Final: Jets 24, Eagles 18
East Rutherford, NJ - The main focal point of the Philadelphia Eagles' (3-1) final preseason game of the 2015 season against the New York Jets (3-1) was the play of the third and fourth-string quarterbacks, Matt Barkley and Tim Tebow respectively.
While Barkley struggled Thursday evening, completing just four of his nine passing attempts for a total of 45 yards, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner found ways to take advantage of the Jets' defense both in the air throwing, and on the ground rushing.
Making his debut as an Eagle, linebacker Kiko Alonso recorded two solo tackles.
Alonso was acquired from the Buffalo Bills this offseason in exchange for the franchise's all-time leading rusher, LeSean McCoy.
Time of possession, or the lack thereof, was a contributing factor in the Eagles' first 2015 defeat.
New York held the ball for 41 minutes and 34 seconds, opposed to Philadelphia's 18 minutes and 26 seconds. The Eagles held just three drives in the second half, which lasted seven minutes and 23 seconds.
The Eagles bested the Jets throwing-wise by 10 yards, 220-210. Backed by running back Daryl Richardson, the Jets outrushed the Eagles by over 100 yards, however, 215 to 108.
Tebow accounted for approximately 67.4% of the Eagles' 328 total yards (189 passing, 32 rushing).
In the postgame press conference, head coach Chip Kelly revealed that wide receiver Miles Austin 'couldn't go tonight'.
The 31-year-old veteran wide receiver, who signed with the Eagles to a one-year, $2.3 million deal on March 31, did not appear in any of the four preseason games this season.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 3 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 18 |
| Jets | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
Having won the opening toss and electing to receive, the first drive led by quarterback Matt Barkley did not go as planned for the Eagles. On just the second play, Barkley underthrew a pass to wide receiver Josh Huff, resulting in an interception by Jets' cornerback Darrin Walls.
Taking over at their own 46 yard line, the Jets began their first drive of the game with five consecutive runs by Zac Stacy, totaling 25 yards and two first-down conversions.
Following a 5-yard pass by Jets quarterback Matt Flynn, and a six-yard run by back Daryl Richardson, Flynn then delivered with a deep, 18-yard touchdown completion to wide receiver Chris Owusu for the first points of the night.
Barkley redeemed himself in the Eagles' second drive of the game, converting on a 4th-and-8 pass attempt at the Jets' 29 yard line. Philadelphia drove all the way to the Jets' one-yard line, but a four yard loss on third down by running back Raheem Mostert necessitated a field goal attempt. Kicker Kip Smith's 23 yard kick was good, thus decreasing the Eagles' deficit to 7-3.
Flynn showed promise, taking the field for the second time of the game with five minutes and 33 seconds left in the opening quarter. A 90-yard drive resulted in a short, five-yard touchdown pass to Stacy. At this point in the contest, Flynn converted seven of his first nine passing attempts, totaling 88 yards and two touchdowns.
Eagles' fourth-string quarterback Tim Tebow took the field with a little under two minutes removed from the start of the second quarter. Barkley was 3-6 on throwing attempts up to this point, with 38 yards and one interception.
Tebow completed a 24-yard pass to Mostert on 3rd-and-7, and drove just past mid-field. He threw back-to-back incompletions, however, resulting in a 39-yard punt by Donnie Jones.
Backed-up at their own two-yard line, Flynn threw an interception to Eagles' corner Jaylen Watkins. With great field position, the Eagles failed to get in the end zone despite needing only four yards. Smith then kicked his second field goal of the game, this time 20-yards out, to put the Eagles back 14-6.
Seeking their first stop of the night, the Eagles' defense came up large and halted the Jets' offense with a quick three-and-out. Philadelphia outside linebacker Bryan Braman sacked Flynn for eight yards on the third play of the drive, which subsequently brought out New York punter Ryan Quigley for the first time of the game.
Philadelphia's defense made a significant stop again in their next time out, as the Jets were stopped despite being just one yard away from converting a first down at the Eagles' 22. Folk's 42-yard field goal attempt was good, putting the Jets on top 17-6.
With just one minute and 44 seconds remaining in the first half, Tebow was successful both in the air and on the ground, rushing up to 17 yards at one point on the drive. He ultimately drove the Eagles down the field on a seven play, 85-yard drive, with the highlight being an 18-yard touchdown pass to Rasheed Bailey.
Smith missed the extra point attempt, thus putting the Eagles down five points at the half, 17-12.
Quarterback Josh Johnson took over for Flynn to begin the second half. Johnson went 3-3 on completions for 38 yards, but the drive as a whole was highlighted by the play of rusher Daryl Richardson.
The Jets worked the clock down to 5:51 on the drive, which went 14 plays for 80 yards. Richardson picked-up the first rushing touchdown of the night, a five-yard run, to put his team on top by two possessions.
Barkley then re-took the field for the first time since mid-way through the first quarter. He went just 1-3 with seven yards on the drive, which ended in an incompletion to Mostert on 3rd-and-17.
The Jets ate away another good chunk of time when they repossessed the football with 3:57 left in the third quarter. Folk missed a 48-yard field goal attempt, however, after a 13-play, 50-yard drive.
Tebow entered in replacement of Barkley with 13:42 remaining in the fourth. On the first play of the drive, Tebow completed a 45-yard pass to Freddie Martino.
With the Eagles driving down to the NYJ 21, Walls intercepted his second pass of the night, as Tebow threw into double coverage on 4th-and-15.
The Eagles defense held the Jets to a three-and-out, driving no farther than at their own 11 after starting the possession at their own 9. Quigley punted the ball out of bounds, 34 yards to the NYJ 45.
On a nine-play, 45-yard drive, Tebow completed an improbable pass to Martino in the end zone for his second throwing touchdown of the evening. Smith missed the extra point, however Tebow's nine-play drive pulled the Eagles within six points with just over five minutes left of game action.
Philadelphia never got the ball back to attempt a comeback, as the New York answered with a 13-play possession that lasted the final few minutes of the fourth quarter.
Passing Summary:
Eagles
- Tim Tebow: 11/17, 189 yards, 2 TD, INT, 117.0 RTG
- Matt Barkley: 4/9, 45 yards, INT, 20.4 RTG
Jets
- Matt Flynn: 10/14, 136 yards, 2 TD, INT, 111.9 RTG
- Josh Johnson: 7/12, 82 yards, 79.2 RTG
Top-Performing Receivers:
Eagles
- Raheem Mostert: 8 rec, 93 yards
- Freddie Martino: 2 rec, 54 yards, TD
- Rasheed Bailey: 2 rec, 30 yards, TD
Jets
- Chris Owusu: 5 rec, 72 yards, TD
- Walter Powell: 3 rec, 58 yards
- Zac Stacy: 2 rec, 30 yards, TD
Top-Performing Rushers:
Eagles
- Raheem Mostert: 15 car, 69 yards
- Tim Tebow: 4 car, 32 yards
- Kenjon Barner: 3 car, 7 yards
Jets
- Josh Johnson: 7 car, 76 yards
- Daryl Richardson: 22 car, 72 yards, TD
- Zac Stacy: 20 car, 68 yards
Breakdown:
Scoring Summary:
Eagles
- First Quarter, 5:42: Smith 23-yard field goal attempt is good; 3-7
- Second Quarter, 8:58: Smith 20-yard field goal attempt is good; 6-14
- Second Quarter, 0:30: Tebow 18-yard touchdown pass to Bailey; Smith extra point no good; 12-17
- Fourth Quarter, 5:39: Tebow 9-yard touchdown pass to Martino; Smith extra point no good; 18-24
Jets
- First Quarter, 9:29: Flynn 18-yard touchdown pass to Owusu; Folk extra point is good; 7-0
- Second Quarter, 13:44: Flynn 5-yard touchdown pass to Stacy; Folk extra point is good; 14-3
- Second Quarter, 1:53: Folk 42-yard field goal attempt is good; 17-6
- Third Quarter, 5:51: Richardson 5-yard rushing touchdown; Folk extra point is good; 24-12
What's Next:
- Monday, September 14, 2015: at Atlanta Falcons, 7:10 pm
- Georgia Dome; TV: ESPN; Radio: 94 WIP
Matt Rappa (@mattrappasports) is a contributor of Eagledelphia.com.
