December 12, 2023
A couple of days have passed, but the concern and the frustration around Philadelphia? That hasn't seemed to lessen.
The Eagles got blown out for the second straight week, and while they're still in control of their own playoff destiny on paper at 10-3, beyond that it sure doesn't feel like it.
There's no more margin for error, the Cowboys and 49ers – who each thrashed them in consecutive games – are right there with them, and the team that was always finding new ways to win suddenly doesn't have them anymore.
The Seahawks are up next on Monday night, but now in a week that could prove pivotal to the outcome of the Eagles' 2023 season.
Things are tense. Here's a bit of what they're saying about the Birds...
Frustration visibly set in with Sunday night's loss to Dallas.
The defense got picked apart for the second straight game, and the Eagles couldn't do anything to stop it.
What was supposed to a be dominant pass rush has been failing to get home, and the secondary beyond them has been failing to stop the pass, constantly leaving them on the field and tiring out.
There's a clear book on the Eagles' defense now, and when skilled teams can adhere to it, it leaves Philly's unit a disjointed and disastrous mess.
And that's a tough pill to swallow, especially for a group that was one of the league's fiercest not even 12 months ago, as Jeff McLane observed postgame from defensive end Josh Sweat.
Said Sweat:
“We’re not where we’re supposed to be,” Sweat said later, still visibly despondent. “Me personally, on my side, I feel I definitely could have done better. But it’s too hard. I’m just not used to when we [apply] pressure well that we don’t take care of each other all the time.
“That’s what we need to be on better. Too many escapes. I’m just not used to it, not used to it, not used to it. I’m used to rushing so well against good opponents. It’s both ways. That’s why I’m frustrated. You know, obviously I got to watch the film.
“But I’m not used to our group not taking care of each other when it comes to pressure.” [The Inquirer]
We're all seeing the Eagles' issues and how prominent they've become late in the season.
Can they realistically adjust and patch these problems up with only a few weeks left before the playoffs?
For former Eagle Chris Long, speaking on Rich Eisen's show, his answer is how many points can the offense consistently score?
Said Long:
"I worry about the scheme on both sides of the ball, if I'm being dead honest, relative to last year, and I worry about the personnel on defense. It puts the offense in a position where they have to be great. Now last night they were terrible. Putting the ball on the ground and that sort of thing, dropping footballs. Those guys will tell you that. They're probably pretty hard on themselves, but that's how they have to play if they're gonna go on the road and beat Dallas in the playoffs, if they're gonna beat San Francisco. They're gonna have to score 35 points.
"Unless there's something I haven't seen yet from the defense, and there could be – they will be in the playoffs and they're gonna have another chance to beat one these two teams, I believe that – but some of these personnel issues are pretty concerning. [The Rich Eisen Show]
While the defense is, understandably, getting a lot of flack, the offense could only manage six points against Dallas, which poses just as big of a problem.
A unit that boasts Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and a versatile running back in D'Andre Swift has been stalling out, and at the root of the issue, as Honest NFL on X (aka Twitter) identified, is that Philadelphia's scheme hasn't been near creative enough in using its weapons to the fullest.
The unit is trying to make it work on talent alone.
What Honest NFL wrote in a lengthy post you can read in full HERE.
Watching the Eagles’ overall passing scheme this year, it’s pretty incredible how little separation they’re able to manufacture for everyone not named Brown, Smith, or Goedert (the ones who don’t necessarily need to be schemed open). There isn’t any staff in the NFL with a…
— Honest NFL (@TheHonestNFL) December 11, 2023
So the defense is bleeding points, the offense is now starved for points, and the NFC's other top two contenders have caught up in devastating fashion.
The Eagles are extremely vulnerable right now, and how head coach Nick Sirianni navigates them through this could stand as one of his defining moments.
Because this is arguably the most adversity the Eagles have faced of Sirianni's era, writes Dave Zangaro. There were struggles in 2021, for sure, but no real expectations at the time, and 2022 was just dominance all the way through.
But this? This is way different. The Eagles have championship expectations and a lot more at stake.
The Eagles have an extra day of rest before playing the Seahawks on the road Monday night and they need it. While there’s plenty on Sirianni’s plate this week as it pertains to the on-field product — his offense managed to score a paltry 6 points on Sunday — he’s going to have to dig deep to make sure things don’t snowball. Some of that will be on his leaders and his captains, but Sirianni is in charge of everything. This is his show and he happens to be running it with two new coordinators in 2023.
In his nearly three years as an NFL head coach, Sirianni has been extremely successful. No doubt. He has a 33-14 record and is very clearly going to get into the playoffs for a third straight season in 2023. But like we mentioned, the expectations are higher this year and adversity has officially struck.
We’re going to learn a lot about the 2023 Eagles down the stretch and it starts with a massively important game in Seattle on Monday night.
Let’s see if Sirianni can rise to the occasion again. [NBCSP]
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