October 26, 2015
Bob Leverone/AP
Panthers' Colin Jones, bottom, makes an improbable interception after Eagles WR Jordan Matthews dropped the Sam Bradford pass.
The Eagles' 27-16 loss to the Panthers ended much in the same way it began: with a Sam Bradford pass slipping through a receiver's hands.
All told, the Birds (3-4) dropped seven passes Sunday night and, in the process, their NFC East lead. Now, they're in third place in the division and head into the bye with a sub-.500 record for the first time under Chip Kelly. Although dropped passes have plagued the Eagles receivers for much of the season, there hadn't been anything quite like this -- according to ESPN Stats and Info, the last time it was this bad was back in 2006.
But that wasn't the only factor leading to the Eagles' loss. Here are five reasons they lost to the Panthers, who are now 6-0:
No surprise here, as we've already mentioned their seven drops. Worse than that, Jordan Matthews' drop on the Eagles' second offensive possession directly led to an interception.
Colin Jones used Jordan Matthews' butt to pick off Sam Bradford https://t.co/EYkBDxUpzg pic.twitter.com/dBhLDQg6VA
— SB Nation NFL (@SBNationNFL) October 26, 2015
Luckily, Nolan Carroll was able to return the favor on the very next play by picking off Cam Newton -- one of three for the Eagles defense in the game. Had that been their only drop of the game, it wouldn't have hurt them that much. Unfortunately, it was just the start.
Despite all those drops, the Eagles still had the ball late in the game with a chance to drive down the field and tie the game. Almost on cue, however, Zach Ertz dropped a pass on third down followed by Miles Austin on fourth.
It was ugly, to say the least.
In case you’re wondering why Jordan Matthews only has 2 receptions for 7 yards… pic.twitter.com/EGXRRiEgmP
— Matt Mullin (@matt_mullin) October 26, 2015
For the first time this season, the Eagles allowed a running back (Mike Tolbert) to score a rushing touchdown -- they also allowed Newton to run one in -- and allowed 100-plus yards to an opposing back for the first time in their last 18 games.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming the defense for this loss -- at least not entirely. They certainly played well enough to win, but as the game progressed, the Panthers' ability to run the ball down the field not only picked up yardage, but allowed them to control the clock. And when you're trying to make tackles like this, you've got to be held somewhat accountable for the loss.
I think this was an attempt at a tackle? pic.twitter.com/obKSCvPqvC
— Mike Tunison (@xmasape) October 26, 2015
There were a few moments I was left scratching my head over the play Kelly decided to call, none more so than a crucial 3rd and 9 early in the fourth quarter.
With the Eagles trailing 21-16, Kelly first called timeout before the ill-fated third down play from the Panthers 31. Then, out of the timeout, the third-year coach decided to run a WR screen to Josh Huff, which went for a one-yard loss. That left Caleb Sturgis a 50-yard field goal attempt -- which he missed after earlier connecting from 52 yards out.
I'm not sure there's a worse call in that spot. Had the Eagles ran the ball up the middle, even if they only picked up a yard or two, it could have helped Sturgis. Had they thrown the ball more than five yards -- it would've been better if Bradford threw it past the first-down marker -- they would have at least had a shot at the first down if not more. Even an incompletion would have been better than a one-yard loss.
After crossing the 100-yard threshold for the first time all season, DeMarco Murray finished with just 65 rushing yards on 18 carries Sunday night. Meanwhile, Ryan Mathews racked up 63 yards on his third quarter touchdown run alone (and finished with 97 yards on six carries).
Almost half of Murray's yards (29) came on his five first quarter rushes, meaning he had just 36 yards on his last 13 carries (2.77 YPC). Funny how he struggled after perennial Pro-Bowler Jason Peters left with a back injury. Maybe that has more to do with Murray's regression than anything else...
Murray also finished with two catches for five yards and Mathews with three catches for 24 yards.
Here's a look at Bradford's numbers coming into the Panthers game:
And after the first half Sunday night, he was just 13/25 for 103 yards and an interception. But hey, he's a second-half player, right? Wrong. He was 13/21 for 102 yards in the second half against the Panthers and finished with a pedestrian 83.5 passer rating.
However, it's not entirely on Bradford. His lone interception came on the aforementioned Matthews drop and his numbers could have been a lot better had it not been for the fact that his receivers seemed to be allergic to the football. Furthermore, the Eagles lost their best offensive lineman, Peters, in the first quarter.
As a result, Bradford was sacked a season-high five times -- he was sacked just eight times in the team's first six games combined -- and was under pressure much of the night.
Carolina is one of six remaining undefeated teams in the NFL, but they still don't have a win over a team with a better than .500 record this season. Still, the Panthers have won 10-straight regular season games and, as of this moment, seem like a legitimately good football team. This is not the Cowboys loss, nor is it the Redskins loss. It's more like the Falcons loss from Week 1.
Unfortunately, that won't be much consolation for Eagles fans, who will have to endure a long bye week before the Birds head to Jerry's World for a rematch with Dallas.
