Doug Pederson on losing to the Dolphins: ‘That’s a good football team’

The Eagles lost to THE FREAKING DOLPHINS on Sunday, and head coach Doug Pederson spoke to the media afterward about being inconsistent, stupid penalties, and the play calling.

He also mentioned that they are still in the hunt for the division and needs to motivate the team heading into this final stretch.

“As crazy as this is, I would say it’s a long shot, but we’re not out of it. We do have four of our division opponents coming up, and the guys gotta understand that, and it’s my job to make sure they do understand that. That we’re still fighting, and coming to work this week, and ready to go, and try to figure this thing out. But, I gotta give them and show them what we need to do with these next four games.”

Here’s what the head coach had to say:

On losing to the Dolphins

Pederson said they had too many inconsistent plays, penalties set them back, and execution offensively on third down — there were enough things that kept them from winning and sustaining the game.

He said, “That’s a good football team,” and that if anything was deflating (or disappointing) coming out of the matchup, it’s that they didn’t do the things they are capable of doing and the lack of consistency all around.

On the trick play by the Dolphins, Pederson said that they knew that Miami was one of the more creative teams in using gadget plays, and they were prepared for something unique, but again, credit to the team for pulling it off.

“We’ve self-destructed in a couple areas today and it hurt us, and we didn’t make enough plays. They made them, we didn’t. Those are the things that I talk about, when I talk about being a disciplined team, and all that kind of stuff. That’s something we have to take a look at as a whole, as a whole group, as a team, and get that area fixed.”

He also said that they didn’t take this game lightly, and they knew they were a well-coached, disciplined group. Pederson said that they couldn’t go based off of record, and they knew they were facing a good football team.

On the defense

The head coach was asked about the corners struggling on the outside against DeVante Parker, and Pederson said that the receiver is a good player.

“Our guys were in position,” he said, noting that they would look at the film and see how they could have done a better job. But, in general, he credits the quarterback and receiver for making those plays.

Pederson later said that some of the issues with Miami’s five straight scoring drives came down to penalties. He pointed to two big 15 yard penalties that kept the Dolphins’ offense on the field, and they also converted some fourth downs — and those are situational things they need to take a look at and clean up.

On the offense

Pederson said that he thought they did some nice things in the run game, and while it’s always difficult having to go the full length of the field, but some of the longer runs were negated by penalties. In general, he said it’s hard to put together 75-80 yard drives consistently, but they have to do better.

The head coach said they’ll take a look this week and decide whether they should split the carries a bit more between Miles Sanders and Jay Ajayi as the season continues. He said they’re comfortable with both guys, and will see how they might fit into the game plan next week.

He was asked about Zach Ertz and whether his missed catches and plays were a result of not practicing this week. Pederson noted that the tight end takes pride in making those plays, and has made them in the past, but he’ll take a look at it and try to improve.