What the Philadelphia Eagles are going through is abnormal for a team considered to be a Super Bowl contender. The Eagles are the first team to start 10-1 and lose three consecutive games since the 1986 New York Jets, as their track record of winning close games and coming from behind to win has caught up with them.
The wins masked the internal problems going on within the organization. Defensive coordinator Sean Desai was given the axe as the play-caller in favor of Matt Patricia, while plenty of players on the team are giving themselves praise over the greater good of the organization. Jalen Hurts calling out the team’s “commitment” after Monday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks spoke volumes on where the locker room is right now.
Are the Eagles’ problems at a point of no return? Can Philadelphia get this fixed in time for the playoffs, or will this be one of the most disappointing seasons in Eagles history? Addressing the issues going on with this team is a start.
The locker room issues
Tracing the problems in the locker room is the first thing the Eagles have to address. Darius Slay has come out and said he played well in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys, despite the defense playing poorly every which way. James Bradberry alluded to the defensive play-caller when he gave up the winning touchdown (Matt Patricia’s first game as play-caller), while A.J. brown took to social media to shut down the narrative that he’s in Jalen Hurts’ head and Hurts is forcing the ball to him.
The dysfunction in the locker room is real, and it’s not a good look when two captains (Hurts and Slay) have different approaches to it. Other issues are also growing in the locker room, which weren’t a cause of concern when the team was 10-1 and at the top of the NFC.
The best way to handle what’s going on in the locker room? Players should probably not take to social media and address the issues at hand. The Eagles love to keep things internal, and for good reason.
Change in defensive play-calling
There have been communication issues with the defense throughout the season, especially on the back end. The pass defense has allowed opposing quarterbacks to have a 98.2 passer rating this season (29th in NFL) and 30 passing touchdowns (31st in NFL).
Complications with the scheme and the communication issues led to a change in defensive play-calling from Desai to Patricia. The Eagles were the worst defense in the NFL from Weeks 8-14, ranking last in several categories. A change had to made made on that side of the ball if the Eagles wanted to salvage the season.
In Patricia’s play-calling debut, the Eagles gave up 92 yards with less than two minutes to play in a 20-17 loss to the Seahawks. Even with the late collapse to backup quarterback Drew Lock, the Eagles gave up 20 points, 297 yards, 5.0 yards per play and held the Seahawks to 6 of 14 on third down.
The personnel is the same and the tackling is still poor. Bradberry is one of the worst cover corners in the league this year, the linebacker depth remains a problem, and the pass rush still isn’t getting home.
The defense should be better based on the competition of teams (and quarterbacks) it plays over the final three games (Giants, Cardinals, Giants). Will it be better by the time the postseason arrives? With the personnel issues the Eagles have at key positions, the short-term solution won’t fix the long-term problem.
Jalen Hurts’ play
Hurts hasn’t been the elite quarterback the Eagles have been accustomed to over the past three games, all losses. During this three-game stretch, Hurts has completed 59.2% of his passes for 638 yards with one touchdown to two interceptions for a 72.4 passer rating (29th in NFL). He’s also fumbled in two of those three contests.
Hurts isn’t passing the ball well, and he’s turning it over at an alarming rate with three giveaways in his past three games (also has three rushing touchdowns in that stretch). He also is tied for the NFL lead with 17 turnovers this season, averaging 1.13 giveaways a game.
Despite the recent stretch of poor play and the giveaway issues, Hurts is on pace for 4,708 total yards and 40 touchdowns this season. He didn’t forget how to play football, although he needs to start taking what’s given to him instead of forcing the deep pass. On passes that have traveled for 25-plus air yards over the past three games, Hurts is 1 of 11 for 30 yards with zero touchdowns to two interceptions for a 0.0 passer rating.
Hurts is one of the better deep-ball quarterbacks in the league, recording seven touchdown passes that traveled 25-plus air yards (second in NFL) and a 97.2 passer rating (10th in NFL) on such passes. The Eagles have to take what the defense is giving them instead of forcing what isn’t there.
The turnovers will decrease and the offense will move the ball more efficiently. This can be easily corrected.
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Author: Jeff Kerr
December 21, 2023 | 4:20 pm
