The defending Super Bowl Champions certainly aren’t playing up to their reputation as the race for the playoffs takes shape. Instead, they’re playing like their 4-5 record…especially in the first quarter. What’s confusing is that there doesn’t seem to be any real reason behind their worryingly low production in the opening 15 minutes of play, but ‘worryingly low’ may be an understatement.
Through the opening nine games of the 2017 season, the Eagles scored 71 first quarter points. That number sits at 31 one year later. In fact, the Eagles have run 20 drives during the first quarter this year and they’ve scored on just 3. The results of the other 17? 11 punts, 4 turnovers and 2 missed field goals.
“It has just been, just our execution.” Doug Pederson told reporters on Monday. “Just sustaining a block or the read by the quarterback or – and to me, that’s kind of where if there’s an urgency moment how we start games, that’s where the urgency, I think, coaches, players, everybody involved really needs to sort of heighten so that we can stay on the field and go down and score points.”
Execution seemed to be a word echoing around the locker room following Sunday night’s devastating loss to Dallas, but what does it really come down to? Is it effort? Is it a mental aspect of the game? Is it a lack of preparation? For Carson Wentz, there’s no time for excuses, as voiced in his post-game interview.
“We have to get back and look and see what teams are doing to us early in the game, why are we having these slow starts, and really need to look hard in the mirror because I think tonight, that is what cost us.”
Wentz himself has fumbled in every single game since his return, barring Sunday’s loss. A perfect example of the execution that’s disappeared from this team. Whether it’s penalties on the offensive line, miscues, poor reads like the pass picked off by Leighton Vander Esch, or simply a physical mistake, the Eagles can’t seem to get out of their own way and by the time they do, it’s too little, too late.
“We still have it, we’re just coming up short.” Future Hall of Famer, Jason Peters, said of the team’s early intensity. “We lost four games within 15, 16 points. And then we lost tonight, so it’s little stuff. That’s the difference between this year and last year.”
All the small things seem to add up. Football is a game of inches and you can’t build a House without a strong foundation. In a way, you’d kind of want there to be a glaring issue, because at least then you can begin creating a process of rectifying it. But as of right now, we’re in a situation where nobody can look at the film and single out one or two points that need changing other than the broadest term possible, ‘execution.’
It’s debatable that some of last night’s early misfires could be put down to the fact that after a long trip to London and an intense win, the Eagles flew home for a bye-week, where all of that momentum and energy simply simmered down. If that was the case, it would be down to their Head Coach to rally them back up. However, I find that hard to believe given how much apparent energy was in the locker room and even on the field before the game.
.@EzekielElliott tells me he broke up pregame #Cowboys #Eagles fight ‘because all we were doing was wasting energy.’ pic.twitter.com/wmQKURpnxP
— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) November 12, 2018
Malcolm Jenkins was seen dancing in the locker room prior to the game on the Instagram story of Jalen Mills and the players seemed notably fired up to go out and make an impact. The minute they hit the field, all that energy seemed to just dissipate.
The Cowboys fought the Eagles hard in the trenches and fundamental mistakes could be seen all across the board. How do you heighten the sense of urgency moving forward? Pederson has tried just about everything. He’s told his players that the pressure is off, he’s told his players that there’s a big red target on their backs. He’s balanced the offense, he’s unbalanced it. He’s made adjustments to the offensive line starters and of course, facilitated the trade for a wide receiver. Is there really much more Pederson can do?!
“I don’t know any other way to do it but to look internally: Am I giving enough as a head football coach?” Pederson said. “Am I giving enough to the team? Am I giving up? Am I sacrificing enough in my game planning and my studies during the week? So, I have to look at myself. And that’s what I asked the players to do. They’ve got to look and see are they getting extra conditioning? Are they getting extra film study during the week? Are they getting rest at night? All those things are part of wins and losses. So that’s something that will never change.”
Whatever is causing the lethargy on the field every single week could eventually be the cause of the Eagles season coming to a grinding halt. If there is every a time for that urgency to be at its highest, it’s against a Saints team who have posted 30+ points six times in nine games and just dropped 51 on Cincinnati. It’s before playing two games against the Redskins who hold a 2 game lead at the top of the NFC East and it’s before a clash with the L.A Rams who have a point to prove. If Pederson can’t find the magic cure soon, it could be all she wrote.
(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
