The 10-3 Philadelphia Eagles May Just Be A 'Bad Football Team'
The standings suggest the Philadelphia Eagles are still among the NFL's best teams because no other team has a better record than their 10-3, they're still pointed toward a playoff berth, and all their talent didn't suddenly hit free agency on Monday morning.
So why are Eagles fans losing their ever-lovin' minds about how bad their team is now?
Why are pundits, including former Eagles players, saying the Eagles have problems? And are a bad team?
Why did that disgruntled protestor who has made numerous appearances outside the team's NovaCare Complex in recent weeks greet the team this morning with a call to fire defensive coordinator Sean Desai?
Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame member Seth Joyner is not happy with his team. (Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Former LB Seth Joyner Rips Eagles
Are we supposed to believe the Eagles are a bad team now?
"The truth is it's a bad football team," former Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner, now an analyst, said on the JAKIB Sports postgame show. "They fooled us. They fooled us through 11 games into believing they're really good and they're just not.
"And it does go beyond just the players. When I see the way our cornerbacks play and the way our linebackers play, it's evident to me that there's coaching issues there. Because those players aren't fundamentally sound at either position."
That's a damning perspective Joyner shared after the Eagles were soundly beaten, 33-13 by the Dallas Cowboys Sunday evening. It was Philly's second consecutive loss by 20 points or more.
So now all heck is breaking loose in the City of Brotherly We Wanna Win A Super Bowl.
The biggest problem seems to indeed be with the defense. They've allowed 30 points or more in three consecutive games. The Eagles are 28th in the NFL in points allowed.
The Eagles are actually troubled on defense, but particularly so in areas that matter most: On big-play downs and in game-deciding moments.
Rico Dowdle of the Dallas Cowboys finds running room against the Philly defense. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Eagles Defense Seems Broken At Times
Their third down defense is 32nd in the NFL. The Eagles allow 48 percent conversions on third down. The last three games have been something of a meltdown in this area, with the Eagles allowing 61 percent conversions.
The red zone defense is 30th in the NFL. Again, the last three games have been a nightmare in this area, as the Eagles have allowed red zone touchdowns 92 percent of the time.
Philly is also 31st in passing touchdowns allowed.
So the pass defense (very important), the third-down defense (very important) and the short field defense where touchdowns are scored or stopped (very important) are all seemingly broken.
And it's not just the results that are coming under scrutiny. Media in Philly are making the point that Desai, new to the club this year after Jonathan Gannon was hired as Arizona's head coach, has never authored a great defense in his career.
Desai was the defensive coordinator in Chicago in 2021 and the Bears were 22nd in points allowed. He was the assistant head coach and ran the defense in Seattle in 2022 and the Seahawks were 25th in points allowed.
So if Desai, a pupil of the Vic Fangio system, didn't make it work in previous stops to any great heights what is the confidence he can make it work in Philly?
The offense, by the way, is not without its problems.
Jalen Hurts fumbles against the Dallas Cowboys. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Jalen Hurts And Offense Also Struggling
Quarterback Jalen Hurts, an MVP candidate last season and again earlier this season, has 15 turnovers now. That's the fourth most in the NFL.
The Eagles are sixth in the NFL, averaging 26.3 points per game. But that's a step back from the 28.1 points they averaged last season when they were the third-highest scoring team in the league. In their Sunday night loss, the offense did not score a touchdown.
And it should be said that the Eagles' statistics, as well as everyone's overall opinion of the team, have been skewed the last three games, two of those resulting in consecutive losses. This is actually good news.
Because it suggests the team is in some sort of slump and can correct issues and emerge from the struggles. The Eagles, after all, beat the Dolphins, Cowboys, Chiefs and Bills earlier.
So they are capable of beating good teams if they fix things.
And what is the key issue that needs fixing?
"I can keep it simple and just say win," Hurts told reporters after Sunday night's loss. "We’ve done a lot of that for a long time. These last two games we haven’t been able to do that. It comes down to executing."
Jalen Hurts throws a pass during the second half against the Dallas Cowboys. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Eagles Passing Through Valley Of Defeat
Hurts didn't deny the Eagles have some discipline issues in how they execute. But he insists the problems will pass.
"I think there’s a number of things when you think about why isn’t something operating fast enough or the way you expect it to," he said. "It’s all about controlling the things that you can. You want to be disciplined. You want to operate in a high manner. And you want to eliminate penalties. Obviously, you want to produce points, stop turnovers and do things like that.
"But it’s something that we’re going through, not necessarily stuck in. We’ve got to be able to learn from it and we will. There’s an eagerness too just to continue to press on."
The good news for Philadelphia is three of the final four games -- Arizona and the Giants twice -- are against teams with losing records. So this team is likely to do some more winning in the regular season.
The issue then becomes whether the Eagles play well in the postseason. That's when the question whether this team with an outstanding record is actually really good or not will be decided.