October 30, 2009

Raiders beat Eagles in sad performance

By Eric Schwartz
for PhillySportsBlogs.com

Published: October 19, 2009

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Two weeks ago, I wrote about the Eagles’ game against the Buccaneers and its importance to the team. The Eagles were big favorites going into the game against a winless Bucs team that was having all kinds of problems. My fear was that the Eagles would lose the game in the fashion that they had lost games to inferior opponents in past years.
The Eagles eased those fears by whipping the Bucs, to the tune of 33-14.
A major letdown had been avoided.
For one week.
The Eagles went out to Oakland , Cali. and laid an egg, loosing to the Raiders, 13-9, in a game that was as ugly as the final scored suggests.
The Birds  virtually ignored the running game and when left tackle Jason Peters went down with a first-quarter injury, their pass protection struggled.
The defense did play relatively way, but allowed an 80-yard touchdown to Zach Miller that gave the Raiders a 7-3 lead late in the first quarter that they did not relinquish.
With the Giants getting their lunch handed to them by the Saints earlier in the day, this was a chance for the Eagles to put some serious pressure on the New Yorkers. Instead, they find themselves with a second loss and just a half-game ahead of the Cowboys.
Donovan McNabb was average at best completing 22-of-46 for 269 yards. The question is, in a tight game why throw the ball 46 times? Westbrook had done a lot with a little (six carries, 50 yards) and the team was averaging 4.8 yards a carry.
Yet somehow Andy Reid only dialed up a run play on 14 occasions.
With the Eagles having run through the early part of their schedule so well it looked like the days of losing games to bad teams were behind them. Instead in snuck up an smashed them right in the face.
From here on out the games will only get tougher. Outside of the Redskins, who look absolutely lost on offense, there is not a single game remaining that will can be looked at as an “easy win.”
Who knows, maybe that is a good thing for the team.
The Eagles should certainly thank the Phillies for captivating the city with its World Series run, as it will take the heat off its back for the immediate future.
Games like Sunday’s shouldn’t happen. Yet, for whatever reason, at least once a year they do.

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WPSN comments

One Comment on "Raiders beat Eagles in sad performance"

  • king ed on Tue, 20th Oct 2009 11:12 pm 

    playcalling and clock management was just junk! ohhhh yeah dont forget that great o line! theybetter get there shit together if anything bring back big john!