By Tucker Bagley, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
Another disappointing week for the Eagles ended with defeat. Here's the full breakdown of the Monday night loss to the Packers.
Going Deep
The Eagles' descent back to earth was quick, violent and ended with a loud thud following Monday night's loss to the struggling Green Bay Packers. It was a game they were supposed to win. It was a game they should have won. But instead of taking care of business at home, Doug Pederson's squad got outplayed underneath the bright lights of Monday Night Football.
After starting the game with an 11-play, 81-yard drive that ended with a Carson Wentz touchdown, the Eagles gained just another 211 yards and were unable to find the end zone again, settling for just two field goals. The Eagles offense is a mess and there is enough blame to go around.
It starts at the top. Doug Pederson's play-calling has quickly become uneven, despite his insistence on trying to create a balanced attack. Granted, all year the Eagles offense has gone from pass-happy to run-heavy on a drive-to-drive basis, but Pederson's abandonment of the run makes little sense, especially when you have a rookie QB who is struggling to push the ball down the field with an array of Nerf guns as weapons.
Speaking of those weapons, they might have been the bright spot on the offense last night. With no egregious drops or penalties, the wide receivers only struggled once they were under-manned which isn't particularly their fault to begin with. But if Jordan Matthews is lost for a long period of time, you can forget about throwing the ball outside the numbers.
Even the offensive line, which has slowly fallen into shambles since Lane Johnson's suspension kicked in, was kicked around by a sub-par Packers front seven that was ranked in the bottom-third of the NFL in sacks heading into the game. If Johnson was able to properly read nutrition facts, Allen Barbre could still be at left guard and the team wouldn't have been forced to start Isaac Seumalo on such short notice once Brandon Brooks went down with an illness on Monday.
Now, this isn't all written as an excuse for Wentz's play over the past six weeks. He hasn't been terribly good either, but he isn't the root of all the evils either. The fact is Wentz wasn't even supposed to play this year, and although all of the responsibility that falls onto his plate will be beneficial in the long run, it is hurting the team right now. Pederson is expecting this kid to put the offense on his shoulders and it just isn't working. He's not ready for that just yet.
Wentz needs help. He needs to lean on a solid run game and play action. He has proved over the past few weeks that he isn't the franchise quarterback yet and his weaknesses need to be hidden. Even though Pederson seemed to finally label the team as a rebuilding project last night, it would still be prudent for the team to do it's best to set up their rookie signal-caller for success in the short-term and for the future.
Injury Report
Did Not Play: Halapoulivaati Vaitai (knee), Ryan Mathews (knee), Brandon Brooks (illness)
Jordan Matthews: Matthews twisted his ankle on a back shoulder catch during the Eagles final drive of the first half. He left the game and limped into the locker room for x-rays. He came back in the game for the Eagles' first drive of the second half, but was unable to continue and left the game for good in the third quarter. The Eagles offense really struggled in his absence, and if he's lost for an extended period of time, it will leave the Eagles even more shorthanded at wide receiver.
Marcus Smith: Smith left the game in the second half with a shoulder injury and never returned. The third-year player had a quarterback pressure, and was credited with one tackle in the game. His injury could open up an opportunity for Steven Means to get some snaps in these next few games.
Numbers Game
71%: The Eagles allowed the Packers to convert 10 of their 14 third down opportunities for a rate of 71 percent. That is simply unacceptable. Jim Schwartz and his defense were out-classed by Aaron Rodgers last night. After looking like such a dominant unit at the beginning of the year, the Eagles defense has played at a fairly pedestrian level for the last six games. Fletcher Cox hasn't done anything of note since September and the team has combined for just six sacks over their past five games.
1: Everybody's favorite wide receivers Paul Turner and Bryce Treggs combined for just one catch for 11 yards. Say what you want about Nelson Agholor, and yes, he has been terrible, but at least he could get open. Turner got zero targets in his limited time and Treggs was only targeted three times. Maybe these two undrafted rookies aren't the second coming of Isaac Buce and Torry Holt.
4.5: Entering last night's game, the Eagles were allowing just .79 points per drive at home. But the Packers were terribly efficient last night, averaging 4.5 points per drive. Green Bay scored their 27 points on just six drives (not counting kneel-downs), so pointing to the defense only allowing two more points than the Packers' season average is a terrible excuse. They were beaten at their own game and couldn't get off the field in critical situations.
Quotables
"It came down to basically letting him see the game with a little bit calmer eyes."
-Pederson on the decision to sit Nelson Agholor
I understand Pederson's sentiment, but not dressing Agholor proved to be costly once Matthews went down with his injury, leaving the Eagles with just three wide receivers and only one with any legitimate NFL experience. The Eagles could've managed Agholor's snaps or dressed him as a precaution. Instead, the idea to let him sit and relax left the team shorthanded on the outside.
Extra credit to the Eagles fan who made a Philadelphia Cream Cheesehead tonight (H/T @TheMightyEROCK) pic.twitter.com/1d7lxoAS4c
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) November 29, 2016
Incredibly creative work by this fan. I applaud the effort
The only good thing to come out of the Eagles game was Jon Gruden’s Merrill Reese impression. https://t.co/y5SUkA0tsv
— Dan McQuade (@dhm) November 29, 2016
He's no Joe Conklin, but how long can you watch this clip on a loop before it gets annoying?
Weekly Awards
Offensive Grinder: Dorial Green-Beckham
His offensive pass interference penalty notwithstanding, Green-Beckham put together his best performance as an Eagle last night. He caught four balls for 53 yards on the Eagles opening drive and finished the day with 82 yards on six catches. Green-Beckham has played a rather uninspired brand of football during his brief time in Philadelphia, but yesterday was proof that he still has that potential to be a big target for Wentz on the outside. He just needs to find ways to be more consistent.
Defensive Grinder: Jalen Mills
With how much Mills has played this season, it is hard to remember he is still just a rookie and a seventh-round pick at that. Mills spent most of the night matched up against Jordy Nelson and did a good job covering the veteran receiver. On a night where there weren't many solid performances turned in, especially on the defensive side of the ball, Mills stands out as a guy who has a chance to become a solid contributor moving forward. His physical limitations may prevent him from being a top cornerback in the league, but there's no reason why he can't be a god number-two corner for a contending team.
Three-Step Drop
1. Maybe Pederson should hand someone else on the sideline his challenge flag so he can't use them with such reckless abandon in the future. Pederson was 2-for-4 on challenges heading into last night's contest and lost his first challenge of the game when he challenged the spot of a punt. Considering it was a rather close call and would've changed the field position dramatically, it wasn't a terrible decision.
His second challenge, which he won, only moved the ball back two yards, but it didn't matter because the Packers scored a touchdown on the drive anyway. Pederson needs to learn to pick his battles, although, I will concede it seemed rather unfair that the Eagles lost their ability to challenge a call after a successful challenge.
2. Wendell Smallwood was expected to have a big role in the Eagles' gameplan with Mathews out, and he did, at least for a little bit. Smallwood finished the day as the Eagles leading rusher, but he was only given nine carries. Pederson has routinely said Wentz can't be left to throw the ball 40+ times per game, but that number can be changed by the guy calling the plays. Smallwood has proven to be a tough runner and it would be nice to see the Eagles give him 15-20 carries in a game to see if he can carry the load for the team. The early evidence says he can.
3. Kenjon Barner had a rough night, especially returning kicks. Coming into the game, the Packers were the worst kick coverage team in the league, but Barner was unable to get the ball past the 19-yard line on any of his three kick returns. He did have one catch for 10 yards, but with Mathews out and an obvious mismatch on special teams, it seemed like a game where Barner could really make a difference in the outcome, and instead he simply fell flat.
Who's Next
The Eagles will go back on the road and head to the Buckeye State to take on Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals are experiencing a down season, sitting at just 3-7 after losing to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon. In fact, the last time Cincinnati won a football game, it was on Oct. 23 and they were playing the Cleveland Browns.
Still, the Bengals are usually a very good team and have lost their last three games by a combined 10 points. With A.J. Green lining up on the outside, the Eagles really need a big day from their pass rush or they will risk exposing their weaknesses in the secondary.
