Eagles' flaws show in loss to Washington

LANDOVER, Md. – For the second consecutive week, Carson Wentz took the ball late in the fourth quarter with a chance to play hero. But this time, there seemed to be little reason for confidence that the Eagles would win.

If the Eagles' 27-20 loss to the Washington Redskins on Sunday at FedEx Field revealed anything, it's that they appear closer to the flawed team that was expected in September than the undefeated team that entered October.

The Eagles dropped their second straight game and first NFC East contest to fall to 3-2 with the undefeated Minnesota Vikings visiting Lincoln Financial Field next weekend. Unlike last week's loss to the Detroit Lions, they did not ever appear on the verge of victory. They never led and were outplayed by their division rivals.

"I told the team last week, there are two types of people: the ones that learn from it and the ones that don't," coach Doug Pederson said.

So which ones, then, are the Eagles?

The Redskins more than doubled the Eagles' yardage (493 yards to 239). Their defense sacked Wentz five times and kept the Eagles offense out of the end zone. The Eagles defense could not sack Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, was gashed for 230 rushing yards, and allowed Washington to convert 7 of 13 third downs.

Perhaps most egregious of all were the penalties. One week after committing 14 penalties, the Eagles were charged with 13 for 114 yards on Sunday. The problem for the Eagles is they might learn who they are from these losses.

"I know we don't necessarily see ourselves as an undisciplined team, but the numbers will tell you that we're an undisciplined team that beats themselves," safety Malcolm Jenkins said. "In the first three weeks, that was really one of our strengths: We played very patient, very sound football. We just eventually broke our opponents. It's been the opposite of that the past two weeks. Our opponents stayed back and stayed steady, and we beat ourselves. And once we get down, they pour it on. So we have to take a hard look in the mirror and fix that problem first."

The mirror won't be kind to the Eagles this week. Neither will the game film.

The biggest story throughout the week was Halapoulivaati Vaitai's replacing Lane Johnson at right tackle, and the Eagles' confidence in the fifth-round pick appeared unfounded on Sunday. Vaitai looked overmatched against Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, allowing 2 ½ sacks in the first half. Johnson could not have been pleased watching Wentz go to the ground on his two first passing plays. The Eagles tried using Bryan Braman during the week to simulate Kerrigan, but Vaitai learned the hard way what could happen on Sundays.

"Practice is practice, but games are different," Vaitai told reporters.

Vaitai's problem slowed an offense that couldn't stay on the field in the first half, and Pederson said he didn't consider making a change. The Eagles scored two non-offensive touchdowns to stay in the game, but the offense's production was offensive. It had only three first downs, 41 total yards, and 20 offensive plays at halftime.

Washington jumped to a 14-0 lead, leaving the Eagles in a two-touchdown hole for the second consecutive week. After the second score, Redskins tight end Vernon Davis was flagged for excessive celebration. That forced the Redskins to kick from their own 20-yard line. The kickoff landed at the Eagles' 14, allowing for a return. Wendell Smallwood raced for 86 yards to cut the score in half.

The Eagles tied the score minutes later when Jenkins stepped in front of Cousins' pass and returned the interception 64 yards — allowing the Eagles to get back in the game without their offense even stepping onto the field.

"The flow of the game was weird," said Wentz, who finished 11 of 22 for 179 yards. "We had the three straight defensive drives with the kick return and the pick-six, so we never really had a chance to get in a rhythm offensively."

The defense couldn't keep the momentum. The next time Wentz attempted a pass, the Eagles trailed by 10 points.

Washington closed the half with a 13-play, 75-yard drive that finished when Matt Jones rushed for a 1-yard touchdown — just one of the 135 rushing yards he totaled on Sunday. But the Eagles were about to limit the Redskins to a field goal before Fletcher Cox was whistled for a personal foul after a third-down stop in the red zone.

It was the second consecutive week in which Cox was flagged for that penalty in that situation, and it cost the Eagles points both times. The four-point difference could have aided the Eagles' comeback attempt late in the game because they would have needed a field goal and not a touchdown.

"I thought to myself it was a clean hit. Obviously, the ref didn't think that," Cox told reporters. "It was dumb on my part. It cost us seven points. … I've got to be better with that."

The teams traded field goals twice in the second half. The defense finally made a stop late in the fourth quarter to give Wentz possession down one touchdown with just more than four minutes remaining.

For an offense that sputtered all afternoon, there was little reason evidence to suggest that drive would be different. They generated only 28 yards before Wentz took back-to-back sacks, forcing the Eagles to punt away their best chance at a tie game.

"I've got to get the ball out," Wentz said. "I can't take those sacks. That's definitely on me. The O-line gave me time on both of them. Those are things I've just got to learn."

There wasn't finger-pointing in the locker room after the game. The Eagles know the problems. Pederson said that it's penalties and third downs, and that the team must become more disciplined. But he also acknowledged that there's more game film on the Eagles for the opponents to study, and the coaches needed to determine what to adjust.

Five games into the season, the Eagles are experiencing regression. If they're simply regressing to what they're supposed to be, then the daunting schedule ahead could mean more afternoons like Sunday.

"It's all about how you react and respond to losses, and obviously, we didn't come out here and perform the way we wanted to," Wentz said. "The season's not over. It's a long season. We're not losing hope."