Foles Shines-Defense Struggles

At A Glance

Philadelphia comes into this game looking to clinch a first-round bye. In the first half, all eyes were on the Eagles offense and how their new quarterback would hold up. Foles came out on his first drive and led the birds right down the field and capped it off with a three-yard touchdown to Alshon Jeffery. At the half, the Eagles were down 21-23 in what was looking to be a close game. The second half was more of what was seen all game. A back and forth contest of offensive capability. Philadelphia outlasted the battered New York Giants winning 34-29.

In-Depth

The Eagles offense looked good and gave fans a little piece of mind. The came right out and scored but then couldn’t get anything going. Meanwhile, the defense was struggling and continued to the whole game. The Giants were using an up-tempo scheme, not allowing them to make any quick adjustments. They also were setting up the secondary for failure in the first half. They had quick slants open all game, hitting them over and over. The Eagles’ corners began to cheat on the routes and that’s when the Giants started utilizing double moves.

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Ronald Darby was first to fall victim to this, he tried to jump a slant but got caught in a double move and gave up a big play on the sideline. This happened multiple times in the first half, giving up a few big plays and a touchdown. The special teams in the first half made a couple huge plays. After the opening drive touchdown by the Giants, the Eagles blocked the extra point attempt. Later, they came up with a big blocked punt that led to an Eagles touchdown.

The Eagles fared better in the second half than their opponents. Behind a Nick Foles-led offense, the Eagles scored 13 points while the defense held the Giants to just seven. The game came down to the wire as Philly hit a field goal with four minutes left. The struggling defense then had to come out and make a stop to win the game. The Giants marched down the field, they had some help as there were multiple defensive penalties on the drive. However, the defense held at the 11-yard line forcing New York to turn the ball over on downs. The Giants got the ball back again with 13 seconds but nothing was happening for them, ending the game.

Outlook

The Eagles won on the day and their offense looked good but their defense looks worrisome. They locked up a first-round bye and are one win away from securing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Giants have been pretty poor all year on offense. The Giants scored their largest point total of the year this week against the Eagles. The defense needs get their game back together before the season ends. They dominated all year, now they can not seem to shut down the opposing team’s offense.

On the other side of the ball, the bird’s offense looked great. Nick Foles came out on his first start since the injury to Wentz throwing for 233 yards and four touchdowns. An impressive stat line and one that gives all fans hope that they still have a chance to make a run into the playoffs.

– Ryan Mace is a Staff Writer for Full Press Coverage Eagles. He covers the Philadelphia Eagles. Like and follow on Follow @ryanmace750//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Eagles//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook