Eagles OL Review: Mathis, Scott Get Tested

Here’s a player-by-player review of how the Eagles’ offensive line performed against the Bengals, after having re-watched Thursday night’s game.

King Dunlap – The veteran held up well in pass protection. I didn’t see him give up any hits on Nick Foles. Dunlap did a nice job pass-blocking on the 17-yard completion to Jeremy Maclin in the third. He rarely gives you much in the run game and was up and down in that aspect. But Dunlap did a nice job on Bryce Brown’s 6-yard run in the third and again on his 8-yard run. He got pushed into the backfield on Brown’s run that lost 2 yards in the second.

Evan Mathis – He’s had a great season and was battling an ankle injury, but Mathis was up-and-down in this one, going up against some talented defensive linemen like Geno Atkins. Let’s start with the good. He did a nice job on Brown’s 6-yard run in the red zone. And Mathis got his hands on Vontaze Burfict on Brown’s 6-yard run in the third. He held up well in pass protection on Foles’ 17-yard completion to Maclin in the third. Now, the issues. Mathis whiffed on his block against Pat Sims, leading to the Foles/Brown fumble and the Bengals’ defensive touchdown. He was driven into the backfield by Atkins on a Brown run that was stopped after 1 yard in the fourth. Mathis had some trouble with Atkins in the first, but Foles stepped up and found Jason Avant for 25 yards. He gave up a sack in the third as Wallace Gilberry came Mathis’ way on a stunt. But to be fair, Foles held on to the ball for awhile on the play.

Dallas Reynolds – He had ups and downs as well. Good block on the screen to Brown that picked up 11 in the second. And nice job pulling on the 6-yard Brown carry in the red zone. But he couldn’t hold his block on the linebacker on Brown’s 3-yard carry in the second. And Reynolds had a costly illegal snap when the offense had a 1st-and-goal from the 2 late in the first half. They ended up settling for a field goal. Burfict went right around him and dropped Dion Lewis for a 4-yard loss on a screen in the third.

Jake Scott – He did not play particularly well. Scott was called for an illegal block in the back on the screen to Maclin where he fumbled. Atkins shoved him deep into the backfield, disrupting a Brown run that lost a yard in the first. He let Domata Peko get past him on Brown’s 3-yard run in the second. Scott got abused by Atkins in the third and was called for holding. And he was shoved into the backfield by Atkins on a Brown run that lost 2 yards in the third. The good moments? He did a nice job out in front of the screen to Brown that picked up 11 yards. And Scott blocked Burfict on Brown’s 6-yard run in the red zone.

Dennis Kelly – He also had his share of issues. Kelly gave up a hit on Foles in the second on the play where the QB was called for intentional grounding. He did a poor job of handling a stunt in the second, allowing pressure on Foles. It looked like Carlos Dunlap tossed him to the side on a Brown run that lost a yard in the third.

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
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