Philadelphia Eagles' Biggest Obstacles to Deep Playoff Run
To call the Philadelphia Eagles' 24-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks frustrating would be an understatement.
Fresh off a Thanksgiving Day beatdown of the Dallas Cowboys, Chip Kelly's Eagles were exposed in every way possible. The offense mustered just 139 total yards and 14 points, both season lows. Mark Sanchez's performance raises questions about whether he's good enough to take this team deep into the postseason, and the disappointing output from All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy was worrisome.
The Eagles can still salvage their season—and even take a serious step toward clinching the NFC East title—by beating the Cowboys Sunday night. Lose that one, though, and it will be all but pandemonium here in Philadelphia.
Kelly has clearly demonstrated that he can get his team to produce. After all, he took a 4-12 team under Andy Reid and got 10 wins and an NFC East title in his first year, using largely the same roster. But he came short in a home playoff game, and Eagles fans won't be happy if he fails to deliver a postseason victory again in season two.
Here are five possible detriments to this team's advancing deep into the playoffs.
Quarterback Play
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The one key to a consistently great football team is the quarterback position. It’s no coincidence that the three best teams in the National Football League are led by the three best quarterbacks in the game.
The 2013 Philadelphia Eagles made the playoffs largely because of Nick Foles’ historic season, but the 2014 club is winning more because of the defensive and special teams touchdowns. Quarterback has been a problem, as Foles and Mark Sanchez have combined for 17 interceptions, the third-worst total in the league. As a unit, the offense has turned it over more times than any other team in the NFL.
In some ways, Sanchez has been a breath of fresh air from Foles; he’s more mobile, which allows him to step up in the pocket and evade would-be pass-rushers. Then again, he’s also erratic, having thrown seven interceptions in just six games.
Sanchez struggled to move the ball against Seattle, passing for just 96 yards on 4.8 yards per attempt. Seattle is an exceptionally difficult defense, but it’s problematic to see the Eagles competing with the top NFC teams like the Green Bay Packers or Seahawks, especially with the differences in the quarterback position.
It’s not outside the realm of possibility to see Foles come back if Sanchez doesn’t play well against Dallas Sunday night, but for the Eagles to really compete, they’ll need the 2013 Foles—not the turnover-prone 2014 version.
Secondary
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To be fair, Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher have played much better as of late, and the Philadelphia Eagles actually rank second in the National Football League in completion percentage allowed (57.6).
But other numbers suggest this secondary is subpar at best. The Eagles are 26th in passing yards allowed, 28th in touchdowns allowed and right near the middle of the pack (18th) in defensive passer rating allowed (91.11), according to Cold Hard Football Facts.
Against the better quarterbacks, this defense has struggled. Andrew Luck put up three touchdowns. Aaron Rodgers threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns. Subpar passers like Kirk Cousins (427 yards) and Austin Davis (375 yards) moved the ball with ease.
The Eagles secondary could probably survive against Drew Stanton in the playoffs, but against Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Matthew Stafford or Tony Romo, the team may be in trouble.
Inability to Beat Great Teams
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Since taking over as Philadelphia’s head coach, Chip Kelly has won 19 of 29 regular-season contests. That’s a .655 winning percentage. The problem is that he’s just 6-8 against teams that finished the season with a .500 or better record (counting 2014 teams currently above .500).
Last year, the Eagles’ only win against a playoff opponent came when they beat the Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers. This year, the Eagles are just 1-3 against teams that would make the postseason if the season ended now (the lone victory came against the Indianapolis Colts).
Seeing the Eagles lose 53-20 to Green Bay and 24-14 to Seattle is disheartening, considering there’s a good chance the NFC playoffs go through one of these two teams. The team also lost to Arizona, meaning Philly has gone 0-3 against the three best NFC teams it has faced.
That doesn’t seem to bode well for the Eagles’ postseason chances.
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Lack of Home-Field Advantage
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The Philadelphia Eagles can still beat the Dallas Cowboys and win the NFC East, especially considering their final two games are very winnable contests against the Washington Redskins and New York Giants. That would put the Eagles at 12-4, but it could keep the Eagles as just the No. 3 seed in the NFC.
After all, the Eagles lost to Green Bay, Seattle and Arizona; that means Philadelphia has to finish with one more win than any of those teams to capture home-field advantage in the playoffs. Green Bay should win 12 games with ease, and there’s a good chance Seattle does too.
That means Philadelphia will have to go through either Green Bay’s Lambeau Field or the impossibly tough CenturyLink Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks. Aaron Rodgers’ home statistics this year are well-documented, and the frozen tundra won’t be an easy place to play. And Russell Wilson is a ridiculous 20-2 at home (plus 2-0 in the playoffs).
Inconsistency in Running Game
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Having LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles in the backfield should mean one of the NFL’s most potent rushing attacks.
The problem is that McCoy has been inconsistent way too many times this season. He’s still on pace for a 1,300-yard season, but he’s been held to fewer than 20 rushing yards on three different occasions. Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles really needed McCoy to come through against an intimidating Seattle secondary, but he finished with just 50 rushing yards on 17 carries and a lost fumble. (McCoy did admit later that he wasn’t as focused as he should have been).
Sproles continues to produce, despite Sunday’s four-carry, zero-yard output. The problem is that he gets the ball so infrequently that it’s difficult for him to make an impact on just a handful of rushing attempts.
Given the instability of the quarterback position, the Eagles need their running game to consistently produce. That shouldn’t be a problem with the talent in the backfield and the strength of the offensive line. Playing against Dallas on Sunday night will be a big test, as Philadelphia will need to run efficiently to keep up with DeMarco Murray & Co.
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