A lot of folks criticized Philadelphia’s 3-1 record before Sunday, saying that the wins didn’t fully count because they came against Carolina, Tampa Bay, and Kansas City.
Well, Sunday’s game in Oakland counts. As a loss.
The Raiders defeated Philadelphia 13-9 because of an inspired defensive performance by Oakland and some shoddy tackling by Philadelphia.
Asante Samuel was one of many Eagles to whiff on a tackle during a 86-yard touchdown catch by Raiders tight end Zach Miller, who is one of the few pass-catchers in Raiders history that was drafted despite his forty time.
JaMarcus Russell threw for 224 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. But he played better than Donovan McNabb, who was inaccurate on far too many of his 46 throws.
And while the Raiders offense didn’t do a lot in the second half, Justin Fargas converted a number of key first downs in the fourth quarter to help ice the game.
This is a loss that could haunt Philadelphia all season.
In the competitive NFC East, the Giants, Eagles, and Cowboys were all counting on two easy victories against the Raiders and Chiefs. The Cowboys almost blew its game in Kansas City last week, but managed to win. Philly wasn’t so lucky in Oakland.
The Eagles are undeniably a talented bunch, but there isn’t a team that we know less about after six weeks.