Eagles Offense Grounded by Ravens, Defense Remains Championship Caliber (Week 6)

by adelfish | 4 years ago | 1 Comments

Eagles Offense Grounded by Ravens, Defense Remains Championship Caliber

Philadelphia, PA

'That defense is something special.'

That was the first statement out of Coach Adelmann's mouth following the loss to Baltimore at home. The Eagles scored 14 points in the 4th quarter, and had the ball for a final potential game-winning drive, but the hail mary attempt fell short in the end zone.

'Let's not panic here, we are a 4-2 football team, with losses of 2 and 6 to some of the best teams you'll see.'

That statement is correct, well, the second part. Losing to the 49ers in Week 4 by 2 points, and the Ravens this week by 6 points, is not something to go info full blown panic mode about. Those are playoff teams, with great rosters and seasoned coaching staffs. 

But the alarming part? The Eagles offense has struggled in both of those games. Carson Wentz has thrown 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions in those games, and only 310 total yards. The Ravens stout man coverage and blitzing defense was able to force 6 sacks, most of them being coverage sacks.

The injury to rookie wide receiver Jalen Reagor, and running back Miles Sanders, hasn't helped matters.

The Eagles receiving core is solid, with Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson being savvy veterans, but against a secondary like Baltimore or San Francisco, the presence of a game breaker like Reagor is so important, and having the versatility of Miles Sanders is what makes this offense work. Philly has managed to get production from Corey Clement, but his talent upside isn't comparable.

Reagor and Sanders will both return within the next two games, giving the offense it's maximum firepower again. Once again, the theme of this week is, as coach said, not to panic. The Eagles offense is currently 6th in passing, and 11th in scoring. The implemantation of this new system is still a work in progress, and two hiccups (close ones) against San Francisco and Baltimore is no cause to tear it down.

Rumblings inside the building though, are that the rookies are going to see more time. With a serious lack of production from Alshon Jeffery and Marquise Goodwin, I expect to see more of John Hightower and Quez Watkins in the offense. 

There are always positives to take away from games, and as the title of this article alluded to, the Philadelphia defense continues to be special. Despite losing rotational defensive tackle Malik Jackson, the Eagles still lead the league in sacks with 17, and are the 8th highest scoring defense. 

The defense has accounted for 13 takeaways in 6 games, and most of it is coming from the youth of this unit. Young cornerback Avonte Maddox has 2 interceptions, rookie linebacker Davion Taylor has 2 interceptions and a pick six, and rookie safety K'Von Wallace has a pick of his own.

The next 3 games provide a great opportunity for this offense to find rhythm again, facing off against the New York Giants twice, and the Dallas Cowboys. Coming out of that stretch with 6 or 7 wins would give Philadelphia a strong hold of the NFC East.

Until next time, thanks for reading!