Eagles’ Doug Pederson trusted his gambling instincts in win over Redskins | Early Birds
Despite failing on their first attempt on fourth down, the Eagles tried again in the second half deep in their own territory, and it paid off.
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It wasn’t easy, and the first half especially was far from aesthetically appealing, but the Eagles opened with a 32-27 win over the Washington Redskins, making coach Doug Pederson 4-0 in opening-day games. The Eagles spotted the Redskins the first 17 points and were down by 20-7 at halftime. Then in the second half the Eagles went on a 25-0 run before Washington scored with six seconds left to make the final score more respectable. With the win, Pederson is 34-20 (.630), including playoffs. According to the Eagles, that marks the highest winning percentage among head coaches in franchise history.
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2-yard run turned the game around
Pederson is never hesitant to take a chance, and his instincts often pay off in a big way. Last season The Eagles were successful on 14 of 23 fourth-down attempts (60.9 percent).
In the second quarter of Sunday’s win, Pederson, with his team trailing, 10-0, elected to go for it on fourth and 2 from the Washington 29-yard line. Carson Wentz threw an incomplete pass to DeSean Jackson.
Despite that unsuccessful attempt, Pederson made a call in the third quarter that likely turned the game around. The Eagles trailed 20-7 at halftime but got the ball first in the second half. On that first series they found themselves with a fourth and 1 from their own 34-yard line. A miss there, and the Redskins would be in a position to really pile on. Carson Wentz went 2 yards on a sneak, the Eagles got the first down, and they never looked back. They scored on that drive — 12 plays and 75 yards — when Wentz hit Alshon Jeffery for a 5-yard touchdown. That first down and, consequently, that drive changed everything.
When asked after the game whether there was any hesitation in going for that first down, Pederson didn’t hesitate to answer.
“None,” he said. “It was about a half a yard, so there was no hesitation. I was going for it there.”
He went for it and the game turned around at that point, with the Eagles surviving an early scare.
What you need to know about the Eagles
Les Bowen offers this comprehensive report on the Eagles victory, with lots of interesting reaction from the Eagles.
Carson Wentz threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns and had a passer rating of 121.0 He was exactly the quarterback the Eagles need him to be as Mike Sielski writes.
DeSean Jackson overcame an early personal foul penalty to enjoy an exceptional day to begin his second stint with the Eagles. Jeff McLane documents his big day.
School is in session and Paul Domowitch has all the grades in his first regular-season report card.
What went right and what went wrong for the Eagles? McLane has his up-down drill, and not surprisingly, Wentz, Jackson, and guard Brandon Brooks drew high praise.
In the end, despite getting down by as many as 17 points, the Eagles simply had too much talent for the Redskins, as Marcus Hayes writes.
Eagles DT Malik Jackson is likely scheduled for a Monday MRI on his left foot, which was in a walking boot. Jeff has the details.
The Redskins raised some eyebrows when they made future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson a healthy scratch. Frank Fitzpatrick explores the situation.
Here are five quick takes from the game from Mike Sielski, including a take on the relevance of preseason games.
Not all Eagles fans were entirely happy with the win. As Ed Barkowitz reports, bettors who took the Eagles and laid the points were not too happy with a Redskins TD with just 6 seconds left.
Eagles fans were all over the place on social media. As EJ Smith writes, some fans were ready write the off the season after the first quarter.
Here is how the Eagles game happened from start to finish, with some video clips of some of the key plays.
The Eagles rushed for just 22 yards in the first half. They then leaned heavily on 36-year-old Darren Sproles, who was more than up to the task as Domo writes.
“We deserved all them boos,” Malcolm Jenkins said about the halftime greeting the Eagles received from the fans. Barkowitz has the story.
From the mailbag
Thanks for the question. Brandon Brooks, as Doug Pederson stated after the game, wasn’t injured. He tore his Achilles in the Eagles 20-14 playoff loss on Jan. 13 and has made a remarkable comeback, and the Eagles were just being careful when taking him out. When asked whether it was the team’s intention to put Brooks on a pitch count, Pederson quickly responded: “It was part of the plan.”
As for Jackson, Jeff McLane talked to him after the game and his left foot was in a walking boot. Jackson said he didn’t know exactly what the injury was and would likely undergo an MRI on Monday.