Yards don't equal points for enigmatic Eagles

PHILADELPHIA (AP)

Piling up yards isn't translating into points for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Despite averaging 383.4 yards of total offense per game, the Eagles are next-to-last in the NFL in scoring. Only Jacksonville (13.0) is averaging fewer points per game than Philadelphia (16.0) through five weeks.

The Jaguars don't have Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin on offense, either. The Eagles are 11th overall in yards, dropping from No. 5 last week.

''You've seen the turnovers costing us in scoring positions,'' coach Andy Reid said Wednesday. ''You have to make sure that when you have opportunities, you have to make every one of them right. That's how you go about doing your job. We have to do better there. Everyone has to do their job better, including the coaches.''

Turnovers are the chief reason why the Eagles (3-2) don't have points to show for all those yards. They have the second-most turnovers (14) behind Kansas City (19) with five of those occurring inside the red zone. Vick has accounted for 11 of those turnovers on six interceptions and five fumbles, including two near the goal line.

''It's totally my responsibility to take care of the football and especially for the sake of this football team,'' Vick said. ''It's something that I have to get corrected. I set a goal for reducing interceptions and now I have to set another goal. That's the least that I should be worried about right now at this point in the season. It's just a situation that I created for myself and I definitely have to take care of it.''

Vick hasn't thrown a pick in the past three games, but he lost two fumbles in last Sunday's 16-14 loss at Pittsburgh.

''We have to take advantage of what is given to us, and make sure we get the right calls in and make sure we do the right job as coaches, and that we're executing,'' Reid said. ''That is what it comes down to.''

Despite their lack of scoring, the Eagles lead the NFC East. They're the only team with a negative point differential that's in first place. That's because they've won three games by two points or less.

''We're just in to win it,'' Reid said. ''I don't care about how many points. That's what you want to do. If it's by one point or however many points, that's all you want to do. Again, we have to make sure we focus in on our job and get better at what we're doing.''

The Eagles aren't hitting on big plays the way they've done in previous seasons, which also contributes to a drop in scoring. They have 10 plays of 25 or more yards, and nothing longer than 49 yards.

Defenses are game planning to take away deep passes, particularly to Jackson. It's imperative that Vick turns to underneath routes to make up for it.

''All of it is there, but the execution has to be there,'' wide receiver Jason Avant said. ''It has to be perfect assignment, protection has to be perfect, route progression. There also has to be good routes on the back end. So, I think that at certain times, it's clicking, and then there are certain times where a ball is batted or there's a block missed or a route that's not run precisely and it's caused us to be stagnant at times.''

On Sunday, the Eagles will face another team that's record isn't indicative of the stat sheet. The Detroit Lions are third in offense, ninth in defense and 11th in scoring. Yet they're just 1-3.

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NOTES: Vick refused to answer a question about whether he owns a dog, saying ''what goes on in my personal life is not to be talked about.'' Vick's probation following his 18-month imprisonment for dogfighting charges has ended and he's allowed to own a dog. ... The Lions will be the third playoff team from last season to play the Eagles in Philadelphia this season. The Eagles have already defeated the Giants and Ravens at Lincoln Financial Field.

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Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobMaaddi

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