Desean Jackson Thinks The Eagles Are Losing On Purpose
The Eagles have made fans across the Delaware Valley miserable these last several weeks. Double-digit losses top the 49ers and Cowboys. Late game collapses against the Seahawks and Cardinals. All on their way to going 1-4 these past 5 games, and falling all the way to the 5 seed. But is that all part of the plan? That is what former Eagle Desean Jackson seems to think. He joined ‘Up & Adams’ with Kay Adams, and claimed the Eagles are conning people ahead of the playoffs.
“The Eagles are like a con artist. They are losing on purpose. Now we don’t lose in purpose in the NFL, we take every game serious. But it is reminding me of the year the Ravens won the Super Bowl… They started off so hot, they got away from what their true identity is… Running the ball… After a while, when things come easy to a team, they had the best record in the NFL, it took their edge off. Took their foot off of the gas. They know now it is playoff ball… But they have to run the ball.”
To be fair to DeSean, he kind of corrected himself. But no, the Eagles are obviously not losing on purpose. Nor did they take their foot off the gas or lose their edge. Do you think they went into that 49ers game or the 2nd Cowboys game not taking it seriously enough? No. What happened is their flaws got exposed. The 49ers picked on the weak parts of their defense. And then every other team followed in their footsteps.
And no, the Eagles’ issue is not that they need to run the ball more. They run it more than almost anyone in the league. D’Andre Swift has the 8th most carries in the NFL. They will finish the year with around 20 fewer rushes than they had last year. But the only reason they have run it less is they have had fewer leads. Last year they would at times only run it in the second half because they were so far ahead. This year they have been either close or trailing in every game. Despite that, They still run the ball at a very high rate.
Did they get away from the run in a couple of games? Sure. But their bigger problem on offense is just not executing. Both in the passing and the running game. There were games where they just ran the ball poorly. With all of their O-Line healthy again, they seem to have gotten back to running it well. And with that, they have been more balanced again. But running the ball more is not going to make this offense any better.
There are fans who really want to believe what Desean Jackson said here. That this is a team that can just flip a switch and get back to who they were in 2022. But the truth is, this is who they are. They are a talented offense that has underperformed, and their defense is just bad. The fix is not as simple as running the ball, or just snapping out of it. If they are going to win, it will be because the talented offense takes over and they start putting up big numbers. Because this defense is definitely not good enough to stop the teams they will face deeper into the playoffs.
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Philadelphia Eagles Projected Week 18 Starters
Jalen Hurts
Quarterback, #1
Oklahoma University/University of Alabama
4th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (53rd overall) in 2020D'Andre Swift
Running Back, #0
University of Georgia
4th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Detroit Lions (April 2023)A.J. Brown
Wide Receiver, #11
Ole Miss
5th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Tennessee Titans (April 2022)Julio Jones
Wide Receiver, #80
University of Alabama
13th NFL Season, Signed in Free Agency (October 2023)Olamide Zaccheaus
Wide Receiver, #13
University of Virginia
5th NFL Season, Signed in Free Agency (April 2023)Dallas Goedert
Tight End, #88
South Dakota St.
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (48th overall) in 2018Jordan Mailata
Left Tackle, #68
Jeff Stoutland University
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 7th Round (233rd overall) in 2018Landon Dickerson
Left Guard, #69
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (37th overall) in 2021Jason Kelce
Center, #62
University of Cincinnati
13th NFL Season- Drafted in 6th Round (191st overall) in 2011Cam Jurgens
Right Guard, #51
University of Nebraska
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (51st overall) in 2022Lane Johnson
Left Tackle, #69
Oklahoma University
11th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (4th overall) in 2013Josh Sweat
Defensive End, #94
Florida State
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 4th Round (130th overall) in 2018Fletcher Cox
Defensive Tackle, #91
Mississippi State
12th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (12th overall) in 2012Jordan Davis
Defensive Tackle, #90
University of Georgia
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (13th overall) in 2022Haason Reddick
Edge Rusher/Linebacker, #7
Temple University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2022)Zach Cunningham
Linebacker, #52
Vanderbilt University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (August 2023)Shaquille Leonard
Linebacker, #50
South Carolina St.
6th NFL Season, Signed in Free Agency (December 2023)Kelee Ringo
Cornerback, #22
University of Georgia
1st NFL Season, Drafted in 4th Round (105th Overall) in 2023James Bradberry
Cornerback, #24
University of Arkansas/Samford University
8th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (May 2022)Avonte Maddox
Cornerback, #29
University of Pittsburgh
Drafted in 4th Round (125th overall) in 2018Kevin Byard
Safety, #31
Middle Tennessee State
8th NFL Season, Acquired in trade from Tennessee Titans (October 2023)Reed Blankenship
Safety, #32
Middle Tennessee State
2nd NFL Season- Signed as Undrafted Free Agent (May 2022)
