The League served-up an opportunity for the Purple to really be taken seriously nationwide and they dropped it like a lead balloon.
Not everything can be fixed by buzzwords and none of the jargon is worth the paper they've been written on when preparation, execution & adaptation is as poor as Monday night was.
As good as Jefferson was a week ago, Darrius Slay was at that level this week and yet Cousins kept trying him. Maybe those were the calls or maybe he just wasn't seeing the whole field as clearly as he has at other times, either way, not avoiding the receiver being covered by Slay was the most egregious of the many mistakes this week.
The problem was compounded as Cousins received as little help from his receivers as he has since joining the organization. Irv Smith's drop on what would have been a score or at least an opportunity inside the 10 was the worst of the lot but it was a collective effort reminiscent of Troy Williamson. Considering how ineffective they were when Jordan Hicks got them to the door step Smith hauling it in may not have shifted the momentum but we'll never know...
The defense did provide one bright spot in holding Philly to 24 points, especially as the Birds racked up nearly 500 total yards. In addition to that four main members of the D-line got to Hurts for three sacks which is a bit more proof that they can be counted on to hold their own against a loaded offense. Preferably they will not have to try and replicate doing so for 36+ minutes again this season - unlikely, but preferable. Even so it was far from a great game as PHI averaged better than 7 yards/play but it's important to try and see what rays of sunshine got through the dense & dreary clouds.
Time to turn the page & focus on the resilient Cats of Detroit.
Comments