Seahawks vs. Eagles: Full Report Card Grades for Philadelphia
Ten days after the Philadelphia Eagles beat down the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, they were beat down by the Seattle Seahawks in a frustrating 24-14 defeat. The Seahawks won the game in all aspects, suffocating Chip Kelly’s offense and pounding the ball on the ground en route to over 400 total yards of offense. Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com provided some eye-opening Eagles stats:
"Eagles were out gained 440-139. Only the 10th time in franchise history they've been out gained by 300 yards. First time at home since 1962.
— Reuben Frank (@RoobCSN) December 8, 2014"
The loss drops the Eagles to 9-4 and sets the stage for a Sunday Night Football matchup with the rival Dallas Cowboys, a contest that could control everything from whether Philadelphia gets the No. 2 seed in the NFC to if this team even makes the playoffs. SportsCenter noted the upcoming Eagles-Cowboys matchup:
"NFC East showdown next week in Philadelphia - 9-4 Cowboys visit 9-4 Eagles. Philly blew out Dallas on Thanksgiving. pic.twitter.com/ApfXkbw4dX
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 8, 2014"
Sunday’s loss, though, puts Kelly’s Eagles at a disappointing 0-3 against NFC teams likely to make the playoffs (Arizona, Green Bay and Seattle, with Dallas still to be determined). That’s bad news for the Eagles, and the quarterback play from Mark Sanchez Sunay may raise questions about whether Nick Foles should take over when he’s healthy.
It’s the kind of loss the Eagles need to move on from, as they have a prime-time matchup with Dallas that could easily make or break the season. Here are report-card game grades from an incredibly disappointing all-around performance.
Quarterback
1 of 8
It wasn’t Mark Sanchez’s day. The sixth-year quarterback threw for just 96 yards on 20 attempts. His peripheral passing numbers (50 percent completion rate, 4.8 yards per attempt and a 76.2 passer rating) weren’t good enough to keep the Philadelphia Eagles in the game.
Sanchez did throw two touchdowns to just one interception, but his overall play suggested he’s just not good enough to get this team deep in the playoffs. QB is the top need if deep postseason play includes hopes of reaching the Super Bowl, according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News:
"There are lots of things the Eagles might need to be a Super Bowl team. Right now you'd have to put a QB at the top of that list.
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) December 8, 2014"
Sanchez’s interception came at perhaps the worst imaginable time—down by 10, the Eagles had just gotten a lucky break on a Marshawn Lynch fumble, and the offense needed to score to keep Philadelphia in this game. That’s when Sanchez threw up an ill-advised deep pass to Riley Cooper that was picked off, thus ending any chance of a comeback.
The worst part was that Sanchez had Jordan Matthews open on the play, as noted by Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer:
"Sanchez had Cooper and Matthews running vertical routes. One was open. The other wasn't. Sanchez went to the former and was picked off.
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) December 8, 2014"
Sanchez actually started the game with a near-interception, almost gift-wrapping one for Richard Sherman. Sanchez was unsteady in the pocket, taking three sacks. He was forced to rely exclusively on Cooper with Jeremy Maclin shut down by Sherman, and that led to Sanchez’s lowest single-game passing total since the middle of 2012.
In all, Sanchez led the Eagles to just nine first downs and 139 total yards. That’s the lowest total by any Chip Kelly team ever. Philadelphia converted just two of 11 third-down opportunities, and after taking an early 7-0 lead, it never really threatened again. For this team to advance in the playoffs, Sanchez will have to show he can beat the best defenses, and he certainly didn’t do that Sunday.
Grade: D
Running Backs
2 of 8
The running game never really got going for this offense. It’s a two-way street, and whether Mark Sanchez didn’t help the run or the run didn’t help the pass, they didn’t work well together.
LeSean McCoy finished with 50 yards on 17 carries, averaging just 2.9 yards per carry. He converted a key 4th-and-1 early on, but then he lost a fumble on the first play of the second half, which led directly to a Seattle touchdown. It was actually the second consecutive game that McCoy fumbled, as he also lost the ball against Dallas.
Darren Sproles had four carries for no yards, largely because he was stuffed for an eight-yard loss on one play.
There was one positive note, as McCoy etched his name into Philadelphia lore. The Eagles tweeted a congratulatory message:
"History has been made. Congrats, @CutonDime25! #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/KlwsT2lo6o
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 7, 2014"
Unfortunately, it was on a disappointing day for the franchise’s best all-around back, echoed in his comments (via the Eagles):
"LeSean McCoy on franchise record: Means a lot, I wish it could've been under a different situation. It's hard to enjoy on a day like this.
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 8, 2014"
Grade: D
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
3 of 8
As expected, the Philadelphia Eagles’ wide receivers struggled to get separation against Sherman and that dynamic secondary, and the result was a historically awful offensive output from this team.
Jeremy Maclin was covered largely by Sherman, and he finished with just three catches for 21 yards. Maclin did catch a touchdown on a nice play—with the Eagles near the goal line, he motioned to the left and caught an easy score when no Seattle defender followed him. Still, the 21-yard output was Maclin’s second-lowest single-game total of the season.
Riley Cooper drew more than his share of targets, which is a problem because he lacks the ability to separate from most defensive backs. There was a deep ball that Sanchez threw Cooper that Cooper couldn’t catch up to; it looked like a sure touchdown if Cooper was faster.
Cooper finished with three catches for 13 yards (on five targets), although he did make a nice block on Maclin’s touchdown. Jordan Matthews had just two catches for 23 yards on five targets; that means Sanchez was just 8-of-16 for 57 yards when throwing to his top three receivers.
Tight end Zach Ertz finally made a big play, hauling in a 35-yard touchdown down the left sideline, but then he dropped a catchable 3rd-and-long throw late in the game. Brent Celek was targeted once and finished without a catch.
Grade: D
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Offensive Line
4 of 8
It was not one of the better days for an offensive line that has produced pretty well this season, despite rotating a slew of players due to injuries.
Sanchez was sacked just once in the first three quarters, but he was then sacked on consecutive plays in the fourth quarter. Too many times, he didn’t have enough time to throw, and Seattle’s suffocating secondary didn’t make his day any easier.
The running game was equally ineffective, gaining just 57 yards on 22 carries. As mentioned, that’s just 139 yards for the team. Jason Peters was the only lineman to be penalized, drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty.
Grade: D-
Defensive Line
5 of 8
Any talk of the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive line should start with superstar 5-technique end Fletcher Cox, a third-year player who is playing at an All-Pro level.
Cox picked up a ridiculous 11 tackles from the interior-line position, tying for the team lead. One of those was for a loss, and he showed his quickness on a number of plays. Philly Eagles Fans described Cox as a "glimmer of hope":
"Fletcher Cox: a glimmer of hope in this awful mess.
— Philly Eagles Fans (@PHIEagleFans) December 7, 2014"
At one point, announcer Troy Aikman compared Cox to longtime Eagles great Reggie White, arguably the greatest defensive lineman in NFL history.
Pass-rushing specialist Vinny Curry racked up his eighth sack and finished with two tackles for a loss, also picking up a quarterback hit.
The defensive line held Marshawn Lynch to “just” 3.7 yards per carry on 23 rushes, although the team finished with nearly 200 yards on 46 rushes.
Grade: C+
Linebackers
6 of 8
The team’s best defensive player, Connor Barwin, started the game with a sack of Russell Wilson, which gives Barwin 13.5 for the season. Barwin had six tackles total and an additional quarterback hit. Per Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com, Barwin ranks fifth in Eagles history for most touchdowns "through 13 games":
"Connor Barwin's 13.5 sacks are 5th most in Eagles history through 13 games.
— Geoff Mosher (@GeoffMosherCSN) December 7, 2014"
Veteran Trent Cole did not have his best game; he overpursued on Wilson’s early touchdown run and should have been called for an illegal-hands-to-the-face penalty later on. He also jumped offside on a third down that kept a Seattle drive alive. Cole did finish with nine tackles, and one for a loss, but he left some plays out there.
Mychal Kendricks showed his athleticism on multiple occasions. He tied Fletcher Cox with 11 tackles, once taking down Lynch for a loss. He chased Wilson into an intentional-grounding penalty. He also forced the Lynch fumble late in the game, although the Philadelphia Eagles offense couldn’t capitalize on the play. Simply put, Kendricks was "all over the field," as McLane noted:
"Mychal Kendricks has been all over the field. #Eagles
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) December 7, 2014"
The surprise play of the day came when Eagles’ first-round rookie Marcus Smith actually pressured Wilson into getting sacked by Barwin; Smith didn’t officially register a tackle, but it was nice to see the 26th overall selection on the field.
Grade: C+
Secondary
7 of 8
For once, it wasn’t starting cornerbacks Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher who were the weak links on the defense. Sunday’s disappointing performance belonged to free safety Malcolm Jenkins, who was exposed in pass coverage and then dropped what could have been a clutch pick-six. PhillyMag.com's Sheil Kapadia pointed out Jenkins' poor performance via stats:
"Seahawks first team I can remember to target Jenkins in slot when Eagles stay in base. Has allowed three catches of 15+ yards.
— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) December 7, 2014"
Jenkins did recover the fumble that Kendricks forced on Lynch in the fourth quarter, but it was Jenkins’ missed opportunity (the dropped-interception touchdown) that really stood out, a play SiriusXM NFL Radio noted:
"Ouch, missed opportunity for Malcolm Jenkins and the #Eagles... nothing but green grass in front of that dropped INT with 7 min to go in 4th
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) December 8, 2014"
Jenkins appeared to be responsible for Doug Baldwin’s touchdown. In all, Wilson was nearly flawless against the Philadelphia Eagles, throwing for 263 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, while posting a 99.3 passer rating.
Fletcher and nickel cornerback Brandon Boykin each converted costly penalties, Fletcher getting called for 44 yards on pass interference and Boykin extending a Seattle drive with an early holding penalty.
Safety Nate Allen was once again exposed. He was responsible for a 3rd-and-long conversion right before halftime and missed a tackle on the Wilson-to-Marshawn Lynch touchdown pass. Allen just isn’t an NFL starter at safety, and the Eagles need to upgrade that position.
Grade: D-
Special Teams
8 of 8
Kicker Cody Parkey’s groin was likely bothering him enough that the team should have brought on a kickoff specialist; after all, he squibbed it to start the game. Parkey had no field-goal attempts.
Punter Donnie Jones had a busy day, booting eight for an average of 43.3 yards each. Three of those landed inside the 20.
Return man Darren Sproles muffed his only opportunity, although he did fall on the ball. Josh Huff took a kick back 46 yards, although he nearly coughed it up on the return.
The Philadelphia Eagles did stop a Seattle punt, but that was more due to Jon Ryan’s dropped snap than the Eagles bringing lots of pressure (credit to Marcus Smith for knocking the ball loose). New Eagles special teams player Chris Prosinksi had a solid day in coverage.
Grade: C+
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