Let's not sugarcoat this: Sam Bradford has not played well this season. But it's time to stop pinning all the blame on Bradford for the Eagles struggles offensively.
The holes in the offense were clear in Sunday night's loss to the Panthers. Eight drops by wide receivers. Jason Peters left the game in the first quarter and the Eagles were forced to play with an offensive line that featured three new starters.
All of it, collective, has been a struggle this season and it is a big reason why the Eagles find themselves 3-4 going into a bye week.
The problem with the Eagles offensive struggles is the timing. Several times during the game, it was mentioned on the broadcast that the timing or communication between Bradford and the receivers was off.
This is Week 7. Communication should not be an issue any longer.
Ultimately, what we are seeing is an offense that isn't good enough to overcome the adversity, the drops, the mental mistakes. The harsh reality is that those mistakes don't fall on one player or one position. It is the offense as a whole.
Jordan Matthews had one pass go off his hands for an interception. Josh Huff dropped a pass in the endzone. Zach Ertz and Miles Austin each had one on the final two plays of the Eagles last meaningful drive. There were seven in total on the scoresheet. It felt like more.
You feel bad for Bradford in a sense. A lot of the struggles fall on him. But on Sunday, it was just as much the receivers making mistakes that cost the Eagles as Bradford's inconsistencies.
It's been talked about a lot during the preseason that this was Chip Kelly's team, and while the Eagles are not tied to Bradford beyond this season, this is the decision that Kelly made for the Eagles. The Eagles are paying for these decisions as an inconsistent team that lacks fundamentals and execution.
And now Kelly is starting to sound like the broken record Andy Reid became. They aren't executing. They aren't displaying fundamentals. They need to cut down on drops and penalties.
Every week it is said, every week the opposite happens.
It's a tired act that is getting old fast.
But that's not all Bradford's fault. He can only do so much. And in many cases, when Bradford does step up and make the play, the receiver doesn't reciprocate.
It's a collective problem that has gone on for too long. And now the Eagles have an entire week to sit on the "might have been" moments before facing the next crucial NFC East test.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
