All things considered, I think the Eagles come out of the woulda-coulda-shoulda 16-14 loss to the Steelers in pretty good shape…
Yeah, we should have beat 'em… I know we let them off the hook. Physicality was not the issue. And maybe that's the good news.
We matched up pretty well against the supposedly "more physical" team. Maybe we failed to get off blocks a little too much against the Steelers' offensive run and slant plays early on…But if true, that trend had self-corrected by the 4th quarter.
I'm not going to get into Mike Vick's mistakes at all. I'm going to focus on the good reads and the nice plays he made. All the rest of the business he failed to take care of is still correctible. Don't even talk to me about replacing him with Nick Foles— the rookie is simply not ready to be thrown into that hot mix.
The Eagles were there at the end despite a crescendo of ball-handling mistakes and a bad call or two by the refs regarding illegal contact and PI against our primary receivers. Ike Taylor and Ryan Clark got away with DB Murder last Sunday in Pittsburgh. Still, we played well enough to have a chance to overcome all that.
The NFL has turned into the Wild West because the sheriffs are allowing hand-fighting and grabbing by both defensive backs and offensive receivers well past the 5-yard limit of contact. I guess this is the new reality because the Eagles have both benefitted and been burned by the new rule interpetations so far in the 2012 season.
Anyhow, at 3-2, I think we're fortunate to know we have at least taken care of 3/4 of the AFC North's roadblocks going into the rest of the schedule. We come out 2-1 with wins over Baltimore and Cleveland…
Now we at least know who we are and what we have… and we build on that mini-history by hosting Detroit going into the Bye. At the very least, the unknowns are put to rest. We take on our own division and our own conference opponents from here. We know what has to improve and what needs to be disciplined and contained. But sing the praises, we didn't have to go 1-4 to find it out!
Pittsburgh moved the ball just well enough on its final drive to set up Shaun Suisham's 34-yard field goal with no time remaining in the Steelers' 16-14 victory at Heinz Field.
"There are going to be close games," Eagles defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins said. "But when you get in those close games, you have to pull them out. When you have opportunities like that, you can't let them slip away. This was an opportunity we let go. We should have won the game, but they pulled out plays at the end and we weren't able to stop them."
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed a pair of third-down passes during a 14-play, 64-yard drive that culminated in Suisham's third field goal of the game.
The Eagles' defense played well for most of the game, allowing just one touchdown. But it failed to create any turnovers and didn't get any sacks.
"It was very frustrating," Eagles middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans said. "We were in a position to win the game and we feel like we let our team down."
There is plenty of time for the Birds to learn from this experience at Heinz Field. It will be a game that they remember as one that got away…and I think, in the overall psychology of the 2012 season, that memory will benefit the team in the end.
If the shoe fits—During the second quarter, Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown lost a shoe. Before Brown could grab it and put it back on his foot, Eagles safety Kurt Coleman picked it up and hurled it about 20 yards onto the Steelers' sideline.
"I didn't want it," Coleman said. "I'm not going to hold onto it and hand it to him. He's going to have to go get it."
Inside the numbers—Michael Vick's two touchdown passes gave him 151 touchdowns (117 passing, 34 rushing) for his career. … Tight end Brent Celek finished the game with 244 career receptions, moving into third place in Eagles history behind Pete Retzlaff (452) and John Spagnola (256). … The Eagles' 17-play touchdown drive in the fourth quarter was their longest of the season. … Tackle Todd Herremans played in his 100th career game.
Lineup changes—Tackle Demetress Bell and linebacker Jamar Chaney started for the second straight game. Bell has replaced King Dunlap at left tackle. Dunlap returned to practice last week after missing one game with a strained hamstring, but Bell played well enough against the New York Giants that he may keep the job. Chaney was at weakside linebacker in place of Akeem Jordan, who missed his second straight game with a strained hamstring. Chaney may also have won the starting job.
Newcomer Adrian Moten backed up Chaney. Moten, who played special teams against the Steelers, was signed last Tuesday.
Out of action—Eagles rookie running back Chris Polk was inactive for the first time this season. He was demoted in favor of second-year running back Dion Lewis, who played his college ball at Heinz Field for the University of Pittsburgh.
Bumps and bruises—Linebacker Mychal Kendricks missed some time in the fourth quarter with a sprained ankle. Casey Matthews replaced him and made back-to-back tackles. Backup running back Bryce Brown suffered a sprained shoulder.
The Eagles (3-2) return to Lincoln Financial Field next Sunday to face the Detroit Lions (1-3).
The Eagles lead the series 16-12-2 and have won six straight against the Lions. The teams last met in 2010, with Vick leading the Eagles to a 35-32 win in his first start for them. Detroit will visit Philadelphia for the first time since 2007, when the Eagles beat the Lions 56-21.
The glass is half full…
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