Jason Peters Yielded to Andre Dillard After Just 18 Snaps vs. Vikings
For the third time in six games, Eagles let tackle Jason Peters checked out of a game with some sort of physical ailment.
In the previous two, the 37-year-old Peters returned to finish the game after missing just a few snaps. Peters did not do that on Sunday in the Eagles’ 38-20 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and played just 18 snaps.
It was announced as a knee injury in the press box at U.S. Bank Stadium, but Peters remained on the sideline, presumably to help coach up his understudy, rookie first-round pick Andre Dillard.
Dillard played 47 snaps, not all of which were highlight reel material.
“He had some good plays, he had some bad plays, quite honestly,” said head coach Doug Pederson about Dillard. “He's going against a great defensive end. (Everson) Griffen is a tremendous D-End and I have a lot of respect for him and his game and there were times where Andre looked really good and then there were times when he got a little off balance.
“We have to do some technique work with him still some more. Just a young player in that atmosphere, but I thought overall, he did some really good things.”
Pederson is unsure how much time, if any, Peters will miss.
The Eagles sent out Peters’ test results – as well as those of linebacker Nigel Bradham, who suffered an ankle injury in the game – to another doctor for a second opinion.
Pederson said, however, he believed Peters and Bradham’s injuries to be more day-to-day than week-to-week.
“We'll have to see where Jason is at later in the week, but Andre will be fully prepared, fully ready to go if we have to go that route,” said Pederson.
Jackson update
It’s been more than a month now since receiver DeSean Jackson last played in a game.
Reports are that he wants to return to play against the Cowboys on Sunday night. His ailing abdomen may say otherwise, however.
Pederson said he doesn’t expect Jackson to practice on Wednesday.
“DeSean is working,” said Pederson. “He's still day-to-day. We’ll see again by the end of the week, where he's at. DeSean probably won't practice Wednesday but as far as his conditioning goes, we're going to continue to keep running him and use that as part of his rehab.”
Coin tossing
With his team’s inability to start games quickly – they have scored points in the first quarter in just two games this season and always play from behind early – Pederson said he is considering a change in strategy should his team win the pregame coin flip.
Pederson has always had his captains defer if they win the coin toss, preferring to send his defense onto the field first and receive the second half kickoff.
“That's something I'm going to look at,” said the coach. “I think it might behoove us to make a change and then take the ball. Put our offense out there and try to generate points early in the game and not fall behind. I think that's all part of trying to start fast.”
More on the fake
I amend my earlier story saying the fake field goal was the right call. After more thought, it wasn’t.
There was nothing really to be gained and the play call was fraught with risk.
Pederson said that the expectation was the intended target on Jake Elliott’s fake field goal throw, tight end Dallas Goedert, was that he would make the catch and get out of bounds to stop the clock.
Goedert had to, otherwise the clock would have kept running and the Eagles had no timeouts.
Elliott didn’t throw the ball as quickly as he should have and when he finally did, Goedert had a defender on him and had the tight end made the catch he would have landed in bounds and time likely would have run out before the Eagles could get another play off. Incredibly, the coach admitted that he did not have a contingency plan in place had Goedert caught the ball and failed to get out of bounds.
Even had Goedert caught the ball, got the first down and went out of bounds, the Eagles probably would’ve only had time for one, maybe two, throws at the end zone.
“It didn't work,” said Pederson. “Bottom line, it didn't work. Great play by the Vikings. Enough.”
