The Eagles' Good, Bad & Ugly
PHILADELPHIA, PA (CBS) — There were many things to like, and a few things to dislike after the Eagles' 15-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC divisional round on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Good
- The defense held Atlanta to 10 points—which came all on turnovers and all in the first half.
- Coach Doug Pederson's challenge on what appeared to be a first-down completion from Matt Ryan to Mohamed Sanu to the 50 for eight yards with 3:34 left to play. The play was ruled incomplete and the Falcons then went out and converted on fourth-and-six.
- Pederson's call on third-and-three at the Atlanta 24, which Nelson Agholor turned into a 21-yard run to the Falcons' three with 11:40 left in the half. It was a big play in a key moment that seemed to awaken a dormant offense.
- Quarterback Nick Foles' fumble recovery to retain possession at the Falcons' one.
- Pederson deciding to go for it on fourth-and-goal at the Atlanta one-yard line for a 6-3 lead with 10:28 left in the half.
- Right guard Brandon Brooks' seal block that allowed LeGarrette Blount to score from a yard out in the second quarter.
- Tight end Trey Burton's block in the end zone on Blount's second-quarter TD run.
- Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox's three-yard sack at midfield late in the second quarter.
- Kicker Jake Elliott closing half with a 53-yard field goal, which brought the Eagles to within 10-9 at halftime.
- Linebacker Nigel Bradham's two-yard sack on third-and-five at the Eagles' 44 with 6:03 left in the third quarter.
- Safety Rodney McLeod's 10-yard sack on the last play of the third quarter.
- Center Jason Kelce showing why he was selected All-Pro by freeing up Jay Ajayi on a 32-yard screen pass. The play set up Elliott's third field goal of the game, a 21-yarder with 6:02 left to play that gave the Eagles a 15-10 lead.
- Cornerback Jalen Mills on Julio Jones in the corner of the end zone on the Falcons' last play.
The Bad
- Defensive tackle Tim Jernigan lining up offsides on second-and-10 at the Eagles' 49 with 6:55 left in the third quarter.
- Running back Jay Ajayi's dropped pass in the flat on third-and-10 at the Atlanta 19. If Ajayi would have caught the ball, he had open field ahead to get a first down. Instead, the Eagles had to settle for an Elliott 37-yard field goal with :11 left in the third quarter that gave the Eagles a 12-10 lead.
- Eliot kicking the ball out-of-bounds, after making the 37-yard field that gave the Eagles the lead.
- Defensive end Brandon Graham's tackle for a five-yard loss.
The Ugly
- Two first half fumbles that resulted in all of Atlanta's 10 points in the opening two quarters.
- Running back Jay Ajayi fumbling the ball away on the Eagles' second play of the game after a 42-yard gain that opened the game on an interference call.
- The Eagles' defense on Atlanta's first drive. The Eagles failed to get any pressure on Matt Ryan, who carved up the Eagles' defense on an 11-play, 59-yard drive that resulted in a Matt Bryant 33-yard field goal.
- Kicker Jake Elliott's missed extra point after LeGarrette Blount's second-quarter one-yard TD run.
- Cornerback Rasul Douglas not getting out-of-the-way of a Donnie Jones' punt with 7:31 left in the first half. The Eagles fumbled away the ball at their 18-yard line giving the Falcons the ball.
- Safety Rodney McLeod being called for a personal foul at the goal line with 7:26 left in the half, giving the Falcons a first down at the Philadelphia nine-yard line.
- Cornerback Jalen Mills getting hit with a holding penalty on a second-and-goal at the Eagles' 13. The foul gave Atlanta a first down at the Eagles' eight.
- Quarterback Nick Foles missing a wide-open Trey Burton on a third-and-five at the Eagles' 46 with 2:15 left in the half.
