Zone Read: Eagles-Cowboys, the Day After
GAME BALL OFFENSE: JEREMY MACLIN
There really weren’t a lot of options here.
Maclin had four grabs for 98 yards, including a 72-yard catch that set up a score. Sanchez found him near the sideline as the defensive back tried to jump in front for the interception. Maclin turned it upfield and got all the way down to the Cowboys’ 1 yard line. Chris Polk scored from a yard out on the next play.
Overall, Maclin was targeted six times. That doesn’t seem like it was enough.
On the season, he’s totaled 1,207 yards on 78 catches, including 10 touchdowns. We’ll see what happens the next couple of weeks. But the question of whether Maclin, a pending free agent, will be back is one of the bigger ones this team faces in the offseason.
GAME BALL DEFENSE: VINNY CURRY
Not a ton of options on this side of the ball either.
Curry never gave up on a play in the third quarter. Romo danced around and danced around some more, but Curry sacked him from behind and stripped the ball as Fletcher Cox recovered.
The offense took over at the Dallas 14, and Darren Sproles eventually scored from 1 yard out to give the Eagles a 24-21 lead.
At that time, I’m guessing pretty much any one of the 69, 596 people at the Linc would have bet his/her mortgage on the Birds to win. But the Cowboys outscored them 17-3 the rest of the way.
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THAT’S WHAT HE SAID
“Well, that’s what happens when you lose this game. I mean, [expletive], what do you want me to say? We’ve gotta find a way to win the next two and see what happens.” – CONNOR BARWIN
That was his response to being asked about the Eagles no longer controlling their own destiny when it comes to the playoffs.
Added Ertz: “Obviously, [the Cowboys] play the Colts next, and I’ve been an Andrew Luck fan before. So now I’m an even bigger Andrew Luck fan. Go Colts.”
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FIVE THOUGHTS AND LEFTOVERS
1. There will be a lot of talk this week about whether the Eagles will go back to Nick Foles. First, we have to see if Foles is cleared to practice. If he is, and if he is healthy, I would put him back out there.
The truth is, there’s no ideal scenario. Foles will be coming off injury, and even when he was healthy this season, he did not play well. But maybe you catch lightning in a bottle, and he somewhat resembles the guy we saw in 2013.
Sanchez can’t get the ball downfield, and his 4.0 percent interception rate currently ranks fifth-worst among quarterbacks who have attempted at least 100 passes. The bottom line is he has not done enough to steal the job.
Oh, and I guess it’s worth noting that the Eagles will be entering Kelly’s third offseason with a giant question mark at the most important position on the team.
2. The Eagles’ offensive line is relatively healthy (four of five original starters), but has been unable to find any kind of consistency. On Thanksgiving, the Eagles dominated up front. That was not the case Sunday as McCoy ran 16 times for 64 yards.
“Obviously up front, I’m not playing as well as I was last year,” said Jason Kelce. “We’re not playing as well as a unit. And I think a lot of those other guys are doing a great job. We just need to get better as a unit. The whole reason we won this game last time is because up front we got it done. And LeSean was able to get out in open space and do damage. If you look at today, I didn’t get it done for us.
“We just didn’t run-block very well today. They got us. Obviously [they] came out in some different stuff and some different things to try and stop us. And I didn’t do a good job of putting us in a better position. And I think that’s really the key to the loss. I’ve got to do a better job.”
3. There’s tendency to overreact after games like this. The Eagles’ defense has overachieved for much of the season, but came up small against Dallas. If we’re looking ahead to the offseason, I think they need to find themselves a corner (adding two wouldn’t be a horrible idea), a safety to pair with Jenkins and an inside linebacker.
The starters on the defensive line are all back, although depth can always be addressed. They have to decide what to do on guys like Brandon Graham (a free agent) and Trent Cole. It’s unclear what DeMeco Ryans’ timetable to return is and how effective he’ll be.
But between Barwin, Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks and others, there are some pieces to work with.
4. I think the Eagles wasted an opportunity, but strange things sometimes happen down the stretch. Remember in 2008 when the Eagles got help in two of the early games before beating the Cowboys, 44-6, at night to get into the playoffs?
Next week will be fascinating. They have to first take care of business Saturday afternoon in Washington. If that happens, all eyes on Sunday afternoon (4:25 p.m. kickoff) will be on Cowboys-Colts.
Seventeen days ago, the Eagles appeared to be in full control of the division. Six days from now, they’ll be begging for some help from Mr. Luck.
5. Leftovers: Very loud “Dallas Sucks” chant during the coin toss. The crowd was ready to go. But the botched kickoff to open the game let some of the air out of the balloon. … I noted this on Twitter, but in 2014, how is it possible that our best method for judging where a punt goes out of bounds is to have a middle-aged man just eyeball it? Hey Commish, I know you have your hands full nowadays, but how about some upgraded technology in this billion dollar sport? … Don’t want to forget about Cary Williams. Three penalties for 50 yards, including two on third down. …Wanted to give a shoutout to our buddy, Coach Flinn, whose Villanova squad suffered a tough loss to Sam Houston State over the weekend. Congrats on a great season, Coach.
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