Letdown by Eagles' defense against Titans familiar, puzzling

If there's a running thread for an Eagles defense still in search of an identity through seven games, it is that it fails to shine when the lights are brightest and the pressure is tea-kettle hot.

Two statistics back up that premise:

The NFL-worst 63 points the Eagles have surrendered in the fourth quarter.

The 75 percent success rating opposing offenses have in the red zone, making the Eagles' defense second-to-worst in the league in that category.

While the Eagles' red-zone woes did not ultimately cost them in their 37-19 loss to Tennessee on Sunday - in part because two of Kenny Britt's three touchdowns came from outside the 20-yard line - their failure to close out teams in the fourth quarter can officially be labeled a trend after the Titans blitzed the Eagles for 27 straight points.

"We had been in that position of letting teams back in the game, but we kept pulling it out," Eagles safety Quintin Mikell said, referring to earlier wipe-of-the-brow victories over the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers. "But now, it came to bite us in a big way and we basically got our [rears] kicked. And I think that this will be a wake-up call."

To be fair, the defense was not accountable for all 27 of those points. A muffed punt by Jorrick Calvin gave the Titans excellent field position, and they converted it into a field goal. And the final seven points came when Tennessee cornerback Courtland Finnegan intercepted a last-second heave by Kevin Kolb and returned it for a touchdown.

But when you allow 15, 14 and 17 fourth-quarter points to the Lions, 49ers and Titans - all three with offenses ranked in the bottom half of the league - there is something deeper involved than just pure coincidence.

The question, then, is: Why is this happening to the Eagles?

Is it the players? Is it the scheme? Is it not being able to adjust in-game? Or is it something else?

After the Tennessee debacle, one Eagles defender suggested that when the Titans raised the intensity in the fourth quarter, the defense failed to match it.

"You don't see that on film - you see a great effort on film," Eagles coach Andy Reid said Monday. "I didn't feel [a lack of intensity] on the sideline. I thought there was great effort and energy on the sideline."

The Eagles lack a rah-rah type leader on defense. They have not had one since former safety Brian Dawkins left via free agency in March 2009. Middle linebacker Stewart Bradley and Mikell are leaders, but they're more cerebral in their approach.

"It's football," Mikell said. "There's not a whole lot to say. We all know what we need to do. We've just got to get it done."

For three quarters of the Titans game, they got it done. The defense held Tennessee to 169 total yards and just 10 points, forced two turnovers, and recorded three sacks. Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott's game plan was a sound one in which the Eagles emphasized stopping the run and forcing mediocre quarterback Kerry Collins to beat them.

"Sean had a heck of a game plan, man," Reid said. "Doggone, that's a good football team right there. For three quarters, we had it right there."

But three quarters is not a game, and when Collins and Britt got in sync, there was nothing McDermott nor his players could do to stop the avalanche. Britt, who finished with seven catches for 225 yards, caught four passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone.

Cornerback Ellis Hobbs and free safety Nate Allen were the primary victims. The Eagles eventually moved cornerback Asante Samuel over from his customary left spot to cover Britt, but the damage had been done.

Still, the swap raises the question: Why not switch earlier?

"In the middle of the game, you just don't start flopping guys around," Reid said. "It's not as easy just to go say, 'You're playing man coverage over here.' That's not how you do it. There are a lot of different schemes involved."

Backup cornerbacks Joselio Hanson and Dimitri Patterson were never given a shot at Britt. After the game, McDermott said it was too early to consider personnel moves.

The Eagles' front seven did not get off scot-free. The pass-rushers failed to generate pressure after the Titans kept more players in to protect Collins. The Eagles identified improving their pass rush as their No. 1 priority in the off-season, but top draft-pick Brandon Graham has seen fewer and fewer snaps.

Reid said an ankle sprain and a recent illness had something to do with Graham's getting on the field for just 18 plays Sunday.

The Eagles have an extra week to mull the loss. After the bye, it doesn't get any easier. Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, a team Reid has never beaten, arrive on Nov. 7, and then five of the final eight games will be against NFC East rivals.

Mikell, one of several leftovers from the days of Jim Johnson, reminded reporters Monday that even the late coordinator's defenses suffered late-game collapses.

"We've been in this position before," he said. "We've just got to stay together."