Eagles Lay Egg in Defeat to Raiders

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Maybe it was all a mirage, that 3-1 record the Philadelphia Eagles built through Week 5 that saw them take down struggling teams such as the Panthers, Chiefs and Buccaneers. Teams with a combined record of 1-14.

You could explain the undefeated New Orleans Saints routing Donovan McNabb and his Eagles by 26 points. But how can coach Andy Reid justify a 13-9 loss to the suddenly empowered Oakland Raiders, a team that came into Sunday's game at a blacked-out Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum with the NFL's last-place offense (192 yards per game) and 31st-ranked defense (382 yards allowed per game)?

He didn't.

---

---

"All in all, the Raiders outcoached us and outplayed us, in every phase of the game," said Reid, whose team surrendered 325 yards to a 2-4 Raiders team that had just dropped three consecutive games by at least 20 points for the first time in franchise history. "My hat's off to them; they did a heck of a job and we didn't. It's that simple."

Said right guard Max Jean-Gilles: "We just weren't prepared."

The Raiders had the game's only touchdown when quarterback JaMarcus Russell threw a 10-yard screen to tight end Zach Miller that turned into an 86-yard scoring pass late in the first quarter. Miller ran behind wide receiver Louis Murphy's blocks for the touchdown.

More From NFL FanHouse
Mariotti: Game's a Brees for N.O. Goldberg: Saints, Vikings NFC's Best George: Trust in Sanchez Backfires Zorn Relinquishes Play Calling Jason Campbell Benched in Loss Bengals Suffer Huge Injury

Philly's terrible showing in Oakland capped a bad day all around for NFC East teams – the Giants were destroyed in New Orleans, while Jim Zorn's flailing Redskins were trounced by previously winless Kansas City.

"All the way around, I thought they did a nice job," Reid repeated when pressed to explain why his supposedly elite team – second in the NFL in points per game (31.8) -- was manhandled so thoroughly by a Raiders' team that played most of the game without All Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha (right eye injury).

"I thought they blocked better. I thought they tackled better. I thought they blitzed better. They did it all," Reid said. "They coached better -- No. 1, they coached better."

While it's easy to surmise Philadelphia's pass protection was lacking once massive left tackle Jason Peters limped off the field in the first quarter with a sprained left knee injury -- he did not return and underwent an MRI -- the Raiders seemed to have a blitz package ready that neutralized everything McNabb tried to do.

Pressured by the Raiders' unbalanced pass rush and defensive coordinator John Marshall's blitzes, McNabb completed only 22-of-46 passes for 268 yards and was sacked six times. In four previous games, Philly had surrendered six sacks total.

"It's hard to get the ball out when you've got guys on you," said McNabb, who conceded he had trouble getting the ball to running back Brian Westbrook (six carries, 50 yards) because of the Raiders' attacking defense. But the quarterback tried to shoulder the blame for a loss that no doubt leaves Eagles' fans stunned and Raiders' fans -- some of whom turned out to boo Michael Vick, who was listed as the No. 3 quarterback on Sunday -- elated.

"It's just communication," McNabb explained of his offense's myriad breakdowns. "Obviously, being the quarterback of the offense, making sure the guys understand what they're seeing and being able to block -- I put all the pressure on my shoulders."

"All in all, the Raiders outcoached us and outplayed us, in every phase of the game."
- Eagles coach Andy Reid Besides the indignation of losing to one of the NFL's worst teams, the Eagles also left Oakland with several key players nursing injuries: Peters was joined in the MRI room by linebacker Omar Gaither, who sustained a sprained foot. Defensive end Victor Abiamiri also left with a sprained knee. All three will be further evaluated on Monday, Reid said.

Vick -- who never saw the animal rights activists protesting his appearance in Oakland, where many of his dogfighting pit bulls were sent for rehabilitation -- was in for only two plays and had zero impact on the contest. He lost four yards on a reverse, lined up wide as a receiver. On a play with 35 seconds left before halftime, Vick's last-second entry into the lineup cost the Eagles a 5-yard delay of game penalty.

Raiders defensive end Richard Seymour, who had two sacks, said his team expected to see much more of Vick.

"We were prepared for Vick in the game. And I think he came in and did a little reverse or something like that. We were prepared for the Wildcat, for anything they could do," Seymour said. "Hats off to the coaches this week. I think my head was spinning anyway with all of the things we had in. If you're playing Philly, you've gotta be prepared for everything that they do offensively."

Vick didn't complain about how little he was used, and he said he understood why his presence caused Bay Area animal rights groups to denounce him.

"I'm trying to do the best I can, to help more animals than I hurt," Vick said of the protesters outside the stadium. "I really am trying to move on with my life. But I understand that people want to do that, and I'm still going to try to do the best I can to be the best ambassador in the community I can be."

Oakland's embattled head coach Tom Cable, who is facing the possibility of criminal charges from the Napa County, Calif., district attorney for his role in an alleged altercation with an assistant coach, finally got a laudable effort from a maligned team that the Giants' Antonio Pierce said was little more than a scrimmage opponent.

"Sure, you use it for that reason [for the victory] but as I said to you guys time and time again -- stop looking to write negative things or worry about all the BS," Cable said. "Let's develop a team and an organization that has struggled to win the last few years. You don't just flip a switch and do that overnight. You don't wake up the next day and everything is rosy. There's a process to get there.

"Someone saying we didn't have great leadership offensively last week or whatever that is. So be it. It's still about what goes on between the lines in our locker room and our practice field. It's about us."

And the Eagles were forced to admit they were caught unaware by a Raiders team that overcame a record-setting season of mediocrity with four quarters of playmaking.

"I don't think Jason [Peters] really factored in to the blitzes that they brought," Eagles right tackle Winston Justice said. "They did some things that we weren't really expecting, some stuff that they didn't really show the first couple of games. And we were caught by surprise. But that's what practice is for, and we'll go back to the drawing board and get better from this."