Philadelphia Eagles

5 Reasons Ryan Mathews cant be blamed for the Eagles losing in Detroit

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Oct 9, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions cornerback Darius Slay (23) forces a turnover against Philadelphia Eagles running back Ryan Mathews (24) during the fourth quarter at Ford Field. Lions win 24-23. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Eagles lost Sunday to the Detroit Lions in an emotional roller coaster.

It wasn’t Ryan Mathews‘ fault that the Philadelphia Eagles lost in Detroit. Well, not entirely. On Sunday, the Eagles traveled to the “Motor City” to meet the Detroit Lions in a game they had no business losing, and they lost anyway.

This game is what people are talking about when they use terms like “emotional roller coaster”. There was the shock of falling in a 14-0 hole to a team that was clearly inferior. Then, there was the frustration of the enormous amount of penalties and the way the game was being officiated. That was followed by a furious comeback and the satisfaction that crisis had been adverted. Unfortunately, crisis was re-visited when Mathews coughed up the ball to a team that had no timeouts, giving them the opportunity they needed. Eagles fans could only watch in horror as the Lions moved into position for a game-winning field goal.

Mathews is taking a lot of heat following the loss, but the loss can’t be placed on his shoulders alone. Here are five other reasons the Eagles walked out of Detroit with their first check mark in the loss column.

Oct 9, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (92) celebrates after his teammates get a sack during the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

1. The 14 point hole

This was supposed to be a revenge game . The Eagles were slaughtered by these same Lions in the same building a season ago. The message this time around was to make sure they didn’t get off to a slow start like they did last year. That didn’t happen. In 2015, the first quarter ended with the Eagles in a seven point hole. On Sunday, when the first 15 minutes had elapsed, the Eagles found themselves on the wrong end of a 14 point margin.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Lions tacked on another touchdown in the second quarter. The Eagles would end the first half by scoring ten points of their own, but forcing the offense to play catch up all game really took this team out of what it wanted to do early, and it showed. The second half was more of the same as the Eagles emerged from the locker room still needing twelve points to take the lead on the scoreboard. Keep in the mind the Lions were missing key guys in key spots. It was a frustrating afternoon to say the least.

Oct 9, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions linebacker Tahir Whitehead (59) breaks up a pass intended for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor (17) during the fourth quarter at Ford Field. Lions win 24-23. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

2. Settling for three and not getting seven

One of the worst things about what we’ve seen from the Eagles in the past few seasons has been the inability of this team to cash in with seven points on trips they’ve made into the red zone. Yesterday, some of that was brought back to the surface. Although it was great to see kicker Caleb Sturgis come through when needed (consistent kicking was another issue that needed to be fixed), this team has to come up with touchdowns when they pass the other team’s twenty yard line. Three points isn’t going to do it against some of the teams the Eagles will be facing this year.

With the screen game ineffective, Philadelphia needed the tight ends and receivers to step up. Instead, they got drops on third down. Nelson Agholor and Trey Burton couldn’t come up with some catches that would have kept drives going, and Dorial Green-Beckham should have been able to snag one in the end zone that was thrown his way in the fourth quarter. The Eagles kept settling for three points. Eventually, that meant the Lions would be able to take the lead late in the game with a Matt Prater field goal. Had they needed seven, we may be discussing a different outcome.

Oct 9, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions linebacker Tahir Whitehead (59) and strong safety Tavon Wilson (32) ecover a fumble during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Ford Field. Lions win 24-23. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

3. Shooting themselves in the foot

There is a bright side to yesterday’s loss. This team has a ton of talent on both sides of the ball. There’s no other way to explain spotting an NFL team 14 points, scoring one less touchdown than your opposition, committing 14 penalties for 111 yards, losing a late fumble and still being in position to win a game on the road. Eagles fans should feel pretty good about this team going forward. We all knew there would be stumbling blocks. We just, for some reason, thought they’d all come from a rookie quarterback.

The officiating has been debated. Yes, there were calls that were made on guys who weren’t on the field. Yes, there was a play that was reviewed that, by rule, wasn’t a play the officials were allowed to review. You’re also absolutely right if you said you recognized this as the same officiating crew that gave the San Francisco 49ers an extra down once. Still, this is the NFL, and you can’t beat yourself. You can’t get to the quarterback, cause a sack and grab the quarterback’s face mask.

Fortunately, those are all things can be corrected.

Sep 19, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham (53) carries after making an interception during the second half against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Philadelphia won 29-14. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

4. Nigel Bradham didn’t get enough playing time.

Forget about the off-field issues for a second. When it’s all said and done, Nigel Bradham may end up being one of the best decisions the Eagles made during the off-season. Maybe they were punishing him for yet another off-field incident, but Bradham wasn’t even utilized until the second half. He still finished with nine tackles (three for a loss), giving him the third highest total on the team.

Bradham was literally everywhere. His presence on this team gives the Eagles more punch, not only at linebacker, but in the entire scheme of what this team wants to do defensively. You want to force turnovers? Bradham can do that. You want to fix that tackling problem the Eagles seemed to have yesterday? Bradham’s got you covered. He’s not only making plays. He’s making plays on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

Make no mistake about it. Jim Schwartz is the right man for the job. Bradham is here because “The General” is here, but if Bradham is available and healthy, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be on the field.

Oct 9, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions cornerback Darius Slay (23) intercepts a pass intended for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor (17) during the fourth quarter at Ford Field. Lions win 24-23. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

5. The final possession

If cornerback Darius Slay isn’t the NFC defensive player of the week, there needs to be an investigation. He probably wasn’t one of those guys that the Eagles discussed in great detail in the coach’s meetings, but Eagles’ fans and players will be having nightmares of this guy all week. Slay was responsible for three solo tackles, two passes defensed and the final interception that ended the Eagles dreams of a comeback victory in this one. Oh yeah, if you look at the fumble by Mathews, you’ll see Slay in on that one as well. He’s the guy that forced the turnover.

Rookie Carson Wentz had one more opportunity to add a few more passengers to The “Wentz Wagon” late in this one. It just wasn’t meant to be. Wentz, who had flirted with his first career interception on a couple of other throws, finally threw one. As the Eagles looked to move into position for one more field goal, Wentz went for it all on one play, and Slay came down with a game winning interception. It had to come at some point, but expect Wentz to learn from that one.

Oct 9, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Josh Huff (13) and Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews (81) celebrate a touchdown during the second half of a game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Final thoughts about a very stressful game

As stated, terms like “growing pains” and “rebuilding year have been tossed around a lot when discussing this Eagles team. Still after five weeks and four games, this team stands at 3-1. That’s a whole lot better than many believed they would be. Some even thought that 3-1 was possible after four games. Maybe it didn’t occur the way you expected, but if you told any Eagles fan this team would be here, odds are they would take it.

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Next up on the horizon is the Washington Redskins, and this will be a pivotal game for both teams. the Eagles haven’t played a divisional opponent yet, and have suffered three straight defeats at the hands of the guys from our nation’s capital. The Redskins will look to avoid dropping two of their first three games in the division. A lot’s on the line. we’ll all find out what happens together.

It’s a long season. Yes, this one stings, but in a day or so, it’ll be time to wipe the slate clean form this one and move on. Hold your heads up Eagles fans. Everything will be alright. We promise.