Well, that was pretty much awful. Another prime time game, another division loss. I would imagine that even those optimists that didn't give up on the season after the loss to Chicago probably will after tonight.
Let's get to the headlines...
Mistakes, I've made a few...
Well that certainly was the story tonight wasn't it? Two awful McNabb turnovers led to 14 points and then an almost comical blown coverage gave TO the easiest TD catch he ever made. Of course, late in the 3rd quarter LaJauan Ramsey put a ridiculous and dangerous late hit on the Dallas RB that led to a 15 yard penalty putting the Cowboys in position to score yet another TD. When you spot a team 28 points with that kind of nonsense you can't win games. Can I also mention the two silly penalties that gave Dallas 2 different first and goals on the same drive early in the fourth quarter? It really goes back to what I said after the Chicago game. Bad teams find ways to lose.
I won't go as far as to say "they beat themselves" because for one that always annoys me, but also because clearly Dallas played really well and did a great job capitalizing on every opportunity the Eagles gave them. They certainly deserve credit for a good win on the road in the NFC East.
In the NFL, you don't have to count Mississippi before blitzing
I worry that maybe the Eagles defense didn't realize this fact, because they put absolutely no pressure on the QB whatsoever. Trent Cole didn't do a great job, but he got doubled a lot more than Madden seemed to notice... and no one stepped up to create pressure with that extra room. Kearse was invisible(how quickly will he be gone when this season is over?), there was no push up the middle from the tackles and Juqua Thomas wasn't able to get pressure either.
Can you say, zero sacks. Zero.
McNabb, I... Ummm... yeah
He was awful. In every sense of the word. There was the first fumble that was a just terrible play that a veteran QB doesn't make. He knew the blitz was there, he felt the pressure, he tried to evade it, and he didn't protect the ball. Inexcusable. On the INT, he looked the ball in the entire way. The DB only had to watch McNabb and step right up to make the pick. It was the kind of telegraphed throw that rookies make. Again, inexcusable. There were multiple times when he took stupid sacks rather than throw the ball away. There were multiple examples of this... Let's not forget also the throw near the end zone late in the 4th that should have been picked. McNabb again looked at the WR the whole way and threw it directly to the DB. The only reason it wasn't taken for 6 the other way is because the Cowboy DB was thinking about his return before he caught the ball. Terrible decision, terrible throw. The final pick of the game was just a pass too low and off target. Basically par for the course for the night.
Plus, and I think this is maybe the most worrisome is that he played with absolutely no fire. A few of you guys pointed this out in the open thread. He just didn't look inspired out there. I saw sagging shoulders, he was quiet, and there seemed to be a resigned look on his face. I didn't see a guy ready to win.
Can we praise Westbrook enough?
Even late when the blowout was on he was still fighting for every single yard. He's one of what seems to be the few guys on this team that combines a superior talent with a warrior's mentality. On a night with very few bright spots, his final line of 154 total yards on 16 carries & a career high 14 catches plus a TD was one. He never stopped fighting.
Let's hear your thoughts/rants on this one in the comments. We'll commiserate together...