It's not fatigue that cost Eagles 'D' at the end

LANDOVER, Md. - Until the Redskins' game-winning drive, the Eagles defense had been on the field for only seven more plays than its offense.

The time of possession disparity was great - 36 minutes, 8 seconds in favor of the Redskins vs. the Eagles' 18:36 - but it's been that uneven before and the Eagles have won. Chip Kelly contends that it's plays run that matter most, and the feeling here remains that he is correct.

Bill Davis' defense had an opportunity to stop a Redskins offense that was backed up on its own 10-yard line with 6:05 remaining, and it couldn't get the job done. Were the Eagles defenders gassed? Maybe. Three starters left in the first half because of injury.

But the Eagles had the Redskins in third down 17 times during the game, and allowed nine conversions - two on the final drive.

The Eagles' problems after the 23-20 loss aren't rooted in the up-tempo element of Kelly's offense. You can blame the Eagles coach for a number of the issues that have led to a 1-3 record, and his performance as a general manager is as good a place to start as any. But the system isn't one of them.

It can look ugly at times. The Redskins opened with a 13-play, 78-yard drive that netted a field goal, and after the Eagles offense went three-and-out in 36 seconds, the defense surrendered a 10-play, 39-yard scourge that resulted in another three points.

But the quickie drives on offense aren't the reason the Eagles defense has rarely been consistent over 60 minutes during Davis' three-year reign as defensive coordinator.

"There are no excuses. There's none," Davis said. "Our defense was not gassed. We were out there fighting, and [the Redskins] made more plays than us. Credit goes to them, but there's no excuses here."

Kelly said he didn't sense that his defense was taxed. There wasn't a defensive player in the locker room after the game that said he was tired on the final drive. To Kelly, plays run is more of a factor than time of possession, because most offenses huddle and there is time to rest in between snaps.

An argument could be made that there is mental fatigue with being on the field significantly longer, but it's not as if Davis' defense hasn't held under similar circumstances. The New York Jets ran more plays and had the ball longer last week, and the Eagles were able to hold the lead even though their offense was stagnant in the second half.

That's the larger quandary - the Eagles' inability to consistently put teams away on the ground - and it's been there since Kelly's arrival. This season, of course, they can't do much of anything running the ball.

"We didn't sustain anything in the first half offensively," Kelly said, "and that's what we talk about all the time."

But the defense can't be let off the hook, either. The Redskins faced third and 19 on their first drive, and converted when Chris Thompson took a draw and raced 42 yards up the middle against a three-man line.

"We have to be better on third down," Davis said. "It was a combination of things. I've got to call it better. We've got to execute it better. That big draw through the hole on the first drive was sickening."

The Eagles dominated the run-based Redskins from that carry on, holding them to just 27 yards on their next 24 tries. But quarterback Kirk Cousins picked the secondary apart at times because the pass rush wasn't getting home and the soft-playing Eagles weren't going to get beat deep.

Rookie cornerback Eric Rowe was up and down after he jumped in for the injured Byron Maxwell, but he took a pass-interference penalty on third and 8 in the second quarter. The Redskins had the ball on the 1-yard line and scored their lone first-half touchdown two plays later.

But Davis' unit hit its stride once the Eagles offense started scoring. The game was a near carbon copy of the season-opener in Atlanta. Sam Bradford and the passing offense got hot, scored 20 points to the Redskins' three during a span, and the Eagles took a 20-16 lead early in the fourth.

The offense sputtered on its next two drives, though. The defense held twice, but when the Redskins got the ball for the last time, they zigged when Davis expected them to zag. They ran on five of their first seven plays for 41 yards.

"Some of the calls we moved to a situation anticipating a little more pass than a run," Davis said. "They balanced on that last drive more than most teams."

Jay Gruden's play-calling got the Redskins into Eagles territory - as did a Nolan Carroll defensive holding penalty - and Cousins was pinpoint on a number of tosses until he hit Pierre Garcon for a 4-yard touchdown.

"I'll take that scenario every time with this group of men," Davis said. "We'll win more than we lose."

They lost this time.

The success of any offense or defense is tied to fortunes on the other side of the ball. But when the Eagles are down they seem as down as any team, or when they're up as up as any. But the defensive players said they don't focus on a system as lopsided-looking as any in the NFL.

"I don't see it changing. It's not something I think anybody on this team talks about," Jenkins said. "I don't think it really affected us. I don't think anybody's really tired out there. If it's a long drive, it's not the offense's fault, it's the defense's fault."

He's right about that. But on this day all three units were at fault.

jmclane@phillynews.com

@Jeff_McLane