Whilst every other site had written the Eagles off, whilst every other analyst would have laughed at the prospect of an Eagles win, we didn’t. We claimed the birds would cause an upset…and they did. Why? Because they played like a team who WANTED it. Whether it was for the coach, for the player stood next to them…they wanted it. Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from today’s huge 35-28 win.
BEST:
Sam Bradford:
It was debated whether Bradford would be eased back into the Offense to shake off some rust and see if he was 100% or whether he would be thrown into the deep end. The good news is that the Eagles threw him in and he swam 1000m backwards whilst reading a book. No interceptions, 120 yards, 2 touchdowns and going 14/24. Bradford looked comfortable from the first snap until the las where the game arguably hinged on it..he never wavered, never faltered, never gave up. HUGE game from Bradford tonight.
Darren Sproles:
It seemed that after weeks of a dismal running game, the Eagles finally gave the majority of snaps to Sproles (more on that in another article), and it payed dividends. Sproles not only had a huge punt return touchdown but rushed for over 60 yards whilst receiving for 34 more.
It appeared as though the Patriots struggled to contain the electric Darren Sproles which in turn finally gave the Eagles the Offensive balance needed to be successful. Big game!
Malcolm Jenkins:
Seven combined tackles and plays all over the field yet again saw the Eagles’ number one safety soar into the limelight. From playing at corner to picking off Tom Brady and returning it for a touchdown, Jenkins was unstoppable today.
WORST:
Kiko Alonso:
Remember when people said Bradford looked like a Deer in headlights? Well Alonso looked like a Deer who was completely lost, saw another Deer and ran towards it before realising it was actually just a car.
Alonso cost the Defense massively today, he was slow, indecisive,constantly failing to read the game and having to backtrack before realising it was too late and just never really seemed to get going..it was an ugly performance from what would have been a perfect pass rush display.
Walter Thurmond:
Two touchdowns, two times Thurmond had either slowed down or looked completely lost…in the second, it was both. He later redeemed himself by racking up a total of 9 tackles but he started the game very slowly which cost the Eagles early on.
DeMarco Murray:
If there was ever a sign that Murray should be traded at the end of this season or even just a sign that his snaps need to be decreased, it was tonight. As the Sproles train trampled through New England..Murray was left walking to work after waking up late.
24 yards on 8 carries seems bad enough but when 19 of those yards come from one play? Not a good sign..at all..
As we mentioned earlier, it looks as though Kelly has finally realised (despite Mathews, Sproles and Barner all playing better all year long) that the birds would be more successful if Murray’s snaps decreased. We will be doing a big article on this topic tomorrow so stay tuned..but it wasn’t a good night for number 29.
