The Eagles entered Sunday's Week 5 matchup vs. the Cardinals as the NFL's darlings, the team receiving national hype and adoration. It was deserved (they were the league's last undefeated team) and it was fun, but eventually you need a dose of reality and you need to tough one out.
That's exactly what happened in Arizona as the Birds were dealt a rough hand: debilitating offensive line injuries, a questionable playing surface, and a feisty Cardinals team that despite their shortcomings won't make things easy for anyone.
But a win's a win, so let's overreact to a sloppy, wonky, strange football game in Phoenix:
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1. This ugly game was good for the Eagles
It's a ton of fun to reel off touchdown after touchdown like they did in Week 4, or completely shut down an opposing offense like they did in Week 2, but the reality of an 18-week NFL season is that sometimes it's going to get dire in a hurry and you need to respond.
Which is why, while Sunday's win was largely frustrating, I think it was a good thing for this year's Eagles squad. They're a legit Super Bowl contender (as long as health allows it) and sometimes you need to have your jaw clenched for an entire game. It's how you prep for the big ones in January and February.
There are absolutely things the Eagles need to clean up. Jalen Hurts had a so-so performance through the air, quick to flush the pocket and short on some easy throws. The defense forgot how to tackle (never good!) and Nick Sirianni seemed a little reticent to go for the win instead of avoid the loss.
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But here's the thing: everything the Eagles did Sunday that frustrated you is fixable. They all feel like correctable mistakes, not death-knell issues - they don't have a subpar quarterback, they don't lack talent, and they don't have a doofus at head coach.
All of this is to say... I think the Eagles are fine. It might not feel as good as it did after four weeks, but this is an overreaction to overreaction.
They're fine.
2. Again with the tackling?
All that said about the Eagles being fine... Jonathan Gannon, you're back on thin ice.
I need an answer to why his unit seemingly started playing prevent defense in the second half against one of the most explosive players in the NFL.
If you give a guy like Kyler Murray space, he will use it against you. If you give him time, he will eat it up and find a route or a pass.
The most embarrassing play of the game came on a 3rd & 17 in the third quarter, when Rondale Moore caught a pass and just ran right through the entire defense for 17 yards and a first down.
On their next possession the Cardinals rattled off a 12-play, 90-yard drive to start the fourth quarter that made the Eagles look like a college team. The brutal tackling issues that plagued them all afternoon were wildly apparent on the drive as Arizona converted multiple third downs and basically got whatever they wanted.
It was capped off by a pretty abysmal effort, all around, from the guys on the field on the 12th play:
Gannon has a few very strong performances from this season to hang his hat on, but he also has all of 2021 to still make up for.
Sacking Carson Wentz nine times isn't particularly impressive when you remember that it's Carson Wentz, and you watch what that guy does week in and week out. I would've been way more impressed if Gannon came into Sunday's matchup out in Arizona with a surefire plan to keep Kyler Murray in check. Instead, Murray ran all over the place and made the Birds' pass rush look non-existent.
3. Why did we forget about running the ball?
I'm sure part of Nick Sirianni and Shane Steichen's approach to the offensive playcalling Sunday was colored by the offensive line's injuries, but the Eagles didn't call nearly enough run plays in the first half.
A fake punt conversion from the Cardinals will skew these numbers, but the Eagles didn't call a non-QB sneak run play in the final 11:48 of the second quarter - including a three-and-out that was just three passes - and it was driving me insane.
A week after Miles Sanders was unstoppable on the ground (albeit behind a healthier offensive line) it seemed like the offense just forgot about its capabilities as a running behemoth?
If Sirianni and Steichen were worried about the O-line's ability to clear a path for Sanders or Gainwell or Sermon, they certainly weren't equally worried about the left side of the line's ability to keep Hurts clean in the pocket. It goes both ways. And at some point, you have to switch things up just to keep the Cardinals guessing.
Unsurprisingly, when the Eagles' decision-makers finally snapped out of their fog in the fourth quarter the Birds were suddenly able to move the ball again. Counting a designed run for Hurts, they reeled off six straight rushes to move from their own 25-yard line to the Cardinals' 35-yard line while draining three minutes off the clock.
What an idea!
Hopefully the Eagles will have better health along the O-line in future games so Sirianni and Steichen don't overthink things, but with this team one thing is clear: when in doubt, run the ball.