Eagles have won 9 in a row. But. . . .
December 9, 2024
It’s very difficult to bitch when the Eagles have won nine games in a row, when their new running back is setting franchise records and when they have already clinched a playoff spot with four games to play.
It is even more difficult when the Eagles have more than doubled your idiotic win-total prediction of a few months ago.
Very difficult, yes.
Impossible, no.
One thing our city (and I) know how to do is complain in good times and bad. So let me begin today with a couple of not-so-positive observations after a 22-16 win over Carolina that raised more concerns than hopes.
And let’s not quibble here, please. If WR Xavier Legette had held onto that pass at the goal line with 52 seconds left, the Eagles probably would have lost. In that case, we’d all be trying how to explain how the defense allowed a 97-yard touchdown drive with the game on the line against one of the worst offenses in the NFL.
It was that close to a disaster.
Before that final drive, the real issues were on offense, and especially when Saquon Barkley wasn’t involved. Barkley has been carrying more than the ball during this streak; he has been carrying the entire team, really. He may be the best free-agent signing in Philadelphia sports history. (Sorry, Bryce Harper.)
But his franchise record for rushing yards (1,623 and counting) is starting to expose some problems. The biggest one is the passing game. On Sunday, against a the 25th-ranked pass defense, Jalen Hurts and his many weapons managed only 108 yards. WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith combined for a sad 8 catches and 80 yards.
Those numbers may be enough to eke out a win over the miserable Panthers, but they will not cut it once the Birds make the playoffs. Part of me wanted to see Legette make that catch just to see if the Eagles offense could flip the switch in the final seconds and save the win.
More worrisome than the numbers themselves is the reaction of the two star receivers. Neither seemed to be in a celebratory mood after the win.
Brown, who is never happy if he doesn’t have the ball, slammed his helmet down at one point in the first half after a three-and-out, no doubt sending a message that he needed more plays called for him. (His first target came right after the two-minute warning in the second quarter.)
Brown said it’s hard to synchronize the passing game when the team is rarely passing. He’s right about that.
Meanwhile, Smith was back after a month rehabbing a hamstring injury, and he was less than thrilled about his first game back.
“We didn’t play up to our standards,” he said.
Then he pointed out that the problem is a lack of synchronization between the receivers and Hurts, who is not seeing the field well and misfiring when he does spot an open target.
Neither Brown nor Smith hid their frustration with Hurts, whom they depend on for the big plays they have executed masterfully in their previous seasons together. For that matter, neither did Hurts.
As usual, the quarterback shouldered most of the blame, though when reminded of Brown’s helmet-slamming frustration, he said:
“It isn’t about solving anything.”
In other words, shut up and play. The team is winning at a historic rate, and it’s dumb to complain.
Of course, in Philadelphia, it is also a requirement.
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One other problem has slipped under the radar during this nine-game winning streak, and it should be no small concern. Jake Elliott can’t kick the ball straight anymore, and never is that issue more apparent than when he’s lining up from the 50-yard line or beyond.
In fact, the best long-range kicker in Eagles history is 0 for 5 this season from 50+. In the three previous seasons, Elliott was 14 for 16 from that range.
What the heck is going on here?
This would have been a much bigger topic of discussion today if Legette had caught that pass in the final minute because the game might have come down to a field-goal attempt by the Eagles in the final seconds.
Sirianni addressed the situation after the game when he said: “In my mind it’s, OK, if Legette caught it, he scored a touchdown because he rolled into the end zone; we have three timeouts and 52 seconds to go. Let’s go win.”
Hmmmm. Should we believe the coach’s words or his actions?
Remember, just before that final Carolina drive, Sirianni passed up a 54-yard field-goal attempt that would have clinched the victory. Instead, he chose (correctly) to punt the ball and pin back the third-worst offense in football.
Legette’s drop prevented a lot of second-guessing today. But it didn’t solve Elliott’s problem. He has a month to figure it out.
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Some other thoughts as I count the days until the big Steelers-Eagles matchup next Sunday. . . . .
- Did the Mets actually pay a player (Juan Soto) $765 million to play right field for the next 15 years? Is any player worth that, let alone someone who is a below-average fielder and doesn’t believe in running hard on every play? If so, how much is a player who does everything well worth? A billion?
- Unfortunately for the Phillies, this is the new reality of the NL East and the rest of the league. The owner of the Mets, Steve Cohen, is willing to overpay for any star he wants. Same with the Dodgers (see Shohei Othani last year). Where does that leave the Phillies?
- Right now, as they rebuild, the Flyers are a constant source of frustration for me. So many times, they blow late leads by going into hockey’s version of the prevent defense. I like coach John Tortorella, but he needs to make his young team tougher. These late losses are brutal for fans.
- Is it a bad thing that I don’t like Eagles coach Nick Sirianni much more when he winning than when he’s losing? It’s weird. Even now, I’m convinced the Birds are winning despite the head coach, not because of him. Am I the only one who feels this way? Do I have a problem?
- Joel Embiid actually played a game on Sunday. He scored 31 points and the Sixers beat the Bulls, 108-100. He must be exhausted. Give the poor guy another month off. Doesn’t his team know regular-season games don’t matter?