Biggest Takeaways from Philadelphia Eagles' Week 2 Loss
The Philadelphia Eagles are in a state of complete disarray. The offense can't get out of its own way. The defense is still susceptible to long drives and big plays. Even the Eagles special teams have come unglued in key situations.
All three units were responsible on some level for Philadelphia's 20-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Then again, as we'll review in our Week 2 takeaways, the offense is by far the most concerning.
Every player and coach, from the quarterback to the receivers to the offensive line to head coach Chip Kelly himself, has had a hand in back-to-back performances that can only be described as putrid. Yes, the 0-2 Eagles got some momentum going in the second half against the Atlanta Falcons last week, but the fact that it did not carry over to the next game makes you wonder how.
If the Eagles are going anywhere, they must address these areas. We'll examine and see if we can figure out how to get them fixed.
Running Game a Complete Mess
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Mess doesn't even do it justice. The running game is a total disaster right now. The Eagles are averaging a paltry 2.1 yards per carry—basically half of what is considered acceptable. High-priced free-agent running back DeMarco Murray has 11 yards on 21 carries after two games. And quarterback Sam Bradford was the team's leading rusher against the Cowboys with nine yards.
Yet none of Murray, Ryan Mathews or Darren Sproles is to blame. There's nowhere for the running backs to go. Defenders are shooting the caps and bowling over blockers on nearly every attempt, stuffing most handoffs in the backfield before the ball-carrier gets going.
Worst of all, at this point, it's unclear how the Eagles can improve up front. The offensive line has depth issues to begin with, which is why journeymen Allen Barbre and Andrew Gardner are the starting guards. To be fair to those guys, Pro Bowlers Jason Peters and Jason Kelce haven't looked great either, and Kelly isn't replacing his starting left guard or center.
Maybe putting the quarterback under center or using an H-back would help the Eagles to run with a little more power, but the O-line that's out there now is roughly the unit we're going to get. That puts the onus on the coaches to figure out a way to move the ball on the ground.
Sam Bradford Looks Uncomfortable
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Bradford looked rusty in the first half against the Falcons, which was probably to be expected after nearly two full years out of football with injuries. However, he lit it up in the second half, completing 84.0 percent of his passes for 8.8 yards per attempt, looking more like the quarterback we saw at training camp, per Bleeding Green Nation's Brandon Lee Gowton, and during the preseason.
So why did it seem Bradford reverted against the Cowboys—not even back to the first half in Atlanta but back to his days with the St. Louis Rams? Actually, the sixth-year veteran may never have looked as confused and hesitant as he did for stretches on Sunday, making a ton of terrible decisions, struggling to go through his progressions and failing to push the ball outside or down the field.
Some of that is the way defenses are defending the Eagles, taking away the deep pass. Some of that is the heavy pass rush at times. Some of it is the lack of running game and penalties putting the offense in impossible down-and-distance situations.
Yet some of it is just Bradford looking uncomfortable and at times unsure of where to go with the football in Kelly's offense. Fortunately, this is something that may work itself out. It's only been two games, it's a new system, and the Eagles have had a host of issues compounding the quarterback's poor play. As time passes and things improve around him, Bradford's growth may be organic.
Dropped Passes an Epidemic
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Of course, Bradford isn't getting a heck of a lot of help either. Dropped passes have been a major issue for the Eagles. Second-year wide receiver Jordan Matthews has been one of the main culprits, but veterans Miles Austin and Riley Cooper have also left some big plays on the field, as have Mathews and tight end Zach Ertz. Two of those drops wound up going for interceptions.
Bradford has also had communication issues with his receivers. There have been times when Ertz or wideouts Josh Huff and rookie Nelson Agholor haven't been on the same page with their quarterback, running different routes than expected.
Whatever is to blame for these issues, the receivers need to do a better job of taking care of their quarterback. Drops are a concentration issue. The miscommunications, on the other hand, are something the players need to work out.
In general, it would be nice to see more out of the wide receivers in particular, specifically the ones not named Matthews. You don't see Cooper, Huff or Agholor winning a ton of battles against cornerbacks on the outside right now, which partially explains why Bradford is hesitant to put the ball out there. That and he can't be sure the guys are going to hold on to it either.
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Special Teams Not so Special
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We had a pretty good idea last year's historically good Eagles special teams could not be duplicated, but we assumed the unit would still be a strength. So far, through two weeks, it has surprisingly failed the team rather than lifted it in tough moments.
In Week 1, it was Cody Parkey's missed potential go-ahead 44-yard field goal in the fourth quarter of the 26-24 loss to the Falcons. On Sunday, it was the Cowboys getting through to block a Donnie Jones punt, which they were then able to return for a touchdown.
Miscues can happen to anybody, but the Eagles also haven't had the big plays going the other way. There hasn't been a real momentum-changing return or block by this special teams unit yet this season, which were things that bailed the offense out when it struggled at times last season.
Two games is an incredibly small sample size but especially for special teams. This will likely be a strength of the Eagles moving forward, so there's no need to panic. But if you want to know why the Eagles aren't pulling these close games out the way they did last season, here is another place to look.
Defense Getting the Job Done
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If there's one positive to take away from the Eagles' 0-2 start, it's been the defense. Yes, it's allowed some long scoring drives and big plays over the top in both games. Yes, the pass rush has been invisible at times, and the rebuilt secondary is far from an elite unit.
Then again, considering the defense has been getting next to no help from the offense, this unit has looked strong. Holding the Falcons to 26 points—four field goals—was a huge victory considering Bradford couldn't get his guys moving. And the Eagles D was only on the hook for six until a late fourth-quarter touchdown after it had spent most of the game on the field.
If Bradford and Kelly can get something—anything—going on offense, it would likely make these defensive performances look far better than they have. Instead, they're an afterthought.
Not only has the defense been good enough, it's been excellent in terms of keeping opponents off the scoreboard compared to how much it's on the field. It isn't much, but at least it's something for this team to hang its hat on.
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