The Eagles have fallen to 3-7-1 after a 23-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Philadelphia struggled all game to get their offense going. The offensive line gave up six sacks tonight, leaving Wentz running for his life for most of the game. Perhaps the biggest story of the night was Jalen Hurts. Heading into the Monday night matchup, reports were swirling that Hurts was getting “increased” snaps without Wentz on the field. However, Hurts finished tonight’s game with two snaps, one of which Wentz was on the field. Moving on from Hurts, the Eagles failed to take advantage of multiple chances tonight. This game was there for the taking, but Philadelphia didn’t want it bad enough.
The Good
Following a loss like this, it’s hard to pinpoint “good” things. They are there, though. Perhaps the biggest “good” is that there were no significant injuries for the Eagles. This is somewhat of a rarity for Philadelphia, as we are used to seeing multiple injuries throughout each game. You never want to see players getting hurt, so the Eagles escaping injury-less is essential.
Dallas Goedert
Dallas Goedert categorizes in the “good” department. Goedert hauled in 7 of his 10 targets for 75 yards and a touchdown. He’s consistently open. Wentz has to find a way to get him the ball more often. Wentz missed on a potential touchdown when he underthrew Goedert in the second half. The play resulted in a pass interference, but the missed opportunity loomed large. Look for Goedert to get even more action once Zach Ertz returns to the field.
Eagles Defense
The Eagles defense showed up tonight. While they didn’t force any turnovers, they did open up the game with back-to-back fourth-down stops to keep Seattle off the board. Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett had a hand in both key stops. This Eagles defense held Seattle to just 301 yards and 23 points. This was one of Jim Schwartz’s better games as defensive coordinator this year. The Eagles only came away with two sacks but had constant pressure on Wilson. Unfortunately for the Eagles, in a game where their defense rose to the occasion, their prized offseason acquisition had his worst game as a professional.
The Not So Good
Darius Slay
The poor offensive play took the shine away from the game this defense played. The Eagles held MVP contender Russell Wilson to just 230 passing yards and one touchdown. D.K. Metcalf hauled in 10 catches for 177 yards, most of which came against Darius Slay. The Eagles had no answer for the second year phenom. Metcalf consistently beat Slay off the line of scrimmage. Slay has no chance on 50/50 balls when it’s Metcalf on the receiving end.
Slay was the Eagles’ biggest offseason acquisition, and he is still one of the best corners in the league. Unfortunately, after tonight’s game, he has now given up 624 receiving yards this season, which is second in the NFL. He also has zero interceptions. I’m not worried about Slay, though. The Eagles refused to give him safety help all game, and Russell Wilson made them pay for that. Slay will get his chance to bounce back against Green Bay wide receiver Davante Adams next week.
Carson Wentz
You can’t win games in the NFL when you can’t move the football. The Eagles offense struggled mightily getting things going on Monday night. Before their final first-half drive, the Eagles had negative 5 offensive yards. Their 75 yard touchdown drive to end the first half likely saved Wentz starting spot to open up the second half. Carson Wentz finished 25/45, that isn’t good enough. Wentz missed numerous throws and had multiple bad reads on the night. The Eagles will only go as far as Wentz takes them. Right now, that is the number 6 pick in the NFL draft.
Something is wrong with Wentz. Is there an injury we don’t know about? Is his confidence gone because of consistent poor play? If he playing scared, having been sacked 46 times this season? Whatever the issue is, Wentz is running out of time to fix it. Multiple reports from NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport state that Jeffery Lurie has had it with Carson Wentz. He wants to see what Jalen Hurts can do on the field. Lurie and Pederson have differing opinions, seeing as Hurts only got 2 snaps tonight. Carson Wentz is still the Eagles franchise quarterback.
Doug Pederson
It is honestly mind-boggling that Pederson will not move the pocket for Carson Wentz. Every week Pederson is asked why he doesn’t call more rollouts. Every week he has a snipe response. When Carson is using his legs, he’s at his best. It is time for Doug to relinquish the play calling. His game plans are not producing a winning formula for this Eagles team. Receivers aren’t getting open with the current play calls. There are no “easy” plays to get Wentz’s confidence up to start the game. If Lurie’s disdain reports are correct, then Doug may be fighting for his job these last 5 weeks. It may be in his best interest to let another coach start to call some plays. What could go wrong?
Looking Forward
There is no sugar coating this. The Eagles’ next three games are @ Green Bay, vs. New Orleans, and @ Arizona. There is a genuine possibility that the Eagles will head into week 16 with a 3-10-1 record, and that is scary. There is also the possibility that we see a coaching change this week or even a quarterback change. That is to be determined. While no one knows who will win the NFC East, there is one thing we know for sure. The 3-7-1 Philadelphia Eagles are not a good football team, and they haven’t been in some time.
