The city of PhiladelphiaBefore the playoffs, the Eagles will need to address a number of issues. Throughout the team’s eight-game winning streak, Philadelphia’s offense and defense have trounced opponents.
The Eagles will play at home in the wild-card round of the NFC Playoffs in six weeks, most likely as the No. 2 seed. They could advance to their second Super Bowl in three years if they win the NFC Championship a few weeks later.
The Eagles can address their lingering problems during the next five weeks of the regular season, beginning on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.
As the playoffs draw closer, the Eagles may be concerned about the following three issues:
The Eagles, who are currently lowest in first-quarter scoring (17), have had a difficult season due to their sluggish start. With an average of 377.7 yards per game over 13 games, Philadelphia’s offensive has been among the best in the NFL overall, ranking third in total offense.
Perhaps the NFL’s top three playmakers are running back Saquon Barkley, wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and both.Since Week 6, Jalen Hurts has accumulated 10 touchdowns and thrown one interception, making him one of the league’s most effective quarterbacks. Additionally, the Eagles’ offensive line has excelled at run blocking and pass protection.
However, the Eagles’ excellent offense commits careless errors in the first quarter of games, such as giving up too many yards on terrible plays and poor penalties.
The offense went three-and-out on each of the three first-quarter drives in the Eagles’ 24-19 victory over the Ravens last Sunday. Brown jumped offside on first-and-10 from their 27-yard line on the final drive of the first quarter. Hurts was then forced to punt for the third consecutive time after being sacked for a loss of six yards on third down by Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith and cornerback Marlon Humphrey.
The Eagles defeated the Commanders 26–18 two weeks ago with just three first-half points. The Eagles had a manageable third down, but offensive lineman Mekhi Becton was flagged for holding on second-and-12 from Washington’s 25 at the end of their first drive. At the end of that drive, kicker Jake Elliott missed a field goal that was 44 yards long.
At Philadelphia’s 22, Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu sacked Hurts on third-and-eight to finish the Eagles’ following series.
The Eagles offense must improve its first-quarter efficiency over the next five weeks. Philadelphia might lose a postseason game as a result of a bad start.
On Tuesday, Eagles offensive coordinator Kelley Moore stated, “We don’t want to deal with that adversity every single week.” Our men’ ability to finish this project has, in my opinion, been one of their greatest strengths. In the second half, they’re playing really well.
The Eagles’ edge rush group has abruptly become depleted after losing Brandon Graham for the season due to a torn tricep in Week 12 and Bryce Huff for at least four weeks due to a wrist injury sustained before Week 11.
The Eagles’ 53-man roster lacks a proven pass rusher aside from Josh Sweat. During a possible Super Bowl run, rookie Jalyx Hunt and second-year edge rusher Nolan Smith will need to contribute significantly.
Over the past eight weeks, Philadelphia has led the NFL in sacks with 30. This season, defensive tackle Sweat has a team-high seven sacks.With five sacks, Milton Williams is the defensive tackle with the second-highest total.Carter, Jalen, has four. So that their inexperienced edge rushers don’t have to, the Eagles’ top three defensive lineman might be able to generate steady pressure in January.
In the past month, Smith has gradually improved. He has 4.5 total sacks this season, including last week’s sack of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. However, Smith cannot be expected to dominate games at this point in his career.
Hunt, who was selected from Houston Christian in the third round, has a ton of untapped potential. However, he is also not prepared to control games.
The Eagles’ pass rush has performed well as a unit. But without Graham, the edge rushers might eventually have trouble.
With a passing average of 188.8 yards per game, the Eagles are ranked 28th. The requirement for a strong passing attack was eliminated when Philadelphia switched to a run-heavy strategy following the Week 5 bye.
For the past eight weeks, the Eagles’ running offense has dominated and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Hurts and his playmakers will need to demonstrate that they can still lead the offense in order to win a game if the Eagles find it difficult to run the ball against a strong playoff defense.
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