For the first time since December 1st, the Philadelphia Eagles have lost a game. They didn’t just lose this game, they were destroyed by the Arizona Cardinals. There’s not much to say other than this Eagles team just flat out stunk today.
Offense:
The offensive line was abysmal today. I understand that they are missing three guys, but they couldn’t stop a high school team from rushing Michael Vick today. The only thing you can say about them is that they were a bunch of turn style’s against the Cardinals. The backups need to step up. That’s why they are on this team. I personally blame Andy Reid and Howard Mudd for the performance today. It was obvious that the line was struggling, but the Eagles continued to throw the football.
Michael Vick was running for his life all day. He had no time to throw the football and was hit over 20 times by the end of the game. Yes, he held on to the ball too long on some plays, but he had no help from his offensive line. Vick finished the game completing 17 passes for 217 yards. He also lost two fumbles; one that was returned for a touchdown.
LeSean McCoy was solid when he got the ball. The problem is that he hardly ever got the ball. He rushed for 70 yards on 13 carries. McCoy is probably the best play-maker on this talented Eagles offense, and Andy Reid refuses to give him the ball.
The Eagles now have 12 turnovers in their first three games. That needs to change if the Eagles want any chance to make the playoffs.
Grade: F
Defense:
As I said in my preview, Larry Fitzgerald is the x factor. Fitzgerald flew past the Eagles secondary for nine catches totaling 114 yards and a touchdown. The highly touted Eagles secondary looked foolish today.
Kevin Kolb must be feeling good after shredding his former team today. Kolb completed 17 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns. He finished with a quarterback rating of 127.4. One of the reasons Kolb had a great day was because the Cardinals established a solid run game. Ryan Williams rushed for 83 yards on 13 carries. The killer was the 25 yard run on third and 20 that pretty much killed any chance the Eagles had in this game.
The good news is that the Cardinals only scored three points in the second half. The bad news is that the Eagles were already down 24-0 at halftime.
Grade: D
Coaching:
What an awful day for Andy Reid. The game plan coming into this game was awful. At halftime, the Eagles had passed the ball 25 times and ran the ball just five times. Reid said after the game that this disaster was 100% his fault and that he needs to do a better job. We’ve heard that before, Andy. Let’s see some results. I understand that losing is a part of the game, but there were absolutely zero adjustments today even after it was obvious the Eagles couldn’t pass the ball.
Grade: F
The good news about all this is that it is only one game. These games are frustrating, but they do happen. As former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell said today, if the Eagles come out next week and play a good game against the Giants, all is forgotten. The problem is that if the Eagles play like they did today, they don’t stand a chance against the defending champions.