Following Sunday's loss to the Dolphins, here's a look at what we have in store for you on this Monday, November 16 as the Eagles look to turn the page with Tampa Bay coming to town this Sunday. Head coach Chip Kelly will address the media at 1 PM for his day-after press conference. At 5 PM, Brian Westbrook offers his thoughts on what happened when he co-hosts Eagles 360 along with Dave Spadaro. Until then, here are the 5 Things to Know Today ...
1. Eagles Get Plenty Of Help
The Eagles allowed a golden opportunity slip through their fingers on Sunday, but they didn't pay dearly for it. Thanks to Stephen Gostkowski's 54-yard field goal with one second left gave the still-undefeated Patriots a 27-26 win over the Giants. New York still sits atop the division with a 5-5 record, but the Eagles remain just a half-game behind. Washington moved into a tie for second place in the division with the Eagles after a 47-14 win over New Orleans.
Dallas, meanwhile, lost its seventh straight game as Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston scored on a 1-yard keeper in the final minute to give Tampa Bay a 10-6 win. Winston fumbled the ball at the goal line one play earlier, but Tampa Bay got the ball back after defensive holding was called on the Cowboys.
2. Who Will Start At Quarterback?
Sam Bradford was sacked by Dolphins linebacker Chris McCain in the third quarter and exited the game with a concussion and a left shoulder injury. Bradford finished the game 19-of-25 for 236 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked four times.
Mark Sanchez came off the bench for the first time in 2015. It was in Week 10 a year ago when he made his first start for the Eagles in a rout of the Panthers. Sanchez drove the Eagles down the field twice. One drive ended with a field goal and the other in an interception in the end zone. The Eagles had one final chance at the end of the game, but pressure forced Sanchez to throw the ball short of the sticks and the team had to turn the ball over on downs. Sanchez finished 14-of-23 for 156 yards.
X-rays were negative on Bradford's shoulder, but can he recover from that and the concussion before this Sunday's game? We'll see if Chip Kelly has any additional info to add at 1 PM.
3. Celek's Big Day
The defeat took the shine off of tight end Brent Celek's amazing day. The ninth-year veteran entered the game with seven catches for 71 yards and two touchdowns on the season. On the first offensive play for the Eagles, Celek caught a pass from Bradford on a short crossing route and gained 60 yards. The Eagles' second touchdown drive was helped by a Celek 20-yard reception.
Celek finished with 134 yards on four receptions. It was the most yards for Celek in a game since the home opener against Baltimore in 2012 when he had 157 and the third-highest total of his career. The 33.5 yards per reception were the most by an NFL tight end with at least four catches since 1984.
However, Celek said the loss "stings bad" and takes away all the positives of his big individual performance.
"Honestly, it doesn't matter," Celek said. "I'm going to go home and I'm not going to be happy about this. This is a team game, and if we don't win, nothing else matters. It doesn't."
4. The Streak Comes To An End
For the first time all season, the Eagles' defense was unable to register a turnover. Yes, the Eagles did record their first safety of the season when Walter Thurmond steamrolled quarterback Ryan Tannehill on a blitz in the end zone to force a fumble that went out of bounds.
But armed with an early 16-3 lead, the Eagles could not make it last. The play that summed up the afternoon proved to be the game-winning touchdown. From the Eagles' 4-yard line, Tannehill threw the ball and it was batted up high in the air off of linebacker Connor Barwin. The man to come down with it was wide receiver Jarvis Landry.
"That’s kind of how the day went," Barwin explained. "I batted it up. I think it was up in the air for four seconds. It's got to be a pick if I do bat it. It's a pick if I don't bat it. But, obviously there were a couple plays there where the ball kind of rolled their way. That's how the game goes sometimes."
The Eagles returned home to face the Dolphins in Week 10 of the regular season. View the full gallery here...
5. Another Standout Performance By Cox
In the loss, defensive end Fletcher Cox continued his stellar play finishing the game with five tackles, sharing a sack with Barwin and registering three total hits on Tannehill. Some of his best plays don't end up on the stat sheet as he also forced some errant throws by Tannehill. Cox has now tied a career high with 5.5 sacks on the year.