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A pattern of frustrating games continued for the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, as they fell 27-24 on a last-second field goal to the Los Angeles Chargers. The loss saw the Eagles fight back to tie the game or take the lead multiple times late in the game, but they were still unable to pull off the upset against LA's talented squad.
Though it was a bit disappointing to not see the momentum of Week 8's dominant showing in which they drubbed the Detroit Lions by 38 points, the Eagles still played a very solid 48 minutes that could be an indicator of more consistency in the second half of the season.
Philly is now 3-6 on the year, and will need quite the run to get back into playoff contention. Did Sunday show us anything suggesting that they could get hot at just the right time? Here are 3 key takeaways from the Eagles Week 9 loss.
3. Devonta Smith is a star in the making
Jalen Hurts only completed 11 passes on the afternoon for a total of 161 yards, but that didn't stop Devonta Smith from having a huge game. He caught 5 balls for 116 yards and a touchdown, including the Eagles' final score that tied up the game in the fourth quarter. He was open all night, cooking a dynamic Chargers secondary even when Hurts wasn't able to connect with him. If the Eagles threw for more volume as a standard NFL offense does, Smith could be up there with Ja'Marr Chase as the league's top young receivers. Regardless, his performance thus far has still been remarkable.
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2. Philly needs to shore up the secondary
The Eagles did a fantastic job in the run game, limiting both Austin Ekeler and Justin Herbert to 3.5 yards per carry or less. Normally, that's a formula for success on defense, but Herbert was still able to carve up the Philly secondary to the tune of 32/38 passing for 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and 0 sacks taken. Aside from Keenan Allen, he was able to spread the ball evenly to all his receivers, including even backup tight ends and wideouts. Simply put, the Eagles didn't have an answer to anything the Chargers passing attack threw at them, including late in the game when they desperately needed a stop. While Philly has a strong core of young talent, the defensive backs are lacking, and they need to either come up with more aggressive game plans or find personnel upgrades.
1. A run-heavy approach could lead this team to huge victories
While the final point total was modest, the Eagles actually scored on more than half of their offensive drives. And for three of the four scores to be touchdowns against a Chargers team that many view as contenders to the AFC throne speaks to the efficiency of the Eagles' run game, which they used over and over again to the tune of 39 rushing attempts. Each of the 3 Eagles with at least 10 rushing attempts averaged 4.0 yards per carry or better, and they were able to do this without dynamic lead back Miles Sanders. As this young team with a rookie head coach continues to gel, the run game is only going to get stronger. If they lean on it, Philly could soon be looking like a threat to the Cowboys in the NFC East.
