Eagles-Colts report card: NFL fails for making fans watch preseason dreck

Grading the Eagles’ performance in the team’s 27-13 loss to the Colts:

It wasn’t an extended drive, but Marcus Mariota guided the Eagles to their first touchdown. He displayed nice touch on his first pass, but his intended target was knocked to the ground without penalty. He did well to step up and find his secondary receiver — rather than scramble — on his next toss. Tanner McKee took over on the next series and was under center for the bulk. He was under siege early, largely because of his sieve-like offensive line. But he hung in there and did his best under tough circumstances. It should be noted that he Colts played their starters for most of the first half, while the Eagles rested the majority of the players expected to make the 53-man roster. Under those circumstances, the reserves didn’t perform that bad.

It was tough sledding for Trey Sermon, who gained just 30 yards on 16 carries running behind an overmatched offensive line. He did rush for a touchdown and caught four passes out of the backfield. Kennedy Brooks dropped a wide open would-be touchdown in the second quarter. Neither is expected to make the 53-man roster.

Deon Cain led the Eagles with six catches for 62 yards. Joseph Ngata damaged whatever fading odds he had of sneaking onto the roster. He struggled to get separation and win contested balls, and fumbled one of his few catches. None of the other receivers stood out much. Tight end Tyree Jackson caught a nice 20-yard pass. Brady Russell had a handful of garbage-time grabs.

» READ MORE: Eagles vs. Colts analysis: Birds finish with a winless preseason, but see some roster bubble standouts emerge

The bad news: The third and fourth units couldn’t open holes on the ground and struggled to protect their quarterbacks. The good news: Most of those O-linemen won’t be on the team next week. Rookie Tyler Steen and Fred Johnson, who signed a two-year contract on Thursday, are expected to stay. But Julian Good-Jones, Tyrese Robinson & Co. are not.

The Eagles didn’t dress a large number of their interior linemen, which meant that camp bodies like Robert Cooper, Caleb Sanders, and Olive Sagapolu logged significant playing time. The results were predictable with little push up the middle. Colts quarterbacks Anthony Richardson and Gardner Minshew didn’t encounter much pressure off the edge, either. Janarius Robinson and Tarron Jackson did little to increase their chances.

Zach Cunningham was trending toward becoming the starting inside linebacker opposite Nakobe Dean, and not dressing all but indicated the spot was his. Christian Elliss and Nicholas Morrow were pulled fairly early. Tyreek Maddox-Williams isn’t going to make the team, but he had an interception he can someday tell his grandkids about. Patrick Johnson, normally a strong-side linebacker, played some inside, and blew a coverage on the Colts’ third touchdown.

Rookie Eli Ricks had a couple of nice pass breakups in the first half. Kelee Ringo’s early NFL inconsistencies continued. Mario Goodrich has been hurt and didn’t suit up, which gave Josiah Scott plenty of opportunities in the slot. He didn’t exactly make a strong case for filling the backup spot that was vacated after Zech McPhearson suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon tear.

» READ MORE: Jeff McLane’s one and only Eagles 53-man roster prediction

With safety the only starting job still up for grabs, the four contenders all suited up and played into the fourth quarter. Terrell Edmunds and Justin Evans got the start. The former got beat badly on an early crossing route, as the latter notched three tackles. Rookie Sydney Brown and K’Von Wallace formed the second pairing. The former flew around and made tackles, but missed some, too, while the former took an early illegal contact penalty. Do the Eagles even have a second starting safety?

Devon Allen didn’t have to hurdle anyone, but he showed off his track skills by taking the open kickoff 73 yards after he initially fumbled the return. Jake Elliott crushed 59- and 52-yard field goals. Arryn Siposs averaged 45 net yards on three punts.

The Eagles rightfully sat most of their key players and managed to avoid significant injuries after last week’s carnage. As far as the game went, it’s better left forgotten considering the personnel and the coaches’ reluctance to call anything exotic. Can someone from the NFL explain why these exhibitions are even played?

» READ MORE: ‘Ready for the moment’: Emotional Eagles describe life on the roster bubble ahead of NFL cut day