Eagles unsure of kicking situation

Nov 21, 2017 - 12:30 AM PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Eagles found themselves without a kicker Sunday when Jake Elliott suffered a concussion on the opening kickoff trying to make a tackle on Cowboys returner Ryan Switzer.

The concussion wasn't diagnosed until later in the first quarter after Elliott, who had made 15 of his last 16 field-goal attempts, including five of six from 50-plus yards, missed a 34-yarder.

Backup linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill handled the kickoff chores after Elliott got hurt, and did a good job. He had a touchback and another kickoff that reached the goal line.

The Eagles didn't have Grugier-Hill try any extra points. They went for two points after their four second-half touchdowns, converting three of them.

Elliott is going through the Eagles' concussion protocol, and it's too early to say whether he'll be cleared to play Sunday against Chicago.

Elliott signed with the Eagles in September after Caleb Sturgis injured his hip in the Eagles' season opener against Washington. The Eagles put Sturgis on injured reserve.

He is healthy now and could be activated for Sunday's game. But that would mean the Eagles would have two kickers on their 53-man roster. And they don't really want to do that.

"You're talking about roster spots and making moves and things of that nature, and we're not there yet,'' head coach Doug Pederson said. "So we're going to continue these discussions in the next couple of days."

--LeGarrette Blount took the lion's share of snaps at running back Sunday. He played 30 snaps and rushed for 57 yards on a team-high 13 carries. Rookie Corey Clement played 19 snaps and rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown on six carries. Newcomer Jay Ajayi, who still is learning the offense, played 13 snaps. He rushed for 91 yards on seven carries. One of his runs was a 71-yarder that set up a third-quarter touchdown. Six of Blount's 13 carries and 37 of his 57 rushing yards came in the fourth quarter after the Eagles had taken a comfortable lead.

"Jay was basically the guy in Miami," head coach Doug Pederson said of Ajayi, who was acquired by the Eagles for a conditional fourth-round pick at the trade deadline. "He was getting 20 carries a game. The conversation that you initially have with him is, 'Listen, you're in a system now where we do have a rotation.' When you're winning, there isn't a lot of selfishness. Guys want to contribute any way possible to the success of the team."

--Cornerback Ronald Darby returned to the lineup Sunday after missing eight games with a dislocated ankle. He had a solid game, knocking away a first-quarter pass in the end zone for Dez Bryant that forced the Cowboys to settle for a field goal, and intercepting a pass intended for Bryant later in the game.

The Eagles picked off Dak Prescott three times and sacked him four times and held him to just 4.7 yards per pass attempt.

--Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who replaced nine-time Pro Bowler Jason Peters at left tackle after Peters tore his ACL last month, had an excellent game Sunday against the Cowboys. He had the key block on Jay Ajayi's 71-yard third-quarter run.

NOTES: K Jake Elliott suffered a concussion on the opening kickoff Sunday when he tried to tackle Cowboys return man Ryan Switzer at the end of his game-opening 61-yard kickoff return. They will monitor him this week. It's too early to tell whether he'll be able to play Sunday against Chicago. ... K Caleb Sturgis, who was the Eagles' kicker until he suffered a hip injury in Week 1, is on injured reserve and could be activated if Elliott can't go. He is healthy and has been kicking on his own. ... CB Ronald Darby played for the first time Sunday since dislocating his ankle in Week 1. He had an interception and knocked away a pass in the end zone intended for Dez Bryant. He also had a team-high eight tackles. Darby said the ankle still isn't completely healed, but is close. ... RB LeGarrette Blount played 30 snaps and had a team-high 13 carries against the Cowboys. Eight of his 13 carries were on first down. ... TE Zach Ertz, who missed the previous game with a hamstring injury, had his least productive game of the season. Ertz, who leads the team in receptions, had just two catches for 8 yards.



REPORT CARD V. COWBOYS

--PASSING OFFENSE: B-plus -- Torrey Smith and Alshon Jeffery both had touchdown catches. Carson Wentz's overall passing numbers were modest, but he didn't have a turnover, wasn't sacked and completed all five of his third-down attempts in the second half, including Smith's 11-yard TD catch.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: A -- The Eagles ran the ball just 10 times in the first half and averaged only 3.5 yards per carry. But they exploded for 125 yards in the third quarter, 71 on a run by Jay Ajayi compliments of a big block by left tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai. The Eagles finished with 215 yards, their second 200-plus rushing performance of the season.

--PASS DEFENSE: A-plus -- Dak Prescott came into the game having thrown just four interceptions. The Eagles picked him off three times. Their front four did a good job of keeping Prescott in the pocket and not allowing him to extend plays. Rookie DE Derek Barnett had two of the Eagles' four sacks, including a strip that LB Nigel Bradham returned for a touchdown.

--RUSH DEFENSE: B -- The Eagles struggled at times against the Cowboys' ground game. Alfred Morris rushed for 91 yards on 17 carries. The Cowboys' 27 rushing attempts were the most against the Eagles this season. But they still only finished with 112 yards.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: C-minus -- The Eagles gave up a game-opening 61-yard kickoff return to Ryan Switzer. To make matters worse, kicker Jake Elliott suffered a concussion trying to tackle him, but no one realized he was hurt until after he missed a 34-yard field-goal attempt late in the first quarter. Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill did a nice job handling kickoffs after that, and the Eagles went for two points (they converted three of four) after touchdowns.

--COACHING: A -- Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz had a good game plan that kept quarterback Dak Prescott bottled up in the pocket much of the game. When he did get outside, athletic linebacker Mychal Kendricks usually was there to pressure him and force him to get rid of the ball. Head coach Doug Pederson and offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland made some halftime blocking adjustments that helped the ground game rush for 125 yards in the third quarter.