PHILADELPHIA — If Eagles running back Miles Sanders thinks there’s been a ridiculous amount of shouting coming from the offensive line meeting room lately (and he does), he should bring his ear buds this week and crank up the music — then check the injury report on Wednesday, because line coach Jeff Stoutland might be doubtful with a torn tonsil.
The Eagles have lost one game. So, what the heck is all the shouting about?
“We’ll watch the same play 20 times and we’ll watch it because [Stoutland] wants to go into detail,” tackle Jordan Mailata said. “Why this play was bad. Why this play was good. How can you learn from this one and not make the same mistake?”
Well, this might be the week to move the offensive line meeting to a soundproof panic room.
Look, the Eagles are good. Real good. Eleven-and-one good. Best record in the NFL good. Top seed in the NFC good. Bring-on-the-Cowboys good. But let’s face it, they’re probably living a bit of a charmed life, too.
(You do remember that win in Indianapolis, right?)
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So, how do we interpret the 35-10 domination of the, well, overrated Tennessee Titans at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday? Did the Eagles steamroll these supposed NFL tough guys because they’re good enough to overcome their sloppiest game of the season? Or were they lucky because a better opponent would’ve made them pay for a slew of mistakes?
On Sunday, the starters on the offensive line treated the game like an Opra show: You get a flag! And you get a flag! And you get a flag! Jason Kelce: Holding. Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson (two), Lane Johnson and tight end Jack Stoll: False starts. Dickerson: Holding. Toss in an illegal-shift penalty levied as a general screwup and you understand how the Eagles ended up with 12 penalties for 80 yards, their worst numbers of the season. Dickerson also had a holding penalty that was mercifully declined.
(Quick, someone remove all sharp objects from Stoutland’s desk.)
Titans, schmitans. Play after play, they let the Eagles off the hook — before tanking in the second half. The Vrabels weren’t able, and a win’s a win, but what does it all mean? If the Eagles don’t pick up their laundry, they might have to wait until there’s a game like this in the postseason to find out.
But do they want to take that risk? Do they want this year’s historic run to be erased by a lack of discipline — whether it’s a pile of flags lying on the field, or a special-teams screwup at the wrong time? (And, by the way, those problematic special teams fixed themselves on Sunday, with Britain Covey returning six punts for 105 yards.) Could they overcome mistakes like this against, say, the Vikings or 49ers in the playoffs?
But this isn’t a one-off. The sloppiness has been trending. After a three-game stretch during which the Eagles had just eight penalties for 60 yards in victories over the Jaguars, Cardinals and Cowboys, Philly has 40 penalties for 321 yards in the past six weeks. That’s a lot of land to surrender.
And flags weren’t the only problem on Sunday: Quarterback Jalen Hurts fumbled on a strip sack at the Titans’ 33 midway through the second quarter, but Dickerson recovered, and the Eagles — after giving away a scoring opportunity — punted, but the impotent Titans offense couldn’t make it hurt.
All day long, the offense was in troublesome down-and-distances, but rallied with big plays. Playing behind the sticks? Who cares? Football purists insist winning teams in the Northeast must be able to run the ball? What do they know? Can’t win in the postseason by throwing the ball? Says who?
Hurts — after playing “Catch me if you can” with the Packers — completed 29 of 39 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns — two to A.J. Brown and another to DeVonta Smith. But again, was this because the Eagles are so much better, or was there a little luck mixed in?
Here’s the argument for superior talent: A Titans team, coming off an embarrassing loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, was expected to slap around these less physical Eagles. Only it didn’t happen that way. Turns out, they had to catch the Eagles before they could hit them, and the speedier Eagles juked and faked and spun their way to a surprisingly easy victory.
Meanwhile, the Eagles defense proved plenty tough enough, sacking Ryan Tannehill six times and holding running back Derrick Henry to 30 yards on 11 carries.
Here’s another argument for talent: Brown — who forced his way out of Tennessee and weaseled a trade to Philadelphia, where he signed a four-year contract with $57 million guaranteed and suddenly finds himself on the NFL’s best team (how’s that for being charmed?) — last-laughed his way to eight catches for 119 yards and those two touchdowns on Sunday.
All week, Brown insisted this was just another game. Baloney. He insisted he was focused only on being more consistent. Well, he consistently beat his old team. Some skill, sure. But a little luck, too.
Brown was given a touchdown on a 41-yard pass from Hurts in the front left corner of the end zone in the second quarter, and when it was overturned on review because his toe hit the sideline, Brown simply scored on the next play — on the other side of the field — when he ran a double move on cornerback Kristian Fulton, who fell down. Whoops.
Brown caught the ball all alone at the 10-yard line and walked into the end zone. While he was writhing on the ground, Fulton was called for an illegal contact penalty.
A few minutes later, Brown beat his old buddies badly again in the same spot — only this time, the Titans had the good sense to grab him for a pass-interference penalty, giving the Eagles a first-and-goal at the Titans’ 6-yard line. Two runs by Hurts ate up the remaining real estate and the Eagles eventually jogged into halftime with a 21-10 lead — and cruised from there.
In the third quarter, Brown snagged his second TD pass out of the hands of cornerback Tre Avery. Was that talent, or was he fortunate that the guy covering him let the ball slip through his hands? Probably a little of both.
“I want nothing for the best for A.J. — other than Sunday, when we play him,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said last week. “He has to know that. I hope that he has the same feeling for me. You put a lot of time in with these guys, personal time, professional time. You get to know their families. You want the best for them, except for when you’re competing against them.”
Problem was, the Titans didn’t do much competing.
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