What is going on with the Philadelphia Eagles?

The Philadelphia Eagles confronted third and 20 early within the fourth quarter in opposition to the New York Giants on Christmas Day, and the followers at Lincoln Monetary Discipline have been greater than stressed.

They have been on the verge of anger.

Regardless of the Eagles holding a 20-3 lead on the halftime break, the gang had watched New York climb again into the sport. A surprising Decide-Six from Adoree’ Jackson, and the two-point conversion, had made it a 20-18 recreation early within the fourth quarter, and the Eagles have been on the verge of going three-and-out on their ensuing possession, and the gang felt it.

That’s when quarterback Jalen Hurts stepped up — actually and figuratively — and delivered the kind of momentum-shifting second you hope to see from one of many recreation’s highest-paid QBs:

The diploma of issue on this connection is nearly off the charts. An inside stunt from the Giants forces Hurts off his spot early within the play, however the quarterback manages to step up and climb the pocket, creating somewhat time for the vertical routes to develop downfield. With the Giants in zone protection, A.J. Brown finds area alongside the proper sideline, however Hurts has to navigate the specter of Isaiah Simmons lurking within the curl/flat zone between Hurts and his goal.

The QB places simply sufficient air on the throw to get it over the outstretched arms of Simmons, and into Brown’s succesful arms for the primary down.

The completion purchased the Eagles a contemporary set of downs, and calmed the uneasy devoted within the stands. When Kenneth Gainwell ripped off this 22-yard run on the very subsequent play, a lot to the enjoyment of these Eagles followers clamoring for extra within the operating recreation in latest weeks, it appeared as if order was on its method to being restored:

Positive sufficient, the Eagles would end the drive with a D’Andre Swift landing run from 5 yards out, pushing Philadelphia’s lead again to 9. They might lengthen that lead by three on their subsequent possession, due to a Jake Elliott area objective. With a 30-18 lead, Philadelphia followers began to calm down.

However that’s when the Giants caught as soon as extra. Tyrod Taylor, within the recreation having changed a struggling Tommy DeVito, related with Darius Slayton on a surprising 76-yard landing move, the Giants’ longest play of the season. Abruptly the Giants have been proper again within the recreation.

Whereas the Eagles held on, bettering their playoff standing with the 33-25 victory over the Giants, the temper was something however vivid on the sideline through the recreation, and within the locker room after. Head coach Nick Sirianni was visibly pissed off prowling the sideline through the contest, and numerous gamers expressed their very own frustration within the locker room after the win. Martin Frank, who covers the Eagles for Delaware On-line, requested why the crew was so “depressing” in his post-game column, outlining how Brown saved his feedback to a minimal within the locker room.

“I acquired nothing good to say,” Brown stated. “I used to be taught in case you don’t have something good to say, don’t say something. If I’ve to take a positive, I’ll take it.”

Brown was not alone. DeVonta Smith, who caught a landing move within the win — extra on that play in a second — outlined his personal frustration with the Eagles’ play. “I’m not happy. Yeah, we acquired 11 wins. I’m not completely satisfied,” stated Smith. “It must be higher. What I need to do, what everyone else in right here needs to do, what we need to be, we’re nowhere close to that, so I’m not completely satisfied.”

Sirianni addressed his sideline … let’s say “dialogue” … with Philadelphia line of defense coach Jeremiah Washburn close to the top of the sport:

“I get animated so much. There are issues that when errors are taking place, or attempting to get the communication going, just a bit little bit of that. That occurs all through a recreation. It’s going to be between gamers and gamers, coaches and gamers, coaches and coaches.

“However when you will have the relationships that we have now and the connections that we have now, we’re capable of transfer on shortly. The blokes know all what we’re attempting to do and coaches know all we’re attempting to do is get everyone to play their greatest.

“Generally that’s with a smack on the butt, and typically that’s with a yell.”

You’ll be able to see that second right here:

What is perhaps underlying the frustration? Actually the Eagles’ latest outcomes could possibly be an enormous purpose why. A number of weeks in the past the Eagles have been 10-1, and on the cusp of clinching the NFC East in addition to closing in on the top-overall seed within the convention. Nonetheless, three-straight losses, coupled with this underwhelming victory over the Giants, have seen the frustration mount.

Their inside angst may also be boiled all the way down to a single quantity.

26.

That represents the Eagles’ level differential this season, a far cry from a yr in the past. A yr in the past the Eagles had some extent differential of 133, which trailed solely the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Payments in that class, good for third within the league. At the moment, the Eagles sit tenth within the NFL in that stat, behind NFC rivals such because the 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys.

Additionally they path the Detroit Lions — a crew they may see within the postseason — and the New Orleans Saints, a crew which may not even make the playoffs.

Issues have simply been harder for the Eagles this yr, and the large margin for error they appeared to take pleasure in a yr in the past appears all however evaporated.

One thing that additionally appears to be lacking? A capability to assault the center of the sphere constantly within the passing recreation. Final season, Hurts was one of many simpler passers focusing on that space, as proven by this chart utilizing Professional Soccer Focus knowledge:

Now, a take a look at 2023:

My pricey good friend JP Acosta dove into this in his personal evaluation of what ails the Eagles just a few weeks in the past, noting {that a} season in the past Hurts was “ … 176/220 on passes between the numbers, and far more environment friendly throughout the board.”

Now this yr, forward of their recreation in opposition to the Giants, Hurts was “… 130/165, a paltry quantity in comparison with the place Hurts was final yr.”

That recreation didn’t bolster his numbers. For comparability, take a look at Hurts’ spray chart from Christmas Day in opposition to the Giants:

The overwhelming majority of his throws got here in direction of the sidelines. Just one throw — the aforementioned landing to Smith — got here between the hashmarks:

The opposite throw, which got here alongside the proper hashmark, was this completion to Brown off of play-action:

Apart from that, the whole lot else went in direction of the surface, or deeper down the sphere. It leads some, like JP, to explain the Eagles’ offense as a James Harden-esque system the place the whole lot is both a layup, or a deep three. The Eagles are both counting on deeper throws downfield which have a smaller likelihood of being accomplished, or throws to the surface and/or screens in direction of the boundary, which require efficient blocking and/or gamers making defenders miss in area.

Once more, it will get again to the margin for error. Proper now, that appears to be minimal for the Eagles.

As for a possible repair, Eagles followers have been clamoring for extra within the operating recreation in latest weeks, and there’s proof to assist that proposition. Check out this from RBSDM.com, which outlined EPA per dropback, in addition to EPA per dashing try:

The Eagles have the most effective dashing assaults within the league, when it comes to EPA/Rush. Additionally they have the fourth-best “success fee” on dashing performs, behind solely the Ravens, the Payments, and the 49ers.

They’ve the tenth-best success fee on passing performs.

We’ve seen the Eagles do that earlier than. Through the 2021 season, Hurts’ first yr because the full-time starter, Philadelphia leaned into the operating recreation down the stretch, and it translated right into a stunning run to the playoffs.

Can we see that down the stretch and into the postseason once more?

We’d. Nevertheless it appears obvious that proper now the Eagles are nonetheless in search of solutions as January approaches. Possibly they’ll determine these solutions out in time for one more deep run.

Or possibly the simmering frustration in Philadelphia boils over.