Who Are Philadelphia Eagles' Most Important Players Down the Stretch?
If the Philadelphia Eagles want to enter the postseason on a high and perhaps with home-field advantage in the NFC, they'll need more from their critical players than they got in Sunday's 24-10 loss to the Seahawks.
A nine-game win streak in which the Eagles looked unstoppable at times is now history, and Philly must regroup after their first defeat since Sept. 17.
Nobody in the locker room will make too much of one loss—they're still 10-2, after all. But losing by two scores in their first true late-season test provokes introspection and the need to improve before a string of difficult matchups down the stretch.
It took just one slip-up for the Eagles to concede the No. 1 slot in the ever-changing NFC playoff picture to Minnesota, and a couple more defeats could even lead to fumbling away the hopes of a first-round bye.
With a road affair against the NFC West-leading Los Angeles Rams looming on Sunday, the sense of urgency is high.
If Philadelphia wants to enter the playoffs with momentum, it will ultimately come down to these eight essential players ranked in ascending order.
8. Malcolm Jenkins
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Unlike the last several years, Eagles star safety Malcolm Jenkins has been surrounded by strong secondary play this season, freeing him up to attack the line of scrimmage. But Sunday's loss indicated a greater need for his playmaking capabilities deep down the field.
The Eagles cornerbacks got exposed by Russell Wilson in a way they haven't been since early in the season, and it will only be natural for there to be a step back in confidence from the unit.
Jenkins needs to be a stabilizing force to pick up the young corners mentally, and more importantly, give them the cover they need when quarterbacks evade pressure and extend plays.
That said, Jenkins is still needed near the line of scrimmage. With middle linebacker Jordan Hicks out for the season, the Eagles are largely relying on a two-linebacker set with Nigel Bradham and Mychal Kendricks. The ball-hawking strong safety will need to continue to help mask the loss of Hicks in the middle.
It's too bad the Eagles can't clone Jenkins, because they need him to basically be everywhere if the Eagles defense is going to dominate down the stretch.
7. Lane Johnson and Halapoulivaati Vaitai
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In today's NFL, where defenses are built on pass-rushing, having one great offensive tackle doesn't mean much if the guy on the opposite side is struggling. The Eagles got a glimpse of that in Sunday's defeat.
Left tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai filled in well for the injured Jason Peters over the last several weeks, but he floundered against the Seahawks. "Big V" gave up two of the three sacks conceded by the Eagles offensive line, and he put Carson Wentz under pressure on countless occasions by getting beat around the edge.
Lane Johnson has held down the right side spectacularly well, but that doesn't mean much when pass-rushers are hounding Wentz and constantly attacking his blind side.
As good as the quarterback is at improvising and escaping pressure, he won't be able to orchestrate wins against the NFC's best teams if he's constantly under duress.
It doesn't make a ton of sense to put Johnson on the left side this late in the season, but if Vaitai's struggles continue for another week or two, the Eagles may not have a choice.
6. Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount
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It's still difficult to tell whether the Eagles coaches plan on making Jay Ajayi the lead back in this by-committee approach, but it's becoming increasingly obvious both he and LeGarrette Blount need to be running rampant for the offense to fulfill its potential.
Ajayi led the team in rush attempts (nine) and yards (35) in Sunday's loss, while Blount posted just 26 yards on eight carries. They weren't responsible for the team's lackluster run game, as the Seahawks stacked the line of scrimmage and closed down running lanes.
With that said, the NFC features a handful of contenders with nasty defensive fronts that are capable of stifling the Eagles run game just as Seattle did.
Ajayi and Blount make up arguably the NFL's burliest one-two backfield punch, and they need to be able to churn out tough yards, even when there isn't much to work with.
The Eagles appear to be continuing their effort of spreading the ball around among their backs with the goal of keeping them fresh.
If their impact diminishes down the stretch of the season, then the coaches' commitment to a by-committee backfield loses purpose.
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5. Nigel Bradham
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After a strong first season with Philly in 2016, linebacker Nigel Bradham saw his value to the Eagles defense skyrocket the moment Hicks suffered his season-ending injury.
Bradham now occupies the all-important middle linebacker position, and he's fared well in it for the most part.
His performances in consecutive weeks against Arizona and Carolina showed he can take over a game from a tackling standpoint. But some of his most important contributions, such as setting the defense and reading offensive schemes, don't show up on the stat sheet.
The former Buffalo Bill is tied with Mychal Kendricks for the team lead in tackles with 63, but the latter has never been an all-around linebacker. The Eagles got a sobering dose of that against the Seahawks, when he got exposed in coverage on a couple of occasions.
While Kendricks' play is also critical down the stretch, the onus falls on Bradham to get himself and his fellow linebacker in the right spots to be successful.
If that means more coverage from Bradham, then so be it.
4. Alshon Jeffery
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The Eagles re-signed Alshon Jeffery to a big four-year extension over the weekend, a contract he earned by thriving as the Eagles' No. 1 wideout and staying healthy.
With that said, his game-changing impact hasn't been felt quite as much as you would expect from the star wideout on a 10-2 team.
Jeffery struggled to become the alpha early in the season while the Eagles began their win streak, before breaking out with a total of five touchdowns in four games.
Philadelphia needed Jeffery to become a game-changer Sunday in Seattle, but he played second fiddle to Nelson Agholor and finished with just 61 yards on four catches.
His mere presence on the field opens things up for the Eagles' secondary receivers, and they've shown huge statistical performances from Jeffery aren't needed for Philly to win. But he still needs to make a spectacular catch every so often to keep extra attention on him.
He's become the Eagles' go-to red zone option over Zach Ertz in recent weeks, and Philly can't afford for that to stop now.
3. Jalen Mills
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Eagles cornerback Jalen Mills has been one of the heroes of the defense throughout 2017, emerging as the No. 1 corner when Ronald Darby went down in Week 1 and rightfully earning Pro Bowl consideration. Against the Seahawks, however, he took a considerable step backward.
The Eagles secondary as a whole got exposed against Wilson and the Seahawks, and Mills was no exception.
He struggled in pass coverage when Wilson escaped the pocket and extended plays. He struggled in run defense, missing a couple of tackles. The occasional poor outing is expected from any good corner, but the second-year pro needs to make sure it doesn't snowball.
Every one of the Eagles' biggest competitors in the NFC features a balanced passing attack. The Vikings' Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs are lighting up defenses. The Saints boast a bevy of pass-catchers who are thriving with Drew Brees. Even the Rams are getting strong play from their entire receiving unit, and we saw Sunday what the Seahawks are capable of.
Philly's cornerback play doesn't boil down to just Mills, but it's no coincidence his elevated level of play came along with a nine-game win streak. And it's no coincidence the Eagles lost a game by two touchdowns in which he struggled.
2. Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett
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In a season that has seen every unit on the Eagles roster step it up, none of them have dazzled quite like the pass rush.
Philadelphia's defensive identity is built on swallowing up pockets and dominating the line of scrimmage, and they won't be playing football in February if that doesn't continue.
Defensive end Brandon Graham is the obvious leader, benefiting from an influx of pass-rushing talent this offseason and notching 8.5 sacks, which already marks a career high. His concrete presence has opened the door for rookie sensation Derek Barnett, who already has five sacks despite not getting his first until Week 6.
Even against the Seahawks, the Eagles dominated the pocket and simply allowed Wilson to escape. They won't face that level of skill from a quarterback again, unless they meet for a playoff rematch. The pass-rushing unit just needs to hit the reset button and keep doing what they're doing, and that effort is being led by Graham and Barnett.
The presence of the pass rush is a major reason why the Eagles secondary hasn't been exposed too much this season, and that will need to be sustained for the defense to get back to dominating games.
1. Carson Wentz
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Players across the offense and defense all need to step up for the Eagles to achieve their Super Bowl aspirations, but they won't get far at all without No. 11.
Wentz's spectacular sophomore campaign has been the engine that has driven Philly to a 10-2 season thus far, garnering serious MVP talk that won't go away even after the Seattle loss.
The 24-year-old still leads the NFL in touchdown throws with 29, and he showed against the Seahawks he's capable of making big plays to keep his team in games.
With that said, he also showcased his kryptonite in that loss—his fumbling problem. Wentz has struggled at times to protect the ball, and his costly fumble into the end zone against Seattle ended Philly's hopes for a comeback.
If there's one player on the Eagles team you expect to learn from his mistakes and eradicate his issues, it's Wentz. But there's no shying away from the fact he's still a young quarterback.
He'll have a couple of opportunities late in the season to show he's capable of winning critical games, and the Eagles need to see that if they're going to enter the postseason full of confidence.
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