Zone Read: Eagles-Texans, the Day After
GAME BALL OFFENSE: JEREMY MACLIN
We have a back-to-back winner. Maclin came up huge again for the Eagles, catching six balls on seven targets for 158 yards and two touchdowns. He had two catches of 50+ yards on deep posts where it looked like the Texans’ safeties got drawn up off play-action.
But Maclin’s biggest catch came in the fourth quarter. Sanchez rolled to his right and made an excellent throw where only Maclin had a chance. He got low, but found a way to keep his hands underneath the football for an 8-yard touchdown that iced the game.
In the past two games, Maclin has 18 catches for 345 yards and four touchdowns. On the season, he’s averaging 98.8 yards per game, fifth in the NFL. Maclin has 13 catches of 20+ yards (fourth) and eight touchdowns (tied for fourth).
As Tim detailed, Maclin bet on himself with a one-year deal. Eight games in, it looks like he made a fantastic decision.
GAME BALL DEFENSE: BENNIE LOGAN/DEFENSIVE LINE
It’s hard for the guys up front to get game ball recognition because they don’t pile up numbers or make flashy plays. But Bennie Logan and the other defensive linemen were fantastic against the run.
Arian Foster had been on an absolute tear, averaging 6.3 YPC in his previous four games. Before he injured his groin Sunday, Foster carried 15 times for 56 yards (3.7 YPC).
Logan had five tackles, including two for loss. He’s made the leap in his second year and is currently eighth among all defensive linemen with 33 tackles. Per NFL.com, only one nose tackle (the Jets’ Damon Harrison) has more.
Mychal Kendricks probably also deserves recognition. He cleaned up with a team-high 12 tackles and a sack.
With the loss of Ryans, the run defense will be tested, but expect Logan and the guys up front to continue to do their jobs well.
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THAT’S WHAT HE SAID
“Actually, I didn’t even know Foles was out. [I saw] the bomb to Maclin and I turned around to congratulate him and it was Sanchez. I didn’t even know the guy was out.” – JASON PETERS
Amazing quote from the big man. I guess that’s one of the side effects of playing an up-tempo no-huddle. It’s not like you have a quarterback looking into your eyes in the huddle and calling out the plays. You look to the sideline to get the call, set up in your stance and face forward.
It’s too bad Peters wasn’t mic’d up. I would have loved to hear his reaction when he turned around and saw a different quarterback.
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FIVE THOUGHTS AND LEFTOVERS
1. With Foles injured, it sounds like Sanchez will be the starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. On Sunday, he went 15-for-22 for two touchdowns and two interceptions. The one pick bounced off of Josh Huff’s hands and wasn’t Sanchez’s fault. But on the flip side, he had two potential interceptions dropped by Texans defenders. He completed 68.2 percent of his passes and averaged 9.2 yards per attempt.
Question: If Foles would have played the game Sanchez played, what would the conversation be today?
My guess is it would follow a similar tone to what we’ve heard all season: The turnovers have to stop, but he was part of a winning effort.
We’ll see if Sanchez can cut down on the turnovers, but history indicates it’s unlikely. Foles’ interception rate this season was 3.2 percent. Everyone can agree that’s way too high. But Sanchez’s interception rate has been higher than that in three of his four seasons as a starter. For his career, Sanchez has an interception rate of 3.8 percent.
The offense has been piling up yards, and the line is getting healthy. But the turnover issue will likely continue to be a topic of conversation.
2. It’s amazing how much has changed with the Eagles’ quarterback situation and how much could be decided in the coming weeks. Sanchez signed a one-year deal in the offseason. If he plays well going forward, he could get a chance to start somewhere in 2015. And that somewhere could be Philadelphia.
Foles is signed through the 2015 season. It seems unlikely that the Eagles would give him any kind of meaningful extension this offseason, given how this year has played out. It’s possible that the team would consider re-signing Sanchez and let the two battle it out for the starting job next summer. It’s also possible that a rookie could enter the competition, depending on how the draft unfolds.
There’s still a lot of season to go, and a lot of uncertainty facing the Eagles’ quarterback situation.
3. Billy Davis looked just about as downtrodden as you’d expect in the locker room following Sunday’s win. The defense gave up some big plays, but bottled up Foster and limited Ryan Fitzpatrick to a 48.1 completion percentage. So why was Davis’ tone so somber? He knew he had to go forward without his coach on the field in Ryans.
“It’s gonna be real difficult just because of the man he is, the character he has, the leadership he has, everything he has,” said Davis. “You saw everybody out there. Nobody works harder than DeMeco. Nobody puts more time in. He’s a calm leader. He’s everybody’s friend. He’s a mentor to a lot of the younger guys. So that’s a big blow to us.
“It’s tough to enjoy anything with a guy like DeMeco being out. We know it’s the NFL and we know that the wins mean everything, [but] the fact that DeMeco’s out is a big blow to all of us emotionally as much as anything.”
Assuming the MRI does indeed confirm an Achilles’ tear, the Eagles will go forward without their leader on defense. Ryans has been responsible for making the calls and getting the guys lined up. Davis said that duty will now go to his replacement – most likely a rotation of Casey Matthews and Emmanuel Acho. When Kendricks is the lone linebacker on the field (dime), he’ll make the calls. And don’t be surprised if the Eagles turn to even more of that dime package now with Nolan Carroll II on the field as the sixth defensive back.
The coaching staff does not seem comfortable with Matthews or Acho out there in passing situations.
4. The NFC is wide open, and despite the injuries and turnovers, the Eagles are 6-2 after eight. They picked up a game on the Cowboys, who lost to the Cardinals. Elsewhere around the league, the 49ers fell to the Rams at home. The Seahawks needed to recover an onside kick to hold on against the Raiders. The NFC South has zero teams above .500.
If the Eagles go 5-3 in the second half, they’ll finish at 11-5. They currently lead the NFC with a +57 point differential.
It has been a strange season with a banged-up offensive line, erratic quarterback play and a defense that gives up a lot of big plays. But in Week 10, the offensive line will be healthier than it’s been since Week 1. If that side of the ball can get going, there’s no reason to put a ceiling on what this team can accomplish in a conference that lacks a true juggernaut.
5. I think Sproles deserves a special shoutout in this space. The Eagles did not score on their first drive of the third quarter, but Sproles was spectacular during the possession. On one 3rd-and-8 play, he made Houston defenders look foolish and picked up 24 yards with a catch and run.
Later on the drive, he did pretty much the same thing, except this time it was an 11-yard gain on 3rd-and-10.
Sproles is doing an unbelievable job of maximizing his opportunities. He averaged 9 yards per offensive touch Sunday (three runs for 17 and four catches for 46). Returning from an MCL injury, he looked like the same guy who was shredding defenses during the first part of the season.
It will be interesting to see how he holds up down the stretch in December, but so far the Sproles addition has looked like a home run.
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