Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 11/26/19.

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Sando’s Pick Six: Kyle Shanahan’s coaching clinic, what the Pats must prove and execs on Carson Wentz - The Athletic
The offensive line, already diminished from previous seasons, imploded without right tackle Lane Johnson. Would a better quarterback overcome the Eagles’ many obvious issues? Should a quarterback as highly regarded as Wentz overcome these issues? Those are questions for my 2020 Quarterback Tiers survey. “He didn’t really have a chance,” said an evaluator who watched the Seattle game. “Those guys were all over him. Their receiver corps is not what it used to be. Their line is not that great and they were shuffling guys all over. It is hard when that is going on to say it is all Carson Wentz’s fault, but the fumbles stood out. Those fumbles were bad. He is not protecting the ball. I think Wentz can play. I just think that they had good talent that first year and now I think it’s just hard.”

5 thoughts from the Eagles’ loss to the Seahawks - BGN
Let’s be clear: expectations shouldn’t have been super high for an offense playing without their top three wide receivers (Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, Nelson Agholor), their leading rusher (Jordan Howard), and arguably their top two offensive linemen (Lane Johnson and Brandon Brooks). But injuries don’t excuse the Eagles only scoring THREE non-garbage time points against a Seahawks defense that ranked 24th in opponent yards per play and 21st in defensive DVOA. Excluding the final garbage time drive against Seattle, this offense has scored 13 points on their last 25 drives. I repeat: 25 drives to get 13 points! To put that awfulness into perspective, the worst points per drive mark heading into Sunday was owned by the New York Jets at 1.15. The Eagles are at 0.52 in their last two games! As tempting as it is to blame just one person (and those with an obvious agenda have done just that), the reality is there are issues across the broad. It’s a systematic failure.

Babes On Broad #14: I Appreciate You, But You’re Not Helping - BGN Radio
Sam Wilson & Jessica Towne. Powered by SBNation & Bleeding Green Nation!

Oops - Iggles Blitz
Wentz certainly had his issues, but his receivers were not helping matters. And this had nothing to do with drops. These players weren’t running routes correctly. The videos show you the importance of precision. Guys don’t just “get open”. They need to run specific routes a specific way. There are defined landmarks. The QB is going to throw to a spot where he is expecting the receiver to be at a certain time. One extra step can change that and lead to an incompletion (or worse). Wentz trusted the young guys and they let him down on some key plays. JJAW and Greg Ward both made plays in the game and showed potential. They also showed that they need to do the little things better. This isn’t college where “good enough” is in fact good enough. The NFL moves faster. Details matter. This doesn’t speak well of the coaching Ward and JJAW have been getting. Young players are going to make mistakes, but we’re also in Week 12. At a certain point, guys have to be ready.

Upon further review, Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz was dealing with a lot in Sunday’s loss to Seattle - Inquirer
Exhibit A was that fourth-and-2 slant to rookie J.J. Arcega-Whiteside with just under eight minutes remaining, from the Seahawks’ 23. Live, it sure seemed that Wentz threw wide of Arcega-Whiteside, who got his hands on the ball but couldn’t bring it in. Even Fox analyst Charles Davis, a former college defensive back, called it “an inaccurate throw by Carson Wentz” on the broadcast. Former Eagles receiver Bryce Treggs was the first to differ there, via Twitter Monday morning: “The sit point on a crossing route is two yards outside of the hash, where J.J. begins to sit down. Instead of sitting down and setting a definitive target for the quarterback, J.J. takes an extra hop outside and that makes the throw inaccurate.” Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky also took to Twitter to declare that he had rewatched the game and that it was “the single worst game I have ever seen at the WR position when it comes to details/being where you’re supposed to be when [you’re] supposed to be there/& not fooling the QB. I try to be positive-BUT THAT WAS AWFUL. They hung their QB out.”

What’s wrong with the Eagles’ Carson Wentz? It’s complicated - ESPN
First, the fourth-year QB is working with probably the worst wide receiver corps in the NFL. The group ranks 31st in yards (1,118) and yards after the catch (335) and last in yards per reception (10.75). The Eagles rank fourth in drops (17) and second in receiving fumbles (5). Not a great combination. Injuries have stripped Wentz of many of his top playmakers. He has been without speed receiver DeSean Jackson for almost the entire season and was missing all three of his original starting wideouts -- Alshon Jeffery, Jackson and Nelson Agholor -- Sunday because of injury, leaving him with a group that included Mack Hollins, rookie JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Jordan Matthews and Greg Ward, who was called up from the practice squad late in the week. “I would love for you to stand back there and play quarterback in the National Football League and take some of the shots that these quarterbacks take,” Pederson said. “Look at the game [between the Packers and 49ers Sunday] night. Aaron Rodgers is affected in the game because he is getting hit and knocked around off his spot. So it affects guys, and yet he’s tough, he stands in there, he makes some great throws down the field, doesn’t shy away from that contact.”

Who Cares About History? Michael Thomas Belongs in the MVP Conversation - MMQB
The Eagles’ offensive line, a surprise on-again/off-again issue in 2019, is an on-again issue coming out of Week 12. And nowhere was that more apparent than on a third-and-one with 8:35 left and Philly down 17–3 in Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks. Not one, not two but three Seattle defenders (Bobby Wagner, Al Woods, Poona Ford) were in the backfield as Miles Sanders took the handoff out of the shotgun from Carson Wentz. Sanders was quickly dragged to the ground. On the next play, a fourth-and-two, Wentz looked jumpy in a collapsing pocket, threw wide of rookie J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and the game was, for all intents and purposes, over. And this was after an afternoon in which rookie Andre Dillard, standing in for Lane Johnson at right tackle, was benched, and right guard Brandon Brooks left game due to, per my buddy Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, another bout with anxiety. And thus, what was an enormous strength before the year is a real issue heading into December.

The Morning After - Rotoworld
Carson Wentz fails to put his team on his back. With his supporting cast in shambles, it has fallen on Wentz to drag the Eagles into the postseason. He is so far failing. The would-be 2017 MVP has contributed just one score in five straight starts, taking at least three sacks each of the past five weeks. We know injuries have hollowed out Wentz’s weapons — No. 1 WR Jordan Matthews says hello — and created issues up front, but at some point, a franchise player needs to franchise. Every team has injuries, and in 2019, every team has issues up front. Miraculously, the Eagles are still in the hunt in the NFC East, and have three straight “get right” matchups in the Dolphins, Giants and Redskins. Anything less than 3-0 — or two weekly scores — will be unacceptable.

A 6-point plan for Eagles to win NFC East (no, I’m not kidding!) - PE.com
Pederson knows it because he’s lived it. Last season, you remember, the Eagles were 6-7 and headed to a road game at the mighty Los Angeles Rams and darned if they didn’t pull off an against-all-odds win to get to 7-7. They hung on to beat Houston the following week at Lincoln Financial Field and then finished the regular season with a convincing victory at Washington and, along with a thank-you win from Chicago over Minnesota, made the postseason. The Eagles not only made it, but they won a game in the playoffs and then were driving in the final two minutes when a Nick Foles pass to Alshon Jeffery glanced off of Jeffery’s hands and was intercepted, ending the dream. The point is, anything can still happen. And it usually does.

Brandon Brooks deserves only support from Eagles and their fans - NBCSP
If anyone wants to stupidly question Brandon Brooks’ toughness, remember this: Brooks tore his Achilles tendon on Jan. 13 and returned to game action less than eight months later, playing at an even higher level than when he was a Pro Bowler in the previous two years. This has nothing to do with toughness. This has nothing to do with want-to. Brooks is as tough as they come. He wants to be great as much as anybody. But anxiety can be debilitating and he deserves only support from the Eagles and their fans as he continues to bravely and publicly fight it.

NFL Week 12 Team of the Week - PFF
DI Fletcher Cox, Philadelphia Eagles. Cox recorded two pressures and three additional pass-rush wins in the Eagles’ 17-9 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday. He earned an impressive 90.1 overall grade and 90.8 pass-rush grade in the process.

Best available D/STs on Week 13 waiver wire - DraftKings Nation
Philadelphia Eagles (36.4 percent) @Dolphins. The Dolphins rank second in allowing fantasy points to D/STs. They don’t give up huge numbers, but they also haven’t dipped below, allowing five fantasy points in a game all season. The Eagles D/ST has been all over the place but did just put up 11 fantasy points on a good Seattle offense. They make for a safe play, even on the road this week.

Jason Garrett Is the Cowboys’ Kryptonite, and America’s Team Is at a Crossroads - The Ringer
Dallas has one of the best rosters in the NFL, and yet after a loss to the Patriots, the team is sitting at 6-5. Sunday’s performance reinforced everything that’s wrong with this group—and posed plenty of questions about the future.

Jabrill Peppers, Golden Tate of Giants injured vs. Bears - Big Blue View
New York Giants safety Jabrill Peppers suffered a transverse process fracture during Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bears. The Giants also announced Monday that wide receiver Golden Tate is in the league’s concussion protocol.

Dolphins at Browns stock watch: Who is up and who is down for Miami after 41-24 loss - The Phinsider
Stock up: Ryan Fitzpatrick, quarterback - It was not a great day for Fitzpatrick - who turned 37 on Sunday - but the guy just refuses to quit and fights for every yard, every down, every score. He was 21-for-39 for 215 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, plus had 45 yards on five carries with a touchdown. Fitzpatrick became just the 44th player in the 100 seasons of the NFL to throw 200 touchdowns. The Dolphins having a bad year was expected, but Fitzpatrick - and in no small part head coach Brian Flores - at least keeps the Dolphins fighting and clawing their way through games in which they should have been completely blown out.

Nick Foles to remain Jaguars starting quarterback for now - Big Cat Country
In 48 attempts, Foles threw for an average of 5.66 yards per attempt on Sunday. For reference, Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew II had one game this season under 6.45 yards per attempt — against the New Orleans Saints (5.62). The team could not stay on the field converting only seven out of 18 (39%) third downs on the day, and punting the football a total of six out of the first eight possessions of the game. There was next to zero offensive production for much of the game.

8 winners, 5 losers from the NFL Week 12 playoff picture - SB Nation
2. Nick Foles. He got paid. He’s set for life. He deserved that money for what he did in Philadelphia. He unfortunately got injured in Week 1 and missed the first half of the season. He came back last week and I had high hopes for the Jaguars, who stayed afloat in his absence with Gardner Minshew. Well, Foles’ first two games have been underwhelming, and the Jaguars are now out of the playoff hunt. He’s thrown for mostly garbage stats, including Sunday in Tennessee. They were down, 35-3, to the Titans before scoring a couple late touchdowns. Yikes. I was rooting hard for Foles to succeed this season, but it doesn’t appear to be happening. He’s surely going to have another head coach in 2020 and will need to start over.

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