Paul Domowitch's Eagles-Falcons Report Card
Here is Paul Domowitch's report card from the Eagles' loss against the Falcons. Click here to enter your grades. We will publish the results in Tuesday's Daily News.
RUSHING OFFENSE
LeSean McCoy managed just 45 yards on 16 carries against the league's 28th-ranked run defense. And 21 of those 45 yards came in the fourth quarter when the Falcons were in their nickel and dime packages. He notched only his second rushing TD of the season early in the second quarter on a 2-yard run. McCoy has averaged just 2.6 yards per carry in the last three games.
Grade: D-minus
PASS OFFENSE
If you're searching for a positive here, Michael Vick didn't throw an interception for the fourth time in the last five games. But he averaged a puny 5.4 yards per attempt and was 2-for-6 for just 10 yards on third down. Because of the lopsided time of possession, he had just 19 pass attempts in the first three quarters.
Grade: D-plus
RUN DEFENSE
For the third straight game, the Eagles gave up 120-plus rushing yards. Using draws to keep the Eagles' aggressive pass rush off-balance, the Falcons finished with 146 rushing yards, including 118 by Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers. In the third quarter, when the Eagles needed defensive stops, the Falcons rushed for 76 yards, including a killer 43-yard run by Rodgers that set up the Falcons' final score.
Grade: D
PASS DEFENSE
Matt Ryan made mincemeat of a defense that entered the game with a 69.4 opponent passer rating. He completed 22 of 29 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns, including a 15-yarder to Drew Davis off a fake screen that took advantage yet again of safety Kurt Coleman's overaggressiveness. Wide receiver Julio Jones made Nnamdi Asomugha look every bit his 31 years when he blew by him on the way to a 63-yard touchdown catch.
Grade: F
SPECIAL TEAMS
Thanks largely to kicker Alex Henery and punter Mat McBriar, the Eagles' coverage units managed not to implode. Henery had two touchbacks and McBriar averaged 48.0 yards per attempt on three punts, including two fair-catches. Henery made his only field-goal attempt, a 33-yarder.
Grade: B
OVERALL
If Andy Reid fired Juan Castillo to avoid another fourth-quarter collapse, he got his wish, because under his new defensive lieutenant, Todd Bowles, the Eagles started unraveling in the first quarter. With the Falcons using screens and draws to keep the Eagles' off-balance, they controlled the ball for nearly 28 of the first 45 minutes.
Grade: F