PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles haven’t appeared to show any glimpses of a collapse similar to last season, especially as they sit at 11-2 and have outscored their opponents by 118 points over the last nine weeks.
That changed in just the last 48 hours, when A.J. Brown was too sincere when answering what the offense can improve on. The one-word answer — passing — started the speculation if the star wide receiver and his quarterback Jalen Hurts were on the same page.
Eagles captain Brandon Graham didn’t put out the flames out Monday, but escalated them when he said Hurts and Brown “were friends, but things have changed.” Graham later backtracked on those comments, and said he would apologize to Hurts and Brown for his mistake.
There could be something brewing in the Eagles locker room, eerily similar to last season when the team started 10-1 then lost six of their last seven games to close out the year — including a blowout loss in the wild card round.
Could the Eagles, winners of nine straight games and one of the best teams in football, have a collapse similar to last season? The warning signs are there for another meltdown, but there are plenty of factors to prevent another poor finish. Here are the three main ones:
The running game
The Eagles had a good running game last season, but nowhere near what they have this year with Saquon Barkley. One of the MVP candidates around the league, Barkley has rushed for a franchise-record 1,623 yards and is averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Philadelphia also leads the league with 206.8 rushing yards per game during the team’s nine-game win streak, and the 5.3 yards per carry is third in the NFL.
Philadelphia also averages 2.32 yards before contact during the nine-game win streak, also first in the NFL. They were also first last season (2.12), but this is where things have changed for the better with the run game. Barkley is averaging 3.38 yards after contact (12th in NFL) while D’Andre Swift averaged 2.42 (44th in NFL) — a major difference.
Barkley’s numbers in the second half of games are historic, as he’s rushed for 1,057 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 7.5 yards per carry. His yards before contact is 3.53, and yards after contact is 4.02. Compare that to D’Andre Swift last season, who had 711 rushing yards and 5.2 yards per carry (still good numbers), but averaged 2.45 yards before contact and 2.74 yards after contact.
Swift had 272 rushing yards in the fourth quarter and averaged 4.5 yards per carry last season, while Barkley has 500 yards and 7.1 yards per carry this year. With the lead, the Eagles are built to close games with Barkley (which they couldn’t do consistently last year).
The defense
Under Vic Fangio, the Eagles defense has taken a complete 180 from the unit that ended last season, the one where Sean Desai was replaced as the play-caller in Week 15 and replaced by Matt Patricia (and both were replaced at the end of the season).
Philadelphia was 31st in the league in points per game allowed (30.0) and allowed 30-plus points in three consecutive games for the first time since 1967 — the last three games Desai called the plays. The Eagles moved Desai up to the booth in favor of Patricia, but the results weren’t significantly better.
The Eagles were 28th in yards per game allowed (375.8), 26th in rush yards per game allowed (131.0), 24th in pass yards per game allowed (244.8), 26th in yards per play allowed (5.8) and 28th in points per game allowed (27.8) in the five games under Patricia (including postseason).
Fangio’s unit is one of the best in football, if not the best. The Eagles are first in yards per game allowed (248.0) and yards per play allowed (4.2) during their nine-game win streak. They are also first in pass yards per game allowed (152.4) and net yards per attempt (4.8). They also have allowed 15.3 points per game — first in the NFL. That’s a lot of important categories to lead the league in.
With Fangio’s unit, the Eagles are always going to be in games. There’s also an excellent chance they’ll preserve the lead.
Stronger leadership on both sides of ball
The Eagles have significantly stronger leadership on both sides of the ball than last year, even with the departures of center Jason Kelce and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. One of the aspects of signing Saquon Barkley was the leadership that he brings to the locker room, as he can handle whatever division is going on between the quarterback and wide receiver. The Eagles gravitate around Barkley, whose main focus is winning games and not statistics.
The defense has the same vibe with C.J. Gardner-Johnson back in the fold, another player who lays it all on the line and motivates a locker room. Gardner-Johnson has played a vital role in the Eagles secondary in being as good as it is, while providing the swagger this team lacked at the end of last year.
There’s a reason why the Eagles brought Barkley and Gardner-Johnson on this roster. Their leadership on both sides of the ball can prevent another collapse from happening, and end whatever internal issues exist in this locker room.
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Author: Jeff Kerr
December 10, 2024 | 3:05 pm
