Morning Report: DeSean Jackson’s ups and downs

DeSean Jackson is the Eagles' most electrifying player, and a threat to go all the way any time he touches the ball.

We saw that in Carolina on opening day with his lightning-quick 85-yard punt return for a touchdown.

But Jackson fouled up Sunday when he fielded a punt at his own 2-yard line and, with typical elusiveness, took it out 31 yards.

Broken-field returns are entertaining, but they're a magnet for yellow flags. The Eagles were called for two penalties on the return, and the ball was taken back to the 3-yard line.

The Birds went three-and-out, and Sav Rocca had to punt from his own end zone. The explosive Saints got the ball at their 46 with 1 minute, 20 seconds remaining in the half, and they needed just two plays to go ahead, 17-10.

If Jackson had allowed the punt to bounce into the end zone, the Eagles would have started on the 20 and might have run out the clock with a 10-10 tie.

Jackson defended his decision to make the return.

"I knew where I was," he said. "It was a great return. Unfortunately, a couple of guys on the team were called for a penalty."

Special-teams coach Ted Daisher disagreed.

"He should have let that ball go," Daisher said. "It was then complicated with our decision to put our hands in the back. We have to get that cleaned up."

Mistakes compounded by other mistakes.

That leads to 48-22.

Weird statistic. Indianapolis beat Miami, 27-23, Monday night, and Peyton Manning broke Johnny Unitas' franchise record for victories by a Colts quarterback.

But No. 119 was hardly a conventional win.

Because the Dolphins were an excellent 15 for 21 on third-down conversions, and 1 for 1 on fourth down, they dominated time of possession. Their lone turnover came on the game's final play, they punted only once, and controlled the ball for a team-record 45 minutes.

In other words, Indy had the ball only 15 minutes. And won.

Quotable. "The Cowboys don't have a T.O. problem," Terrell Owens tweeted Monday. "They have a T.R. problem."

Gee, I thought Tony Romo was his buddy.

Stick your nose in. Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio stood on the sideline Sunday and watched Kurt Warner pick his defense apart.

Short passes, missed tackles, first downs, and touchdowns flashed in front of him during Jacksonville's 31-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Del Rio, once an all-pro linebacker, considered doing something about it, too.

"I thought about doing a Woody Hayes," he told reporters, referring to the former Ohio State coach who was fired for punching a Clemson player during the 1978 Gator Bowl. "I thought about coming off the sideline. I was going to get somebody down myself."

dmckee@phillynews.com.

This article contains information from the Associated Press.