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Eagles at Titans Week 4 observations and reaction

Adrian Fedkiw|

The reigning Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles don’t look like champions right now.

Champions don’t allow 4th-and-15’s, champions don’t surrender a trio of fourth downs, champions don’t drop the ball five times, champions don’t miss tackles, champions don’t commit boundless penalties, champions don’t yield constant pressure, champions don’t give up 17-3 leads.

Maybe this was the gut check the Eagles needed, but we thought the same thing after Week 2 too.

Corey Davis hauled in a game-winning 10-yard touchdown in overtime to lift the Tennessee Titans past the Philadelphia Eagles 26-23 on Sunday afternoon.

The plan for the Titans seemed pretty simple since the Eagles’ cornerbacks don’t switch sides … put Davis on Jalen Mills and get the ball to him. Last year’s No. 5 overall pick caught nine passes in all for 161 yards, but the score in OT came on Avonte Maddox in the slot.

Mills is taking a lot of heat again. I defended him after his first three games, but his performance Sunday was an abomination. The defensive line isn’t helping things, either. They’re not getting the consistent pressure that they’re accustomed to. They’ve been ok, but not dominant, and Mariota was able to take deep drops and scan the field from a rather clean pocket for most of the afternoon.

Mariota threw for 344 yards on 30-of-43 efficiency, but he could’ve actually eclipsed 400 yards had it not been for drops and inaccuracy.

The Eagles had their chances in the extra session. They drove 57 yards before stalling in overtime. Jake Elliott, who nailed a game-tying 30-yard field goal in regulation with 16 seconds on the clock, split the uprights from 37 yards out to stake the Birds to a 23-20 advantage.

Then there was this 4th-and-15 for Tennessee. Corey Graham, filling in for the injury Rodney McLeod at safety, allowed Taywan Taylor to get free for 19 yards on an out-route. Graham doesn’t get enough width, it’s simply piss poor awareness on his part, and the Titans extended the game.

And that fourth down play came three plays after this critical drop by Darius Jennings on first down.

Sidney Jones committed a pass interference penalty on 4th-and-4, giving the Titans another lifeline. Haloti Ngata came through the middle for a sack to set up a 3rd-and-19, but Mariota was able to scramble for 17 yards. Dion Lewis’ catch out of the backfield converted the 4th-and-2.

The disastrous play of the offensive line was the big concern for me. After allowing five sacks last week, they surrender four more. This was the same unit that gave up just two sacks during the postseason.

Wentz was pressured consistently, stunts, twists and blitzes were not picked up. The other issue were the amount of pass attempts, which was 50 compared to just 22 runs. The play-actions were not fooling Tennessee.

The unit is much better in run blocking than pass protection. If Doug Pederson runs the ball more, it will take the pressure off the offensive line.

Alshon Jeffery had an effective first game back, recording eight receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. He had a nice over-the-shoulder snag for 31 yards on his first catch of the game, and boxed out Malcolm Butler in the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown on third-and-goal.

That score gave the Eagles a seemingly comfortable 17-3 advantage early in the third quarter, but Mariota and the Titans offense rattled off 17 straight points.

After Mariota plunged in from two yards out, Harold Landry’s strip-sack on a speed rush led to a Ryan Succop 31-yard field goal. Following an Eagles three-and-out, Mariota found Tajae Sharpe for an 11-yard score.

Elliott’s boot near the end of the fourth was set up by this DeAndre Carter 42-yard punt return down the left sideline.

Zach Ertz was the Eagles’ leading receiver with 10 receptions for 112 yards. Nelson Agholor had four drops, including this critical one on a 3rd-and-21.

Jordan Matthews brought in this 56-yard touchdown after Butler essentially let him run by him. Not so sure what he was doing on the play. I’ve been surprised by how many snaps he’s received on the outside so far.

While the defensive line needs to do a better job getting after the quarterback, Derek Barnett is taking significant strides forward. He’s recorded 2 1/2 sacks the last two games. He tallied up one Sunday with a nice move to the inside on Taylor Lewan.

The Eagles were able to get away with lackluster performances against the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts by squeezing out tight victories. It didn’t happen Sunday.

Now they’re 2-2 and at an early crossroads in the season with a critical showdown against the Minnesota Vikings looming next Sunday.

 

You can follow Adrian Fedkiw on Twitter (@AdrianFedkiw) and e-mail him at [email protected]. Subscribe to The Bitter Birds on YouTube here.

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