Phil Sheridan, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Eagles' 13 penalties reflect on Chip Kelly

PHILADELPHIA -- It is the tender spot unprotected by every coach's armor, having his team accused of being undisciplined. So it's no wonder Chip Kelly wasn't particularly receptive to a question about the 13 penalties his Philadelphia Eagles team drew during Saturday's 27-24 loss to Washington.

"They aren't lacking discipline," Kelly said, jaw muscles tensing. "We just aren't doing the right thing during the football game."

A year ago, Kelly had the Eagles on a 7-1 march toward the NFC East title and a berth in the playoffs. This season, his team is in the midst of a hard crash. The Eagles were 9-3 and in control of their postseason destiny. Three losses later, they are 9-6 and gasping for air.

The Eagles should have come out and dispatched the 3-11 Washington team they were facing. Washington had lost six games in a row. There was internal sniping going on, especially surrounding head coach Jay Gruden and his quarterbacks. The Eagles had the superior record and had to be viewed as the better team.

All they had to do was step onto the field and be that better team. Simple, right?

"They were just the better team tonight," Eagles safety Nate Allen said. "We knew what was on the line and what we needed to do. They just beat us. You might as well not even have records in the NFL. On any night, anybody can beat anybody."

When a lesser team beats a better team, people look at the coach. When a team draws 13 penalties, people look at the coach. When a team succumbs to mistakes that it has been committing all season long -- turnovers, penalties, egregious defensive play -- people look at the coach.

The Eagles committed three roughing-the-passer penalties. Each helped keep Washington drives alive. Cornerback Cary Williams committed an unnecessary roughness penalty that gave Washington three more chances to score a touchdown in the red zone. Eagles offensive linemen were called for five holding penalties.

"You aren't going to win a football game that way," Kelly said. "We left [the defense] on the field too long on third downs when we got penalties to extend drives you feel like you had to stop. Thirteen penalties and two turnovers is not going to win football games in this league."

The Eagles had been penalized 97 times all season going into the game. That put them right in the middle among NFL teams. Drawing the most penalties in a must-win game in Week 16 is not the mark of a disciplined team, whatever the coach may say.

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