Eagles Claw to Fourth Straight Victory

The Eagles ran their winning streak to four on Sunday, defeating the visiting Arizona Cardinals, 24-21. It was the second straight game that left Eagles fans happy—but also with gnawed fingernails.

It was a thrilling game and the Cardinals are the best team the Eagles have beaten so far this season.

At this juncture of the NFL season, every win is a good one. This one was particularly satisfying because it came against a very good team and it came at home.

The Eagles finally ended their ridiculous home winless streak and have won two in a row. Now that they have put that curse in the rearview mirror, they have a new problem to deal with; learning to play with a lead.

Nick Foles continued his brilliance with three more touchdowns against zero interceptions (one near miss was overturned on a penalty). It is so refreshing to have a tall quarterback who takes care of the football and throws a catchable ball with enough touch to hit receivers in stride.

Shady McCoy gained 115 yards from scrimmage and the Eagles tight ends had their best game of the season by far.

With the Cardinals stacked at cornerback, the Eagles wide receivers mostly were held in check, excepting contributions from DeSean Jackson and Riley Cooper. Most of the play went to tight ends Zach Ertz, who caught two touchdowns, and Brent Celek, who added another. The pair combined for nine receptions for just short of 100 yards.

But in each of the last two games, the Eagles have amassed three-score leads, and then seen them almost evaporate. They have won both those games, but it will come back to bite them if they don’t get the trend corrected.

Much of the reason they have almost lost big leads is head coach Chip Kelly’s play-calling. He becomes conservative; then the offense gets out of synch and cannot seem to get back in rhythm.

Kelly’s core belief is that offensive football is played fast. Speed is the essence of his system. Once he tries to slow it down, the offense has fallen apart; though not to the point they commit turnovers, which is the most important thing.

He has to find a way to keep the offense in synch while still taking time off the clock. Easier said than done, but it is imperative that he figures it out.

The defense continued its miraculous turnaround, which has been transpiring now for two months. Not did they hold an eighth straight opponent to fewer than 21 points, but the squad made big plays all game long.

Time after time, as the offense struggled in the second half, the defense turned the Cardinals back, preventing them from tying the game. They forced three critical turnovers from quarterback Carson Palmer, whom they pressured all day and sacked five times.

Trent Cole continued his resurgence with two more sacks, giving him five in the last three games. Brandon Graham added two more. Demeco Ryans continue his Pro Bowl performance, notching the other sack to go with nine tackles, two behind the line of scrimmage.

From where it started, the performance of the defense has been phenomenal. Billy Davis has to be given a lot of credit for managing the system transition and getting production from his players.

The Eagles are in the thick of the playoff race, and although that is always great, after the last two seasons essentially ended before Thanksgiving, it is even sweeter this year.

This weekend brings another stiff test in the Detroit Lions. The Eagles have another chance to defend their house and defeat a team they might be jockeying with for playoff position. It’s unlikely, but not impossible, that the Eagles could land one of the wild cards spots.

So that leaves a division title as their best chance. One never wants to look ahead, but there is an opportunity looming just a few weeks down the road.

First, the Eagles need to take care of their business over the next couple weeks. Then they’ll have an opportunity to take care of some really important business in late December.

There would be nothing sweeter than Nick Foles pulling a Jeff Garcia-like “Merry Christmas Philadelphia,” but first things first.

GO BIRDS!