Monday night’s game against the Seahawks played out just like every other game for the Eagles this season. The defense played well enough to win the game, the offense didn’t gain over 10 yards until the second quarter, Doug Pederson made a handful of bone-headed decisions, and Carson Wentz couldn’t get out of his own way.
Every week is the same story with the 2020 Eagles.
What we’ve seen from this franchise this year is organizational insanity, doing the same things week in and week out and expecting a different result. It’s sad, pathetic, and flat-out embarrassing.
The Eagles are the laughing stock of the NFL.
Don’t forget to check out our latest episode of “The Pulse of the City Pod” for a breakdown of the Eagles-Seahawks game.
Here are some thoughts from another terrible loss on Monday night.
Doug Pederson was coaching like he wanted to be fired
I scoffed at the report last week stating Pederson wouldn’t necessarily be unhappy if he got fired after the season, but after watching his performance last night it feels like it could be somewhat true.
The basic job of any coach at any level of sports if to put your players in positions to succeed and get the most our of them. Pederson fails to do that almost every single week.
His receivers are not that good, yet he continuously tries to run 10+ yard routes even though his wideouts can’t separate. His offensive line is also one of the worst in the league this year, and Pederson still asks them to pass protect on long developing pass plays every week. His quarterback is clearly struggling with his reads, but Pederson refuses to roll him outside of the pocket on a consistent basis. Pederson’s offense is at it’s best when they run the ball and have a balanced attack. Last night’s run/pass ratio: 12 designed rushes, 53 drop backs.
On top of his inability to put his players in favorable positions, Pederson also fails to make smart game decisions. He looks completely lost when he’s faced with a 4th down decision.
On both 4th down instances where Pederson elected to go for it, it was the wrong decision.
On the first 4th down play, it was 4th and 2 from the Eagles own 48 yard line. The defense was playing well all night, you’re only down by 8 points, and there’s still over 13 minutes left in the game. There was simply no need to go for it in that situation. Pin them deep in their own territory and let your defense go to work. They ended up holding Seattle to just a field goal following Wentz’s incompletion on 4th.
The second 4th down attempt may have been even more egregious. The Eagles drove the ball all the way down the Seattle’s 15 yard line. You’re losing 20-9, there’s over 8 minutes left in the game, and like I said earlier, your defense has held their own against Russell Wilson and Co. all night. Kick the chip shot field goal, and you’re down by one possession and have a real shot to win this game. Pederson didn’t do the obvious thing — he rarely ever does — and elected to go with an empty backfield and asked his struggling quarterback to do something he’s been bad at all season, making a quick read and pulling the trigger.
There’s a lot of blame to go around here. The team is obviously void of any true talent, but that’s not an excuse for Pederson to not adjust his offense to better fit what he’s working with. It’s what every decent head coach does.
Pederson is legitimately one of the worst coaches in football right now.
What happened to seeing more of Jalen Hurts?
The big story line heading into this Monday Night matchup was Jalen Hurts and whether he’ll get more playing time in prime time.
Spoiler alert: Hurts was used in the same weird ways he’s always used. Except this time they took Carson Wentz off the field for one of his plays. Wow, so creative! Defenses must be losing sleep coming up with ways to slow down the Hurts package!
But in all honesty, if you want to see what the kid can do then just start him already. Or at least put him in for an entire drive. Two plays, with one being a read option, tells us nothing.
I still believe Carson Wentz is the best option the Eagles have at quarterback, but if Doug is actually getting frustrated with Wentz’s inability to make plays, then sit him down and see what your second round pick can do. You drafted him for a reason, right? I’m not calling for a Wentz benching, I’m just calling for the head coach to make a damn decision and stick with it.
Alshon Jeffery taking snaps away from Travis Fulgham is a slap in the face
Alshon Jeffery coming back from injury, not doing anything productive, and actively taking snaps away from the Eagles most productive receiver was the most predictable story from this season. Of course Pederson was going to play his washed up, has-been over his promising young receiver who was tearing up opposing secondaries every single week.
Like the constant catering to Jason Peters, this whole Alshon fiasco is so embarrassing for this franchise. He can’t play anymore, but he’s the highest paid wideout on the team and hurts the offense every time he’s out there.
I’d be irate if I were Fulgham. What did he do to deserve getting his playing time cut in half? It’s not hyperbolic to say he was one of the best receivers in football before their bye week. I understand giving Alshon at least a shot to earn some playing time over Fulgham, but it’s been three weeks now and he’s done absolutely nothing.
Get him off the field and play Fulgham. Enough of this lunacy.
Not using Miles Sanders — the best offensive player on the team — is insane
Miles Sanders had 6 carries and was targeted 3 times in the pass game on Monday night. He’s the best skill player on this offense, and he’s been criminally underutilized this season.
I get that the running game wasn’t working against Seattle, but you can’t completely abandon it. Wentz is struggling more than any other QB in football this season, and Pederson still asks him to throw it more than almost any other QB.
If the running game just can’t get going, then open up the screen game, get the ball into Sanders’ hands and let him work. This is basic stuff here.
Again, Doug Pederson is just losing it more and more every week.
Fun Fact of the Night:
Here’s a fun fact from last night’s game that you probably don’t want to hear, but it’s too ironically hilarious not to mention it.
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside career receiving yards: 214
D.K. Metcalf career receiving yards against the Eagles: 377
Drafting JJAW over Metcalf should cost you your job, honestly. You don’t even need to watch any college tape of either of these guys to make the right decision. Literally just look at a picture of J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and then look at a picture of Metcalf. I wish I knew what was going through Howie Roseman’s mind while he watched the game.