Repeating as Super Bowl champions already was a tough task before the Philadelphia Eagles had a mediocre first half.The offense was inconsistent
Kerryon Johnson Jersey White , the defense couldn't protect leads in the fourth quarter and injuries were a factor. So the Eagles entered their bye at 4-4 and were second behind Washington (5-2) in the NFC East.They have a challenging schedule coming up and it's unlikely they'll win enough games to get a first-round bye if they can even catch the Redskins.But help is on the way from the outside and from within.Wide receiver Golden Tate was acquired from Detroit shortly before the NFL's trade deadline, giving Carson Wentz a needed option. The Eagles are averaging only 22.2 points per game, down from 28.6 last year.Running back Darren Sproles could be returning for Philadelphia's next game against Dallas after being sidelined since injuring his hamstring in Week 1. Two more players from the group on injured reserve — receivers Mack Hollins and Mike Wallace and tight end Richard Rodgers — also will be eligible to come back."We definitely have the pieces and now is the time to get hot going into November with five more division games," Tate said. "We just need to stay on track. I plan on going to the playoffs and playing a few more."Giving up a third-round pick for Tate, who is in the final season of his contract, was a risky move. It shows the organization believes the team is still a Super Bowl contender despite the so-so record."We have a lot of confidence in our players and in our coaching staff," personnel boss Howie Roseman said. "Has everything gone exactly the way we thought this year? No. I don't think any season does."But we think we have a really good football team and we are adding a really good player. We are going to keep our foot on the gas. We are not going to sit on our hands."Wentz was one of the positives in the first two months. He has been mostly excellent since missing the first two games while recovering from knee surgery that forced him to miss the playoffs. However, the offense had other issues.Running back Jay Ajayi tore his ACL
Womens Luke Willson Jersey , wideout Alshon Jeffery missed the first three games and bookend tackles Jason Peters and Lane Johnson are banged-up and didn't play up to their high standards."That week off is huge both for people's minds and their bodies to just really heal up, get away from the game for a couple days and everything, get your mind right so we can come back and make this run," Wentz said.Tate could help the offense get in sync. He has more time to learn the playbook because the team is on a break."I want to do whatever's going to help this team win," Tate said. "When the ball is in my hand, I want to be able to make a play."Tate has made plenty of plays throughout his 8陆 seasons in the league. He has more yards after catch (3,910) than anyone else since 2010. He gives coach Doug Pederson flexibility to move guys around and perhaps put Nelson Agholor back in the slot where he thrived in 2017."He's a tremendously productive player," Roseman said. "His run-after-the-catch numbers are phenomenal. We're really excited to get him."The Eagles are now better equipped to win shootouts if their defense doesn't perform up to expectations. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz's unit struggled against the pass and allowed several fourth-down conversions in important situations in a couple of losses when a stop would've given the team a win."We have to score more points
Trey Flowers Jersey ," Pederson said. "We have to get better. Hopefully we get some guys back healthy. We know our division. We have five division (games) in the next eight weeks, so that's a challenge, but everything is right in front of us."Some of the issues on defense have been surprising. The line was supposed to be a major strength, but the front four isn't getting enough pressure. Brandon Graham only has 1陆 sacks and Derek Barnett had season-ending shoulder surgery.The secondary has been a problem, too. Safety Rodney McLeod went down with a knee injury and starting cornerbacks Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby have given up too many big plays. SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Richard Sherman wasn’t in a celebratory mood after his first win with the San Francisco 49ers.That’s what allowing two fourth-quarter touchdowns and needing a favorable call by the officials just to avoid blowing a 17-point lead will do.“A win’s a win but it feels like a loss,” Sherman said following San Francisco’s 30-27 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. “We played like crap down the stretch. We have to execute down the stretch and play better. It’s a good lesson for a young team that we needed. It’s a humbling lesson. Thank goodness we got a win out of it.”The 49ers (1-1) broke out to a 30-13 lead behind two touchdown passes from Jimmy Garoppolo and a 66-yard TD run by Matt Breida only to see most of it evaporate on a pair of TD passes by Matthew Stafford in the fourth quarter for the Lions (0-2).That’s when the biggest play happened with San Francisco facing a third-and-2 near midfield. Garoppolo threw a quick out to Breida, but Tracy Walker stepped in front and intercepted the pass
Levine Toilolo Jersey White , returning it to the San Francisco 7.Quandre Diggs was called for holding George Kittle on the other side of the field, giving the 49ers a reprieve.“I didn’t see it, but it doesn’t matter,” Detroit coach Matt Patricia said. “That’s the way the game is being called all the way across the board. We just can’t do it, make plays and then the penalties.”The 49ers managed to run off more time and Stafford didn’t get the ball back until he had 1:08 to go and the ball at his own 16. Detroit moved the ball to the 39 before three straight incompletions led to a turnover on downs.But a 49ers team that was happy to get any kind of win last year after an 0-9 start was far from satisfied.“It’s a different mindset than last year,” Garoppolo said. “Last year if we got a win, we were happy about it. Now, you kind of progress as a team. I think our guys are growing and learning like that. When you have a chance like we had to blow them out and take advantage of that stuff
http://www.lionslockerroom.com/authentic-devon-kennard-jersey , we didn’t. It’s just little things like that we need to clean up.”Here are some other takeaways from the game:UNDER PRESSUREThe Lions managed to put heavy pressure on Garoppolo even though top pass rusher Ezekiel Ansah missed the game with a shoulder injury. Detroit finished with six sacks, including two apiece from Jarrad Davis and Devon Kennard. Three of the sacks came in the red zone, forcing San Francisco twice to settle for field goals.“I’ve got to get the ball out faster,” Garoppolo said. “Help those guys out, make it easy, get our offense in to more of a rhythm and just take what they’re giving me type of thing.”BREIDA’S DAYThe 49ers faced questions at running back when Jerick McKinnon went down with a season-ending knee injury a week before the start of the season. Breida showed he can handle some of that load by rushing for 138 yards on 11 carries and catching three passes for 21 yards. His TD run was San Francisco’s longest since Colin Kaepernick had a 90-yarder against the Chargers on Dec. 20, 2014.“You have to make the most of your opportunities,” Breida said.EJECTIONDetroit running back LeGarrette Blount was ejected in the third quarter. Blount took exception to Elijah Lee pushing Stafford as he stepped out of bounds. Blount was standing on the sideline right in front of the play and went on the field and pushed Lee. Blount was assessed a personal foul and ejected.“He knows better
http://www.lionslockerroom.com/authentic-calvin-johnson-jersey ,” Patricia said. “He knows that he can’t do that.”REPEAT RETURNSFor the second straight week, the Lions allowed a long return in the kicking game. D.J. Reed’s 90-yard kickoff return to start the second half set up San Francisco’s second TD of the game. Last week, Andre Roberts scored on a 78-yard punt return for the Jets.