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Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...
Eagles’ Jay Ajayi confused by lack of rushing workload in Vikings loss: ‘That doesn’t make sense to me’ - NJ.com
Ajayi wasn’t exactly enthused with his workload, especially in the first half. ”Obviously we want to be able to run the ball early and start that rhythm early in the beginning of the game,” Ajayi said in the locker room after the game. “If I remember correctly we had maybe three carries at the end of the first quarter. ”With the offensive line we have on this team, running the ball like that, that doesn’t make sense to me.” The Eagles’ first carry of the game came with 4:28 left in the first quarter, a 5-yard gain for Wendell Smallwood. The second came from undrafted rookie Josh Adams on a key third-down on the next play. Adams lost one yard. By the end of the game, Eagles running backs only ran the ball 12 times, gaining 55 yards. Ajayi had eight carries for 29 yards one week after handling most of the workload with 15 carries in a Week 4 loss against the Titans.
8 things we learned from the Eagles’ loss to the Vikings - BGN
That’s not to let the Eagles off the hook. But I don’t think it’s like this team needs drastic, sweeping changes. They just need to execute better. That’s boring and simple to say but they really just need to get out of their own way. These self-inflicted wounds are killer. It’s frustrating to see the Eagles continue to beat themselves, especially when you can’t help but feel like this group is capable of being better.
The Kist & Solak Show #23: The Infuriating Eagles’ Loss to the Vikings - BGN Radio
Michael Kist and Benjamin Solak react to the Eagles 23-21 loss to the Minnesota Vikings by questioning Jim Schwartz, Jalen Mills, the offensive line, and they also have a message about not panicking YET, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t incredibly frustrated by a loss that sends the Eagles to 2-3.
Handing out 10 awards from the Eagles-Vikings game - PhillyVoice
While the Bennett penalty was absolute trash, the Eagles did commit plenty of other legitimate penalties in this game, as they seemingly do every week. They had three false starts and two illegal formations. Those are unforced errors that are unacceptable for an offense that doesn’t have a single starter who isn’t at least in his third year in the pros.
Skol’d - Iggles Blitz
I still believe the problems on this team are fixable, especially as it gets healthier. At the same time, it is hard to feel any sense of confidence in this team with the way they are playing right now. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me three times in five weeks, shame on me. A short week may be the best thing that could happen to this team. The Eagles need to get back on the field and play their way out of this funk. I’m not sure talking about the problems and thinking about them is going to solve anything.
Sluggish starts are dooming underachieving Eagles offense - NBCSP
The Eagles have three first-half touchdowns this year in five games, and that’s inexcusable, it’s unacceptable and it’s truly mystifying. After halftime, the Eagles’ offense is OK. Not great but OK. It has scored 67 points, 10th most in the NFL in the second half this year. Before halftime? Only the Browns and Titans have scored fewer points. Why? Why can’t a team loaded with offensive talent, an MVP-caliber quarterback, a Super Bowl champion play caller and a highly regarded offensive line get the darn football in the end zone before halftime? It’s baffling and it’s disturbing.
Frustration Defines Defensive Outing In Loss To Vikings - PE.com
The frustration on the Eagles’ defense had reached a boiling point. In the 23-21 loss to the Vikings, missed opportunities, poor execution, and tough calls hurt the defense and turned the tide at times. In this situation, Cox needed to keep Mills from making it worse. “That was all great words,” Cox told reporters after the game as Mills declined to speak with the media. “I think the ref was getting ready to throw the flag and I was a great teammate, went in there to pull him out of the scuffle to not cost the team 15 yards and get him to the sideline. He was trying to tell me to get his point across and I was just telling him to be smart.”
Super Bowl hangover? Eagles on shaky ground after loss to Vikings - ESPN
It will be harder to put a happy spin on the state of affairs this week. There are sure to be higher levels of concern following a 23-21 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, which dropped the Eagles to 2-3 on the season -- and there should be. The Eagles have already matched their loss total from all of last season and have not come close to rediscovering their Super Bowl form, particularly on offense. ”Yeah, I’m concerned. I’m concerned, for sure,” said tight end Zach Ertz, who finished with 10 catches for 110 yards with a touchdown. “This is not where I thought we would be.”
Refocused, NFL Week 5: Minnesota Vikings 23, Philadelphia Eagles 21 - PFF
Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox were, once again, wrecking balls for the Eagles’ defense. They combined for double-digit pressures and made life difficult for Cousins. It was not a banner day for Sidney Jones in coverage. Every single time he was targeted, he allowed a completion and missed two tackles to boot.
Eagles can’t blame anyone but themselves following loss to Vikings: ‘We’re in a mess’ - Daily News
A team that was so good in the red zone and on third down last season on the way to its first-ever Super Bowl title, suddenly has become inept at situational football. A team that didn’t turn the ball over last season, lost two more fumbles Sunday, one that was returned for a touchdown and another on the Minnesota 5-yard line. A team that didn’t commit stupid penalties now is making them in bunches, including a pair of false starts Sunday by two of their most respected offensive players – left tackle Jason Peters and tight end Zach Ertz – and two illegal-formation penalties. ”We’re shooting ourselves with penalties and turnovers that are hurting our offense,’’ coach Doug Pederson said after his team lost for the third time in five games.
Down 14, Scoring a Touchdown, and then Going For 2 - Football Perspective
The math has been clear for so long, and been presented by so many writers, that this topic is essentially beating a dead horse. Late in games, it has always made sense for a team, after scoring a touchdown to cut a lead from 14 to 8 points, should go for two. The trailing team gets two bites at the apple: if it converts, a touchdown now wins the game. If the team fails, they get a second chance to erase that mistake. Only if the odds of missing *both* attempts were higher than the odds of making the first attempt would this strategy fail to make sense.
Week 5: Awaken the Sleeping Giant? Browns—Yup—Feeling Frisky - FMIA
The Eagles don’t have much time to fix their ills. Philadelphia, 2-3, isn’t too far gone to heal. The Eagles have lost by two, three and six points. The problem, though, is time. The Eagles have to go to the Meadowlands on Thursday night to face the struggling and enigmatic Giants, and then they have the similarly enigmatic Panthers at home, and then a game in London against the Jaguars. Not much time, particularly this week, to get right on offense and in the secondary, which are major issues. In Carson Wentz’s three starts since returning from knee reconstruction, the Eagles are 1-2, averaging only 21.3 points a game. In his last nine games last season before getting hurt, Wentz and the Eagles went 8-1 and averaged 33.4 points a game. He’s moving in the pocket well and throwing with more precision than last year (67.2 percent this year in a smaller sample size, 60.2 last year), and so I think it’s smart now to be patient with the passing game. It should come around. The secondary is a worry, particularly with all the resources GM Howie Roseman has used to build it. The Eagles allowed a stingy opposing QB rating of 79.5 last year, which is superb. This year: 96.5, which is not. Philly’s lucky the rest of the division is a combined 5-8.
Kicking It Into High Gear in Week 5 (With Help From Graham Gano) - The MMQB
Sheldon Richardson, by the way, was still salty that the officials gave Wendell Smallwood the touchdown on the possession before that third-and-20. “They really didn’t [score],” he said. “It was the referee’s call, but they really didn’t score. Just throwing that out there. … The difference between crossing the plane—when you’re a runner, you cross the plane and it’s a touchdown; but for a catch, you have to maintain possession if you’re falling to the ground, and make a little football motion. That’s the rule.” And for what it’s worth, Richardson didn’t think Smallwood made a football move.
Angry day for Giants ends in bitter loss — where do they go from here? - Big Blue View
Heart. Energy. Big downfield throws and some final drive magic from Eli Manning. Odell Beckham Jr. finally getting into the end zone. Saquon Barkley scoring twice. Fighting back from a 27-16 fourth-quarter deficit. Eclipsing the 30-point mark for the first time in 38 games. Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers had everything the New York Giants could have wanted. Except for the victory they so desperately needed. What is it about the Giants and the bad karma of 60+ yard game-ending field goals? In Week 3 of 2017, Jake Elliott of the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Giants with a 61-yarder as time expired. Sunday, Graham Gano drove a dagger into their season with a 63-yarder as time expired that sent the 1-4 Giants to a 33-31 defeat.
Jerry Jones publicly contradicting Jason Garrett’s decision to punt doesn’t bode well for the coach - Blogging The Boys
It’s been said many times that Jerry Jones has cried only twice since owning the Cowboys, the 1994 NFC Championship Game and the inaugural contest against the Texans in 2002. Losing to the team’s self-assigned little brother has to be embarrassing, especially when the Cowboys literally punted the game away. If you ask Jason about his decision he’ll tell you that it was “a long one” to consider in terms of the yard, but that’s not how Jerry feels. What’s important to note here is that not only does Jerry Jones feel opposite of how Jason Garrett handled something as the head coach of the Cowboys, but he’s telling the whole world about it.
Odell Beckham Jr. got extremely candid about Eli Manning and the Giants. Here’s what you need to know - SB Nation
Odell Beckham Jr. gave a stunningly honest interview with ESPN this weekend, ahead of the Giants’ 31-33 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. He didn’t hold anything back. Beckham openly discussed his frustration with the organization, the underwhelming offense, how he wants more opportunities to shine, and when he was asked about Eli Manning, he was speechless. Speaking with Josina Anderson, Beckham Jr. laid out everything he has problems with inside the organization, the kind of information we normally get a taste of via leaks and post-season chatter, not a national interview in the middle of the season.
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