Tebow outplays Barkley as Eagles fall to Jets

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Matt Barkley packed his belongings for the bus ride back to Philadelphia on Thursday night without much of an audience. A few feet away, a phalanx of cameramen formed around Tim Tebow's locker - and Tebow wasn't even there. They just waited.

There were Tebow jerseys in the stands Thursday night at MetLife Stadium and the fans cheered when he entered the Eagles' 24-18 preseason loss to the New York Jets. His performance merited the attention.

In a game that could decide who might be the third quarterback for the Eagles, Tebow outplayed Barkley and bolstered his stock in the final audition of the preseason. The Eagles must cut the roster from 75 players to 53 by 4 p.m. Saturday.

"It can't just be a one-game, this-is-it, make or break," coach Chip Kelly said. "This isn't American Idol."

Tebow went 11 of 17 for 189 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, while also rushing four times for 32 yards. It was his best outing of the preseason. He finished the summer 21 of 36 for 286 with two touchdowns and one interception.

Barkley went 4 of 9 for 45 yards with one interception. It was his worst performance of the preseason. He finished the summer 27 of 52 for 351 yards and two interceptions.

Kelly said earlier this week that Thursday's contest would factor into which quarterback he decides to keep. He said after the game that he needs to watch the film to form a better evaluation. The results, at least from this game, might mean there will be more time to buy Tebow's No. 11 Eagles jersey.

"I will try not to be anxious for anything," Tebow said of the next 24-48 hours. "It's just how I approach life."

Barkley understood the value of the audition. He acknowledged that the circumstances were different from the two seasons, when he seemed to have the No. 3 job sealed by the kickoff of the preseason finale.

Barkley started, but the two quarterbacks alternated quarters to try to provide a nearly equitable split in playing time. Tebow sustained more drives, so he was on the field more than Barkley. Barkley said it was the first time he had been involved in that type of rotation, but he did not want to use it as an excuse for his performance.

On the second offensive play of the game, Barkley underthrew Josh Huff and the pass was intercepted by Jets cornerback Darrin Walls. It was Barkley's second interception of the preseason.

"Not ideal, but I feel I bounced back well," Barkley said.

Barkley's second drive was more promising, but not convincing. He drove the Eagles 71 yards on 12 plays before settling for a field goal.

Tebow entered the game 83 seconds into the second quarter, and he did little in his first three drives to take a lead on Barkley. The Eagles punted twice and settled for a field goal after a Jaylen Watkins interception at the Jets' 4-yard line.

But when Tebow led a two-minute drill at the end of the half, he displayed what made him a phenomenon with the Denver Broncos. Tebow led the Eagles on an 85-yard scoring drive that featured his best quarterbacking of the preseason. He ended the drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Roxborough native Rasheed Bailey on a back-shoulder pass that displayed improved accuracy and touch.

"I love getting a chance to run the two-minute drill," Tebow said. "We got some momentum, and we got rolling, that's something I do feel pretty comfortable in."

Barkley was limited to one third-quarter drive that started at the Eagles' 20-yard line and ended at their 33. One completion, two incompletions, and one sack accounted for second-half passing plays.

"I don't know if tonight was the deciding factor," Barkley said. "We'll see if that's what it comes down to. I think over the course of this camp I've shown I can play quarterback for this team."

When the offense next took the field, it was Tebow Time. He celebrated with a 45-yard pass to wide receiver Freddy Martino for his longest completion of the preseason. The bad Tebow returned three plays later, though, when Kelly kept him on the field for a fourth and 15 and Tebow forced the ball into triple coverage. Walls made the interception.

Tebow redeemed himself minutes later, when he led the Eagles on a 45-yard touchdown drive. With a fourth and 6 from the 9-yard line, Tebow rolled to his left and found Martino in the corner of the end zone.

Barkley was better throughout much of the summer, but Tebow was the superior quarterback on Thursday. Kelly will now decide whether it was enough to land Tebow on an NFL regular-season roster for the first time since 2012.

@ZBerm