Getting Back in the Game
Many teams would rather have their bye later in the season, but for the Eagles, it has come at the right time—after only four games. That’s because the bye will give a chance for this banged up team to regroup.
There is no doubt many Eagles fans are jumping off that bandwagon after the latest debacle, a 33-16 loss to the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While the Eagles should be held to the highest of standards, especially since this is a team capable of reaching the Super Bowl, the group that suited up against Tampa Bay was severely short-handed.
The Eagles were without their top two receivers DeVonta Smith (concussion) and A.J. Brown (hamstring). They were also without perennial Pro Bowl tackle Lane Johnson (concussion).
It’s safe to say that Smith and Brown conservatively form one of the top five receiver duos in the NFL and Johnson is one of the best in the business.
According to ESPN, since Johnson’s rookie season in 2013 the Eagles are 97-59-1 in games he has played in (including playoffs) for a .621 winning percentage. Without him, they are now 14-24 (.368).
That stat speaks for itself.
So does the fact that Hurts was sacked six times by Tampa Bay.
The Eagles starting receivers against Tampa Bay were Jahan Dotson and rookie Johnny Wilson. Against Tampa Bay, those two combined for two receptions for 11 yards, all by Dotson.
Jalen Hurts, like most quarterbacks, needs a strong supporting cast to succeed. Hurts would have needed a superhuman effort to overcome the loss of his two best receivers and his top lineman.
That didn’t happen. Hurts completed 18 of 30 passes for just 158 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, compiling an underwhelming 85.1 passer rating. He rushed for 20 yards and a TD on eight carries.
While Hurts didn’t throw any interceptions, he did have a key fumble and turnovers have continued to hurt him.
While injuries plagued the offense, the defense entered the game with their top players and then had their worst performance of the season. Finding any kind of consistency on defense has to be a priority.
So now the best thing that has happened to the Eagles is that they have a week off.
The second best is that the immediate schedule upon their return doesn’t appear to be that daunting, although the Eagles haven’t earned the right to be overconfident against any team.
The Eagles return to action on Oct. 13 when they host the Cleveland Browns, clearly among the top three worst-run organizations in the NFL. Then the Eagles have two road games, against the New York Giants, who have cemented themselves as the worst team in the NFC East and among the worst in the NFL, and a second road game against the current 1-3 Cincinnati Bengals, who struggled before beating the lowly Carolina Panthers for their first win this past week.
In fact, the Eagles don’t face any world-beaters in their final 13 games of the season.
That doesn’t mean that they can take anything for granted, because the Eagles are far from world-beaters themselves.
They should be a playoff team, but in both the NFC and AFC, what really matters is getting that top seed and the first-round bye. Without the bye, the Eagles or any other teams would have to win three playoff games instead of two in order to reach the Super Bowl.
There really aren’t any world-beaters in the NFC.
Even the top teams in the standings have questions. For instance, does anybody expect that Minnesota (4-0) with Sam Darnold at quarterback, to continue its torrid play?
It says here that if healthy, the Eagles can compete with anybody in the NFC, but they did blow a golden chance to get off to a sizzling start. They gave away a game to Atlanta that came down to questionable coaching decisions, and a late-game defensive collapse in a 22-21 loss.
So they could very well be 3-1, but the fact is, they are 2-2.
They are capable of much more and the two weeks will be a welcome time to heal up, regroup and then attempt to prove what they are capable of achieving with all their key parts in place.
Photo of Jalen Hurts / Courtesy of Philadelphia Eagles
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Author: Marc Narducci
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