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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor
The Eagles, coming off a terrible loss to the division-rival Giants, headed to Cleveland in a game that could turn their season around.
The 6-win Browns were a beatable team, much like the Ravens were earlier in the year.
But beatable was does not mean that the Eagles would win.
Instead, Travis Fulgham dropped five passes, including a touchdown (even though he was interferred with). Alshon Jeffery jumped two minutes too early on a jump ball and allowed a game-sealing interception at the Browns 10-yard line. The referees deemed a clear Eagles fumble recovery a stoppage of forward progress. Joe Ostman and Avonte Maddox were brushed off to allow a 50-yard run to allow the Browns into the lead. The offensive line struggled mightily despite a massive improvement from Seumalo’s return.
The Eagles are just a bad football team and the best they can hope is the develop some players for the future and that someone else in the NFC East wins enough games that the Eagles don’t get smacked in the playoffs and instead wind up with a top-10 pick in each round of the draft.
Buy: Jalen Reagor
Reagor wasn’t a game changer, but he showed good abilities in this one, catching four of his five targets for 52 yards. Particularly impressive was the grab he made in the tightest window possible with a defender already tackling him and a second defender hitting him to move the chains on fourth down. That is a special player. The Eagles coaches need to allow him to use his speed to get downfield or make plays in the run/screen game to really showcase his talent, however.
Sell: Jason Peters
Jason Peters is bad. He was beat all day long and routinely got Carson Wentz hit and left the Eagles in poor position to try and move the chains. The team is lucky that he got hurt because their head coach is too blind to realize that Peters in not only wasting cap space, but is worse on the field than the rookie Jack Driscoll and he may not even be an improvement over the recently claimed Brett Toth.
Buy: Boston Scott
If Sanders didn’t screw the team by losing the game with his fumble on the teams opening drive, he would have his stock up, but his mate Boston Scott made no such egregious error and averaged more yards per carry than Sanders, putting up 24 yards on five carries. Additionally, Scott caught more of his targets (four of the five) and took them for 52 yards, making him the second most effective rusher (behind Hurts’ one carry) and the top receiving target that does not play tight end.
Sell: Joe Ostman
Ostman played limited snaps, but any defensive lineman who allows themselves to get stiff armed by a 5-foot 11 running back should be embarrassed to show their face. His claim to fame is now that he is the “hapless defender” referenced in articles. The Eagles should be focusing on developing Shareef Miller after allowing a 50-yard rush was his only impact.
Buy: Isaac Seumalo
Despite the struggles of the line again, the weak links in this one were limited to everywhere else on the line other than left guard thanks to the return of Seumalo. The veteran was about the best in protection Eagles fans haveseen all year. If the Eagles can get Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce back into shape and they finally decide to start Mailata, the line should only have one obvious weak link.
Sell: Avonte Maddox
Maddox was beat every time that the ball was thrown his way. He also whiffed on multiple tackles. He has been a liability all season and he wasn’t good last season. At this point, the Eagles should move him back to safety, where he excelled his rookie year, to see if there is any reason they should keep him around.
Buy: Alex Singleton
Leading the team again with 12 tackles (eight solo) and adding a QB hit, a sack and a fumble recovery, Singleton again had a solid game. He may not be a game-changer, but the Eagles appear to have found themselves a linebacker who is starting caliber and can play every down of the game without giving up huge plays.
The Eagles will play the Seahawks on Monday Night Football, but based on the play we’ve seen, the coaching staff is unlikely to have the team focused on anything.