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Upon Further Review: Sproles gets his chances against Titans

Darren Sproles had 16 touches for the Eagles against the Titans on Sunday, and although he didn't explode for one of his patented long runs, every time he had the ball in his hands, there was always that threat.

Darren Sproles returns a kick-off as Tennessee's Ryan Succop dives for him. (Ron Cortes/Staff Photographer )
Darren Sproles returns a kick-off as Tennessee's Ryan Succop dives for him. (Ron Cortes/Staff Photographer )Read more

Darren Sproles had 16 touches for the Eagles against the Titans on Sunday, and although he didn't explode for one of his patented long runs, every time he had the ball in his hands, there was always that threat.

The running back averaged just six touches and two carries in the previous three games. The Eagles ran 83 plays against the Titans, and Sproles had six punt-return opportunities, which partly explained the increase, but Chip Kelly seemed more intent on getting Sproles involved.

He had several key plays. Sproles ran behind left tackle Jason Peters for a 4-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Then Sproles converted on third and 2 in the third quarter when he got into space and deked two Titans for a 13-yard burst. All told, Sproles rushed six times for 25 yards and a score, caught three passes for 14 yards, and returned six punts for an average of 8.3 yards.

Holes in pass defense

The Eagles pass defense was gashed for 299 yards through the air, with much of the damage being done in the middle of the field.

Titans tight end Delanie Walker is a difficult assignment for a linebacker, but there was little Emmanuel Acho, Casey Matthews, and Mychal Kendricks could do to contain him. Safety Malcolm Jenkins had his struggles as well. Walker beat Acho in man coverage for a 68-yard strike in the second quarter. He converted a third down with a 21-yard grab in the second quarter when a Titans receiver set a pick on Jenkins.

Walker got Jenkins again on a 27-yard crosser in the fourth. Acho injured his groin chasing Walker in the second quarter and did not return. The Eagles are already light at inside linebacker with DeMeco Ryans and Najee Goode done for the season.

Maclin and Sanchez

They connected for 52 yards on Mark Sanchez's first throw of the season, but Jeremy Maclin and the quarterback haven't exactly been on the same page since. Maclin is still seeing his share of targeted passes and making catches, but a deep connection between the two hasn't yet developed.

Maclin caught six of eight targeted passes for 59 yards against the Titans. In four games with Sanchez, Maclin has 23 receptions for 278 yards and two touchdowns, but he's averaging 12.1 yards a grab. In a little over seven games with Nick Foles at quarterback, Maclin caught 40 passes for 702 yards (17.6 average) and seven scores.

Sanchez has had more chemistry with inside slot receiver Jordan Matthews (21 catches for 362 yards and four touchdowns). Part of the reason may be that Sanchez doesn't trust his arm as much on deep throws to the sidelines.

Matthews was targeted eight times. Although it was not a 100-yard outing, his three best games this season have come in the last three weeks, and Sanchez has been the quarterback for each one. Matthews needs to average 73 yards during the next five games to reach 1,000 yards this season.

Rolling out

To assist Mark Sanchez on deeper sideline throws, coach Chip Kelly has occasionally had his quarterback roll out. In the third quarter, Sanchez faked a handoff to the running back and bootlegged to his right. He had tight end James Casey running a corner route to the end zone, and he hit him with a strike for a 14-yard touchdown.

A week earlier, Kelly called a similar play closer to the end zone. Sanchez ran a naked bootleg, but the unblocked Clay Matthews read the play and sacked him. Kelly tinkered with the bootleg and had Brent Celek block a defender as Sanchez set to his right. Sanchez completed 30 of 43 passes, but the throw to Casey may have been his best.

Parkey misses one

Cody Parkey had not missed a kick since Week 2 and had a streak of 17 straight made field goals before he bounced a 49-yard attempt off the left upright at the end of the first half.

"I'm human, unfortunately," Parkey said.

That was the only negative on an otherwise strong afternoon from Parkey, who connected on 5 of 6 field-goal attempts and kicked 3 of 10 kickoffs for touchbacks. Parkey kicked a 50-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. He has made all four attempts of 50 or more yards this season, and is 23 of 25 through 11 games. Coach Chip Kelly said it's a surprise when Parkey misses.

"He's been almost close to automatic for us," Kelly said. "He's been a huge weapon for us."

Burned deep again

With the Titans facing second and 20 at the Eagles' 40-yard line to start the second quarter, quarterback Zach Mettenberger looked for wide receiver Justin Hunter on a crossing pattern 20 yards down the field. Safety Malcolm Jenkins reached for the pass and deflected it, but the ball still fell into Hunter's grasp. Hunter then raced past Bradley Fletcher, who was in position to make the tackle, and ran for the Titans' first score of the game.

"I thought it was a great throw," Mettenberger said. "It felt good. The guy got an inch higher than I thought he could. Luckily, it bounced away because we needed it to. You need those in a game."

Through 11 games, the Eagles have allowed a league-high 14 pass plays of 40 yards or more.