Eagles corner Fletcher will start at Redskins

PHILADELPHIA - Cornerback Bradley Fletcher will start for the Philadelphia Eagles when they visit the Washington Redskins on Saturday night.

That, despite allowing all three touchdowns thrown to Dez Bryant as the receiver had a career game in the Cowboys' 38-27 win Sunday night that gave them the lead in the NFC East.

Philadelphia (9-5) held that lead for the entire season until then and defeated a resurgent Dallas 33-10 on Thanksgiving to protect it.

"I got beat. I got beat today," Fletcher said Sunday night. "I came up short. I didn't play well."

Defensive coach Bill Davis was more technical.

"They made a great throw and catch in single-high, man-free coverage. Fletch - the first one wasn't as close as he was on the second one, but at the end of the day, Dez made both plays."

There are many parts to any football team -- skill, scheme, motivation, weather, stadium -- so to blame victory or defeat on one or even two of them would be unwise.

But to allow the most touchdowns (9) and the most receiving yards (908) of any cornerback in the game this season, according to Pro Football Focus, might on some teams be grounds for benching.

Not Chip Kelly's Eagles.

"We still have confidence in Bradley, and he's going to be our corner this Saturday," Kelly said Monday.

Or for allowing over 100 yards and two touchdowns at Lambeau Field when the Eagles were pasted 53-20 by the Packers, including a 64 yard pass play to Jordy Nelson on the third snap of the game.

"There will be no further moves in the starting rotation," Kelly reiterated when asked again about his team's secondary.

Brandon Boykin and Nolan Carroll are the other cornerbacks considered replacements for Fletcher should that occasion arise. Carroll, a veteran, was in competition with Fletcher with the starting position in training camp this summer.

But that occasion has not arisen just yet.

"I've seen Fletch compete," Kelly added. "I think he gives you everything he has, and the one thing I like about Fletch is that he's going to compete out there."

He'll have a shot at competing Saturday against the Redskins' 17th-ranked pass game, manned, thanks to Colt McCoy's recent injured-reserve tag, by Washington's starter-injured-starter-backup-starter Robert Griffin.