Carson Wentz showed grit and determination in his ugliest performance as the Eagles quarterback, playing his best when it counted the most. Wentz willed the Eagles back from a fourth-quarter deficit, only to see Julio Jones snatch the comeback win from his hands with an epic 54-yard touchdown on a perfectly called bubble screen.
Wentz was 25 of 43 for 231 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions with one rushing touchdown, but also took a beating that brought back injury concerns after he was evaluated for a concussion. The Birds were decimated by injury on the night but displayed a mental toughness that will be crucial down the stretch during their NFC East battle with the Dallas Cowboys.
With the Eagles set to host the Detroit Lions next Sunday, here are four takeaways from Sunday nights loss.
1. Carson Wentz led his troops
No, the Eagles weren’t at war on Sunday night, but Wentz put on a gutsy performance that will only enhance the belief that he is a franchise quarterback capable of leading Philadelphia back to the Super Bowl. Wentz didn’t have a great game from a QBR standpoint, but as Nelson Agholor said after the ballgame, the Eagles quarterback put his receivers in position to make plays all night long while taking a beating from the Falcons defense.
2. Injuries
The demise of the 2018 Philadelphia Eagles was nagging injuries and the bug returned on Sunday night when multiple injuries the Eagles stars were left sidelined on the offensive side of the ball. Tight end Dallas Goedert suffered a calf injury during warmups that sidelined him for the entire game. After the game started, both starting wide receivers, DeSean Jackson (groin) and Alshon Jeffery (calf), were finished by the start of the second quarter. Nelson Agholor was evaluated for a concussion, while defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan (foot) and running back Corey Clement (shoulder), both also left before the half.
Carson Wentz was also evaluated for a concussion before returning to the game. Timmy Jernigan was in a walking boot after the ball game and we can expect Doug Pederson to know more on Monday.
3. Ronald Darby’s confidence shaken?
No player is perfect, but the Philadelphia Eagles have a conundrum when it comes to the cornerback position. After the ballgame, Darby said he was healthy, and made no excuses for his play. But it was evident early on, that the Falcons were going to target the veteran cornerback and target him often. Darby struggled most of the evening, almost giving up two big plays early on. Ryan finally found his mark, torching Darby for a 34-yard score to Calvin Ridley with five minutes to play in the second quarter. In the second half, Darby was boxed out by Falcons receiver Julio Jones for a four-yard touchdown that gave the Falcons a 17-6 lead.
Darby secured an interception, but he was awful for the most part.
4. Jim Schwartz
Schwartz gets a bad rap for his defense at times, but on Sunday night, he held the Falcons to 17 points in their home stadium. Schwartz isn’t a guy who likes to blitz a lot, but something about Matt Ryan gets his juices flowing. Schwartz was on the money time and time again, forcing Ryan into turnovers and keeping the embattled Eagles in the game. Atlanta finally caught up with him on the bubble screen that Julio Jones took 54-yards for a touchdown.
5. Run game non-existent
The Eagles have one of the top offensive lines in the NFL, yet only averaged 2.3 yards per carry against the Falcons speedy defense. Miles Sanders carried the ball 10 times for 28 yards. Jordan Howard had 8 carries of his own for 18 yards and the Birds only ran the ball 11 times in the first half for 32 total yards. That output comes a week the Falcons gave up 172 yards on 38 to the Vikings.
6. Slow starts continue
The Eagles habit of having low output in the first quarter of games continued, as they only amassed three total first downs in the entire 15 minutes of game action. They did finish that third drive with a 34-yard Jake Elliott field goal, but the rest was typical of the last year or so. The Eagles finished the first half with just seven first downs and two came via a Falcons penalty.
