It is the one thing I did not want to hear Chip Kelly say after the Eagles’ disheartening loss to the Chargers in their home opener Sunday.
“We need to do a better job.”
Yes, he really said it. And it’s true. Especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Kelly’s offense, while not running at the same warp speed it did in Week 1 in dispatching the Redskins, performed just fine.
It was the defense that lost this game. And it looks like it could be a recurring theme. If the Eagles are going to win games this year, they are going to have to outscore their opponents. And in a close game, they better make sure they don’t leave the other team much time to tie or win the game. Because their defense can’t make a stop. can’t get off the field, can’t keep the other team off the board.
The Chargers did not punt yesterday until just 5 minutes remained in the third quarter. Philip Rivers dissected the Birds’ secondary like a surgeon, exposing the Eagles’ secondary - in particular safety Nate Allen - again and again.
Now the Eagles have just three days to shake the nightmarish defensive performance against San Diego before they welcome their old pal Andy Reid back to the Linc on Thursday night in front of another national TV audience.
Michael Vick threw for 428 yards on Sunday. And it wasn’t enough. The Eagles scored 30 points. They needed 34 to win. There are the usual question marks every time the Eagles lose: several early opportunities that resulted in field goals - including a key miss by Alex Henery - instead of TDs. There was the ruling by the refs that Vick needed to leave the game for one play in that final two minutes after an injury that Vick says he did not suffer. There was the questionable fade pattern dialed up for Nick Foles, who was coming in cold off the bench. Kelly’s clock management also was questionable. With the ball inside the Chargers’ 10 with 2:09 left in the game and a tying field goal seemingly in his pocket, the Eagles failed to burn much of anything off the clock, instead giving the Chargers more than a minute and 50 seconds to cruise down the field and kick the game winner. There also was DeSean Jackson - who otherwise had a sterling afternoon - again showing the kind of questionable judgment that has been his calling card. His unsportsmanlike penalty meant the Eagles were kicking off from 15 yards farther back and set up the Chargers for the kill.
All of that went into a thoroughly dispiriting 33-30 loss. And the realization that 30 points seem to be the threshold for both the Eagles and their opponents. You are going to have to score 30 points to beat the Eagles. The bad news for Birds’s fans? That doesn’t appear to be a very tall task.
Now the Eagles have a short week to get ready to face their old boss.
Time’s yours, Andy. Better bring your offense.
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