When the Eagles moved the ball into the redzone against the 49ers, you had the feeling that somehow, they were on their way to finding a way again.
Reality is cruel, but the football gods finally handed the Eagles a loss they deserved. A five-point loss should not write off a season and it should not take away from the first three weeks. But it did finally provide a reminder everyone needed to realize: these are not the Eagles of 2013.
That may be good or bad depending on how you look at it.
The NFL schedule is on a week-by-week basis and I think that’s because we tend to evaluate everything by the week. This week, Nick Foles was the quarterback that isn’t cut out to be a franchise player. This week, the Eagles offense was vanilla and couldn’t make a play. Lucky for them, it’s only one week.
Where do you begin with the Eagle offense? I guess it’s best to start with the quarterback.
Foles turned in his worst performance of the season. He completed 21 passes and threw two interceptions, granted one was on the final play of the game where desperation was at a high.
But Foles continued to miss receivers. He consistently overthrew Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper, trying to run deep routes.
Here’s the thing about Foles and the offense. That deep pass to DeSean Jackson that Foles became so accustomed to last season has to be removed from the playbook. Maclin and Cooper can create separation, but not enough to be at Jackson’s level. That play won’t work with these receivers and should not be tirelessly used on second down plays when all the Eagles need is five yards to move the chains.
Now to LeSean McCoy, rushing leader one season ago. McCoy’s struggles are two-fold. Yes, opposing defenses know he is the go-to and you lose something without the deep threat. But McCoy looks like he is constantly trying to do something special. It may be a beaten-down offensive line working with backups, but McCoy isn’t producing because he may be trying too hard to make the creative, highlight-reel play.
The Eagles have a group of wide receivers starting to get things together. But they have to hold onto the ball. Cooper is the biggest problem. He had a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter that hit him in the hands before falling to the ground. It was a contested play, but one that has to be made.
Cooper and Zach Ertz both fumbled after catches and both turnovers proved to be crucial.
In a game where the special teams and defensive units put up 21 points, you would think the Eagles won by 14 at least. They lost by five this week. The offense that had been so highly acclaimed fizzled out down the stretch and couldn’t score in the waning moments.
There are two weeks before the bye week. Those two games – against the Rams and Giants – will be about regaining the feared status that the offense had earned last season.
Most notably, Foles and McCoy have to prove that they are here to stay and not fading under the pressure and the bright lights. With all eyes on those two, there are still plenty of questions to be answered.
It still seems that on paper, the Eagles are on their way to a 5-1 start. But after games like Sunday’s, the questions and doubts have crept back into the minds of fans.
It is all warranted. The Eagles were a yard away from putting the doubts to bed for another week, and maybe a 6-0 start. Not anymore. And that makes the next two weeks even tougher than they appear.
Kevin Durso is a contributor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.
