Philadelphia Eagles leave it late before beating Oakland Raiders
Wednesday 27 December 2017 15:14, UK
Philadelphia Eagles secured home-field advantage through the play-offs with a 26-10 victory over Oakland Raiders sealing their position as the NFC's top seed.
Jay Ajayi gave the Eagles the perfect start, getting on the end of Nick Foles' pass for the game's opening score but it wasn't until late in the fourth quarter that Philadelphia assured their No 1 position for the postseason.
Having been shorn of Carson Wentz with a season-ending knee injury a couple of weeks ago, back-up quarterback Foles again led the team but after a four-touchdown show in the win over New York, the 28-year-old struggled on Christmas Day.
If that game showcased the team's defensive issues, Monday night underlined their offensive concerns without the athleticism and big-play ability of Wentz.
Leading after Ajayi's 17-yard touchdown from Foles pass, the Eagles had struggled to move the ball and then saw their defense go missing to allow Derek Carr to find a wide-open Amari Cooper for a 63-yard touchdown in the second quarter that ensured the teams were level and remained so through to the final 15 minutes.
Jake Elliott's 48-yard field goal put the Eagles in front again before Derek Barnett pounced on a fumble from Oakland with the last play of the game as they attempted an unlikely game-winning possession from deep inside their own half.
Foles admitted afterwards that he didn't play well enough, throwing for 163 yards, a solitary touchdown and an interception, and the Eagles will need him to improve as well as draw on areas of the team if they are to make a run through the post-season.
But they will be able to do so with home-field advantage after their success which means they are handed a bye in the opening week of the playoffs and now effectively have three weeks to work on how they replace the skills of Wentz
The NFL regular season concludes next week with Week 17 - all 16 matches take place across two slots on Sunday and you will be able to follow action on Sky Sports from 6pm
