Well, that went well. The Eagles fell short in a grueling loss to the Seattle Seahawks and it’s a loss that fans will be eager to put in the rear-view mirror. Unfortunately, the view immediately in front isn’t much brighter.
Oh, Doug…
That might be the worst game Doug Pederson has ever called during his time as Eagles Head Coach. From top to bottom it was absolutely shambolic. A pair of poor challenges led to two wasted timeouts and in a game against the league’s worst-ranked pass defense, the offense put up 215 yards through the air all game.
There were numerous factors that played into the struggling pass-attack. Predictably weak offensive line play only got worse and it’s not like Wentz had all the help in the world…or a Head Coach making good decisions.
After reports suggested Jalen Hurts would see a career-high in snaps, he took to the field twice and completed one pass. The Eagles had -4 yards first-quarter yards prior to that moment. Hurts was pulled from the game and Wentz was sacked for a loss of 8 on the very next play.
Travis Fulgham wasn’t targeted in the first half at all and it looked like Alshon Jeffery had replaced him on the depth chart which is frankly inexcusable.
Calling 5 yard plays on 3rd and 7 makes no sense. Going for it on 4th down and long inside enemy territory when only down two scores made no sense. Passing 46 times and running a total of 9 makes no sense.
All Doug Pederson did today was hold back his offense and put them in disadvantageous positions – the direct opposite of what his job description entails. Do not be surprised to see the pressure start to mount over the coming days.
Eagles QB Carson Wentz delivers a mixed bag
A late surge saw Wentz find Richard Rodgers for a touchdown, but outside of that, Wentz really struggled. His interception was a dreadful mistake and it was one of many on the night. Touch, placement, and accuracy have all evaded Wentz this season and tonight was no exception. This was probably one of the tougher performances to stomach and it’s not like it started well.
On the team’s opening drive, the Eagles were gifted a 1st & 5 situation. They went 3 and out after a drop and a pair of misses. That very much set the tone for the night.
There were flurries of strong play, especially on the ground. Wentz showed the fight and desire needed to keep drives alive by himself, running over Quandre Diggs at one stage and amassing 42 rushing yards, leading the team by quite some margin.
However, it isn’t all on the shoulders of #11 and that does have to be noted.
It’s not all on him…
The offensive line played terribly. Jason Kelce forgot to snap a ball at one point, Jason Peters played about as awfully as we expected on a broken toe, and Wentz was sacked 6 times and hit 12. O u c h.
The wide receivers didn’t help massively and not every bad throw is uncatchable (just a huge chunk). The entire offense laid a monumental Egg and it was devastating because of the spirited effort on the other side of the ball.
Eagles defense fought hard
You cannot fault Jim Schwartz or his defense tonight. The entire unit played their tails off from the very first snap right until the last. There was nothing more they could’ve done…except maybe not spark a WWE pay-per-view in the first quarter? But even then, you have to respect the fired-up mentality.
Alex Singleton was a showstopper for the third week in a row, while Derek Barnett finally harnessed a spin move and came up with 2 huge plays on 4th down to silence an arrogant Seahawks offense that wanted to stamp all over Philadelphia early on.
Jalen Mills had his best game of the year and his energy fueled the rest of a defense that surrendered only 230 passing yards and 76 on the ground. It’s not like the defense leaked all night….mostly.
Minor quibble
177 of those 230 yards came from D.K Metcalf, who sent Darius Slay back to the locker room with his tail between his legs. Slay was picked on all night long…and that’s on a secondary comprised of nothing but players under 6’0. Metcalf used his height and physicality to slice the Eagles secondary to shreds. If there is one criticism that applies to Schwartz, it’s his love for smaller corners who bring speed and versatility. Those traits are no match for D.K Metcalf. But then again, which traits are? (Not my 38-inch vertical, never that.)
The Eagles are a mess and somehow still in the NFC East title race. They’ll fly to Green Bay next week to face the Packers. Buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
