Philadelphia Eagles: Everything good and bad about a Week 15 loss

Here are a few more reasons for Philadelphia Eagles fans to smile in Week 15.

The good: The young secondary

With Darius Slay, Avonte Maddox, Craig James, and Rodney McLeod all out in for the Eagles matchup against the Cardinals, there was cause for great concern about the Eagles secondary unit going up against the likes of DeAndre Hopkins.

Well, Hopkins still wound up with 169 receiving yards, but the defense, particularly the young backups in the secondary, played their hardest and came up with big-time plays when this team needed them most. That kept Philly’s chances of winning alive. From Marcus Epps’s interception to Michael Jacquet’s sack and forced fumble, the youngsters played to win.

The good: Fletcher Cox, Defensive Tackle

The nine-year veteran is still one of the best in the league at his position. Fletcher Cox’s stats may not show it, but there was no down where the Pro-Bowl defensive tackle wasn’t a down where 91 wasn’t breaking through Arizona’s offensive line. Even when doubled-teamed during this game, Cox bullied the guys in front of him, creating massive pressure for quarterback Kyler Murray.

The good: Jake Elliott, Kicker

Yes, Jake Elliott finally makes the hero list. Why? He did not miss any PAT’s and, when called upon, had a couple of nice-looking punts in the wake of Cameron Johnston’s injury to help flip field position. Elliott was the one shining stars on an awful looking special teams’ unit. Speaking of special teams, let’s check in on them.