have as many poor plays as good and even led to a penalty at the start of the fourth quarter. Washington registered a sack, three hits and three pressures as a pass rusher but also missed three tackles in the game as well. Washington is a rising star, and if he can control his occasionally excessive aggression in pursuit he will be among the best in the league for a long time to come.
Mr. Athletic
How do you ignore that play that Calais Campbell (+1.8) made to rob the Eagles of what could have proved to be a crucial score at 2:33 in the third quarter. Campbell’s athleticism is well known around the league but the ability to elevate in the passing lane and bat that pass down is an exceptional play. To be able to pick it off, no matter how lucky you might think it, is at a whole other level. That Campbell was also able to register a batted pass along with a hit and two other pressures in the passing game shows how good he is in this area of the game. This was also only the third time this season that Campbell has graded negatively in run defense as he failed to record a defensive stop this week. He is developing beyond being just a pass rusher into being a solid and rounded defensive end to outshine the more highly thought of Darnell Dockett.
Philadelphia – Three Performances of Note
What has happened to Mike Vick the passer?
He may never have been much of a passer but this game was a real low point for Michael Vick (-1.9) and comfortably his worst display as a passer all season. Five catchable passes hitting the deck doesn’t help matters, but that doesn’t excuse his own inability to find receivers down the field. Vick completed only one pass aimed more than ten yards downfield and almost seemed to revert to his Atlanta days when he was much maligned as being too much of a runner. Vick was effective as a runner but unlike in his early days with Philadelphia when he seemed more willing to move and reset to throw in the face of pressure he was very willing to take off and run this week. This has been a rare display by Vick and Eagles fans will be hoping that the apparent fixes that Andy Reid and the Eagles have made to Vick’s game re-emerge in the coming weeks, though how soon he plays having sustained broken ribs on a hit from Paris Lenon remains to be seen.
The bookends
In a week where the offense failed to fire one of the rare bright spots for the Eagles on this side of the ball was the play of two of their stalwarts, their offensive tackles. Jason Peters (+2.1) was again solid in yet another positive display after his return from injury, while on the other side Todd Herremans (+3.6) put in a good display as well. The Cardinals outside linebackers will not be their sternest tests of the season, but again it was how active they were in moving downfield to block for LeSean McCoy, particularly Peters, that marks out their fine play. If the Eagles could sort out their passing game without the need to involve the linemen in screens, be more consistent on intermediate routes then they would be away. However when Peters is involved as an integral part of the blocking, good things seem to happen.
Best under the radar signing of the spree?
For all of the Eagles big-money signings, their best value has come from the piecemeal signings they made to fill in the gaps. The loss of Evan Mathis affected the offense this week with the tandem of Jason Peters and Mathis clearly having a big impact on games. Then on the other side of the ball probably their best value defensive signing put in another big game this week. Derek Landri (+3.3) has been flying under the radar in terms of playing time, he only topped 100 snaps for the season this week, but not in terms of production. Landri registered one sacks, two hits and a pressure in this game and added to that another stop in the running game. The sack may be the highlight stat on defense, but it was unblocked. The most impressive play from Landri was his tackle for a four yard loss on second-and-goal from the one yard line just prior to the Cardinals’ go ahead score (Q4 2:00), knifing through a gap left by a pull block from left guard Daryn Colledge. With better tackling from Kurt Coleman on the ensuing play this tackle from Landri would have been remembered in a much different light in this game.
Game Notes
– Jamar Chaney played all 77 defensive snaps for the Eagles this week and has only missed six of the Eagles 583 defensive snaps this season.
– Asante Samuel got his hands to more of the six passes aimed to his coverage than did Cardinal receivers. Samuel yielded a 9-yard catch to Andre Roberts whilst picking off, returning it for a touchdown, and breaking up a pass intended for Larry Fitzgerald.
– John Skelton was solid in this game but for two areas of worry, outside of the numbers between the line of scrimmage and nine yards downfield. Skelton went 2-of-8 for 31 yards and two interceptions on these throws. On his other 29 aimed throws, he completed 17 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns.
PFF Game Ball
If there is one receiver who has consistently exceeded his quarterback play in recent seasons it is Larry Fitzgerald. John Skelton gave Fitzgerald some help this week but it was still mostly about Fitzgerald and his concentration to bring in two catches tipped by Eagle defenders exemplified his class.
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