Crossing Broad
The Eagles might be 8-2, but until the offense shows signs of improving, the fan mindset will stew on the negative from each game instead of the positive. I still don’t understand how this fan base (and sports in general) shifted from an “only wins matter” mindset to discourse focused more on how a team looks in a win or loss.
In some ways, when teams become elite enough, that shift is predictable. The Eagles made their fans spoiled, so the “a win is a win” mantra doesn’t work anymore. I’m not so sure I’m a fan of that mindset, but I do understand it.
Usually, when coaches and players identify an issue and talk about improving said issue in games, we see an improvement. It may last a game or two for some teams, but the point is that we can see with the naked eye the adjustments that teams are trying to make in real time.
As far as the Eagles, the only improvement we’ve seen is on the defensive side. Special teams has been very good, too, but the defense has had back-to-back elite games after giving up 16 points collectively to the Packers and Lions. It’s like the team is only allowed to have one elite facet at a time.
But why is that? Is it Jalen Hurts? Saquon Barkley? A.J. Brown? DeVonta Smith? Or is it the collective offensive line? The unit that continues to struggle not only on the field, but staying on the field, once again could not open up the running game nor the passing game Sunday night during another nail-biting win.
Again, I’ll always say getting a win is the most important result. The next story to look at would be how they’ve won. The similarities from the 2023 collapse weren’t as glaring on offense as they are this season – it was mostly all on the defense then. Kevin wrote exactly one month ago about the offensive line struggles, and they haven’t improved. They’re still last in the league in stuffed rushing yards with -125 total, and they have 34 negative rush attempts on the season, which is tied with the Seahawks for most in the league. Add in the passing offense and the Eagles have a 9.2% negative play percentage, which means they’re gaining 0 yards or going backwards on almost one out of every ten plays. It’s a huge reason why they’re facing the longest third downs on average and have the highest three and out percentage in the NFL.
Additionally, the Sportradar data notes that the Eagles are running into heavy boxes 31.5% of the time this year. That’s fifth-most in the NFL, but last year the number was 36%, the highest in the league, and Saquon Barkley smashed records while the offensive line smashed defenses. In 2024, Saquon was getting 3.8 yards before contact on average, which is incredible, while this year the number is down to 2.5 and matches his career averages.
We hear it...
