When the Eagles finally got rolling in the second half, they looked more like the team that had the potential to be great. While they were not blowing out the Falcons in some statement game, they were keeping Atlanta off the board and erasing a deficit that never should have reached that level.
Then a few miscues brought everything back to Atlanta.
The Eagles lost this game, and they can only blame themselves. Their scores on this week's report card certainly reflect that.
Pass Offense: A tale of two halves. When Sam Bradford was going, he was on a roll. At one point, he had completed 15 of 16 passes as the Eagles scrambled through the third quarter to trim the deficit set at halftime. It took Bradford some time to find that rhythm and his receivers didn't help too much with dropped passes. Right down to the end, it was a pass through the hands of Jordan Matthews that proved to be the final blow. C
Run Offense: This one is simple: it was non-existent. The Eagles scored two of their three touchdowns on the night via the ground game, but running the ball just 16 times and handing it off only 11 times to the two running backs signed to big contract to dictate the running game is unacceptable. There were plenty of short-yard situations — none bigger than 4th-and-1 late in the game — where a DeMarco Murray run could have changed things. D
Pass Defense: Similar to the offense, the pass defense played better in the second half. Once the pass rush picked up, the secondary benefitted from the results. Matt Ryan wasn't comfortable at all. Walter Thurmond and Kiko Alonso came down with key interceptions that proved to keep the Eagles in the game. Malcolm Jenkins played well also. But Byron Maxwell did not and Nolan Carroll got beat on some plays as well. Mixed results from a secondary that is sure to provide a roller-coaster of emotions this season. C
Run Defense: Not awful, but not great. The front-seven did not have their best game, especially in the first half, and that helped three very inexperienced backs look much more seasoned. That said, there were a few plays that stood out. Bennie Logan, Thurmond, Jenkins and Fletcher Cox all had tackles for loss, none bigger than Jenkins huge tackle on 3rd and 1 that allowed the Eagles to even have the ball with under two minutes to play. C+
Special Teams: The kickoff team and punt team fared well and aside from one punt from Donnie Jones, the Eagles special teams did a respectable job on that front. Ultimately, the play that will stand out is the missed 44-yard field goal by Cody Parkey. It's alarming. B-
Overall: A disgraceful first half set up an uphill battle that the Eagles actually did make before letting it slip away. Overall, it's a classic Andy Reid game — they need to do a better job, all around. C
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
