The Eagles have no one to blame but themselves, but they won’t

There have been numerous opportunities for this Philadelphia Eagles squad to acknowledge their shortcomings and accept the blame, and for veterans to show leadership publicly. Unfortunately, the Eagles have left me lacking confidence in them in the NFC Wild Card Round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

I also don’t feel the least bit of guilt over it. I’ve always been the blind loyalist when it comes to the Birds, but these things leave me concerned about tonight.

Two guys go rogue and pass up the chance for an easy 10-yard completion to put them into range for a tying field goal. Instead, they play a selfish version of hero ball trying to win the game on a far lower percentage play. We all know how that ended.

The disappointing part was neither was willing to step up and acknowledge they did it until AJ exposed it a few weeks later. Then Jalen condescendingly mocked the media for “what you don’t know” instead of taking responsibility. That weakness raises reg flags for me.

Sean Desai didn’t have many answers for the issues that plagued the team from the opener against the New England Patriots. He was eventually demoted, and Matt Patricia was supposed to fix things mid-stream. Things haven’t gotten better, and considering the opposition they lost to, it is far worse now than it was at Thanksgiving.

They lost in a blowout at home to the 49ers, a mistake-filled defeat at Dallas before the disastrous decision to improvise in Seattle. Those three losses not only created distress in the standings but in the locker room. Fletcher Cox admitted he was scared of what he was observing. Now, the Eagles find themselves 11-6 in an NFC Wild Card position.

Instead of having the biggest veterans publicly acknowleding the reasons for the collapse, you get Brandon Graham talking about silencing the doubters. The doubters have every reason to exist, but with the veterans obviously not being able to stop the downward spiral, it’s hard to be confident.

The Eagles will be without A.J. Brown in Tampa. They're getting Darius Slay back. The defense certainly needs much more of a helping hand than the offense. I’ll lean on the last game these two played for guidance.

The Birds will rely on their running game and tight end Dallas Goedert to play keep-away from the Buccaneers. Last time the Eagles controlled the ball for 38:55 of possession. This time they will contain a hampered Baker Mayfield and run the ball right at Devin White. I’m expecting one more week of Eagles football, so dare to dream!

The Philadelphia Eagles enter the NFC Wild Card Round with several starters in question. Jalen Hurts, Cam Jurgens, and A.J. Brown all suffered injuries in Week 18. DeVonta Smith sat out the brutal loss against the New York Giants in Week 18. Nick Sirianni is desperate for a playoff victory. He hopes to have a healthy lineup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Eagles are reeling badly. They lost five of their final six games to finish the 2023 regular season. The fan base has no optimism heading into the playoffs just one month after the team sat at 10-1 in sole possession of the best record in the NFL.

Nobody can confidently say the Eagles have any momentum heading into the playoffs. They lost consecutive games to finish the regular season against opponents in the bottom tier of the NFL with nothing to play for. The Eagles struggled with the same weaknesses throughout the 2023 season, and their recent opponents have exposed their flaws brutally.

Darius Slay will likely return after missing the final four games of the regular season after arthroscopic knee surgery. Kelee Ringo and Eli Ricks will still rotate into the defensive backfield after filling in for Slay the past four games. Sydney Brown is unavailable after a serious injury in Week 18.

DeVonta Smith is nursing an ankle injury suffered in the fourth quarter against the Cardinals in Week 17. D'Andre Swift also sat out the loss against the Giants. Both should also return against the Buccaneers.

Cam Jurgens suffered an eye injury against the Giants. His status is still in question. All eyes will turn to A.J. Brown. Assuming Jalen Hurts plays through a dislocated finger, Brown's status will be the most impactful is the most significant of any injury news. 

Quarterback, #1
Oklahoma University/University of Alabama
4th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (53rd overall) in 2020

Running Back, #0
University of Georgia
4th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Detroit Lions (April 2023)

Wide Receiver, #6
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (10th overall) in 2021

Wide Receiver, #80
University of Alabama
13th NFL Season, Signed in Free Agency (October 2023)

Wide Receiver, #16
Southern Miss
4th NFL Season- Drafted in 6th Round (200th overall) in 2020

Tight End, #88
South Dakota St.
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (48th overall) in 2018

Left Tackle, #68
Jeff Stoutland University
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 7th Round (233rd overall) in 2018

Left Guard, #69
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (37th overall) in 2021

Center, #62
University of Cincinnati
13th NFL Season- Drafted in 6th Round (191st overall) in 2011

Right Guard, #51
University of Nebraska
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (51st overall) in 2022

Left Tackle, #69
Oklahoma University
11th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (4th overall) in 2013

Defensive End, #94
Florida State
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 4th Round (130th overall) in 2018

Defensive Tackle, #91
Mississippi State
12th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (12th overall) in 2012

Defensive Tackle, #90
University of Georgia
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (13th overall) in 2022

Edge Rusher/Linebacker, #7
Temple University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2022)

Linebacker, #52
Vanderbilt University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (August 2023)

Linebacker, #50
South Carolina St.
6th NFL Season, Signed in Free Agency (December 2023)

Cornerback, #2
Mississippi State
11th NFL Season- Acquired in trade from Detroit Lions (March 2020)

Cornerback, #24
University of Arkansas/Samford University
8th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (May 2022)

Cornerback, #29
University of Pittsburgh
Drafted in 4th Round (125th overall) in 2018

Safety, #31
Middle Tennessee State
8th NFL Season, Acquired in trade from Tennessee Titans (October 2023)

Safety, #32
Middle Tennessee State
2nd NFL Season- Signed as Undrafted Free Agent (May 2022)