Philadelphia Eagles Offense Still Unable to Sustain Drives

There is plenty of blame to go around for the Philadelphia Eagles’ 1-3 start, all of which manifested in a 23-20 loss to Washington on Sunday.

The defense couldn’t get off the field when it mattered most, surrendering a 15-play, 90-yard game-winning touchdown drive that took 5:39 off the clock in the fourth quarter. New kicker Caleb Sturgis—signed last week to replace the injured Cody Parkey—missed a 33-yard field goal and an extra point, and we can all count—those points would’ve helped.

Yet the fact of the matter is the defense and kicker wouldn’t be nearly as much of an issue if the Eagles offense wasn’t constantly putting those units in a position to look bad. The inability to move the football with any consistency is giving opponents more opportunities and making the margin of error for the rest of the team extremely thin.

GM	PTS	1STS	3-AND-OUTS/4-OUT	TOP
Wk 1 @ ATL	24	23	3/1	24:33
Wk 2 vs. DAL	10	17	6/1	19:35
Wk 3 @ NYJ	24	18	6/1	28:11
Wk 4 @ WAS	20	14	2/2	18:52

It’s not merely the failure to put points on the scoreboard, either, though that should be obvious. The Eagles are averaging 19.5 points per game—and that’s with a special teams touchdown—which in today’s NFL simply isn’t going to get the job done.

The problem runs far deeper than that, however. The Eagles can’t even keep the chains moving, which allows opponents play keep-away and completely take over the game.

It’s no wonder if the defense tires down the stretch. Both Washington and the Dallas Cowboys in a 20-10 Week 2 defeat dominated the Eagles in time of possession, each controlling the ball for over 40 minutes. People tend to look at the time disparity as an issue with head coach Chip Kelly’s uptempo pace, but the reality is it’s purely a symptom of an offense that can’t stay on the field.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

The Eagles had 17 first downs against the Cowboys. They had only 14 at Washington on Sunday. Of course the opponent is going to win the time-of-possession battle. The offense keeps giving the ball right back.

The inability to produce first downs was an issue for long stretches in other games, as well.

The Atlanta Falcons jumped out to a 20-3 first-half lead and eventually won the season opener while Philadelphia reached the line to gain just five first downs. And the Eagles managed just five first downs in quarters three and four while the New York Jets whittled a 24-0 deficit down to 24-17 by the conclusion of the contest.

To put that in another perspective, the Eagles have had 17 offensive series result in a three-and-out, and seven more that only lasted four plays. They’ve had 51 possessions total, so almost half were completely ineffective, not even counting the eight that ended in turnovers.

GM	1ST	2ND
Wk 1 @ ATL	5	18
Wk 2 vs. DAL	1	16
Wk 3 @ NYJ	13	5
Wk 4 @ WAS	4	10

As usual, there is no one aspect of the offense that’s been at fault. Quarterback Sam Bradford has been erratic. Then again, his wide receivers haven’t done him a lot of favors with all the dropped passes, either. The offensive line has been shaky at best, as well, particularly when it comes to opening holes for running backs.

The ineffective ground attack actually might be the biggest factor. Lack of production on first down has been a major pain for the offense. When Bradford constantly finds himself in 3rd-and-long situations, converting becomes significantly less likely.

Simply put, the Eagles must find a way to keep more drives alive, even if they don’t all end in touchdowns. The benefits are numerous. It helps keep the defense fresh. It reverses field position. It gives kickers more opportunities, so the occasional miss isn’t the end of the world.

How the Eagles accomplish that goal is anybody’s guess. On Sunday, we saw Bradford open up the passing game, hitting on a handful of deep throws for the first time all season. The running game, on the other hand, while improved from the first two weeks, still comes and goes.

The truth is it may never get there. The Eagles have a collection of receivers who are either inexperienced or over the hill. They have an offensive line with questionable talent and now injuries, too. The head coach’s scheme and methods no longer seem to be covering up for any discrepancies in talent that might exist.

All we know is if the Eagles are going to turn their season around, the offense has to give them a fighting chance. So far, that simply has not been the case.