Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles Week 5: Who Impressed or Disappointed?

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

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The Philadelphia Eagles lost their first game of the season in Week 5 to the Detroit Lions. Which Eagles impressed or disappointed?

For the first time all season, this weekly Philadelphia Eagles “Who Impressed or Disappointed?” piece comes after a loss.

The Eagles started hot, getting out to a 3-0 start and beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-3 in Week 3. However, Week 4 was their scheduled bye and some would say that was a bad thing. They were one of the hottest teams in football, so many asked, “Would the bye week cool them down?”

To answer the question simply, yes. The bye definitely cooled the Eagles down and it showed when the Detroit Lions scored on their first three possessions in Week 5. Good defense has been key in all of the Eagles’ victories, but in the first half it was non existent.

They rallied in the second half, taking a 23-21 lead in the fourth quarter. However, as they were trying to run the clock out, the Eagles committed their first turnover of the season. That turnover, a fumble by running back Ryan Mathews, allowed the Lions to have good field position only down two. The Lions kicked a field goal and took a one point lead (24-23) for under two minutes to go.

Rookie quarterback Carson Wentz hadn’t thrown an interception all season to that point, but he threw a bomb that was picked off by cornerback Darius Slay to end the game. It was a devastating loss for the Birds, mainly because they should have remained unbeaten.

In their loss, some player still impressed while others obviously disappointed. Let’s move on and see which players did well and which players had a game to forget.

Oct 9, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions fullback Zach Zenner (34) is tackled by Philadelphia Eagles outside linebacker Mychal Kendricks (95) during the first half of a game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Mychal Kendricks: Disappointed

It has been an interesting year for the former second round pick Mychal Kendricks. Many fans were excited to see what he could do in the new-look Eagles defense. However, that excitement has gone away rather quickly. Kendricks has had a terrible season so far, whether it’s missing tackles or not being able to cover anyone that comes his way. He played a big role in the Eagles Week 5 loss to the Lions.

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On the opening drive, the Lions marched down the field quickly. They got to the one-yard line and were looking to score. The next play was over before it started. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford saw his running back Theo Riddick matched on Kendricks and scored an easy touchdown. Kendricks was indecisive on the play and Riddick made him pay for the score. Pro Football Focus currently has Kendricks pass coverage grade as one of the worst in the entire NFL for linebackers at 34.8.

Along with giving up the touchdown, Kendricks missed tackles that he needs to make. According to CSNPhilly, Kendricks played 26 snaps (43 percent), which was actually 17 more than he played in their Week 3 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Regardless of how many snaps Kendricks played, he disappointed in Week 5.

Oct 9, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) throws the ball during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Lions win 24-23. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Carson Wentz: Impressed

I have seen some ignorant comments from many people who do not understand the game of football regarding Wentz’s first interception on the year. First off, he is a rookie quarterback. A lot of people seem to forget that because of his elite play so early in his career. Secondly, he is going to make mistakes, just like we all do daily. Expecting him to never throw an interception is asinine. Even the greatest quarterbacks of all-time throw picks late in a game. It is football.

Now that we got that out of the way, Wentz did impress on Sunday. And in my opinion, he played his best game all season. For starters, the defense did not help him at all in the first half. Giving up 21 points so easily was poor form, but Wentz was able to keep the Eagles in the game by navigating a touchdown and field goal drive.

He went into halftime down 21-10, but the Eagles got the ball first in the second half. A lot of people wanted to see how Wentz performed during adversity and he aced the first test. Wentz went 5-of-5 for 64 yards and a touchdown. That is exactly what you need from your starting quarterback and Wentz was locked in.

Remember people, he isn’t going to play amazing football every single game. There are going to be some bad games down the road, but in Week 5 he played solid football. Even though he lost the first game of his career, and threw an interception at the end, Wentz was impressive again.

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

Ryan Mathews: Disappointed

One of the biggest disappointments the entire season has been Mathews. He did have a two-touchdown game, but he is already dealing with an ankle injury this season. In Week 5, who knows how his ankle was feeling. But I do know he ran the ball poorly.

I say ran the ball poorly because he did do well catching the ball. He scored a wide-open one-yard touchdown pass from Wentz and also broke a tackle to get a big gain on another reception. Those were his positive plays. Outside of that, though, it was ugly.

He carried the ball 11 times for 42 yards (3.8 yards per carry) and did not score. His poor rushing day was highlighted by the terrible fumble that blew the game. In that situation, the only thing Mathews can’t do is fumble the ball or run out of bounds. Easy tasks for an NFL running back, but Mathews coughed up the football. He had the ball in the wrong arm and just did have the ball security you want from your running back, especially when the other team is obviously going for it. If he doesn’t fumble that football, the Eagles are 4-0 on the year.

Mathews fumble was so disappointing on so many levels that he is obviously one of the players that disappointed on Sunday.

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

Nigel Bradham: Impressed

For all the disappointment Kendricks brought to the game, linebacker Nigel Bradham made it better. It was an interesting bye week for Bradham, as TMZ Sports reported he was arrested for having a loaded handgun in an airport. It was a bonehead move, but luckily the airport realized it was just that—a bonehead move.

Bradham is one of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s “guys.” However, Schwartz had this to say about Bradham’s Bye Week incident, “You do dumba** things, pretty soon you’re going to be labeled a dumba**.”

The coach wasn’t holding back, but he did hold Bradham back in the first half of the game. He said it wasn’t related to the incident, but he ended up playing a ton of snaps in the second half and performed great.

He ended the game with five tackles and three tackles for a loss. You could see him flash on a lot of plays and he gave the Eagles defense a spark. Hopefully he can get his off-field stuff together because Bradham has played well this year. He is currently the 12th ranked linebacker according to Pro Football Focus and earned the highest grade for any Eagles defender against the Lions.

He was impressive in Week 5.

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

Nelson Agholor: Disappointed

Before I get into the disappointing aspect of Nelson Agholor’s game on Sunday, I need to compliment him for a beautiful catch he had in the game. Wentz threw the ball only where he could catch it and he came down with it. The throw was awesome, but the catch was great. It led to a touchdown later in the drive and was definitely a bright spot for Agholor. However, after that, it wasn’t pretty.

The catch went for 18 yards and he only caught one other pass for nine yards. He ended the day with two receptions for 27 yards. In his last three games, he has nine receptions for 90 yards and no touchdowns.

What made his performance so disappointing during Sunday’s loss was the Wentz interception. I have been on record stating that Agholor is responsible for the interception more than Wentz is. People may think I am defending Wentz, but I have said he should have thrown a more accurate pass. Outside of that, though, it was all on Agholor.

It was a simple Cover 1 and Agholor beat Slay right off of the snap. Instead of getting back on a line he actually made the play more difficult by running towards the safety playing center field. Wentz threw the ball away from the safety and it was a 50-50 ball. The only problem was it turned out to be more of a 100-0 ball because Agholor’s effort was pitiful.

Instead of going up and trying to get it, he shrunk himself down. He needs to climb the ladder and at the very least get a hand on the ball. Instead, Slay looked like the wide receiver and actually caught the ball above Agholor’s head. It’s a play a first round wide receiver should be making and it was just as disappointing as his entire performance in Week 5.

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