Spadaro: Eagles stray from winning formula in 'eye-opening' first loss
It's a attempted-and-real method in the NFL and one that the Eagles have historically accompanied properly through their first eight games, all wins: winning the turnover war, turning the opposing offense into one that had to play trap-up with the passing game, and minimizing penalties.
In the team's salute to provider sport Monday night time at Lincoln Financial Field, however, the script flipped on the Eagles, who dropped to 8-1 for his or her first loss of the season in a 32-21 loss to the Washington Commanders. The crew responded the proper manner within the locker room, and how they bounce back from the loss within the big photo is the maximum critical part of it all, but a game towards the Commanders is worth checking out before going into 60 minutes of football. In this short week.
"We began out warm after which they responded," huge receiver A.J. "And then we began kicking ourselves," Brown stated. "If you do not play wonderful ball in this league, in case you do not protect the ball, it'll be tough to beat each person. It's actually a watch-opener. In this league you have to be humble and You should exit and prove it each week."
All three degrees of the crew contributed to the loss - you win as a team and also you lose as a team, right? - So let's appearance beneath the hood as the Eagles lose 4 high-time video games for the primary time in 2022.
Crime
Things started off incredible for quarterback Jalen Hurts and the offense. A Josh Sweat strip-sack and a shielding tackle on the Washington 18-yard line set up Marlon Twipulotu for the Harts, and he and the offense took benefit on 3 performs - a Harts 12-backyard run, a Boston Scott 5-backyard advantage to the 1-yard line, And then a Hurts quarterback scored his 6th dashing landing of the 12 months to provide the Eagles a short 7-zero lead.
On the offense's 2nd possession, the Eagles went 9 plays and 78 yards and scored on a Hurts pass to tight stop Dallas Goedert – a fake quarterback draw from the shotgun and alternatively Hurts pulled and threw a skip to Goedert over the center. Score and a 14-7 benefit.
However, the Eagles then generated little offense on their next three possessions — till past due inside the 1/3 zone (extra on that later) — earlier than a 12-play, eighty-yard force to Harts-to-DeVonta Smith narrowed Washington's result in a touchdown skip (which extra later) at 23–21.
And it turned into for crime. Philadelphia grew to become the ball over 3 instances and definitely hit all 3 – a super, surprising throw from Hurts to Brown within the second sector hit Brown in the hands, but then slipped far from insurance and the defensive lower back in some way intercepted on the Washington 14-yard line. Darrick Forrest and Washington caused touchdowns, a Goedert fumble in Eagles territory within the fourth sector caused a Washington discipline intention after which, on the following possession, a 50-yard Harts-to-Queez Watkins completion on which Watkins made a awesome capture on the Washington 23-backyard line. , were given up after which punted the ball to the Commanders' 20-yard line and Forest recovered on the 15.
At that point the rating was 26-21 and the present became a big trade in the game. After the game, Watkins stood up and pleaded guilty.
"Honestly, I turned into simply trying to make a play for the group. I knew I didn't get touched (after hitting the ground on the reception) and I knew I had two (defenders) in the back of me, so I got here up and attempted to get some greater yards. ,” Watkins said. "I didn't have right ball protection. We're taught to have top ball security and it value us. It's our narrative. I was hoping I was touched before I moved but I knew I wasn't touched before I got up. I liable for it."
It was that sort of night time for the offense - disappointing.
Protection
Washington executes a floor-primarily based, keep-the-Eagles-offense-on-the-sideline approach that follows early Eagles takeaways and touchdowns, sticking to the jogging sport and combining in some play-movement passing and giving the offense 0.33 downs. . . Running 51 offensive performs in the first half, Washington converted 9 of 12 1/3 downs, ran for one hundred yards on 29 carries and allowed quarterback Taylor Haynie to finish 12 of 21 passes for 145 yards without a first ownership. 6 of those completions and 76 yards to huge receiver Terry McLaurin (he finished with 8 catches on 11 goals for 128 yards) led 20–14 at the half.
On its best possession of the third sector and its 5th scoring pressure, Washington drove 71 yards in 14 performs, taking 8 mins, 23 seconds off the clock, to push the gain to 23–14.
That's the formulation, and the Eagles understand it: run, run, run, after which use play-movement passing. Get the ball out of the quarterback's hands speedy. Don't attempt to show the ball over - Heinicke had one interception however in any other case exceeded for 211 yards on a 17-of-29 night time.
"That's what groups are going to do," defensive quit Brandon Graham said. "They are going to run till we stop it. We've got to restore our problems. It ain't about no person else however us. People can run all they want to run but we need to do our component, too."
Said linebacker Kyzir White: "It's a mentality. We have a excellent institution of fellows and I suppose we're going to be exact, so we want to work and get higher and that's going to be the manner we respond, the manner we react. This makes us even more hungry. When we get lower back to work on Wednesday, we ought to be hungry, even hungrier than we've been."
Special Teams
It clearly wasn't about what the Eagles did here, it was greater approximately Washington's kicking recreation. Placekicker Joey Slye related on discipline desires of forty four, 58, 32, and fifty five yards and people kicks made a difference. There changed into one key penalty on the sport's establishing pressure, a roughing the kicker name, however Sweat's strip-sack negated that. Washington had those field desires and each little bit helped in knocking the Eagles off the unbeaten perch.
"Of course I want to win," said Brown, who was held to one reception for 7 yards on four goals, "but now all this 17-zero stuff is over with. Now we are going to wake up and, 'How are you going to reply?' It's all right, guy. This is a recreation that we love to play and occasionally you get hit within the mouth and it's approximately how will you reply? It comes with it.
"I desire get lower back up and start combating again and I experience like we are able to. We've were given true teammates in this locker room, quite a few vets."
The Eagles understand the formulation, as they displayed within the 8-0 begin. Monday night time, they believe, become only a blip. On a short week, they may get geared up for a avenue journey to Indianapolis and a chance to get this taste out of their mouths and start every other triumphing streak.
Said linebacker Kyzir White: "It's a mentality. We have a excellent institution of fellows and I suppose we're going to be exact, so we want to work and get higher and that's going to be the manner we respond, the manner we react. This makes us even more hungry. When we get lower back to work on Wednesday, we ought to be hungry, even hungrier than we've been."
Special Teams
It clearly wasn't about what the Eagles did here, it was greater approximately Washington's kicking recreation. Placekicker Joey Slye related on discipline desires of forty four, 58, 32, and fifty five yards and people kicks made a difference. There changed into one key penalty on the sport's establishing pressure, a roughing the kicker name, however Sweat's strip-sack negated that. Washington had those field desires and each little bit helped in knocking the Eagles off the unbeaten perch.
"Of course I want to win," said Brown, who was held to one reception for 7 yards on four goals, "but now all this 17-zero stuff is over with. Now we are going to wake up and, 'How are you going to reply?' It's all right, guy. This is a recreation that we love to play and occasionally you get hit within the mouth and it's approximately how will you reply? It comes with it.
"I desire get lower back up and start combating again and I experience like we are able to. We've were given true teammates in this locker room, quite a few vets."
The Eagles understand the formulation, as they displayed within the 8-0 begin. Monday night time, they believe, become only a blip. On a short week, they may get geared up for a avenue journey to Indianapolis and a chance to get this taste out of their mouths and start every other triumphing streak.
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