Practice? Eagles talking about practice before showdown with DeSean

PHILADELPHIA -- This Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles hope to rebound from their first loss of the season as they face a familiar opponent.

"We played our worst half of football," Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said.

Schwartz was not happy with their first half in Detroit where they allowed more points than the rest of the season combined.

But the Birds bounced back and did not allow a touchdown in the second half. The Eagles expect that to carry over Sunday in Washington.

"No one came into the season expecting to go 16-0. So having a loss is not something that makes our confidence waiver; it doesn't make us question the guys next to us; it doesn't make us question the scheme or the plan or the coaches," Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins said.

So are Eagles players showing anything in practice that leads Schwartz to believe they will play well against the Redskins?

"Practice doesn't mean anything. I don't want to get Allen Iverson in there, I mean, it's all how about you perform on Sunday," Schwartz said.

How the Eagles play this Sunday will likely depend on how they control another former Philadelphia star who used to practice on their field - DeSean Jackson. In practice, the Eagles are preparing for Kirk Cousins to throw deep to Jackson.

"He's one of the best, if not the best, deep threats in the league and he has been his whole career," Eagles defensive end Connor Barwin said.

"We're doing everything we can in practice to work on them, hopefully we can hit them down the road, and hopefully this week will be a big week for us," Jackson said.

Jackson has burned the Birds before, averaging nearly 100 yards per game, not to mention keeping them out of the playoffs last season.

On Sunday, the Eagles will try to keep him out of the end zone.