Eagles fall to Steelers, 16-14
PITTSBURGH -- A cold rain fell intermittently on Heinz Field. It was the second half of Eagles vs. Steelers, and the Eagles were trying to overcome another first half of mistakes.
Eagles fall to Steelers, 16-14
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
PITTSBURGH -- A cold rain fell intermittently on Heinz Field. It was the second half of Eagles vs. Steelers, and the Eagles were trying to overcome another first half of mistakes.
It was a game where Michael Vick could not hold on to the ball, again. And where they couldn’t sack the quarterback, and where they trailed at the half, again. The deficit this time was 10-0, but that was just a detail. It is as if the first act of the script is written in ink now. There is nothing the Eagles can seem to do about it.
And this time, they could not overcome.
Vick led the Eagles on two second-half touchdown drives and the Eagles took a 14-13 lead in the fourth quarter. But in the end, the defense could not hold. A Shaun Suisham field goal from 34 yards with only zeroes left on the clock gave the Steelers the victory, 16-14.
Two Vick fumbles in the first half -- one of them just a yard away from scoring a touchdown -- doomed the Eagles to another afternoon of climbing out of a crater. Neither resulted in points for the Steelers, but one robbed the Eagles of points and the other just perpetuated a worrisome syndrome. It is a ridiculous way to try to make a living in the NFL, and the fact that they have been so good at it so far this season does not alter that truth.
It is too hard.
It cannot continue.
All of that said, the Eagles do make things thrilling. Down at the half, they kept coming. They scored their first touchdown with 6:32 left in the third quarter on a 15-yard touchdown pass to LeSean McCoy, a short throw that featured a devastating cutback move by McCoy that paralyzed Steelers linebacker Larry Foote.
Then, after a Steelers field goal, the Eagles put together a 17-play, 79-yard touchdown drive that ate up 8 minutes, 18 seconds. Along the way, they converted two fourth-down plays -- a gutsy fourth-and-1 from their own 31-yard line, when McCoy only gained the necessary acreage with a second effort, and another fourth-and-1 from the Steelers’ 47, when McCoy just slammed into the line for 2 yards.
The touchdown play was a 2-yard pass to tight end Brent Celek. Buried at halftime, the Eagles led by 14-13 with 6:33 left in the fourth quarter. Once again, their defense would either hold or not -- last week against the Giants’ Eli Manning, this week against the Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger.
This time, it could not hold. They could not sack Big Ben, and the Steelers’ quarterback hung in and made just enough plays to pull out the game. But he is a good player, and he is going to make some plays. This is not a defensive issue.
This is about fumbles. It is about another slow start. When will it end? If you know the answer to that question, you know how the Eagles’ season is going to turn out.
Vick sucks— Soaring Eagle- Mendenhall averaged 6 yards per carry. I'm just sold on this Wide 9.
Zero sacks
Couldn't stop the run.
Couldn't hold the lead.
What good is it? - Eagles fans are suckers.
This team continues to roll out an inferior product with Reid, Morningweg and Vick.
They are no where near the level of the Steelers, Patriots, Green Bay or even Atlanta in terms coaching accumene.
Eagles problems are on the sidelines (coaches) and their QB.— Professor1982 - Agree. This team is Super Bowl capable with a Jon Gruden and Nick Foles. I'm willing to bet a dollar to a doughnut that ANY other coach would have the ba!!s to make a change at quarterback at the beginning of the next training camp. Maybe even within THIS season. — essell
- Your right professor. Unfortunately Andy is Fools Gold and a lot of my fellow Eagle fans seem happy with modest RS success with slim postseason chances of success. And those chances have gotten slimmer with the passing of Jim Johnson. — Phils_World_Champs
- If you don't like the Eagles why do you watch the games and then comment on them? Are you trying to spell acumen? — Jabey
- It's hard to be an Iggles fan - painful game - pass me another cold Iron City...— bigdaddyG
- When Eli Manning threw 3 picks in the 1st half a couple of weeks ago, he then brought his team back to take the lead. Afterward, the story wasn't his 3 picks. It was the comeback.
Same thing here. Vick had a bad first half, but he came through when it counted. In fact, if he had ANY time left, he probably would have done it again.
The defense not only surrendered the lead, but it didn't leave any time for the offense to re-regain the lead. - Vick was good when it counted. 3rd and 12 and your d cant get off the field? the rookies played terrible today. boykin two big plays on the last drive, kendricks big miss tackles. It was a tough lost but the sky isnt falling we'll be ok. We have to have the toughest schedule this year its crazy. We've played most of the top defenses in the league — Ah Yes
- Turnovers.— Penfold18
- Last in the NFL in scoring. Dead last. No sacks two games in a row. QB leads NFL in turnovers. It is a miracle we are 3-2. This is not going to end well. We all know that.— DallasEagle
- Isn't this defense designed to play with a lead? And where's the Wide 9 when you need it most? Whatever happened prior to last 4 minutes means little. We had the lead and we blew it.— Lonewolf11
- First half offense was...offensive. The D had to be tired after being on the field so much. Shady is magical...he is nothing short of a magician. Bobby April....turn in your keys...it is time for you to go...our special teams are making hard for the rest of the team....D had a short field to work with, O has no magical moments on carries. April....is one weak link...and yeah...he will blame himself. Let him blame his way...far away. Give him his last check...anyone in Phila could do a better job coaching special teams other than that person....— 5thstrretpast
- Bah, was gonna be a tough one to win, but they did have their shot. Oh well. ...Take care of business next week, go in the bye week 4-2, hopefully tighten up their game in those 2 weeks...and then start playing up to their capabilities.— Reality Speaks
