Eagles-Cardinals: What Did We Learn?

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Eagles suffered a gut-punch blow when receiver

John Brown

got behind

Nate Allen

and

Cary Williams

for a 75-yard game-winning touchdown with just 81 seconds left. They could not respond despite driving to the Cards 16-yard line and lost, 24-20. There were plenty of fingers assigning blame for the crushing defeat that dropped the Birds to 5-2. Let’s roll the tape:

1. Nate Allen can't be expected to play sound defense for four quarters. In a span of 15 minutes Allen went from hero to goat and had arguably the best and worst plays of his five seasons in Philadelphia. Late in the third quarter, he stripped running back Andre Ellington, snapped the ball out of the air and managed to keep his feet in bounds for a pivotal turnover. But a quarter later he went back to the Allen that has frustrated fans for most of his tenure with the Eagles and one that has had several breakdowns already this season. With the Cardinals down, 20-17, and facing third and six at their own 25, Allen had one primary responsibility as the deep safety and that was to not let a receiver get beyond him. He failed. Allen said the Eagles were playing a quarters zone, which meant that he was responsible for the deep left quadrant. He said he bit on John Brown's in-and-out double move, but it initially appeared as if he was attempting to jump an underneath throw near the sticks to Ellington. Either way, his eyes deceived him and Brown got beyond him after Williams expected inside help. There was a ProFootballTalk report that the Eagles were in search of safety help, which is of no surprise considering Allen's struggles. Earl Wolff hasn't yet proved that he's a suitable replacement, but I'm not sure what else is out there in terms of a trade before Tuesday's deadline. Some might say anything is better than Allen, but there honestly aren't many capable safeties teams are willing to part with.

2. Chip Kelly had one of his worst games as Eagles coach. Monday morning quarterbacking is a national pastime, but I wrote here last night that the run-pass disparity (a 72-28 ratio) did the Eagles no favors, Nick Foles in particular. I'll get to both in a little more detail later. But Kelly's biggest mistake may have been not challenging the spot after Chris Polk ran down to the 1-yard line for an apparent first down late in the fourth quarter. Kelly said that the coaches up in the booth didn't get a conclusive look at whether the spot was accurate and said this morning on 94.1-WIP that he wouldn't have challenged after watching the coaches tape. And that may be, considering so many stadiums make it difficult for opposing coaches to watch replays. But Kelly, at the very least, should have called a timeout to buy time. There was too much at stake. Not only would a proper spot have given the Eagles a new set of downs, but it would have inched them closer to the goal line. Considering how difficult it's been for Kelly's offense to score down there over the last two seasons, they needed as much help as they could get. I can't kill Kelly for the following decisions – having McCoy run on third down and 1 at the 2 instead of the straight-ahead-running Polk, having Foles in the shotgun rather than under center where he could hand off to McCoy after a running start, or electing to kick the field goal instead of trying for six points – but it's certainly fair to question those decisions.

3. Nick Foles struggled vs. the blitz. Here's my column from last night on Foles' two interceptions, which continued his turnover ways this season, but I wanted to address how he fared against the blitz here. Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles loves to blitz. He blitzed Foles on 19 of 63 drops, per Pro Football Focus, but it seemed far more during the game. A few Eagles offensive linemen concurred. Nonetheless, Foles was 9 of 19 for 81 yards and an interception whenever Bowles sent extra pass rushers. Blitzing can be a double-edged sword if a quarterback knows how to make the hot read. Foles hasn't been dreadful against the blitz this season, but he hasn't taken full advantage of opportunities either. He wasn't sacked, but the Cardinals seemed to be content with just moving Foles off his spot – he backpedaled more than Michael Jackson – and forcing him to throw off balance. And Foles throwing off balance right now is a mechanical nightmare.

4. Josh Huff hasn't eased concerns about what was already a questionable draft pick. If Brad Smith wasn't injured, Huff may not have played the 25 snaps he saw last night. He's only several games into his NFL career, so it isn't completely fair to rip him. I was a little hard on Huff for some errors in the Giants game, but after re-watching the tape, I thought he did some excellent work as a run blocker. But he just isn't ready for significant playing time and would probably be better off watching a little longer. I guess he could continue returning kicks, but Polk has been more productive and should be back there once Darren Sproles returns. On Huff's second quarter fumble at the 7-yard line, Kelly said he initially ran the wrong route. But Foles dumped to the receiver and he got 12 positive yards. But Huff was careless after he shook a tackler and was stripped from behind. You can maybe excuse the turnover and call it a rookie mistake, but Huff only gets a few more of those. The Oregon product was drafted in the third round before many had expected and five picks before Brown. If you went through every draft pick with a fine-toothed comb you'd be able to pick apart many teams' selections. But I mention the Huff-before-Brown in the third round because of the circumstances of the game.

5. Jeremy Maclin is going to get paid this offseason. Unless the Eagles feel compelled to lock him up to a long-term extension in-season, Maclin is on track to get that big second contract he's always felt he deserved. Maclin leads the Eagles in all receiving categories – 39 catches for 632 yards and six touchdowns – and is on pace to finish with 89 receptions for 1,445 yards and 13 touchdowns. Those are No. 1 wide receiver numbers. He put up big stats against the Cards – 12 catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns – but what was most impressive to me was the toughness he showed. He's actually displayed it all season. When in years past it seemed like he was reluctant to maybe go over the middle or pick up extra yards after the catch, he's proven that he has the gonads to make clutch grabs. His punt returns were another matter. He's never looked comfortable back there. As for that deal, the Eagles haven't extended a player in-season since 2009. But Kelly loves Maclin and Maclin seems willing to negotiate now. You always worry about another injury, but the Eagles may get a hometown discount if they hammer something out before December.

6. Red zone. The Eagles remain last in the NFL in red zone efficiency after failing to net touchdowns on three trips inside the 20. Overall, they've converted just eight of 23 possessions (34.8 percent) into touchdowns. Since 2010, only two teams have finished the season with a lower percentage. The Eagles have time to turn it around. Kelly said this morning on 94.1-WIP that turnovers were the biggest issue right now inside the red zone. And while that may be true, the big picture includes an inability to power up against teams near the goal line and, of course, some of the Foles' decision-making.

7. Andy Reid no longer coaches the Eagles, but it sure felt like it on Sunday. Foles dropped a whopping 63 times to pass, while LeSean McCoy got only 21 carries. Polk played only 14 of 92 snaps and had just three handoffs. Kelly probably felt Polk wasn't comfortable enough to play more of Sproles' role, but I thought there was an opportunity to use his downhill running against the Cardinals run defense. But it was clear from the get-go that Kelly wasn't as interested in establishing the run as he was in taking advantage of Arizona through the air. He had success, yes, but the plan seemed to benefit Bowles. He could pin his rushers' ears back on blitzes and play the odds that Foles would eventually made a few costly mistakes. And Foles did. McCoy said he didn't see a 72-28 pass-run disparity coming. It was obvious after the game that he thought the Eagles should have run more. "I definitely didn't they were ranked as high on defense as the way they played," McCoy said of the top-ranked Cardinals run defense. "Just from the beginning, the couple of runs we did get, I felt like we were successful. Then at the end, we ran so easy on them." Running backs generally think they don't see the ball enough, but it's hard to argue with McCoy's assessment.

8. Mychal Kendricks still isn't 100 percent back from a calf injury. Despite avoiding reporters all last week and some murmurs emanating from the Eagles locker room that he wouldn't be ready for the Cardinals, Kendricks dressed. But he didn't start. He played almost exclusively as the dime inside linebacker. Kendricks played 22 of 70 snaps and was credited with two tackles on the official stat sheet. He looked limited or was still trying to catch up to game speed after missing time. He rushed four times but didn't get into the backfield. He dropped 14 times into coverage and didn't seem to suffer any breakdowns. But the big plays we've become accustomed to were missing. Emmanuel Acho and Casey Matthews split snaps opposite DeMeco Ryans in base and nickel downs. They did fine, but the Eagles will need Kendricks at 100 percent at some point. Marcus Smith, meanwhile, was relegated to being a spectator again. He was the only active player, aside from backup quarterback Mark Sanchez, to not play.

9. Aside from the two X plays, Bill Davis' defense had its second straight strong effort. And if you cancel out the fourth quarter of the Rams game, the defense has really round into form in the last three games. I know … "And otherwise how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?" But the Eagles defense still held Carson Palmer to a less than 50-percent completion percentage (20 of 42) and held Ellington to 3.1 yards per rush. That's a win-win. The Eagles didn't record a sack for the first time in four games, but they did pressure, hit and move Palmer off his spot. Allen forced a fumble, but the pass defense hasn't been opportunistic. Malcolm Jenkins had three interceptions in three games during one span, but the Eagles haven't had a pick since Week 4. There hasn't been an interception by a cornerback yet this season.

10. A few quickie notes ... Brandon Boykin had six interceptions last season, and while picks can be cyclical, he hasn't been around the ball as much this season. He had a rough first half, but rebounded after the break even though he appeared to suffer a hamstring injury. Boykin was targeted seven times and allowed four passes for 69 yards, per PFF. … I thought Nolan Carroll had his best game of the season. He played a season-high 30 snaps. He was credited with four solo tackles and a pass defensed. … Todd Herremans left for three plays on the Eagles' final drive and was replaced by Andrew Gardner. I didn't get an opportunity to ask him why, but he did return. … Only Fletcher Cox (62) played more defensive line snaps than Vinny Curry (31). The Cardinals use more four-receiver sets than most teams.