In the Eagles' 29-23 overtime loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night that dropped them to 4-3 and 0-2 in the NFC East, there were many instances throughout the game when Philly fans were left shaking their heads. Here are some that stood out, with most of them coming in the final quarter:
Where's the timeout?
First thing's first: With approximately 35 seconds left in the game and the game tied at 23, the Cowboys were pinned deep on their own 18 yard line with a 3rd-and-20 coming and no timeouts to stop the clock. The Eagles, however, had all three. So it'd make sense that head coach Doug Pederson would use one to stop the clock right there and one after what I assume would have been an Eagles stop on third down. This would have left the Eagles with one timeout and most likely decent field position following a Darren Sproles punt return. Pederson could have drawn up one play, called a timeout, and sent out kicker Caleb Sturgis, who had already nailed a 55-yarder earlier in the night, for the win. Instead, none of this happened. Pederson let the time run out, using no timeouts and putting faith in a) winning the coin toss in OT or b) hoping the defense could make a stop in overtime if they lost the toss. In the end, Philly lost the toss and allowed a 12 play, 75 yard drive that culminated with a wide open receiving touchdown for Jason Witten to end the game. That mismanagement by Pederson at the end of regulation was very Reid-esque, and can not happen, especially in division games on the road.
Recommended for you
Screen Pass + No FG Attempt
Let's rewind the game clock to about seven minutes left in the game when the Eagles were up 23-16. With a 3rd-and-8 at the Cowboys 30 yard line, Pederson opted to try a screen pass to Sproles, instead of just keeping it conservative and making sure they stayed in field goal range. Well, Dallas was ready for it. Linebacker Sean Lee blew up the play immediately, and dropped Sproles for a six yard loss. This loss set up a 4th-and-14 and a potential 53 yard field goal. Again, Sturgis probably would've hit it, but Pederson called for a punt to try and pin the Cowboys deep in their own territory. His trust in his defense to make a big stop didn't pay off, as quarterback Dak Prescott managed to put together an 11 play, 90 yard drive to tie the game at 23.
One carry, one costly fumble
Usually when you're a rookie, you do everything in your power to make sure you don't screw up when called upon in a big situation. Rookie running back Wendell Smallwood blew his chance. Up 10 in the fourth quarter, a run play was given to Smallwood, which would turn out to be his only carry. The rookie fumbled, giving the Cowboys the ball and ultimately resulted in a Dan Bailey field goal to cut the lead to just a touchdown. While it's easy to place the blame on Smallwood, why is he getting a carry in such a key part of the game? Pederson went with Sproles for the majority of the night, and should have never given Smallwood that opportunity.
Dear Howie: Get a receiver.
Coming into the season, the entire Philadelphia fan base knew they shouldn't expect a lot from the receiving corps. On Sunday night, the drops continued. Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor and Dorial Green-Beckham all dropped a pass on separate occasions, and tight end Zach Ertz has been invisible for most of the season, but he gets a pass because of his injury. Quarterback Carson Wentz threw 11 incompletions, with three coming from drops that were very catchable. The play calling from Pederson was extremely conservative and predictable, never dialing up a deep ball for Wentz to let it fly. That just shows the lack of faith Pederson has in his receivers to get open down the field which would allow Wentz to launch a deep ball. There continue to be rumblings about a possible trade for Torrey Smith, but I would not go for him unless Howie Roseman only gave up something along the lines of a fifth round draft pick. But one thing is clear: Wentz will not be able to achieve big time success if he doesn't have a legitimate number one receiver.
All things considered, most of Sunday night's performance should be seen as encouraging. The Cowboys are one of the top teams in the NFL right now, and the fact that the Eagles were that close to beating them on the road is something to build upon. It's not a term that's thrown around a lot, but I truly believe Sunday's game at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants is a 'must-win.' If they don't come away with a win, that would be a devastating blow as Philly would not only be back down to .500, but also 0-3 in the division.
