Another early exit for Eagles' Jason Peters

DETROIT - The seasonlong mystery of Jason Peters continued during the Eagles' 45-14 loss to the Detroit Lions.

The Eagles' seven-time Pro Bowl left tackle made it through just 11 snaps, including a Detroit penalty, before leaving Thursday's game with a left ankle sprain. Peters stood on the sideline much of the rest of the way and was walking without a limp after the game.

The Eagles' offensive line was once again scrambled, as it had been at Carolina when Peters went down early after aggravating a chronic back problem. Lane Johnson moved from right to left tackle and Dennis Kelly came off the bench to play right tackle.

But it was right guard Matt Tobin who seemed to take most of the abuse of Lions pass rusher Ziggy Ansah, who managed 3 1/2 of Detroit's six sacks. Ansah, taken fifth overall in the 2013 draft, right after Johnson, took over the NFL lead with 11 1/2 sacks this season.

"I've never lost like this as an Eagle, since I've been here," Peters said. "It's hard, for the city most of all, for the fans, trying to give them something to cheer about."

Peters said he "thought I could come back" after his ankle was rolled up. "But then when I started putting pressure on it, it was just too weak . . . I didn't feel like I could help the team, right there."

Once an ironman, Peters approaches his 34th birthday in January as an in-and-out, up-and-down player who has made it through an entire game just twice this season. It's unclear the Eagles will want to carry his $9.3 million salary-cap number next year.

"It's tough. I'm going to keep rolling," Peters said. "I play hurt all the time, but right now, I just got bad luck as far as the injuries."

Asked if he still wants to play for Chip Kelly, Peters said: "Yes."

"I think so," Peters said, when asked if he still think Kelly's methods and strategies work. "We just got to keep fighting and rally. The same thing, y'all was saying about Andy Reid . . . You just keep fighting, and good things'll happen."

(But, Jason, even though Andy's strategies and methods currently seem to be working in Kansas City, they definitely weren't working here anymore in 2012.)

Peters said he saw effort Thursday, watching from the sideline.

"You only can do so much," he said. "They got good players. We also got good players, but sometimes you get mismatched and the guy wins a couple times. It ain't nothing about effort."

The Eagles found yet another team they couldn't run the ball on, gaining just 68 yards on 25 carries, 2.7 yards per carry. DeMarco Murray carried 14 times for 30 yards, 2.1 yards per carry, including a 19-yarder. So, the other 13 carries, he gained 11 yards, which is just absurd, regardless of the blocking.

"No one's looking and pointing fingers at anyone," said Murray, who maybe ought to be thankful for that. "It's a collective effort that's gotten us to where we're at. It's not one guy, it's not one person, it's frustrating. I've never been a part of anything like this. This is where you have to find the character and find the guys that are willing to fight."

The Eagles will have to make a roster move in the wake of Nolan Carroll's broken ankle. They have a sixth-round rookie corner, Randall Evans, on their practice squad . . . Tight end Zach Ertz and running back Ryan Mathews missed the game with concussions . . . Trey Burton's two catches in place of Ertz were the first of his career . . . The Lions had never managed a five-touchdown-pass Thanksgiving game before . . . Eagles safety Ed Reynolds played in his first NFL game . . . Josh Huff left the game with a possible concussion . . . Mark Sanchez lost a fumble on a sack but was not intercepted this time . . . Detroit's Golden Tate was targeted eight times against the Eagles' soft coverage and caught seven passes, for 50 yards . . . Caleb Sturgis missed a 50-yard field goal, hitting the right upright, at the end of the Eagles' first drive . . . The Lions were 6-for-6 in the red zone, giving Eagles opponents 11-for-12 efficiency there the past two games.

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