Going Deep
The Eagles have a lot going for them heading into the postseason. They finished the regular season with the best record in the NFL, and will receive a first-round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs as a result. The road to Super Bowl LII runs right down Broad Street and hooks a left at Pattison Avenue. But the team that earned those advantages is no longer and the Eagles will still face an uphill battle if they want their 2017 season to end with a championship.
With Nick Foles under center, the Eagles offense has continued to sputter and his performance on Sunday did nothing to quell people's anxieties about the backup quarterback. Foles completed just four of his 11 pass attempts for 39 yards and was also intercepted once. Still, despite his struggles, Foles's confidence is unwavering.
"I know that throughout my career, I haven’t always played great games," Foles explained. "I’ve been in games where execution hasn’t gone like you want it. The key is you remain confident because you know who you are. It’s not like we go out there and say, ‘Hey, we’re not going to play to the best of our ability today.’ We went out and played as hard as we could. We didn’t execute, but that’s stuff we can fix."
Oh man, is there stuff to fix. In the three offensive drive commanded by Foles, the Eagles scored zero points, notched just one first down and picked up a total of 26 yards. It's hard to imagine that poor excuse of an offense putting together successful drives against playoff-caliber defenses in the January cold.
The Eagles have become such an enigma, it's hard to pinpoint how successful they can be in the postseason. The defense continues to play at a high level, but it's impossible to win without scoring. Carson Wentz was the heart and soul of this football team, and he was ripped away from them three weeks ago and the team still has yet to rebound.
Maybe Foles and the offense can tighten the screws and work out the kinks over the next two weeks and emerge as a competent unit when they suit up for their first postseason game on January 13th. However, the evidence on the other side of the debate continues to pile up. Foles looks more and more like the guy who struggled in St. Louis, not the MVP candidate from 2013 and the running game has been stifled by loaded boxes and single-high safety looks.
It would be premature to announce the Eagles as DOA when their next game is in two weeks, but they have slipped from Super Bowl favorites to barely even being in the conversation with the other NFC powers.
Injury Report
The Eagles emerged from their final game of 2017 unscathed, but the big injury-related news was the return of Sidney Jones. The rookie cornerback saw his first action since tearing his Achilles tendon during the pre-draft process. Jones played around 30 snaps and allowed just one completion for three yards. It doesn't seem like Jones will get any snaps during the postseason, but it was good to see him back on the field and it doesn't seem like his injury will have any long-term effects on his career.
Measurables
11: Foles's performance on Sunday was the worst by an Eagles quarterback in over 11 years. Foles posted a passer rating of just 9.3, which is still vastly higher than the rating Donovan McNabb posted in 2007 against the Miami Dolphins: 0.4. Foles never seemed to get on the same page as any of his receivers and it wasn't like he wasn't just completing passes, he was missing wide open receivers and high-percentage throws.
26: The Eagles allowed Ezekiel Elliott to rush for over 100 yards, making him the first back to top the century mark against the Birds in 26 games. In 2015, the Eagles allowed Arizona running back David Johnson to rush for 187 yards and three touchdowns in a 40-17 route. The 26-game streak was the longest active streak in the NFL.
3: The Eagles 6-0 loss to the Cowboys tied a pair of losses in the 1950s for the lowest scoring game in franchise history.
Up Down Drill
Up: Wendell Smallwood
Smallwood saw his first game action in over a month on Sunday, and while he didn't play incredibly well, Smallwood was arguably the best player on a terrible unit on Sunday. He caught three passes for 24 yards and converted a pair of first downs. For a guy who hasn't factored into the offense for six weeks and will be fighting for a roster spot come next season, it was nice to see a fairly productive day from Smallwood.
Down: Will Beatty
Beatty is bad. Like, really bad. So bad, I almost feel bad for any quarterback who has to play behind him. For everyone's sake, let's hope he never has to step on the field in an Eagles uniform ever again.
Up: Steven Means
Means is a pretty neat story. He was everyone's favorite in training camp last year as he fought to make the team, but struggled to make any impact during the regular season. This year, he has bounced between the active roster and the practice squad, dressing for five games and playing just 14 snaps all year. But yesterday he got his chance and responded with a sack, a pair of tackles for loss and two quarterback hits. It may not mean much in the grand scheme of things, but it's fun to see a guy who has worked his tail off for two years get rewarded with production.
Down: Rasul Douglas
Douglas played really well early in the season, but has been MIA since Ronald Darby came back in Week 11. Douglas played most of the game on Sunday and struggled to contain whoever lined up across from him. Douglas is still a raw, young player, but with the depth the Eagles now have at cornerback, it looks like he could enter camp as the fourth-best cornerback on the roster, which is certainly a good thing for the Birds. They haven't had depth like that at cornerback in a very long time.
Three-Step Drop
1. Remember when people were debating if Dak Prescott could be a better quarterback than Wentz? Prescott looked terrible on Sunday and his performance capped off what was a disappointing sophomore campaign for the Cowboys QB. Prescott saw a huge drop in numbers across the board from his sensational rookie season and looks completely inferior to Wentz. Maybe Prescott can turn things around in 2018, but the Eagles can rest easy, knowing they have the bet quarterback in the division.
2. Of the Eagles' 22 regular starters, only one is not slated to be on the roster next season: Nigel Bradham. That kind of continuity will be huge when it comes to building off the success the Birds have experienced this season. Also, this team is young. The cornerbacks are young, the offensive weapons are young and Wentz will be just 25 on opening day next season. There's no guarantee for extended success in the NFL, but the Eagles have done a great job of putting themselves in a position to remain a contender over the next few years.
3. Reports came out yesterday that Jim Schwartz will interview for the New York Giants head coaching job and could be the top candidate for the position. The Giants gig is an interesting job, they have a talented defense, the second pick in the draft and one of the 10 best offensive weapons in the game. If Schwartz is truly interested in being a head coach again, it's hard to imagine a better job available than the Giants.
For the Eagles, it will be hard to replace a coach of Schwartz's caliber. The team should go after another experienced coach to take over that side of the ball, but there isn't a single candidate who can match Schwartz's resume.
Who's Next
The Eagles will have the next week off, before returning to action in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Birds locked up the number one seed last week, so they will have home field advantage for the divisional round and, if they win, the NFC Championship Game. All things considered, the Eagles still have a relatively easy road to the Super Bowl and if their defense continues to perform like they have the past two weeks, the Birds cold emerge as the champions of the NFC.
