The Philadelphia Eagles came very close to having an embarrassing loss against an inferior Rams team on Sunday. Nonetheless, Philadelphia prevailed once again, and defeated a horrid Rams team at home, 34-28. Chip Kelly's offense struggled mightily to find a rhythm in their fifth straight game, as Nick Foles and LeSean McCoy were never able to fully hit stride in a game the Eagles were supposed to win handily.

Red Zone inefficiency continues to haunt the Eagles, with Cody Parkey's leg bailing the Birds out in two of their three possessions inside the Rams' twenty. Where the offense did not step up, the defense and special teams did, as Dave Fipp's special teams and Bill Davis's defense both scored touchdowns for the second straight week, propelling the Eagles ahead and giving them momentum when they needed it the most. 

Chris Maragos kicked-off the scoring for the Eagles in week five after he scooped up a blocked Johnny Hekker punt 23 seconds into the game and scored yet another Philadelphia special teams touchdown to put the Eagles on top 7-0. Nick Foles and company moved the ball down the field on their first two possessions of the game, but to no avail as Cody Parkey connected on his two red zone field goal attempts of the game, and the Eagles took a 13-0 lead into the second quarter.

LeSean McCoy continued to look dreadful early in the first half. After catching a screen pass from Nick Foles, McCoy ran backwards for a loss of nine yards, fumbling the ball in the process. The Rams took over in the red zone, where the Eagles' defense stepped up, forcing an Austin Davis fumble following a Vinny Curry sack.

However, issues with Nick Foles remained an occurrence after the Eagles obtained the ball, as the third-year quarterback in his second season as a starter threw a deep ball to the inside of Jeremy Maclin, which was picked off by E.J. Gaines. 

Austin Davis would start to find his groove after the Gaines interception, driving the Rams' offense down the field and finding Brian Quick in the end zone for the Rams first points on the afternoon, cutting the deficit to six.

With less than four minutes remaining in the first half, Foles led the Eagles on what would be their first offensive touchdown of the game, as Riley Cooper caught a nine-yard fade from Foles, extending Philadelphia's lead to 13. At the end of the first half, the Eagles were on top by a score of 20-7. 

After punting to the Rams following a three-and-out offensively, Cedric Thornton picked up an Austin Davis fumble in the end zone for another Eagles' touchdown, this time from the defense. Later in the third, Nick Foles hooked up with Jeremy Maclin for a 24-yard touchdown, and the Eagles were up 34-7; but that would be Philly's last score of the contest.

From the end of the third to the end of the game, it would be all Rams, and they almost pulled the comeback off. A Benjamin Cunningham run, along with catches from Kenny Britt and Brian Quick, cut the Rams deficit to only six with 4:41 left in the ball game, and that is where the comeback ended, as the Eagles held on, barely skating by the Rams 34-28.

Game Notes:

  • -Chip Kelly continues to struggle holding big leads - He becomes tentative with his play-calling, which his offense is not designed for, allowing teams to get back into games late
  • -LeSean McCoy was able to get it going on the ground in the second half - About time
  • -Once again Darren Sproles came up big with the minimal touches he received 
  • -Eagles defense played average, getting the key stops and making the big plays when they needed to
  • -Foles was decent - Played well enough to get the win, but must improve overall performance 
  • -Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher are awful - Brandon Boykin has to play more 

The Philadelphia Eagles have yet to play a complete game as a team, yet they still sit at 4-1 and in first place in the NFC East. Next week, the New York Giants enter Lincoln Financial Field for Sunday Night Football.