Game Review: 4 Plays Displaying Eagles' Lack Of Execution
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Chip Kelly, whether you believe it or not, keeps preaching it over and over. Execution, execution, execution.
"We need to play more on offense," Chip Kelly told the 94WIP Morning Show on Monday. "That's the bottom line."
"We're not executing," he said during his Monday afternoon press conference. "We need to stay on the field offensively in the first half and not be on three-and-outs."
Here are four devastating plays displaying the Eagles' lack of the execution in their calamitous 23-20 loss to the Redskins on Sunday.
4. Nelson Agholor drops the reverse
Right after Agholor made this ridiculous one-handed snag...
https://vine.co/v/e2OlLH73lTO
...he fumbled the exchange on a reverse, giving the ball right back to the Redskins. Many fairly questioned the decision of Kelly to run such a "risky" play after a 45-yard gain, but this is a prime example of lack of execution. As you can see in the screen shot above, if Agholor receives the Ryan Mathews pitch---a play Agholor himself admitted the team had practiced all week---he has plenty room.
Granted, Sam Bradford trying to block the 6'5, 271-pound Redskins rookie linebacker Preston Smith is not an ideal matchup, but Agholor has two different lanes, a ton of room, and Matt Tobin out in front if he gets by Smith.
I'll take my chances on Agholor in the open field vs. a 271-pound rookie.
3. Nelson Agholor #facepalm
This was one is killer. While the muffed exchange may have taken points off the board, Agholor's mental mistake literally takes points off the board. This is more of a mental error than lack of execution, but file it under whichever #facepalm cabinet you'd like. Agholor needs to be on the line of scrimmage here. Obviously, he isn't, and naturally, Sam Bradford throws his best pass of the day to a diving (and covered) Zach Ertz in the end zone.
Touchdown nullified. The Eagles have settle for three---wait. Not so fast.
2. CALEB FREAKIN' STURGIS
You know never want to say one thing or one player costs you a game in sports, especially in a game where your team plays so sloppily, but it's hard not to acknowledge Sturgis missed two 33-yard kicks (one FG, one extra point) in a three-point loss as simply outcome effecting.
As you can see above, the missed extra-point and the missed field-goal came from almost exactly in the same spot. The field-goal was lined up up slightly off to the left relative to the extra-point from dead center, but these are extremely high percentage kicks that an NFL kicker makes almost every time.
1. Catch the ball
Look at all the room! Sproles is WIDE open!
First off, Bradford needs to make a better throw. But it wasn't an egregious throw. It's right there, a very catchable ball, and frankly Sproles has had multiple key drops this season. He needs to make that play.
A simple Sproles catch here gives the Eagles---I'll conservatively say---a 1st-and-10 from the Redskins 36-yard line with under eight minutes left in the game. At bare minimum, the Eagles have a field-goal attempt (I know, I know, attempt) with under six minutes to play. At best, they score a touchdown and ice the game.
Instead, they were forced to punt and the rest makes me queasy.
Execution, execution, execution!
