The Eagles lost their second game of 2018 yesterday, falling to the Tennessee Titans in overtime. Once again the defense struggled away from the friendly confines of Lincoln Financial Field, but since I already covered that troubling trend after their loss to the Buccaneers, we'll lead off with a look at the offense and the inefficiencies that has plagued Doug Pederson's squad over the first four weeks.
Going Deep
By most numbers, the Eagles offensive performance on Sunday was their best of the season. The Birds racked up 432 yards, four explosive plays and even scored a season-high 23 points. An improvement, sure, but far from the elite numbers Carson Wentz and company put up a season ago.
Perhaps the biggest thing the 2017 Eagles had going for them was their red zone success. The Birds were the top red zone offense in the NFL during the 2017 season, converting 71.2 percent of their red zone opportunities into touchdowns.
By comparison, the Eagles have only converted eight of their 14 red zone chances into touchdowns through four games in 2018, a 57.1 percent conversion rate that is below league average. But on the positive side, they have scored on all of their red zone drives, notching six field goals as well.
The positive doesn't even stop there as the Eagles are averaging 5.36 points per red zone possession in 2018, which is just a fraction shy of of the 5.54 they averaged in 2017. But unfortunately for the Eagles, that is where the positives end. Even though the Eagles are averaging more red zone trips per game, they are still struggling to score points at the same clip they did a season ago.
As I'm sure you can assume, the Eagles offensive woes come from their inability to score on big plays. In fact, Jordan Matthews' 52-yard touchdown in the first half of yesterday's game remains the Eagles only score outside of the 20-yard-line. Even all of Jake Elliott's field goals have come within the red zone as the second-year kicker is o-2 on kicks longer than 37 yards.
In 2017, the Eagles scored the third-most points in the NFL, but only 63 percent of those points occurred in the red zone, While a staggering 91 percent of the Birds' 82 points in 2018 have come within 20 yards of the goal line.
The return of Alshon Jeffery certainly seemed to open things up for the Eagles offense. His presence alone was enough to draw attention away from Matthews as he snuck down the seam for an easy catch and run. Jeffery also had a 31-yard catch himself that converted a third down.
Wentz looked like his old self on Sunday and his confidence to make throws down the field, but if the Eagles are unable to get the ball in the end zone on big plays, it will become increasingly difficult for them to win games on days where their defense isn't dominant.
Injury Report
Did not play: Darren Sproles (hamstring), Corey Clement (quad).
The Eagles didn't suffer any big injuries on Sunday, but their offensive line looked a little banged up. Both Jason Peters and Brandon Brooks missed a handful of snaps and Jason Kelce seemed to be moving a bit slower than normal between plays. It's probably nothing, but these nicks and bruises are worth monitoring as the season wears on.
Measurables
105: For the first time in his Eagles career, Jeffery recorded over 100 receiving yards in a game on Sunday, hauling in 8 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. After missing the first three games of the year nursing his surgically-repaired shoulder, Jeffery looked to be 100-percent yesterday and his touchdown catch was a strong grab over a pair of defenders. For all the impact Jeffery has had on the Eagles offense since arriving last season, his numbers have never matched that influence like they did yesterday.
3: Haloti Ngata recorded 3 solo tackles, including a sack and 2 tackles for loss, after being credited with just 2 assisted tackles in the Eagles first three games. The veteran defensive tackle was one of the biggest disappointments all year, but his lack of production was overshadowed by Fletcher Cox's dominance. Still, it was nice to see Ngata still has something to offer besides being a 340-pound body that takes up space.
343: Through four games, the Eagles have been flagged for 343 penalty yards. For comparison's sake, the Birds are on pace for 1372 yards over the 16-game season, which is 14 yards more than the NFL record for penalty yards in a season, currently held by the 2011 Oakland Raiders.
Turning Point
According to Reuben Frank, the Titans became the first team in NFL history to convert three fourth downs in overtime yesterday. None were bigger than this 19-yard completion on fourth-and-15:
What in the world is Corey Graham defending? pic.twitter.com/ZPfhpVJzc0
— Joe Giglio (@JoeGiglioSports) September 30, 2018
The Eagles lined up in their standard "Red Rover" defense with five guys covering the sticks and two deep safeties. Watching the replay, it's clear Corey Graham got caught staring into the backfield and also thought Taywan Taylor was running a vertical route into the safety coverage, not an out toward the sideline. Graham classified his work on this play as "dumb," and it's pretty hard to argue with that. If Graham keeps Taylor in front of him or at least follows him to the sideline, the Eagles are probably are sitting at 3-1 instead of 2-2.
Up-Down Drill
Up: Zach Ertz
Performances like yesterday's are becoming weekly occurrences for Ertz, who caught 10 of his 14 targets for 112 yards against the Titans. Since Wentz's return, Ertz has 15 catches for 185 yards in just two games. The tight end is now on pace for over 120 catches on the season and has looked like the best tight end in football through four weeks. With the Eagles receiving corps almost fully healthy, Ertz's production should remain steady for the the foreseeable future.
Down: Lane Johnson
Johnson has been the best right tackle in football for the past two seasons, but he really struggled on Sunday. Johnson was directly responsible for a sack and didn't look like his dominant self for much of the afternoon. It's only one game, and it would be silly to not expect Johnson to bounce back against Minnesota next week, but the Eagles allowed 11 quarterback hits on Sunday and that's worrisome when you consider Wentz's injury history.
Up: Michael Bennett
Bennett only finished the game with one official tackle, but his performance in the first half was breath-taking. The veteran defensive end lined up all over the place and recorded pressure on five straight snaps, sacking Marcus Mariota on third down to end a drive and forcing bad throws on a couple other plays. With all the struggles the Eagles secondary has had in recent weeks, having guys like Bennett step up and dominate will be necessary if the Eagles want to right the ship and make it back to the postseason.
Down: Jalen Mills
Speaking of secondary struggles, we have to mention Mills, who was burned by Corey Davis repeatedly yesterday, allowing completions of 28 yards and 51 yards, while also being flagged for a 20-yard pass interference penalty. Mills' day could've been catastrophic if not for a pair of drops that could've gone for at least another 70 yards of offense. The LSU product has never been a shutdown corner, but Mills' performance over these past couple weeks has been troubling and he's a huge liability in coverage as it stands right now. Jim Schwartz may need to think about shaking up his secondary, especially with the Vikings and their vaunted trio of receivers coming to town next week.
Three-Step Drop
1. One thing that will be lost in yesterday's loss will be Malcolm Jenkins' transcendent performance in overtime. The safety recorded a tackle for loss, two pass breakups and another tackle on the Titans' game-winning drive. His effort was wasted by bad penalties and lapses in coverage, but the Eagles' downfall could've come a lot sooner, had Jenkins not been making plays all over the field.
2. While we're talking about safeties, let's shift our focus across the field to the revolving door that was the Eagles free safety position. Graham started the day opposite Jenkins before giving way to Avante Maddox, who lined up as the single high safety for much of the second half. The rookie did record his first interception, but noted after the game he hadn't gotten many reps at safety during the week of practice.
With Earl Thomas now out for the season, that pipe dream is dead and it seems like the Eagles will have to search for an internal answer at safety. Maddox didn't seem to be lost playing deep and has the speed to cover deep while Jenkins is allowed to make plays at the line of scrimmage. Free safety isn't exactly the most crucial position on a defense and if Maddox gets enough reps at practice, he could grow into the role and be passable.
3. Despite the return of Ajayi, the Eagles shied away from running the ball for much of the game. Pederson had Wentz throw the ball 50 times on Sunday, compared to just 22 total rushes for the Eagles. The Birds' backs looked effective when they got the ball, averaging north of 5 yards per carry and moving the chains effectively in overtime. Maybe Pederson didn't want to give his undermanned backfield a huge workload, but the decision to simply abandon the run for much of the game was not a smart one.
Who's Next
The Eagles will host the Minnesota Vikings in a rematch of last season's NFC Championship Game. Former NFC East adversary Kirk Cousins leads a Vikings offense that put up 31 points in Los Angeles on Thursday night, but only scored 6 against Buffalo last week. Minnesota's defense also doesn't look to be as dominant as it was a season ago, allowing 29, 27 and 38 points as the Vikings have stumbled to a 1-2-1 record.
