If one were to merely look at the box score, nothing would stand out about the performance of wide receiver DeSean Jackson against the New England Patriots on Sunday; he caught four passes for 73 yards. However, the story of Jackson's game during the team's 38-20 is told by the plays in which the Pro Bowl receiver was not on the field.
After dropping two balls in the end zone, including one in the second quarter that would have brought the Eagles within four points, Jackson was absent on offense for the entirety of the fourth quarter.
"I just wanted to give the other guys an opportunity," said head coach Andy Reid after the game when asked why Jackson did not play in the fourth quarter.
In the locker room following the loss, Jackson indicated that his second-quarter drop was caused by the presence of a closing defensive back in front of him, noting that the prospect of injury is "always" on his mind when he's on the football field.
"Things happen sometimes," he said. "As a player, honestly, you're upset when you drop passes like I did tonight. Sometimes you have a bad game, and tonight definitely wasn't my best game. There were a couple of plays I thought I should have made, but didn't. I know I'm a better receiver than that."
Jackson's final contribution was another potential touchdown on a long pass from Vince Young. On the third-quarter play, Jackson was in position to make the catch in the end zone before the ball fell through his hands. After Reid's decision to give his other receivers an opportunity, Jackson spent the final minutes of the game on the bench with his helmet off. Teammate LeSean McCoy offered the struggling receiver words of encouragement after the game.
"He's a good player and he had a bad game, which everybody has," said McCoy. "Nobody's perfect. I don't know why he was benched, I just know that he didn't play well; he knew that. There have been games where I've played poorly. Everybody, from the best players to the average guys, plays poorly sometimes. The team supports DeSean 100 percent. I want him here as long as I'm here. He's a great player and we need him on this team. He's just as important as No. 7, No. 25, whoever it is. He's our guy."
Jackson, meanwhile, understood the Reid's decision to bench him and wants to come back Thursday night in Seattle and prove his worth.
"It was the decision that was made and, as a player, I have to live with it," said Jackson. "Whatever happens, happens. I just have to come back to work and make up for the plays I missed today.
"We're all human. It's all about what you do when bad things happen … As a professional, I need to bounce back. We need to do what we need to do to win games. This has been very frustrating. We never dreamed we'd be 4-7 at this point in the season."
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