10 Plays That Told the Story of the 2014 Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles' 2014 season saw the team win 10 games and shatter the franchise record with 474 points scored, but the end result can only be viewed as a disappointment.
The Eagles lost three straight after a 9-3 start, and the beatdown of Dallas on Thanksgiving Day was wiped out by the ensuing losses. As a result, Philadelphia became the first team in NFL history to go from a 9-3 record to eliminated from the postseason before the start of Week 17.
There are a lot of what-ifs from this season. Three of the losses were by just one score, and a single play could easily have put the Eagles in the playoffs. The following 10 plays are the ones that will stand out the most from the 2014 season. Some are good, some are bad and all played pivotal roles in the season's outcome. They’re listed in chronological order, as to best give you a recap of the Eagles’ season.
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1. Darren Sproles’ 49-yard TD Run (Week 1)
Remember how poorly the Philadelphia Eagles played in that Week 1 contest against Jacksonville? Undrafted rookie Allen Hurns torched the secondary, and the Jaguars took a 17-0 lead into halftime.
The scenario was as follows for this play: Eagles' ball, facing a 4th-and-1 at midfield, down 17-0, early in the third quarter. New trade acquisition Darren Sproles was playing his first game as an Eagle, and he lined up in the backfield as Chip Kelly elected to go for the fourth down.
In their trademark style, the Eagles lined up so quickly that not all the Jaguars defenders were even in position (see safety Winston Guy, highlighted below).
Foles took the snap and handed to Sproles, who sprinted up the middle as if he were shot out of a cannon. Sproles hit the 10-yard mark, and it was clear he was gone. (Sproles was met by cornerback Alan Ball inside the 5-yard line, but Sproles had enough momentum to still score with ease.)
Sproles’ 49-yard scamper was the longest of his 10-year NFL career thus far. It put the Eagles on the scoreboard and kick-started a huge second-half rally that saw Philadelphia win by 17 after trailing by 17 at halftime.
Don’t forget about the tremendous job of the offensive line on this play, particularly Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce.
"Jason Kelce blew up the middle of the Jags D on the TD run
— BleedingGreenNation (@BleedingGreen) September 7, 2014"
You could make a case that Philly doesn’t win this game without Sproles’ fourth-down conversion; if he gets stuffed at the line of scrimmage, Jacksonville takes over with a good chance to go up 20-0 at least. Per Advanced Football Analytics, the Eagles’ official odds of winning had they missed that fourth-down attempt would have been just a shade over five percent.
That’s an almost insurmountable deficit to overcome, and losing to Chad Henne and the Jaguars would be no way to start a season.
2. Malcolm Jenkins’ Interception Against Andrew Luck (Week 2)
The Philadelphia Eagles’ 30-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football was a tremendous team effort by Nick Foles, Chip Kelly and the defense, and it was fueled by Malcolm Jenkins’ interception in just his second game with the team.
To recap, Andrew Luck had the football, with the Colts trying to protect a 27-20 lead. They had the ball inside field-goal range in Philadelphia territory with five minutes to play, and the advanced analytics at Pro-Football-Reference show that Indianapolis had a ridiculous 99.2 percent chance at winning the game.
What happened next was a curious decision; Luck dropped back and attempted to throw a pass, rather than handing it off and then letting Adam Vinatieri kick a field goal for a 10-point lead. The veteran Jenkins was in perfect position to make a play, and here’s how it unfolded.
As you can see from the picture above, there was contact between nickel cornerback Brandon Boykin and slot receiver T.Y. Hilton. It probably could have warranted a flag; then again, if this year’s Dallas-Detroit playoff game showed anything, it’s that no one has any idea what pass interference or defensive holding is, including the referees.
Still, Luck expected Hilton to break outside, and when Hilton fell, that gave Jenkins a clear path to an interception.
Here’s a shot below of Jenkins snagging the ball and recording his first interception as an Eagle.
What happened next was a thing of beauty—Colts safety LaRon Landry got flagged for a horse-collar tackle of LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles took a screen pass 51 yards and then Nick Foles hit Jeremy Maclin for the six-yard game-tying touchdown.
The Eagles defense stopped Luck again, and then a 24-yard pass to Zach Ertz and 17-yarder to Sproles set up the game-winning field goal by rookie kicker Cody Parkey.
3. DeSean Jackson’s 81-Yard TD Catch (Week 3)
It’s strange reading this and remembering a DeSean Jackson touchdown catch hurts the Philadelphia Eagles, but that’s the scenario since Chip Kelly released him in the offseason and the Washington Redskins picked him up.
This was the game when the Redskins cheap-shot Nick Foles and a fight ensured; before that though, the Eagles were trying to protect a 27-20 lead late in the third quarter. Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins unleashed a bomb near midfield, hitting Jackson in stride en route to an 81-yard score that tied the game at 27 points apiece.
If this picture below doesn’t sum up the Eagles’ season, I don’t know what does.
There’s Jackson hauling the ball in with Cary Williams (responsible for the touchdown), Nate Allen and Bradley Fletcher chasing after him.
Here’s an image of Williams whiffing on the tackle attempt afterward.
Fortunately, the Eagles still won the game, but the curious decision to release Jackson in the offseason certainly backfired both times Philly played Washington.
4. Riley Cooper’s Dropped Touchdown (Week 4)
It was not a good season for Riley Cooper. Fresh off a $22.5 million contract over five years, the Philadelphia Eagles got minimal production out of their No. 2 receiver. Without DeSean Jackson opposite him, Cooper seemed unable to separate from man coverage, and he was too often invisible in the passing game.
This dropped pass against San Francisco probably doesn’t stand out as much as his one against New Orleans in the 2013 NFC Wild Card loss, but it’s his worst play of this year. It also may have been Cooper’s worst game, as he was flagged for offensive pass interference and lost a fumble in addition to his drop.
The Eagles were down 26-21 with just over three minutes to play, but they were mounting a drive. Just the play before, Jeremy Maclin had hauled in one of his trademark sideline grabs, perhaps the most spectacular one he made in 2014. The 49ers even challenged the reception, but it stood as a catch.
On the next play, Nick Foles went deep for Cooper, threading a line drive in between cornerback Chris Culliver and safety Eric Reid. The pass actually hit Cooper right in the hands, completely avoiding Culliver and Reid, but Cooper just dropped it.
It was the second dropped touchdown in three weeks for Cooper, who took all the blame afterward. Considering the Eagles lost that game by five and failed to score on that drive, that touchdown really would have helped.
5. Philadelphia Eagles Miss 3rd-and-1 and 4th-and-1
Let’s pick up where we left off in the San Francisco game. Riley Cooper dropped the pass on first down, then Jordan Matthews caught an 11-yarder on second down to give Philadelphia the ball at the San Francisco 6 with 2:50 left to play, Eagles still down, 26-21.
LeSean McCoy ran for five yards on second down to set up 3rd-and-goal from a yard out. The Eagles had two chances to score, and they missed both plays.
Here’s the first one, in which Nick Foles threw incomplete to Brent Celek.
He was pressured heavily, actually backing up all the way to the San Francisco 13 before releasing the football.
Foles probably had Celek open, but the throw was overthrown, thus setting up a fourth down.
On fourth down, the Eagles had to go for it, considering there was just 1:55 left on the game clock. Philadelphia lined up with Jeremy Maclin and Cooper on the left, James Casey going in motion from right to left, and Brent Celek in at right tight end. McCoy was in the backfield.
Foles took the snap and faked a handoff to McCoy.
Foles rolled to the right but with no open man, he was nearly sacked by the 49ers’ Aaron Lynch.
Foles finally unleashed a pass in the back of the end zone for Maclin, but it was overthrown and subsequently incomplete.
The Niners took over on downs and while Philly did still get the ball back, Foles was picked off to end the game.
6. John Brown’s 75-Yard TD Catch
Remember the Arizona game? That was the one where Nick Foles threw the ball 62 times and the Philadelphia Eagles blew a fourth-quarter lead in the worst way possible. There were many plays that cost the Eagles a victory, but just two will make this list.
In this situation, it was a 3rd-and-5 for the Cardinals at their own 25 with just under two minutes remaining. The Eagles held a 20-17 lead, and Pro-Football-Reference credits Philadelphia with having a 92.7 percent chance at winning the contest.
That’s when the Eagles secondary turned into the Eagles secondary.
Carson Palmer dropped back and hurled a deep pass for speedy third-round rookie John Brown. Brown beat both Cary Williams and Nate Allen deep and hauled in a spectacular over-the-head catch in true Willie Mays fashion. It was an absolutely sensational catch for the rookie, who showed off his 4.34 speed on the play.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Bowen broke down the play here in detail, but just know that this was the epitome of the season-long miscommunication between Williams and Allen.
"Cary Williams and Nate Allen are not compatible. Communication issues every week. #Eagles
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) October 26, 2014"
Here’s a screenshot of the catch by Brown.
The ball didn’t even hit him in the hands. It appeared to rest between his biceps, and he held on for the touchdown. That’s truly a backbreaking play by the Eagles defense, although the game only got more painful for Philadelphia fans.
7. Jordan Matthews Out of Bounds
Following John Brown’s touchdown, there was still an opportunity for the Philadelphia Eagles to come back and win this game. Nick Foles got the ball at his own 20 with just 1:21 to play, and he actually led the Eagles down the field quickly.
There was a 22-yarder to Riley Cooper, then an eight-yarder to Jeremy Maclin, a four- and eight-yarder to LeSean McCoy and then a three-yard run by Foles on a pivotal 4th-and-2. That set up a 1st-and-10 at the Arizona 35 with 18 seconds left, and Foles hit Maclin for a 19-yard gain. Following two incompletions, there was one second left and the ball 16 yards away.
Foles took the snap and backpedaled all the way to the Arizona 31, releasing the football 15 yards behind where he took the snap.
Jordan Matthews actually caught the pass in the corner of the end zone, and he was shoved out of bounds in mid-catch. Here’s an image of Matthews securing the football.
It was a heartbreaking way to end the game for Philadelphia, and here’s an even closer picture of Matthews nearly scoring the game-winner.
"#AZCardinals Rashad Johnson breaks up a pass for #Eagles Jordan Matthews on the final play of the game #AZvsPHI pic.twitter.com/uR9CuPlq3W
— David Kadlubowski (@Davidkadlu) October 27, 2014"
Losing this game effectively cost the Eagles the playoffs; had they won, they would have been 11-5 and the Cardinals 10-6, which means Philadelphia would have played a Carolina team they beat by 24 points in the regular season.
8. The Opening Kickoff Fumble Against Dallas
The Philadelphia Eagles dismantled the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, but none of those plays made this list because it’s the second game against the Cowboys that more will remember.
The rematch in December couldn’t possibly have started any worse for the Eagles, beginning with the opening kickoff.
Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey short-kicked it, and it worked to perfection.
Here’s the ball bouncing between returner Josh Huff and Brad Smith.
The ball bounced up in the air and the Cowboys recovered it, giving them outstanding field position (and a touchdown to go up, 7-0).
According to Eagles coach Chip Kelly, it wasn’t Huff’s fault; the veteran Smith should have been aware of that.
"Chip Kelly said Brad Smith -- not Josh Huff -- should have fielded the opening kick. He said Smith is on the field for that situation.
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) December 15, 2014"
To make matters worse, Eagles special teams coach Dave Fipp had even warned the team of this kind of a kick moments before the game started.
"Dave Fipp warned Eagles players that opening kickoff last week would probably be short. From NBCSP's Turnin... https://t.co/9kupbpRtWD
— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) December 18, 2014"
Given how well the first game between these two teams went, this one couldn’t possibly have started any worse.
9. Dez Bryant’s Third TD Catch vs. Bradley Fletcher
Bradley Fletcher did not win over many Philadelphia Eagles fans with his play down the stretch, and the veteran cornerback will have a difficult time finding a home anywhere in free agency.
Inexplicably, Eagles coordinator Billy Davis left Fletcher one-on-one with All-Pro receiver Dez Bryant for much of the game, and the result was as you’d expect.
"Brian Dawkins on @975TheFanatic says "it baffles me" Eagles keep leaving Bradley Fletcher alone on Dez Bryant. #Eagles
— John Clark CSN (@JClarkCSN) December 15, 2014"
Bryant scored not one, not two, but three touchdowns against Fletcher, the final one coming from 25 yards out early in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Here’s Bryant scoring the third touchdown.
I had mentioned earlier that DeSean Jackson scoring over top of the Eagles secondary sums up the Eagles’ season, but this one may actually take that honor.
You can see Nate Allen coming in for safety help—too little, too late—as was defensive coordinator Billy Davis’ decision to finally take Fletcher off of Bryant in the fourth quarter.
This was the play when Tony Romo literally turned and gave Bryant a thumbs up before the play.
You'd think that would alert the defense that the ball was going to Bryant, but Fletcher was still late in coverage.
It was easy to assume the Eagles secondary would be a major hindrance in the team’s attempt to make the playoffs, and this game proved it.
10. Mark Sanchez’s Season-Ending Interception
Even after losing to the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys in successive weeks, the Philadelphia Eagles were still in a position to earn a playoff spot. The final games against Washington and the New York Giants seemed winnable, and it would take Dallas losing one of their final two (neither happened) for the Eagles to still win the NFC East.
The game against Washington proved to be a struggle, though. Cody Parkey uncharacteristically missed two field goals, yet the Eagles still rebounded from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to be in position to win the game.
It was a 3rd-and-4 near midfield. Eagles and Redskins knotted at 24 points apiece. Zach Ertz already had 15 catches this game, so Mark Sanchez looked to Jeremy Maclin for this play. The problem was the throw.
The pass was way behind Maclin. No receiver could have caught that. Maclin didn’t hold back when asked about it later, either.
"Jeremy Maclin, on what happened on Bashaud Breeland's interception: "It was behind me."
— Zac Boyer (@ZacBoyer) December 21, 2014"
When you rewatch the throw from Sanchez, it’s no wonder it was so awful. His footwork was terrible. He didn’t even bother to set his feet, throwing as he was still dropping back.
This effectively eliminated the Eagles from the playoff hunt, as the Redskins were able to kick a game-winning field goal, and thus Philadelphia ended the second year of the Chip Kelly era with 10 wins but on the outside looking in come January.
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