Give the Eagles credit. While everyone else was looking ahead to the Thanksgiving Day showdown with the Cowboys, they took care of business yesterday, easily dispatching the Titans, 43-24.
But raise your hand if you were less than impressed by the Birds' effort? I thought so.
The Eagles continue to be buoyed above their bountiful mistakes by superb special teams play. Yesterday Josh Huff staked them to a 7-0 lead by taking the opening kickoff 107 yards to set a new Eagles record. It was 17-0 at the end of the 1st quarter, then the Eagles went to sleep and allowed Tennessee to claw back to within one score.
At the heart of the problem is the same problem the Birds have been bedeviled with all year. Turnovers.
Mark Sanchez again had an up-and-down day. He threw a TD pass to backup tight end James Casey off a bootleg and rollout that was a thing of beauty.
But he followed that up with an unexplainable heave into the middle of the field, which sailed over his receiver's head, right into the arms of a Titans' defender.
The Eagles' defense also did not set the world on fire. They still give up too many big plays.
As expected, the game featured the return to form of LeSean McCoy, who went off against a Titans' defense that has struggled to stop the run all year.
The Birds' season basically will come down to the next three weeks. They of course have the Turkey Day showdown in Dallas, Seattle at the Linc, then welcome the Cowboys for a rematch the following week.
The Eagles and Cowboys head into this stretch dead even at 8-3, atop the NFC East.
Right now nothing is certain. The Eagles could run the board and storm into the playoffs, or they could sputter and not make the post-season at all.
One thing is certain. They cannot continue to turn the ball over the way they are now.
They can get away with that vs. teams like the Titans. It would be fatal to continue that patter vs. the Cowboys and Seahawks.
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