Eagles-Dolphins: What Did We Learn?

The Eagles scored 16 first-quarter points Sunday against the Dolphins. They had scored only 10 first-quarter points in all of their first eight games combined. A 32-yard field-goal attempt with 12:55 left in the second quarter would have given the Eagles a 19-3 lead. Caleb Sturgis missed. From that point onward, they were outscored by 17-3 despite having the advantage in nearly every offensive statistical category. The Eagles somehow found a way to lose, 20-19, to a subpar Miami team. There was something almost poetic about it – if you're into sullen Irish poetry. Here's what we learned:

1. The Eagles have the hallmarks of a bad team. The Sixers could never lose this badly. It takes a team with a lot of talent – and the Eagles certainly have it – to lose in such utterly pathetic fashion. There was a botched field goal, a blocked punt, a bad snap, three fumbles the Eagles luckily recovered, seven ill-timed penalties (one of which negated a touchdown), at least four dropped passes, and an ill-fated interception. More than any of the Eagles' losses this season, this one felt most like some of the sloppy defeats that occurred late in Andy Reid's tenure. Reid and his players kept insisting they had a good team and enough talent to win in the NFL. But a steady stream of mistakes and boneheaded moments suggested otherwise. And in the end, all that was left were the bones of a good team, or perhaps a poorly constructed team. Chip Kelly has said intelligence is paramount in his evaluation of players. He has acquired a bunch of players who fit the mold. And yet, a smart coach and smart players continue to do dumb things to lose games. The Eagles are 4-5. They're only a half-game behind the 5-5 New York Giants. This season isn't over by a long shot. Some might tune out the team or conclude that an NFC East crown would be hollow. But stranger things have happened once teams reach the postseason. The Eagles aren't dead. But they have seven games to dispel the notion that they are a bad team, or even worse, an underachieving one.

2. Chip Kelly has become a suspect game manager. Jeffrey Lurie hired "Big Balls" Chip and ended up getting a shriveled-up version of the college coach that would bet against the odds and often win. Kelly called a conservative brand of football in his first season with the Eagles. But he has increasingly become reckless, particularly in late first-half situations. Last week against the Cowboys, Kelly couldn't seem to decide if he was going to try to score with around two minutes and all his timeouts remaining or simply run out the clock. It was maybe the most schizophrenic two-minute drill ever run. The Eagles ended up punting on the final play. This week, the Eagles got the ball on their own 19-yard line with 17 seconds left in the half. They were ahead, 16-13, and they had managed only three first downs on their three previous possessions. On first down, Sam Bradford dropped back and threw deep. He was hit as he threw and the ball was intercepted. Bradford took a while to get up after the blow. C.J. Mosley hit Bradford in the face, so the turnover was reversed with a roughing-the-passer penalty. The Eagles advanced to the 34 with 10 seconds left. Bradford dropped back again and threw short to Darren Sproles for 1 yard. And then with six seconds left, Bradford dropped back again and tossed a short pass to Zach Ertz, which ran out the clock. Kelly said on 94.1-WIP this morning that he was trying to complete two passes and kick a field goal. I'm not sure there's an offense in NFL history that could have warranted as much faith. The Eagles offense has had three-and-outs last shorter than 17 seconds. And Kelly thought his inconsistent offense would go some 50 yards in two plays over less than 17 seconds to set up a field goal? And mind you, Sturgis had already missed a 32-yard field goal. Delusional.

3. Be careful what you wish for: Mark Sanchez isn't a better option than Sam Bradford. I'm not sure I get all the Bradford bashing. He was not the problem Sunday and he hasn't been the problem for weeks. I'd still rank him fourth on my offensive list of concerns behind the outside WRs, the offensive line and DeMarco Murray. Has Bradford been transcendent? No. But he completed 19 of 25 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown before he left. He was under constant pressure. Could his pocket awareness have been better? Perhaps. Did he miss a few open receivers? Yes. He misfired to an open Zach Ertz. Were there a few unnecessary checkdowns? Absolutely. But he was solid and has been for the last three games. He has had only one turnover during that span, and it mostly wasn't his fault. So I didn't understand some of the cheers at the Linc when he went down and Sanchez came in. The other thing I don't get: The ragging on Sanchez. He's a backup. A good backup. Look around the league. It made sense for Kelly to bring him back despite Sanchez' penchant for stomach-punching turnovers. The offense moved with Sanchez under center. If Miles Austin drags his second foot, or if Riley Cooper gets set, we might we talking about a different Sanchez today. Of course, that's the rub against him. And it's justifiable. He shouldn't have forced that pass to Austin. But quarterback play hasn't been the problem, or at least the problem. I wrote about Bradford's injury and the inevitability of it for today's newspaper.

4. Jason Kelce is officially having a bad season. The usually vociferous Kelce had little to say after the game. "If you want a quote, here it is: That was the worst game of my entire career," Kelce said as reporters gathered at his locker stall. "Three penalties. [Expletive] bad snap. [Expletive] just a terrible blocking performance. I got to get it corrected. But other than that, that's about all I have to say." The Eagles center then left. Kelce has been a leader on this team for years. He's always accessible, always willing to shoulder the blame. This behavior was uncharacteristic for him. It makes you wonder if the locker room is close to cracking. Kelce is right, though. He didn't play well. Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is a rare talent. But defensive tackle Earl Mitchell is just a guy. And those guys dominated Kelce, and guards Allen Barbre and Matt Tobin. And Kelce's mistakes continue to pile up. He has 11 penalties this season, two of which have been declined. They have come at inopportune times, nullifying a total of 45 yards.

5. DeMarco Murray is slow, slower than we even thought. As mentioned, the interior of the Eagles line wasn't winning enough battles inside. The run game actually got off to a decent start in the first quarter. Murray had seven carries for 31 yards with 1:23 left in the first. Ryan Mathews had three rushes for eight yards and a touchdown. The numbers weren't overwhelming, but the Eagles had some success against a run defense that was ranked second-to-last in the NFL. But from that point, the ground game was ineffective. Murray's next 15 carries netted 30 yards. Mathews (5 carries for 10 yards) was just as unproductive before leaving with a concussion. But one running back looks as if he's running with a head of steam, while the other looks as if he's running in clogs. And has Kelly forgotten about Sproles? He finished with just 17 snaps out of 96 plays, and he reached that number only because Mathews left in the third quarter. Sproles is a weapon, a mismatch nightmare for some defenses, and Kelly has done a poor job of utilizing him this season.

6. Miles Austin probably doesn't merit an NFL roster spot. The Eagles signed Austin to a one-year contract with $1 million guaranteed three weeks into free agency. Who was their competition? The Toronto Argonauts? The criticism of the Austin signing isn't revisionist history. I couldn't understand how you could give a 31-year-old receiver clearly on his last legs guaranteed money then, and I can't understand it now. Again, who was their competition that late into free agency? Sign him to a show-me deal without any guaranteed money and see if he can earn his way onto the roster. But the Eagles had little choice but to keep him because of the guaranteed figure, and because, frankly, they were weak at receiver. Austin has played 52 percent of the Eagles offensive snaps this season. He has played 354 snaps and has 12 catches for 212 yards and one touchdown. He added another drop to his collection on Sunday. He seemed to nonchalantly try to drag his foot inbounds on a nifty back-of-the-end-zone pass from Sanchez. One pass sailed by his head when he wasn't looking. He ran an awkward route into the end zone and wasn't ready when Sanchez threw to him and was intercepted instead. I'm not suggesting that Kelly should release Austin (OK, I kind of am), but I can't imagine there would be another team eagerly waiting to claim him off the street.

7. Riley Cooper probably doesn't merit an Eagles roster spot. Cooper signed a five-year contract worth $22.5 million in 2014. Of his $4 million base salary this season, $3 million was guaranteed. So his roster spot was never in jeopardy. But he entered the season once again as a starter. He doesn't play nearly as many snaps as he did the previous two seasons, but he has still played around 50 percent of the time. He hasn't had a catch in four games. A foot injury has cut into his recent playing time, but he played 52 snaps against the Dolphins and his lone mention on the stat sheet was an illegal shift penalty that negated a Sanchez touchdown pass to Ertz. Cooper has played around the same number of snaps as Austin and has 11 catches for 205 yards and two touchdowns this season.

8. None of the Eagles outside receivers merit a starting spot. Austin and Cooper wouldn't be on the field as much if Nelson Agholor or Josh Huff could prove indispensable. Agholor has been hurt. He missed three games with a high ankle sprain. But before the injury, he had just eight catches for 105 yards despite playing 262 snaps – more than any other outside receiver during that stretch. Agholor might eventually develop into a starter who warrants No. 1 receiver playing time. But he has clearly been pressed into a spot he wasn't yet ready to take. Huff is probably best as a complementary piece. He had a few nice moments against the Dolphins after some mistake-prone games. He finger-tipped a high pass from Bradford for a touchdown and caught two other passes for a total of 23 yards. He played 42 snaps. Agholor finished with three catches for 32 yards and played 53 snaps. Slot receiver Jordan Matthews had a quiet game after his stellar outing in Dallas. He played 57 snaps and caught just three passes for 21 yards. I still think he's best used inside. The Eagles effectively targeted their tight ends in the passing game, which partly explained the lack of catches for the receivers group. But you can't have wideouts play that many snaps and account for only nine of 33 completions and 76 of 392 passing yards.

9. The Eagles' special teams aren't, um, special anymore. It was going to be difficult for Dave Fipp's units to match last year's production. But there have been far too many costly mistakes through nine games -- four missed field goals, two missed extra points, two blocked punts, a long kick return, and aside from a Sproles punt-return touchdown in Week 3, little production in the return game. Jon Dorenbos' snapping has been shaky. He had three off-target snaps Sunday. But Sturgis still shouldn't have missed that field goal or missed it as badly as he did. And while Donnie Jones had to take an extra step after a high snap, did Eagles blockers have to allow that much pressure up the middle before the block?

10. And a few leftovers … Lost in the loss, of course, was Brent Celek's stellar receiving performance (four catches for 134 yards). Celek can still turn on the jets when given the opportunity. Ertz led the team in receptions with seven for 68 yards. … The Eagles had a rotation at inside linebacker. DeMeco Ryans played 48 snaps; Mychal Kendricks, 40; and Kiko Alonso, 30. … Fletcher Cox was a "man dog" once again. He created tons of pressure despite getting double-teamed a number of times. … Defensive end Taylor Hart (22) played more snaps than Vinny Curry (19). Yup, that happened. … A week after watching from the sidelines, outside linebacker Marcus Smith played five snaps. He didn't appear on the stat sheet.