It’s one thing to lose a meaningful game to an NFC East opponent; it’s another thing to do it at home against a Washington Redskins team that has now clinched the division in a year in which the Philadelphia Eagles had countless opportunities to come out on top.
The Dallas Cowboys have been without Tony Romo nearly all season. The New York Giants have blown a slew of fourth-quarter leads. And the Washington Redskins were supposed to be a dumpster fire after benching Robert Griffin III for interception-machine Kirk Cousins. So it’s painful enough to relive the Eagles’ lost season, but here are five takeaways from this 38-24 elimination loss to the Redskins.
1. A roller coaster of a season won’t have a happy ending.
The Philadelphia Eagles have been bipolar all year; a horrific three-game losing streak in midseason was followed by a win against the New England Patriots (!) and another against the Buffalo Bills. Even after a primetime loss to the powerhouse Arizona Cardinals, Chip Kelly’s squad controlled their own fate heading into Saturday’s matchup with the Washington Redskins. A win against the Redskins and a Week 17 victory over the New York Giants would hand Kelly his second division title in three seasons.
But apparently it wasn’t meant to happen. There’s no one player to blame for tonight’s loss. A barrage of penalties, dropped passes, and an absurd seven fumbles plagued the Eagles from the beginning, and Philadelphia never recovered. It was the characteristics of an undisciplined team, not one in the third season under a head coach who was supposed to revolutionize the NFL.
2. All things considered, Sam Bradford played pretty well tonight.
Any conversation about the 2015 Philadelphia Eagles can’t go on for too long without talk about Sam Bradford – and likely strong disagreements, ranging from the pro-Bradford crowd that believes he’s a Hall of Famer-in-the-making to the anti-Bradford crowd that blames him for everything, every game.
Most Eagles fans probably expected more from ’15 Bradford, especially after the preseason contest against Green Bay that was heard ‘round the world. But tonight, he was on par with expectations. In fact, it was probably one of the best games he’s played in his six-year NFL career. Bradford set single-game highs in pass attempts (56), completions (37), and passing yards (380). He didn’t throw an interception. And he did so despite a running game that mustered just 45 yards on 18 carries, a paltry 2.8 yards per carry.
Bradford wasn’t without his mistakes – he missed Zach Ertz on a perfect touchdown opportunity down the left sideline, a 60-yard should-be scoring play that Bradford has to wish he has back. Bradford wasn’t helped by an end zone drop from Nelson Agholor (although a higher throw would have been an easier touchdown), multiple drops from inexperienced running back Kenjon Barner, and an unheard-of nine total drops from the offense. With his receivers on side, Bradford would have cleared 450 yards with ease and there’s a chance the Eagles would have won this game.
Bradford is a free agent after Week 17, as the whole world knows. His agent will undoubtedly push for a big contract. The Eagles will likely want him back, but on a more team-friendly deal, much like what the San Francisco 49ers gave Colin Kaepernick last offseason. Either way, having Bradford back in 2016 will probably cost the Eagles at least $16 million. Is Bradford worth that money? Tough to say. It all comes down to supply and demand, and ultimately, expect the Eagles to pay Bradford and his agent what they want.
3. The defense can’t stop anyone since Jordan Hicks went on IR.
For the first seven games of the 2015 season, the Philadelphia Eagles defense wasn’t just keeping this team afloat; it was playing pretty well. Fletcher Cox, Bennie Logan, and Cedric Thornton formed one of the better defensive lines in the NFL. Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham were getting pressure from the edge, and third-round rookie inside linebacker Jordan Hicks was making a big play every single week. Then Hicks got hurt, and look at the Eagles’ numbers since he landed on season-ending injured reserve.
| Points Allowed (Per Game) | Yards Allowed (Per Game) | Turnovers (Per Game) | |
| Weeks 1-7 | 19.6 | 360.4 | 2.71 |
| Weeks 9-16 | 32.1 | 426.1 | 0.86 |
Those are absolutely alarming numbers. Is Hicks that important to the defense? He’s clearly a special player, but the Eagles need more production from everyone else. Byron Maxwell had his solid outings, but he’s nowhere near the shutdown corner he’s being paid to be. Kiko Alonso was a train wreck when he returned from his injury. Mychal Kendricks didn’t make the plays he’s made in the past. The secondary was stretched thin with Nolan Carroll on IR and Maxwell out for this Redskins game.
Outside of all-world defensive end Fletcher Cox and safety Malcolm Jenkins, this defense was vastly disappointing down the stretch. Per CSN’s Reuben Frank, the Eagles are just the fifth team in NFL history to allow 400-plus yards in six straight games. The defense didn’t force any turnovers down the stretch. Jameis Winston and Matthew Stafford each had five-touchdown outbursts. Matt Cassel threw three scores. And Kirk Cousins tonight became just the third QB in history to pass for 350-plus yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions against the Eagles.
4. There’s not an offensive playmaker in sight on this roster.
It’s difficult for Sam Bradford to make plays and win football games when there are no offensive playmakers on the roster. None.
With all due respect to Darren Sproles and Jordan Matthews, there’s no one on the offensive side of the ball who scares opposing defensive coordinators. DeMarco Murray was a season-long disaster, averaging just 3.4 yards per carry. Ryan Mathews was the top running back, but still missed too many games due to injury and struggles when asked to take on the lead role. And Sproles is a dynamic running back, but averaged just 3.8 yards per rush.
Matthews regressed in year two in the offense. He was supposed to take the big leap and be the No. 1 wideout in Chip Kelly’s system, joining 2013 DeSean Jackson and 2014 Jeremy Maclin as 1,300-yard wideouts. Instead, he’s dropped too many passes, failed to create enough separation, and remarkably, hasn’t scored a touchdown all season until the fourth quarters of games. In fact, four of his six scores have come in garbage time situations, including another one in this Week 16 game.
Nelson Agholor, Riley Cooper, Josh Huff, and Miles Austin (already released) have failed season-long to capitalize as No. 2 receivers. Agholor, in particular, has been disappointing, seeing as he was a first-round pick and has just 21 grabs all season. Even Zach Ertz hasn’t taken that next leap to become one of the NFL’s top 10 tight ends, although curiously enough, he had his second straight late-season breakout contest against the Washington Redskins.
It’s difficult to sign a big-name player in free agency, especially since the Eagles still have Murray’s massive contract on the books (and if he’s released, that’s $13 million in dead money). Chicago’s Alshon Jeffery is a phenomenal talent who may walk in free agency; he struggled to stay healthy this season but averaged over 100 yards per game when he did play. He’s a legitimate No. 1 wideout who would make Bradford much better, but he would cost every bit of what Kelly wasn’t willing to pay Maclin this past offseason.
5. Chip Kelly will likely be back in 2016, but will he have GM duties?
It’s likely Chip Kelly returns in 2016. Jeffery Lurie allowed Andy Reid to stick around for 14 years, and while Kelly’s Philadelphia Eagles regressed in ’15 after consecutive 10-win seasons, those are more the fault of GM Kelly’s moves than head coach Kelly’s decisions.
Kelly’s win over Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots probably saved his job, but then allowing 38 or more points in four of the last six games certainly won’t help his case when Lurie decides to evaluate his status for 2016. Is there a chance Kelly will come back in ’16 but only as head coach? That would require Lurie to strip him of his GM duties.
It’s difficult to see how Kelly could keep his general manager job, after a series of disastrous moves ranging from the $63 million dished out to Byron Maxwell, the $40 million handed to DeMarco Murray, the consecutive first-round picks spent on Marcus Smith and Nelson Agholor, and the baffling serious of cuts/trades involving DeSean Jackson, Evan Mathis, and LeSean McCoy for Kiko Alonso. The next several months will be crucial in seeing exactly how much power Kelly is granted in 2016 – if he’s back at all.
