Recap
The Eagles lost to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday by a score of 20-10, pushing the Eagles’ losing streak to two games in a row for the first time this season. The game was an ugly one; the offense couldn’t move the ball and the defense was shredded in the first half. Although the Eagles defense played better in the second half, the offense was unable to mount a comeback. The Eagles looked sloppy and unprepared, and now need a win next week in order to clinch the #1 seed.
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Positive Observations
1.) 2nd half defense
After getting absolutely torched in the first half, the Eagles defense surprisingly made some decent adjustments and shut the New Orleans offense out in the 2nd half. The Eagles allowed only 66 yards in the 2nd half, and the defensive line was able to generate more pressure on Andy Dalton which resulted in 7 sacks on the day. Kudos to Gannon for making the right adjustments.
2.) DeVonta Smith
Smith had another great game, posting 9 receptions for 115 yards. He consistently found space and was able to create separation from DB’s; in a game without much to be happy about offensively, Smith certainly was a bright spot in the Eagles offense.
Negative Observations
1.) Offense
The Eagles offense had an atrocious game on offense, going 3/12 on 3rd downs, had 4 straight 3 & outs to start the game, & recorded only 11 first downs. The offense seemed stagnant and was only able to put up a season low 10 points; the lack of a run game in Sunday’s game plan left the Eagles too one-dimensional, relying on Gardner Minshew’s arm to win the game. Although the Eagles looked abysmal on offense, I fully believe that they will look much better once Hurts comes back.
2.) 1st half defense
Although the Eagles defense played well in the 2nd half, they were awful in the 1st half. The defense was completely unable to get off the field; the Eagles had run only 6 plays of offense with 8:30 left in the 2nd quarter. In addition, Andy Dalton’s first incompletion came on an interception with 34 seconds left in the half. Brutal first half from the defense.
3.) Coaching
Although I think that Sirianni & Steichen are good coaches, they certainly had their worst game of the season. The team looked undisciplined and unprepared, committing 8 penalties on the day. The offensive game plan was questionable at best; stopping the run is not a strength of the Saints defense, yet the Eagles offense ran only 15 times while Minshew threw 32 times.
Standings
With the Eagles loss to New Orleans, they still are in sole possession of first place in the Nfc East. Although Philly is still in the driver’s seat, Dallas is only one game behind and can clinch the NFC East crown if they win and the Eagles lose. The updated NFC East standings are as follows:
- Philadelphia Eagles: 13-3
- Dallas Cowboys: 12-4
- New York Giants: 9-6-1
- Washington Commanders: 7-8-1
Upcoming Game
The Eagles host the New York Giants on Sunday at 4:25pm. This game is an important one; if the Eagles win, they clinch not only the NFC East title, but also the #1 seed in the NFC Playoffs. With the Giants already clinching a playoff berth, I don’t think we’ll be seeing many starters for New York. Although the Eagles have struggled the last two weeks, I believe that they will win and clinch the #1 seed.
Final Thoughts
Let’s be honest, the Eagles looked bad on Sunday; every single aspect of their team on Sunday struggled. Although this is a disappointing outcome, the season isn’t over yet. The Eagles still have a chance to clinch the #1 seed and they are still able to make a deep run in the playoffs. I believe that this team will look completely different once Jalen Hurts is back under center; as always, Go Birds!
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Nate Eichner is a featured writer at The Birds Blitz. For more from Nate, check out his archive and read through our Eagles articles for the latest news about the Birds.
The post State of the Eagles: Week 18 (2022) appeared first on The Birds Blitz.
