Birds hold off Colts with another goalline stand
PHILADELPHIA » The quarterbacks who rallied their teams to victory from the largest, and the secondlargest NFL playoff deficits of all time had the Eagles right where they wanted them Sunday.
Colts head coach Frank Reich and his protege, Andrew Luck, were in fourth-and-three at the four-yard line of the Eagles with 1:19 left.
The Eagles were clinging to a 20-16 lead.
Instead of sticking with the shotgun formation used almost exclusively the first 69 yards of the possession, the Colts looked at an Eagles’ red zone defense tougher to get through than TSA airport security and lined up in, get this, a run formation.
Did we mention it was fourth-and-three at the 4? That the Colts were playing without their starting running back? That the Eagles are one of the top run defenses in the league? That the defender almost laughed when they saw the formation?
“We knew they had to throw the ball,” linebacker Nigel Bradham said. “What were they going to do, run it?”
Luck was flush with the center, two running backs behind him, a tight end who couldn’t catch in Eric Ebron on the right side of the formation and the guy who could, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, on the left.
And the Eagles were like, are you kidding me? Surprised? No, shocked.
“Yeah but, you’ve to play it true, still,” Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett said. “Shotgun or under center, you’ve got to play it true. We knew they still got to get it in the end zone.”
Barnett burst around the edge from the blindside of Luck, who was in the third step of his drop when the defender swiped his arm at the quarterback’s feet.
Luck never saw Barnett because he was looking at Brandon Graham, who crashed in from the other side and jumped over the running back. Graham deserves an assist for not roughing the passer.
The tackle was something you’d see in a cartoon. Picture the goofy character spinning this way and that, and finally falling awkwardly after having the rug pulled out from under him. That was Luck. Luck pounded the ball, then his fists on the turf in disgust.
Luck should have slapped himself in the forehead. What was he thinking trying to run that play after seeing the defense? How could you not call time? Instead he took a 16-yard sack. Game virtually over. The Colts were 1-for-5 in the red zone.
“Games like this seem to come down to one play,” Luck said. “But you can go back, and I am sure we’ll play a little of that game to see if we could handle business here, handle business there.”
The last actual play was pure desperation, the Colts getting the ball back at their 11-yard line with no timeouts and 39 seconds left.
And Luck wasn’t even on the field because Reich didn’t think his starter could reach the end zone. Jacoby Brissett sprinted in and uncorked a 65-yarder that was batted away. That at least looked smart.
The Colts would have been better served playing Brissett the entire series. The Eagles knew Luck couldn’t get the ball up the field. Heck, Brissett might have given them a chance on that awful fourth down play at the 3, as well.
The Eagles’ defense, at this early stage of the season, is that good. And it starts up front with Graham, Barnett, who had 1 ½ sacks, and Fletcher Cox.
Make that just two TDs allowed in 10 red zone intrusions in home games this season. And make the Eagles 2-1 thanks to the defensive tenacity.
The Colts led the league with a 60 percent conversion rate on third down. They were stopped on their last eight attempts, going 0-for-6 in the second half.
The Eagle offense still has issues. It would have been just as difficult for Nick Foles to put points on the board as Carson Wentz.
Alshon Jeffery’s return, possibly this week, would help the wide receiver corps. The run game is productive, thanks in no small part to the offensive line. Wilmington’s own Wendell Smallwood rushed for 56 yards, including the fouryard score with 3:02 that proved to be the game-winner. He had 91 yards from scrimmage. Corey Clement also rushed for 56 yards and contributed 79 all-purpose yards.
The defense, well, they’re used to doing the heavy work at the Linc. It’s become a habit. Sort of, kind of.
“We’ve been in that situation a lot,” Bradham said. “I don’t know if I want to use the habit word. But it definitely is something that we want to pride ourselves in, going out and getting those stops.”
Later, not sooner, Eagles games always seem to be decided by defense. Contact Bob Grotz at bobgrotz@21st-centurymedia.com; follow him on Twitter @bobgrotz.