The Philadelphia Eagles jumped to a 3-2 record to start the season. In the last two weeks, they've lost their last two to fall to 3-4. Not only did they lose those two games, but they did so in embarrassing fashion.
First, the Eagles dropped a game to the Minnesota Vikings by a final score of 38-20. Then they fell to NFC East divisional rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, 37-10. That game put the Cowboys in first place of a division that looks the part of a two-team race.
Now the tests keep coming. The Eagles are going up against the Buffalo Bills, a 5-1 team. If Philadelphia wants to win in Buffalo game, they'll need a big game from quarterback Carson Wentz.
The Bills have one of the best defenses in the NFL. This is the team that not only made Tom Brady look mortal but, frankly, kind of bad.
However, the offense leaves a lot to be desired. Josh Allen is improved, but growing pains persist. Though they are taking advantage of their trips to the red zone, they aren't getting there much.
Therefore, Sunday's tilt is a game of a bad offense (Buffalo) going up against a bad defense (Philadelphia), and a good offense (Philadelphia) going up against a good defense (Buffalo).
Meaning, someone is going to have to step up for the Eagles on offense. The defense might be bad, but they've got some pieces. The Eagles should be able to contain Allen and company from doing too much.
However, if the Bills defense does what it usually does, Allen won't need to do all that much in the first place. Meaning, it will be up to the offense to figure it out. That pressure rests mostly on Wentz's shoulders.
Truthfully, the entire Philadelphia offense is struggling. You are kidding yourself if you think that Wentz is the whole problem. The wide receivers have struggled. They have dropped a ton of catchable balls and Zach Ertz has been “eh” this year at best. However, he isn't wholly absolved of all guilt.
Wentz has struggled at times. He is completing 61.3% of his passes for 1,649 yards and 13 touchdowns. Those are all pretty solid stats, but he also has four interceptions and two fumbles this year.
Three of the last four games have seen Wentz throw for less than 200 yards. He's also thrown an interception in each of his previous two.
The Eagles need to produce offensively on Sunday. They need to also keep away from turnovers. If you give the Bills the ball deep in their territory, you're playing their game.
It's never good to give the opposing team the ball in good field position (obviously). That's especially true for the Bills. If you're making them drive down the field, they likely won't be scoring too many points.
Wentz has to keep the ball. Turnovers could be the death of the Eagles. However, it's not just about ball security. Wentz needs to get his team into the end zone and keep the pressure on the Bills defense. This will keep the pressure on the Buffalo offense as well.
If Wentz puts up big numbers, Philadelphia can leave Buffalo with a win. If he continues to struggle, the Eagles will find themselves at 3-5.
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