Eagles Notebook: Peters wasn't as good as the Eagles

Excerpts of Paul Domowitch's Second Take, posted Mondays on the Daily News' Eagles blog, at www.eagletarian.com:

Some day-after observations after reviewing the tape of Sunday's 40-17 win over the Giants:

It wasn't the best of games for left tackle Jason Peters. His fingerprints were on both of the Giants' sacks of Donovan McNabb. He also was flagged for a holding penalty inside the Giants' 10-yard line on the Eagles' second possession.

Peters wasn't totally to blame for either of the sacks. On the first one midway through the second quarter, Osi Umenyiora beat him around the corner. But he had forced Umenyiora wide enough that he probably wouldn't have been able to get to McNabb if not for the fact that the quarterback had been flushed from the pocket by Mathias Kiwanuka, who beat center Jamaal Jackson up the middle. McNabb fumbled on the play. To his credit, Peters fell on the loose ball.

On the second one in the third quarter, which also resulted in a McNabb fumble that was recovered by the Giants, Peters was late sliding over to pick up blitzing cornerback Bruce Johnson.

The first-quarter holding penalty was the first holding call against Peters this season. His only other two penalties this season were a pair of false starts against Carolina in Week 1.

* The Eagles were flagged just five times Sunday for 45 yards. The five flags was their third fewest total of the season. They were penalized just three times in their Week 3 win over the Chiefs, and four times in their Week 6 loss to the Raiders.

* Even though he hasn't played all that much yet, right guard Stacy Andrews leads the Eagles in false-start penalties. Picked up his fourth Sunday against the Giants. Nick Cole is second with three.

* Peters' holding penalty Sunday was only the third against the Eagles' offensive line this season. The other two came a week earlier against the Redskins. Both were on left guard Todd Herremans. Actually, one of the holding calls on Herremans really was a trip.

The Eagles had five touchdown drives against the Giants. None were longer than four plays. Two were three plays. One lasted two plays. The fifth was one play. That was McNabb's 54-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson near the end of the first half.

The Eagles have had 20 touchdown drives this season. Just three have been longer than six plays. They had a 10-play TD drive in Week 1 against Carolina, an eight-play drive against the Saints and an eight-play drive against the Chiefs.

The Eagles ran just one Wildcat play Sunday. That was a 4-yard run late in the first quarter by Michael Vick on a third-and-1 at the Giant 15-yard line.

For the season, the Eagles have rushed for 163 yards on 40 carries (4.07 yards per carry) out of the Wildcat/spread. They've rushed for 639 yards on 127 carries (5.03) out of their standard sets.

Vick has rushed for 26 yards on 10 carries out of the Wildcat/spread. He also had a minus-1-yard kneel-down on the Eagles' final possession Sunday.