The Philadelphia Eagles are 0-2 to start the season after a 20-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. The Eagles haven’t played respectable football this season. According to CBSsports.com, Head Coach Chip Kelly said after the game, “Nothing worked today. We’re going to assess everything.” What has been the cause of their poor start?
The Philadelphia defense is mediocre. They have given up an average of 23 points. Teams are having a tough time running against them, being held to only 107 yards rushing per game. They also have four quarterback sacks. The main concern has been that they can’t stop opponents’ passing offense, giving up 270 yards per game. Opposing quarterbacks are finding wide-open receivers and they are gaining yards to move the chains or take it all the way to the end zone for touchdowns. The defense isn’t doing the job because they aren’t pressuring the quarterback often enough. The defensive backs don’t have time to keep coverage on the receivers, allowing big passing plays. With the defense giving up points, the Eagles offense is forced to score points in a hurry. This is not a recipe for success.
In the early season, the offense is throwing for 277.5 yards per game. That’s not great but not terrible. Quarterback Sam Bradford is finding open receivers and they are gaining yards. Unfortunately, Bradford has made mistakes, tossing four interceptions. He has to make better decisions and be more careful with the football.
The area where the offense thought they would excel was the running game because they signed DeMarco Murray in the offseason. He has yet to show up in two games, running for only 11 yards. The Eagles were hoping that Ryan Mathews would also assist the running game. He has four yards rushing. Darren Sproles is their leading rusher with 46 rushing yards.
The offensive line has been the problem. They are doing an outstanding job at protecting Sam Bradford. They have only given up one sack. The line has made it difficult for the running backs. Every time they run the ball, they miss one block and that’s enough for opponents to tackle Murray or Mathews behind the line for a loss. That needs to improve. The offensive line must push back the defensive line and hold their blocks. This will give their running backs a chance to run the football and gain yards.
The Eagles have glaring problems. They will need to address them on film as well as in practice. That’s the only way this team will be better.
What should the Eagles do to become a better football team the rest of the season?
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