Penalties hurt as Wentz, Eagles take another step backward

Last week, there was some doubt incurred by the Eagles, who were flagged 14 flags for 111 yards in the 24-23 loss to Detroit. “I want to go out there and produce”. It’s a discipline thing. He’s already progressed tremendously from OTAs through training camp, and I know the coaches have the utmost confidence in him. While certain calls will always draw fans ire, there’s no denying the Eagles made plenty of missteps, and they came at critical times.

Two penalties were particularly costly. The defense held Wentz to just 11 completions, a 50% completion rate for the day, and 179 yards, and they sacked him five times for a loss of 34 yards. Jalen Mills struggled with deep routes, and with Leodis McKelvin already out, when Nolan Carroll went down with an injury the Eagles were left with Mills as their only true cornerback on the roster. While Wentz was quick to lament his throw, Ertz also said he deserved to shoulder blame. “Some of those things are tough to overcome”.

The Eagles’ defense had nary a sack. The NFL instituted a rule allowing officials to eject a player after two personal fouls following Norman’s late season, in-game, no-holds-barred wrestling match with Odell Beckham, Jr. of the New York Giants. His hit on Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins on third down in the second quarter led to the Redskins scoring a touchdown on running back Matt Jones’ 1-yard run.

The trio combined for 231 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles as coach Jay Gruden and offensive coordinator Sean McVay have figured out how to maximize those backs’ different talents. After the way they started the season, many were surprised by the suddenly undisciplined way the Birds played against the Lions, drawing 14 penalties (some of them were questionable, but the majority were earned).

THE BIG V: Eagles rookie Halapoulivaati Vaitai will make his NFL debut as the starting right tackle in place of Lane Johnson, who was suspended 10 games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

The Eagles are going to give up passing yards.

“There’s no doubt about his speed”, Mills said. He’s an explosive guy.

Riding an energized defense and a more balanced offense, the Washington Redskins find themselves in the thick of the NFC East race.

Cox, Jenkins and safety Rodney McLeod also made mistakes, which allowed the Redskins to extend drives, especially in the first half.

Overall, the Eagles compiled just 239 total yards (a season-low) on 48 plays.

A 15-yard penalty assessed on the subsequent kickoff led to a short kickoff from Dustin Hopkins and an 86-yard touchdown return by Wendell Smallwood. I might have done the same thing. There was one sequence, from the second quarter into the third, where the Eagles went 19:46 without running an offensive play, discounting the kneel-down to finish the first half. But unlike last week, the Eagles never appeared on the verge of taking a lead. Pierre Garcon had six catches for 77 yards, DeSean Jackson four catches for 55 yards, and Jamison Crowder three catches for 52 yards and a touchdown.

Carson Wentz is at his best under pressure.

All these factors helped produce the Redskins’ most impressive victory of the season, despite the noticeable lapses that kept the game closer than it should’ve been after their most dominant half of the season.