The Best Show Ever?: Weekdays 2pm – 6pm

The Best Show Ever?: Weekdays 2pm – 6pm

The Best Show Ever?: Weekdays 2pm – 6pm

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 10: Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks to pass during the first quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on December 10, 2023 in Arlington, Texas.

In just two weeks, the Eagles went from on top of the NFL world, to panic mode. After starting 10-1, they got blown out two weeks in a row. If they had just lost close games, you could probably deal with the losses. They are still in a good position to win the NFC East, and maybe even the Conference. But based on how they played, it is hard to be confident in them right now.

Nothing besides the Special Teams has been working the last two games. Right now the defense is just a complete mess. Yes, they bounced back a bit in the second half. But they still allowed 33 points. Bringing their total points allowed in the last 3 games to 109. They can’t get off the field, they can’t get stops, and apart from a fumble and score vs the Cowboys, they have not been forcing turnovers. Perhaps the most surprising part of this defense is how much they have struggled to get after the QB.

And the offense is not much better. They scored just 6 points vs the Cowboys. Two field goals were all they could muster. And while they are still 6th in total points, there is way too much inconsistency to be happy with how they have played.

This team has problems. Problems beyond just having two awful games. Those two games exposed a lot of flaws, and it would be fair for anyone to now question if this team has what it takes to be a Super Bowl contender. Their two biggest obstacles to get to the Super Bowl just beat the crap out of them. They are going to have to beat at least one of them to get there, and it is hard to feel like they have a good chance to do so right now.

Here are 5 concerning numbers for the Eagles going forward:

  • 179

    The Eagles pass defense isnt just bad, it may be the worst in the league right now. They are near the bottom of the league in almost every category. And that includes 1st downs allowed through the air, 179. That is the most any team has allowed. It is 11 more than the next worse team. And that is on everyone. The corners, the safeties, and the linebackers. None of them are playing well right now. The linebackers and safeties are on Howie. He lost all 4 starters and didn’t do a good enough job replacing them. But Darius Slay and James Bradberry taking a step back may be an even bigger issue.

    Jeff Kerr on Twitter: "James Bradberry in coverage vs. #Cowboys 7-of-9, 63 yards, TD, 0 INT, 116.2 ratingBradley Roby in coverage4-of-6, 46 yards, TD, 0 INT, 109.7 rating#Eagles / Twitter"

    James Bradberry in coverage vs. #Cowboys 7-of-9, 63 yards, TD, 0 INT, 116.2 ratingBradley Roby in coverage4-of-6, 46 yards, TD, 0 INT, 109.7 rating#Eagles

  • 48.07%

    On that same subject, the Eagles have been terrible at getting off the field on 3rd down. They allow the other team to convert at a rate of 48.07%. Nearly half of the time the other team is extending their drive. And when they do get stops on 3rd, they allow the other team to convert 51.85% of 4th down tries. It’s why they had to play so many snaps vs the Bills. They would get to 3rd down and then allow a conversion. It has a cumulative effect where it makes them play more snaps, they get more tired, and then they play even worse.

    This defense is worse than any team in the league at getting off the field. What makes it more frustrating is they have hovered around the top 10 in preventing first downs on first and second down. But it doesn’t matter, because they are so bad at getting stops on 3rd and 4th, that they are still at the bottom of the league at getting stops overall.

    Jeff Skversky on Twitter: "Eagles D gives up TD on opening driveCowboys perfect 3 for 3 on 3rd down#Eagles have the WORST ranked D in NFL in 3rd % pic.twitter.com/TlNWPe8aQO / Twitter"

    Eagles D gives up TD on opening driveCowboys perfect 3 for 3 on 3rd down#Eagles have the WORST ranked D in NFL in 3rd % pic.twitter.com/TlNWPe8aQO

  • 25

    The issues on defense can be traced back to a lack of talent. But what excuse does the offense have? They have two great WRS, a good TE, a QB that 2 weeks ago was the favorite to win MVP, and a great O-Line. And yet, for two straight weeks, they have struggled to put up points. They have just 25 points of offense in these two games. They managed just two field goals vs the Cowboys. And it is not like they weren’t moving the ball. They had just 70 fewer yards than the Cowboys. But when you fumble it 3 times in enemy territory, you miss out on scoring chances.

    Not to mention both Devonta Smith and AJ Brown failed to make a play on balls that could have gone for TDS. It was an uncharacteristic bad game by the Eagles pass catchers. Hurts gave them multiple chances to make plays, they just either dropped them or didn’t even attack the ball in the air.

    A lot of it is coaching. And I don’t mean Brian Johnson. This is Nick Sirianni’s offense. He designs the plays, he puts together the playbook, and Johnson calls them on game day. Johnson is getting the blame, but he is just running the offense Sirianni wants him to run. Sirianni deserves the bulk of the blame for anything going wrong on the offense.

  • 3.77

    To start the year, D’Andre Swift was as good as any running back in the league. That has not been the case for several weeks now though. In fact, in the last 8 games, he averages just 3.77 yards per carry. That would be 37th in the league. Is that him? Is it the O-line? Is it the scheme? It might be a mix of the 3. But whatever it is, it is a big issue. Their ability to run at will is part of what made last year’s team great. But it does not exist this year. Jalen Hurts hesitation to run full throttle may play some part in that too. It makes the read option far less effective. But most RBs have to run without the help of an elite running QB, so I don’t buy that as an excuse.

    If you can’t run without the threat of a running QB, that means you don’t have the talent to run the ball well. Maybe we are seeing why the Lions were so willing to move on from Swift. Maybe he just isn’t a lead-back. And before you say he isn’t getting enough carries, he is 8th in the league. The reason he isn’t getting more than that is because he isn’t doing enough with the carries he does get.

    Dylan MacKinnon on Twitter: "For the crowd blaming the lack of D'Andre Swift carries, for the Eagles' struggles. In the last 9 weeks, he has averaged just 3.7 yards per carry. That would be 37th in the league. Yet he is 8th in the league in carries. Maybe the problem is Swift isn't playing well enough... / Twitter"

    For the crowd blaming the lack of D'Andre Swift carries, for the Eagles' struggles. In the last 9 weeks, he has averaged just 3.7 yards per carry. That would be 37th in the league. Yet he is 8th in the league in carries. Maybe the problem is Swift isn't playing well enough...

  • 92%

    Earlier in the year, the Eagles’ defense bent a lot, but they were able to get key stops when it counted, including in the red zone. Lately, they have had no hope at getting those kinds of stops. As Tom Alvord pointed out on Twitter, they have allowed a TD on 11 of the last 12 red zone opportunities (92%) in the last 3 games. The Bears are last in the league so far this year with a Red Zone stop rate of 75%. The Eagles are 30th at 70.45%. But in these last 3 weeks, they have been historically bad.

    If you just change that to the league average, around 50%, you are keeping 20 points off the board. The difference between holding a team to an FG, compared to allowing a TD can be huge. As the Eagles have learned with their own red Zone struggles at times. But this team is incapable of getting that type of stop right now.

    Tom Alvord on Twitter: "Eagles' defense recently:-109 points allowed in the last 3 weeks (36 PPG)-11 scores allowed in 12 red zone appearances (92%)-allowed conversions on 30 of the last 49 third down attempts (61%) / Twitter"

    Eagles' defense recently:-109 points allowed in the last 3 weeks (36 PPG)-11 scores allowed in 12 red zone appearances (92%)-allowed conversions on 30 of the last 49 third down attempts (61%)

Sign Up For The Fanatic MVP Insider Newsletter

Get the info you need on the Philly Sports landscape, events you need to know about, exclusive contests, and more.

*
By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.