Eagles fans – Paint me officially “concerned”

by John Kincade

It’s NOT thinking a win is a loss. It’s NOT sounding the red alert either. What it is continues to be a genuine feeling of concern and it’s not getting quieter, it’s getting louder. The voice in my head saying, this team doesn’t look like the one that rampaged to a 7-0 start. The last 4 games have a commonality. It is one of injury, head scratching coaching decisions, reckless turnovers and genuine flat play. Will the real Eagles please stand up?

The nay sayers will just want to focus on the results, you are 10-1, who cares how you got there? Well the last 4 games that began in Houston during the World Series have exposed this team on a few levels. Whether these are fatal flaws remains to be seen.

- They have gone (3-1) vs the Texans, Commanders, Colts and Packers. Those teams have collectively won 16 games out of 43 possible. That’s a .372 winning percentage. At some point a true championship contender is not expected to get into close games with teams of that caliber.

- The injuries continue to mount and at critical positions. It shows a lack of quality depth that many teams in the NFL share concerns about. They need rookie Jordan Davis back quickly to get the run defense stabilized. The loss of Dallas Goedert has proven to be difficult to overcome, even though the 40 point effort vs the Packers shows they may have developed a work around. The loss of impact safety CJ Gardner Johnson could prove to be a fatal flaw. We will hold our breath on his upcoming diagnosis.

- I’ve never seen a game where the offense is gashing an opponent on the ground and then inexplicably the coaches decide to go away from it for the passing attack as the primary mode of weaponry. I’ll never understand it. The pass happy approach when this team trails in a game shows a panic mode gene exists in their psyche.

Thankfully, there is so much to applaud. The rushing attack is vicious, surgical and even when telegraphed can’t seem to be stopped. I worry about the cumulative wear and tear on Jalen Hurts as this team heads into December. He’s taking way too many hits. Seeing the production out of Miles Sanders has been outstanding. He looks like a veteran, savvy, tough runner. He’s been amazing.

Jalen Hurts is making his own case for MVP and he deserves all the accolades. His calm leadership may be the greatest asset he brings to the huddle. He’s putting together arguably the greatest Eagles QB season ever. With a huge contract on the line, unlike Lamar Jackson, he knows how to deliver in the clutch. He is so impressive and his teammates feed off his positive vibe.

Worried? Yes, but much more about who will be available to play and how they will survive until then. I love that a running game is portable just in case they had to travel. The leaky, injured defense is downright scary. They enter December in the NFC drivers seat. Where the car ends up is anyones guess. I hate guessing 11 games into a season!