A tie. A freaking tie. Are you kidding me? How do the Eagles tie the Bengals? Well if you want in depth analysis on why, please keep reading. The Eagles make me so sick watching them play. Like the inconsistency I see from them game-to-game or season-to-season is beyond concerning.
Carson Wentz
Something is wrong with Carson Wentz. Something is seriously wrong.
The regression from his game as this point has become beyond concerning, and I’m worried about Carson Wentz. I will say he did use his legs more in this game, which he needs to do more of, and he led the Eagles down on an impressive game tying drive. Other than that, it was another bitter performance. Two more interceptions, and more missed throws. In Carson’s defense, the weapons are once again limited, possibly even worse than last year, because the Offensive Line is injured, too.
Playcalling
I said prior to the game in my Week 2 Takeaways article that Miles Sanders needed 27 touches to win this game how they needed to. He had 22, which was not enough. Not only that, but Doug Pederson elects to go for a tie, rather than go for the win. “You play to win the game” – Herm Edwards. Doug Pederson simply did not do that in this situation. He needs to do a much better job of putting players in the position to succeed, or at least perform at above average levels.
Defense
The defense has actually played solid in my opinion, since the points they’ve given up is mostly a reflection of short field position from turnovers by the offense (and Carson Wentz). They did a phenomenal job containing Joe Mixon, and looked like the Eagles run defense of old, which was one of the best in the NFL for years. The pass defense did fairly well, minus Tyler Boyd having an astronomically productive day through the air. Joe Burrow again threw for 300+ yards, but part of that is throwing the the ball over 40 times, which they’ve consistently done (and the 61 against the Browns Week 2).
Summary
Overall, this game was a massive letdown, and honestly was tragic to watch (or even follow). A team once projected and destined for the playoffs could be picking very, very high in the upcoming draft. I would like to say, if Trey Lance is available when the Eagles pick…they better draft him. Anyways, the Eagles play the 49ers Sunday night, and will be facing a team without their QB, top two RBs, Nick Bosa, potentially Jerick McKinnon, potentially George Kittle, and potentially no Richard Sherman. This is a great opportunity to get a road win. The Eagles have their own injury issues, too. The Eagles had 1 healthy WR at practice Wednesday (Greg Ward) and 3 healthy CBs (Darius Slay, Nickell Robey-Coleman, and Cre’Von LeBlanc). Get healthy, please.
