Six observations from the Eagles' disaster
-- There are a lot of ways to accurately describe the Eagles' running game at this point, but most are not appropriate for a news organization that will be full of Pope Francis coverage this week. We'll just go with abysmal and call it a day. There are al
1. There are a lot of ways to accurately describe the Eagles' running game at this point, but most are not appropriate for a news organization that will be full of Pope Francis coverage this week. We'll just go with abysmal and call it a day. There are all kinds of issues, but the Eagles' inability to get plays blocked up front is killing them They had minus-3 yards on seven carries in the first half, and 7 yards on 17 carries for the game, and looked every bit that bad. It is their worst rushing total since 1961. Somewhere, Evan Mathis smiles knowingly while LeSean McCoy laughs uncontrollably.
2. Then there was Sam Bradford. Where to begin? There were a couple of drops, granted -- we see you there, Jordan Matthews -- and there were a couple of turnovers that also weren't all his fault, but there also were accuracy issues and missing-open-receivers issues. Granted, it is hard to win games when you can't run it at all, but Bradford wilted under the challenge rather than rising to it -- unlike in the second half of the opener against Atlanta. This is more than a little bit worrisome.
3. But, hey, Cody Parkey made a 46-yard field goal.
4. Depth at inside linebacker was seen as a strength of the team, and now it is being severely tested. In the second quarter, both Kiko Alonso and Mychal Kendricks left the game with injuries, never to return. Alonso left with a left knee injury, the same knee that bothered him all summer and all of last year. Kendricks, meanwhile, suffered a left hamstring injury after sprinting to cover a pass up the left sideline. That left DeMeco Ryans, who still isn't all the way back from his Achilles injury, and rookie Jordan Hicks to finish the day. For what it's worth, Hicks looked OK.
5. The defense as a whole did a very good job on a very trying day. They kept Tony Romo in check and, after Romo left the game with a broken clavicle, they didn't allow Brandon Weeden an inordinate amount. That's something.
6. The paying customers are not amused. They started booing in the second quarter. To say that they are beginning to doubt both Chip Kelly the coach and Chip the general manager is apparent. And loud.