The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles are 4-2 on the season. But a disheartening loss to the New York Giants in Week 6 set off a firestorm of criticism. The Eagles’ flat, lifeless performance on Thursday Night Football had players and pundits diagnosing the team’s problems.
Veteran right tackle Lane Johnson called the Eagles’ offense “predictable” after the 34-17 loss to New York. But Philadelphia’s other starting tackle Jordan Mailata disagreed. “I don't think we're predictable. I just think we're not executing,” Mailata said, per The Athletic’s Zach Berman. “That is the major part of the game right now. We're just putting ourselves in predictable situations, meaning we're getting behind the sticks and we have to throw,” he added.
“There aren't many runs we can do on second-and-15. There just aren't. And if you do, you probably gain 5 or 6 or 7 yards. …Not many runs you can do out of 3rd-and-6 and 7. They're passing downs. So you get a defense that'll pin their ears back and shoot upfield. And that kind of sucks.”
The Eagles search for answers on offense
While Mailata’s explanation for Philly’s’ malaise makes sense, Johnson isn’t alone in thinking things have become predictable. And Eagles players are searching for ways to fix the disappointing offense.
Philadelphia had the NFL’s eighth-ranked offense under Kellen Moore last season, averaging 367.2 yards per game. In Kevin Patullo’s first season as coordinator, the Eagles are 30th in the league after six games. The team is averaging 274.5 total yards per contest.
However, Nick Sirianni doesn’t blame Patullo for the Eagles’ offensive struggles. “We’re not in the business of assigning blame. We’re in the business of finding solutions,” the fifth-year head coach said. “Right now, we’re not near our standard on third down… We have a lot of thoughts and things we want to put into action.”
After starting the year 4-0 the Eagles have dropped back-to-back games. And the Week 6 loss to the Giants was particularly deflating. But Philadelphia has a mini-bye after playing on Thursday night, giving the team extra time to prepare for a road date with the Minnesota Vikings. Still, it’s clear the Eagles can’t tush-push their way out of this slump.
