The Eagles are locked in a tight divisional contest with the Washington Redskins. After leading for much of the first half, the Eagles find themselves heading into the break with a 13-7 lead. Here is the good and bad from today's first half:
What Worked
–Zach Ertz is playing with a fire we haven't seen from him in his time with the Eagles. The tight end is no stranger to big games in December, but the toughness he showed on his first two catches of the game was clearly an answer for all of the questions about his motivation and his heart. This past week may have been a wake up call for the tight end.
-Another guy who has answered the call today is Leodis McKelvin. The much-maligned veteran corner has seen his snaps decrease over the past couple weeks, due to his poor play and the emergence of Jalen Mills. But today, McKelvin made big plays on the Redskins' first two drives, forcing a punt and a field goal attempt after pass breakups on third down.
-Theme of redemption continues, this time with Nelson Agholor. No one has been on the receiving end of more criticism than the second-year wide receiver, but Agholor drew a huge pass interference call that gave the Birds 44 yards, then came back with a nice catch on a high throw by Carson Wentz to pick up nine yards.
–Fletcher Cox got his first sack in eight games. Granted, a defensive tackle's success is measured by more than just sacks, but Cox has been unable to finish his close calls these past few games. Good to see him finally breaking his slump.
-Wentz has done a tremendous job avoiding the pressure and finding his receivers down the field. This is the best the rookie has looked since week 3 against the Steelers.
What Didn't
-The Eagles, and more specifically, Wendell Smallwood, have really struggled to get anything going on the ground. Kudos to Doug Pederson, however, for sticking with the ground game and keeping the Redskins from keying-in on Wentz and the passing game. The Eagles will need to find room on the ground in the second half if they want to win this game.
-Whether you agree with the decision to go for it or not, Jason Peters false starting on the Eagles' fourth down attempt in the second quarter is simply unacceptable. With Pederson going for the touchdown and trying to open up a two-possession lead against a division opponent. With nothing to lose, I commend Pederson for being aggressive and condemn Peters for not knowing the snap count.
-Once again, Robert Kelley is just torching the Eagles defense. The running back averaged over 11 yards per carry against the Birds earlier this year and is picking up right where he left off. The Eagles are struggling to match the running back's physicality and that could pose a huge problem as the game wears on.
Halftime Adjustment
The Eagles need to work on stopping the run, and that starts up front. If Kelley is able to get a head of steam, he is hard to take down. Cox and the rest of the Eagles front seven need to work on getting into the backfield and stuffing the run before Kelley can get any sort of momentum. Or else it will be a long second half for the back-end of the defense.
Second Half X-Factor: Ryan Mathews
With Smallwood suffering a knee injury in the first half, and Kenjon Barner being left off the active roster, the Eagles are down to just two running backs, but Darren Sproles is fairly banged up himself. That leaves Mathews to shoulder the load in the second half. If the Eagles continue to lead in this game, Mathews needs to be an effective runner to burn some clock, or else Pederson could abandon his balanced attack.
