Going into last week’s game, the Eagles appeared to have a big advantage with their defensive line going up against the Steelers offensive line.
But when the teams actually played, Jim Washburn’s group didn’t have much of an impact, failing to get to Ben Roethlisberger and giving up big plays in the run game all day long.
So what happened? Here’s the weekly review of the Eagles defensive line.
Here’s a player-by-player review of the Eagles linebackers after having re-watched Sunday’s game.
Here’s a player-by-player review of how the Eagles running backs, wide receivers and tight ends performed Sunday against the Steelers.
We’ve used up plenty of space here discussing Michael Vick’s two fumbles on Sunday.
But what did the Eagles’ quarterback do on the other 55 plays?
When evaluating the state of the Eagles’ offensive line right now, it’s important to manage expectations.
A couple weeks ago, the coaches approached the Cardinals game assuming the offense would be just fine operating as it usually does. They tried little things to help Demetress Bell and Dallas Reynolds, who were making their first starts of the season. But overall, Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg believed this offense could still score points by hitting on big plays down the field in the passing game.
After a 27-6 loss, though, it appears they’ve made some significant changes the past two weeks.
If you’re looking for a positive to take out of Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals, DeMeco Ryans once again played at a high level.
Here’s the player-by-player breakdown of the Birds’ linebackers, after having re-watched the game.
In Sunday’s matchup against the Cardinals, the Eagles’ defensive line accounted for three sacks, but Jim Washburn’s group managed just six hurries.
As a point of comparison, the defensive line had 19 hurries against Joe Flacco and 24 against Brandon Weeden.
Here’s the player-by-player breakdown.
Here is a player-by-player look at how the Eagles running backs, wide receivers and tight ends performed against the Cardinals, after having re-watched the game.
The Cardinals employed a couple different strategies to confuse the Eagles’ offense on Sunday. Here’s a look at Michael Vick’s performance against the blitz and what what happened on the 19 plays where the Birds’ quarterback ended up on the ground.
Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton saw what everyone else saw when he was game-planning for Sunday’s matchup with the Eagles.
A left tackle in Demetress Bell who was making his first start of the season – someone who was struggling so badly two weeks ago that he didn’t even dress for the opener against the Browns. A center in Dallas Reynolds who was making his first career start and had been on the practice squad for the previous three seasons. A quarterback in Michael Vick who had six interceptions and three fumbles in the first three games.
And a coaching staff that would likely ignore many of those issues, deciding instead to focus on hitting on big plays downfield.
Most Popular at Phillymag.com
Sheil Kapadia has been writing about the Eagles since 2008. His previous Philly.com blog, Moving the Chains, was named one of the best in the state by the Associated Press. Sheil's main joys in life are family, football and finding good parking spots.
Tim McManus is a bulldog reporter with a nose for news and story angles that will get people talking. He'll talk about it himself on 97.5 The Fanatic, where he serves as a host and Eagles beat reporter. Tim, an award-winning journalist, will be with the team around the clock.
