Game Review: 3 Head-Scratching, Costly Eagles' Plays
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- This headline is becoming all too familiar.
Nine games into the season and the Philadelphia Eagles have lost five games by a whopping 27 points. Three of their losses---at Atlanta (26-24), at Washington (23-20), and this past Sunday vs. Miami (20-19)---were decided by a field-goal or less.
And that's when those, "I-can't-believe-it," plays stick out in your head the most.
Here are three plays that won't get out of mine.
3. DeMarco Murray's dropped screen pass
This play kind of flew under-the-radar---and reasonably so, due to all the other egregious ones---but it proved very costly when reviewing the tape.
Murray has three Eagles blockers in front of him and just one Dolphins defender near the line of scrimmage, within five-yards of him. The screen was set up perfectly, the pass was thrown perfectly, and Murray just dropped it.
A simple catch and Murray rumbles into Dolphins territory easily and probably sets up a 1st-and-10 for the Eagles inside Miami 45-yard line with around :50 seconds or so, at the bare minimum.
Best case? He makes a defender or two miss and gets into chip shot field-goal range, sealing the game for the Birds.
2. Riley Cooper's illegal shift
Sanchez is trying to quick-snap the ball because the Dolphins have 12 players on the field. Problem is, Cooper isn't set. Blame can fall on Cooper for not getting set or Sanchez for not being patient, but either way, this negated the potential game-winning TD for the Eagles.
1. The Mark Sanchez-Miles Austin interception connection
The play call.
- The Eagles are down 20-19 with 4:32 remaining in the game, facing a 2nd-and-goal from their opponent's nine-yard line. They just were unsuccessful on a running play and the obviously want to score a touchdown. 4:32 is a lot of time.
- I have no problem with the play call and hindsight is 20-20. Having said that, that's putting a lot of faith in Mark Sanchez. And that's usually bad.
Miles Austin
- He's not even looking for the ball and he doesn't exactly do everything in his power to break-up the pass.
- This compounds an already putrid game by Austin.
Mark Sanchez
- You can't make that throw. You just can't do it. Your wide receiver, whether right or wrong, is not looking at you. Oh, and he's NOT OPEN!
- Worst case, you kick a field goal here and go up two-points, and probably win the game.
- How does this happen?
