3 Things I Want To See From The Eagles After The Bye.
14 November 2019 Philadelphia Eagles
I must admit, it was nice having a break from Philadelphia Eagles football. However, part of me still missed them this weekend. The Eagles are 5-4, and have had quite a roller coaster first 9 games. From a convincing win against the 8-2 Packers, to a devastating blowout against the Cowboys, the Eagles have been very up and down this season.
The division is right there for the taking, as after a Cowboys loss to the Vikings on Sunday Night, both teams sit at 5-4 tied for the division (Cowboys hold the tiebreaker). The Eagles remaining schedule is much more favorable than the Cowboys is, as the Cowboys still have to play the Lions, Patriots, Rams, Bears and Bills. The Eagles is much easier, as 4 of the remaining 7 games are against the Giants twice, Dolphins and Redskins.
Having said all that, the Eagles still need to improve their game in many ways. Here are the top 3 things I would like to see from the Eagles after the bye:
Catch. The. Ball.
It is that simple. The Eagles need to be better at catching the ball. The Eagles have 12 dropped passes this year, tied for 4th most in the league. There is no way that trend can continue. They have been better at it in recent games, which is a good sign.
The Eagles receiving core has been atrocious this year to say the least. The Eagles have 2084 receiving yards in total, good for 23rd in the league. 7 of the 9 teams below them in that category have losing records. The Eagles defense is simply not good enough to overcome their lack of passing game. Someone on this receiving depth chart has to step up and help Carson Wentz.
Give me some better defense.
I know this is very broad, however hear me out here. The Eagles defense as a whole has been very … average. In every major defensive category they are right in the middle of the pack. This defense does not do anything that stands out besides stopping the run.
Yes, this Eagles team does a good job at stopping the run, however the only top 10 running back this team has played is Zeke, and he torched us. The only top 10 run team the Eagles have played is the Cowboys, and again, they torched us.
When the Eagles won the super bowl, their defense was top 10 in takeaways and sacks. This year? 15th in sacks, 13th in takeaways. Again, just average. This defense needs to make more plays. Players like Fletcher Cox and Derek Barnett need to play better football in the second half of the season.
2017 Carson Wentz …?
I am going to take some heat for this one, again, hear me out. What if Carson Wentz could steal us a couple games like he did in 2017. These next two games against Seattle and New England are HUGE if they want to make the playoffs, and they need the best version of Carson Wentz.
Look, I am one of the biggest Wentz fans on the planet, however I would like to see him take over a game this season. Quarterbacks like Wilson, Watson and Jackson have taken over the national media when it comes to quarterback hype, and I think people are forgetting just how talented Carson Wentz is.
At this time in 2017, Carson Wentz was the MVP of the league. Yes, I know his supporting cast was better and this years supporting cast has done nothing to help him. Having said that, there is enough on the offense for him to make it work. With Miles Sanders and the Tight end duo of Goedert and Ertz, he should be able to have a dominant second half of the season.