Eagles Season Likely Over, Fall to Packers on MNF

         

Eagles CB Carroll looking lost getting beat by Packers WR Adams for TD.  Image Courtesy: CSNPhilly.com

          The Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night 27-13 in depressing fashion.  The Eagles with a record of 5-5 came into the game as 3 point favorites at home against the struggling Packers, who just couldn't seem to get anything going.  And then they rolled in to Lincoln Financial Field and things changed.  All week the running narrative was, besides how lost Eagles WR Nelson Agholor is, the Eagles should win this game against the Packers.  Now if you go to my twitter (@PhillySportsSrc) and listen to the podcast that I make a weekly appearance on (#TheSmallBallLineup), I predicted the Eagles would win this game in a close one, 28-24, but deep down in my heart of hearts I had a bad, bad, bad feeling the Packers and their All-Pro QB Aaron Rodgers having their backs against the wall that they would get their groove back against the Birds.  The Packers weren't only struggling on offense, but their defense had given up at least 31 points in their last 4 games...the Eagles put up 13 POINTS! 13 POINTS! 13 POINTS!  I'm beside myself right now so its just easier to bullet proof sentences with key points below, then I'm going to rip Eagles Head Coach Doug Pederson...nothing new, I know!

• Eagles first drive of the game was the only legitimately good drive of the game.  It was an 11 Play, 81 yard drive with the Eagles only TD of the game coming in on a QB Carson Wentz rushing TD.  
• WR Dorial Green-Beckham had 4 catches for 58 yards. (Finished with 6/82)

• As I mentioned above, Eagles WR Nelson Agholor was listed as a healthy Inactive and Practice Squad WR Paul Turner took his place...Didn't matter as he only had 23 Snaps and 0 targets.

• Rookie RB Wendell Smallwood who took the place of injured RB Ryan Mathews only had 9 carries for 37 yards.  The Eagles win when they run the ball well and they didn't even try.

• Eagles QB Carson Wentz besides his rushing TD (ran 4 times for 33 yards), his QB stat line read 24/36 for 254 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT with a QBR of 75.5

• Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was the first QB to throw for 300+ yards against the Eagles Defense as he finished with a stat line of 30/39 for 313 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT with a QBR of 116.7.  

• Packers WR Davante Adams torched CB's Nolan Carroll and Leodis McKelvin for 2 receiving touchdowns on 5 catches for 113 yards.

• To add insult to injury the Eagles Defense did not sack QB Aaron Rodgers once and he was only hit once, which was the Eagles DT Fletcher Cox's Roughing the Passer Penalty.

• The Eagles Defense allowed the Packers to convert 10 of 14 3rd Down Conversions where on the flip side the Eagles could only convert 5 of 11 3rd Down Conversions. 

• Eagles Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz for sure did not have his best game by; failing to establish a blitz with more than his front 4, press the corners against their receivers-gave them too much room to work with, and have terrible cornerback matchups-never made adjustments.

          The Eagles have now fallen to 5-6 and are pretty much out of playoff contention.  They needed this game against the Packers and they came up empty handed.  I originally predicted a 6-10 record in which you would see this team grow over the season, but after key wins against the Steelers, Vikings, and Falcons, add some bad losses in between, I have now seen this team regress in all facets of the game. In my very, very, very, very, very unpopular opinion I do not believe that Head Coach Doug Pederson should be the coach of this team following the Dallas Cowboys game on New Years day.  BUT I do understand it is unreasonable to fire a coach after one season (bad for team) but 3 years of an elementary-leveled play caller could set not only the franchise as a whole back but more importantly IMO the Franchise Quarterback back (Carson Wentz).  As I type this it's 12:22 AM just about an hour after the game and I don't feel like going to bed worked up so I will elaborate on the many issues this team faces and more in my season wrap-up, which may have multiple pieces and may be arriving before the official seasons end. 

Good Night Philadelphia, sorry it wasn't one for the Eagles.