The Philadelphia Eagles are on their first losing streak of two games or more this season.
The coaching staff has taken the brunt of the criticism of late from the fans and media despite the team being a virtual lock for a playoff spot and very much alive for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. With the top spot still in play, they still have a good shot to win the NFC East — a division no team has won back-to-back since the 2004 season (Eagles had won four in a row from 2001 through 2004).
It’s the first two-game losing streak for QB Jalen Hurts as the team’s starter since Weeks 6 and 7 of the 2021 season. Philadelphia did have a two-game losing streak late last season, but veteran QB Gardner Minshew started both of those games.
Even with a solid 10-3 record as we head into Week 15, fans and team observers are left to wonder why they have been blown out during those two losses and why there’s a feeling of a possible regression on the horizon.
Those losses (vs. San Francisco 49ers, at Dallas Cowboys) caused Philadelphia to drop from being the top-seeded team in the NFC to the No. 5 seed as the team prepares to play against the host Seattle Seahawks on Monday night.
Some of the answers on the surface are obvious, but some aren’t, which is why we tapped league sources who have graded the Eagles’ game tape this season and who are familiar with the roster and organization for an explanation.
Philadelphia Eagles Lineup Changes
The Eagles made the decision, in some cases, not to bring back some free agents. Some they wanted to bring back but couldn’t reach a contract agreement with.
In all, Philadelphia had seven starting lineup changes (two offensive, five defensive) to begin the season from the end of last year. That’s a lot of personnel changes for a team that lost in the Super Bowl by just three points to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Slot cornerback Avonte Maddox (torn pectoral-IR) hasn’t played since he got hurt during the team’s Week 2 victory over the visiting Minnesota Vikings. Most slot corners play a high percentage of the defensive snaps (Maddox played in 89% of defensive snaps in Week 1), so that’s in actuality six starters from last year on defense that the team has been without since Week 3.
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Offensively, the team is without just RB Miles Sanders and RG Isaac Seumalo, who both signed lucrative free agent deals elsewhere.
Fourth-year RB D’Andre Swift, who was acquired on an NFL Draft Day trade with the Detroit Lions, has taken over as the starter for Sanders and second-year pro Cam Jurgens has taken over Seumalo.
However, Jurgens, who was drafted to eventually start at center for Jason Kelce, is only in his fifth season as a full-time offensive lineman. He had played tight end and linebacker in high school and started his career at Nebraska as a tight end before moving to center during the 2019 season as a redshirt freshman.
Eagles’ Coaching Changes
While some people around the NFL will point to the player losses from last year’s team as being a big reason why the team is clearly not as good this season, the losses of some very good coaches — who were integral to the team’s success — can’t be discounted.
On offense, there was just one significant change, but it was a big one.
Coordinator Shane Steichen, who started calling the plays since around the midway point of the 2021 season, left to become the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Steichen was replaced by Brian Johnson, who was promoted from quarterbacks coach. Johnson, as Steichen did, is calling the plays this season.
Johnson is calling plays for the first time at the NFL level, but he did call plays at the collegiate level with three different teams.
However, as a coaching source said in regard to calling plays for the first time at the pro level, “Calling plays at our level for the first time and doing it at the college level is a completely different deal. Think about how much better the defensive talent is at this level compared to college and how simplistic those coverages are there. It’s just different here.”
Former NFL QB Alex Tanney, who is now in his third year with Philadelphia’s coaching staff after retiring after the 2020 season, was promoted from assistant quarterbacks coach/offensive assistant to quarterbacks coach.
Tanney is very highly thought of as an up-and-coming offensive coach around the league and by the team. A source said Steichen had some interest in hiring him to join his staff before the Eagles promoted him.
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However, he’s in his first season running a position room, which a league source said, “Is always a challenge in the first year doing it and because you’re the one who works closest with the QBs. And now you’re the guy who everyone points to in charge of development of those guys.”
Defense is where the coaching staff has seen the most turnover. Not only did the team lose coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who became the Arizona Cardinals head coach, but they also lost some valuable assistant coaches such as Nick Rallis (linebackers coach) and Dennard Wilson (defensive backs coach), and a minimum of six coaches were either promoted or added earlier this year to that side of the ball.
Jalen Hurts Has Been ‘Too Inconsistent’
We asked multiple sources as this week progressed for opinions on the team’s offensive scheme and personnel through watching the game tape.
While Philadelphia is still ranked well into the upper half in several statistical categories such as points per game (No. 6), points per game average (No. 6), total yards (No. 8), total yards per game average (No. 8), total passing yards (No. 13), and total passing yards per game (No. 13), there seems to be something missing. They’re also down in each of those categories from last season.
Words from sources like “too simplistic” or “lacking energy” were mentioned about the offensive tape from recent games.
Another source said, “While I really liked what I saw at times earlier (this season), they seem to be waiting for something to happen lately.”
As for the performance of Hurts so far this season, the sources all seem to agree that he has been “too inconsistent” and is not playing nearly to the high level of last season when he was a strong MVP candidate.
As for the inconsistency, the sources pointed to his footwork, mechanics, and moving too much in the pocket or bailing too early from it.
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Yet, Hurts is still on pace to combine for over 40 total TDs (passing and rushing) and to throw for over 4,000 yards in a season for the first time in his NFL career.
Additionally, a league source who has watched several of the Eagles games via all-22 tape this season, said the offensive line play has been “good, sometimes very good, but not near the elite level” of the 2022 season.
Lack of Speed Leading to Eagles’ Defensive Regression?
Coordinator Sean Desai is in his first season with the team and is calling a defense for the second time in his career. He was the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears for the 2021 season.
Desai had been lauded for several weeks earlier this season from league sources for getting a lot out of his defensive scheme and players, considering all of the personnel changes from last season at all three levels of the defense.
He’s also in charge of the NFL’s oldest secondary. Counting slot CB Bradley Roby, four out of the five starters are 30 years of age or older.
Many sources pointed to the Week 7 victory over the visiting Miami Dolphins where Desai’s defense held the high-powered Dolphins to just one offensive TD as his top performance so far this season.
But, as multiple league sources pointed out, the defense lacks speed on the back end, and it’s been showing up as the season has progressed.
How bad has the defense been of late?
Over its last six games, they’ve given up an NFL-high 18 touchdown passes. And because of a steady regression in addition to those TD passes given up, they’re ranked for the season at or near the bottom in other important categories.
Philadelphia’s defense is currently ranked the NFL’s worst on third downs (48.1%) and ranks last in opponent’s pass completions (337), giving up the second-most TD passes (29) and the most first downs (179) just to name a small handful.
As you can see, it’s not one specific part of the team that has been an issue of late. It’s many problems that have manifested over a series of weeks. In fact, you can make a strong case that the Eagles have overachieved with their solid record and aren’t close to as good as last year’s team that lost in the Super Bowl.
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