Eagles were sloppy, sloppy, sloppy in Washington loss [Scouting the Eagles]

What a sloppy, sloppy game the Eagles just played while losing 27-20 at Washington. So sloppy that their rookie quarterback, Carson Wentz, was one of the least messiest, and he threw as many incompletions (11) as completions. Or let's put it this way: The Eagles got an interception return for a touchdown and a kickoff return for a touchdown and still never once had control of the game.

Based on the Eagles' most recent game film, there's a reason the Vikings are favored by 2 1/2 points at Philly this week: They're better, and better-coached. Unfortunately for those of us who'd like to make a quick, easy betting buck, better doesn't always translate into victory in the NFL.

Overview: The Vikings (5-0) are trying to go 6-0 overall and 3-0 on the road for the first time since a fella named Good Brett was enjoying his magical run in 2009. The Eagles started turnover-free through a 3-0 start, but have lost consecutive road games at Detroit and Washington. They're 2-0 at home, where they've beaten Cleveland and Pittsburgh 34-3 in their signature win of the season.

To the tape: …

Top 7 thoughts while watching the Eagles' 27-20 loss at Washington:

—Look hard enough and you'll find a connection between Eagles first-year head coach Doug Pederson and Vikings Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant. In five games in Philly, Pederson became the first coach since 1952 to oversee a team that committed at least 110 yards in penalties in back-to-back games. Where does Bud come in? Well, Bud played end for that Eagles team back in 1952. That's how long it has been since an Eagles team was this penalized in consecutive games. Sunday was ridiculous in terms of flags on both teams (22). The Eagles had 13 penalties for 114 yards. And those were just the ones that were accepted. On the first play of the game, tight end Brent Celek was matched up one-on-one with end Ryan Kerrigan. A, it was a poor protection scheme; B, Ryan held the guy; and C, the Redskins declined the penalty because it was an easy sack. The Eagles also had a roughing-the-passer penalty that negated a third-down red-zone stop and led to a touchdown right before the half, and an illegal block that nullified a fantastic move and throw by Wentz for 38 yards in the second half.

—As disappointing as the flag-fest must have been for Pederson, he had to be even more upset with how undisciplined his run defense was. Defenders routinely lost control of their gaps or were overpowered. The Redskins ran for 230 yards on just 33 carries. That's a 7-yard average. There were runs of 57, 45, 22, 16, 15, 13 and 10. Matt Jones, who's big but nothing extraordinary, had 135 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. At one point, the Eagles run defense was hanging on by a thread. Or, I guess, a dread. Redskins running back Robert Kelley squeezed through a crack at the line of scrimmage and met no resistance until defensive back Rodney McLeod dragged him down by his hair 45 yards downfield.

—The pressure got to Wentz, but not nearly as much as I would have expected considering this was only his fifth NFL game. There were some bad throws because of pressure and some bad ones that he rushed when he didn't need to. But, overall, the rook handled himself very well on the road and didn't turn the ball over under heavy duress. The big guy even ran a read-option keeper for 3 yards. At 6-5, 237, Wentz is a tougher to bring down. He already has a good sense of when to slide in an NFL pocket, and has decent speed to buy time rolling out or running for his life. Perhaps Wentz's best play didn't count because of — you guessed it — a penalty. It came in the third quarter. He was forced from the pocket. Moving left, he kept his eyes downfield and threw an accurate ball just before getting clobbered. Receiver Dorial Green-Beckham turned it into a 38-yard gain, but it was called back. Later, with time to throw, Wentz stepped up and dropped a deep ball right on Jordan Matthews for a 54-yard gain.

—Eight-year veteran safety Malcolm Jenkins made the highlights by easily jumping a route and having Kirk Cousins throw the layup pick-six. At that point of the second quarter, the Eagles were tied 14-14 with their touchdowns coming on special teams and defense. The pass defense was better than the run defense, but that's not saying a whole lot. On the play before his pick-six, Jenkins gave up a first-down pass on second-and-20. Rookie cornerback Jalen Mills, a seventh-round draft pick, had to start because of injuries and was greeted by some elite NFL speed in the form of DeSean Jackson. Mills trailed Jackson hopelessly on a deep crossing route that went for 35 yards. It's hard to believe after watching the film that Jackson only caught four balls for 55 yards. Jenkins also got caught in traffic trying to defend Jamison Crowder on a well-designed red-zone play. Lined up inside on a three-wide look, Crowder looped outside and got open for the touchdown as Jenkins was weaving through bodies. Later, Jenkins took a bad angle on a 37-yard completing to tight end Vernon Davis.

—Note to Vikings players who score touchdowns: Don't do what Davis did after he scored on a 13-yard slant pass between two defenders. He got flagged for celebrating when he shot the football through the goal posts like it was a basketball. The 15 yards came in handy when rookie Wendell Smallwood fielded the ensuing kickoff at the 14-yard line and followed excellent blocking up the left sideline for a touchdown. Celek had the key block.

—Running back Ryan Mathews didn't wow me. But he would concern me if I were a certain purple-clad team that needs favorable down and distance to unleash the league's hottest pass rush. A year ago, Mathews was fourth in the league with a 5.08 average per carry. Sunday, he showed toughness, balance and determination, especially between the tackles. He only ran the ball nine times, but averaged 6.7 yards. Don't overlook this guy.

Key stat: 6.5.