The Philadelphia Eagles dropped to 1-3 on the season after losing to the Washington Redskins by the score of 23-20 on Sunday.
The Eagles are now 0-3 in the conference games and 0-2 in divisional games.
In three out of four games this year, the Eagles offense has put up just three points in the first half of play. The Eagles offense got off to a slow start yet again on Sunday against the Redskins.
On five drives in the first half, the Eagles offense accounted for three punts, a turnover and a missed field goal attempt. On the first drive, the Eagles went three and out. On the second drive, running back DeMarco Murray had a 30-yard rush, but the Eagles didn't convert another first down.
The Eagles finally found success on a 45-yard pass play to wide receiver Nelson Agholor on their fourth possession. However, on the very next play, the Eagles fumbled the ball as they tried to run and double hand-off, which was fumbled by Agholor.
A Darren Sproles 45-yard punt return gave the Eagles offense great field position going into the fifth drive. New Eagles kicker Caleb Sturgis came in for his first field goal as an Eagle on the fifth drive of the first half. He missed his first kick from 33 yards out to end the first half, leaving the Eagles with a 13-point deficit at the end of the first half.
The Eagles fought back in the second half.
On the first drive of the second half, the Eagles scored a touchdown on a Riley Cooper 62-yard touchdown reception. Cooper's touchdown is the longest play of the year for the Eagles offense.
Sturgis missed the extra point, making the score 13-6. Sturgis missed field goal attempts lost the Eagles four possible points. The Eagles lost by only three points.
After a Redskins punt, the Eagles offense scored another touchdown on the second drive of the half. The drive was highlighted by a Jordan Matthews 30-yard reception, which a personal foul resulted in a gain of 45 yards. Brent Celek topped off the second drive with a 10-yard touchdown reception. The game was tied at 13-13 after Bradford's second straight touchdown pass.
On the third drive of the second half for the Redskins offense, the Eagles defense forced a turnover. Kirk Cousins hit tight end Jordan Reed with a short pass and Eagles linebacker Brandon Graham stripped the ball from Reed's control. Jordan Hicks picked up the fumble, making it his second straight game with a fumble recovery.
The Eagles capitalized off of Reed's fumble on the ensuing possession. On the third play of the drive, the Eagles took the lead for the first time on a 39-yard touchdown reception by Miles Austin. Austin and Cooper both beat Redskins cornerback Chris Culliver on touchdown plays. Culliver was questionable with a knee injury leading up to the game.
At the end of the day, the Eagles couldn't hold on for the victory at FedEx field.
Alfred Morris started the last drive of the game for the Redskins offense off with a 16-yard carry. On a second-and-goal, wide receiver Pierre Garcon scored the winning touchdown on a four-yard reception.The Redskins scored a touchdown on 15-play 90-yard drive, leaving the Eagles just over 20 seconds to drive down the field and try to kick a field goal.
At 1-3, the Eagles are now in the cellar of the NFC East division.
The Redskins and the New York Giants both improved their records to 2-2 on the season with victories on Sunday. The Dallas Cowboys stand at 2-2 after losing to the New Orleans Saints in overtime on Sunday night. The Eagles certainly didn't get off to a good start this year, but none of the teams in the division haven't necessarily played well either. The Eagles are losing time to fix their issues.
In Chip Kelly's first year as Eagles head coach in 2013, the team started the season at 1-3. They ultimately won the division at 10-6.
Michael Malia is a contributing intern for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Facebook (Michael Malia) or Twitter @Michael_Malia.
