By Ralph Vacchiano
FOX Sports activities NFC East Author
They’re the final undefeated crew within the NFL, they’ve an MVP-caliber quarterback, and each a High-4 offense and protection. They’re among the many league leaders in interceptions and sacks. They usually’ve bought each a receiver and operating again who rank within the High 6 in yardage.
So for the Philadelphia Eagles, that is nearly as good because it will get.
Is not it?
“There are all the time issues to work on, proper?” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni stated as his crew headed into its bye week. “So, I really assume we will be much more demanding and extra loopy about, you understand, what the usual is if you end up 6-0.”
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As ridiculous because it appears, the Eagles have managed to set their customary increased than being undefeated. And regardless of sitting atop the perfect and most stunning division in soccer and staking their declare as Tremendous Bowl favorites, there’s a feeling in Philly that this Eagles crew has solely scratched the floor of how good it may be. They’ve seemed dominant at occasions, to make sure, however sleep-walked via different parts of video games. They’ve seemed weak regardless of their capacity to construct large, insurmountable leads.
Sure, it is nitpicking when a crew is 6-0. However that is what Sirianni and his teaching workers intend to spend the bye-week doing. As a result of whereas the world might even see perfection, they wish to take a tough have a look at all of what they view because the Eagles’ flaws.
“I believe being 6-0 is superior,” Sirianni stated. “However I believe you’ll be able to put your foot on everyone and say, ‘You want this? This really feel good? All proper, then we bought to maintain going and actually dive in even tougher.'”
Added middle Jason Kelce: “There is not a participant right here who’s glad with what we have finished.”
So the place do they start to tinker with their perfection? For the Eagles, the most important concern is what Sirianni has referred to as their “lulls” — the place they appear to take a seat on large leads and let different groups both dangle round or climb again into video games. They’ve had two-touchdown leads in each recreation this season, and second-half leads of 15 or extra factors in each recreation however one.
But their common margin of victory is solely 9.3 factors. That is good, clearly, however not good contemplating they set an NFL file with 112 second-quarter factors via the primary six video games of the season. That is greater than 11 groups — and two NFC East groups (Dallas and Washington) — have for your complete season to date. The Eagles have outscored their opponents 112-27 within the second quarter.
However then they’re being out-scored 49-35 within the second half.
“We have not performed an entire recreation within the sense of we have not actually blown open a recreation when we now have had two-score leads,” Sirianni stated. “You wish to simply be capable of finish a recreation and put a recreation away. I believe that is what we’re speaking about, is to simply actually end the sport and put it away.”
Added defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon: “Clearly you by no means wish to let groups again within the recreation. That is one of many areas that we bought to review and ensure. (Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen) and I had an ideal discuss it. ‘What are you doing? What am I doing? What are you pondering? What am I pondering?’ to finally assist the gamers.”
There would not seem like a simple reply. Earlier within the season, Sirianni admitted that at occasions he “pressured Shane to take his foot off the gasoline” on offense. And that’s clearly what is occurring when Philadelphia will get what appears to be like like a commanding lead.
The Eagles cross on 54.1 p.c of their performs within the first half, however that dips to 36 p.c within the second half. It is as if they do not wish to lean on quarterback Jalen Hurts in these conditions, regardless of the outstanding season he is having — a season that features solely two interceptions to date. Hurts is averaging 182.8 passing yards per recreation within the first halves, however solely 69.5 passing yards in second halves. And 5 of his six landing passes have come earlier than halftime, too.
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Is it a horrible thought to lean on the NFL’s fifth-best speeding assault when attempting to guard a lead? No. However it’s clearly taking the short strike and massive play out of their offense after halftime, and it is an enormous purpose why the Eagles appear to stall.
And that places a pressure on the protection, which has had its second-half points, too. Like on Sunday night time, after a smothering first-half efficiency wherein they allowed the Cowboys solely 81 yards and 4 first downs — half of which got here on the ultimate drive — the protection was gashed for 2 monster landing drives to begin the second half that lasted 24 performs, went for 172 yards and took greater than 11 ½ minutes off the clock.
Gannon really noticed some worth in that. “There are occasions the place a 10-play drive that takes seven minutes off the clock once you’re up three scores is not the worst factor on this planet.”
Possibly, however when these time-consuming Dallas drives had been over, a blowout had became a 20-17 recreation with 14:39 left.
Now, the Eagles did reply with a grind-it-out, 7 ½-minute landing drive of their very own within the fourth quarter towards the Cowboys, after which cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson sealed the win with an interception. They’ve positively confirmed they’ve the expertise, depth and stamina to provide you with the performs they want in crunch time.
It simply looks like issues ought to be simpler for the Eagles, particularly given their typically quick begins.
“Yeah, after all we had been up 20-3 on the half and would’ve beloved to simply duplicate that and received the sport 40-6,” Sirianni stated. “However within the grand scheme of issues that is arduous to do.”
There are different issues the Eagles may nit-pick throughout their bye week, too. They’ve solely had one large recreation from A.J. Brown, their $100 million receiver — his 10-catch, 155-yard Philly debut on opening day. He is bought 33 catches for 503 yards, which places him on tempo for a 93-catch, 1,400-yard season. And he is additionally needed to share the ball with DeVonta Smith (33-397) and tight finish Dallas Goedert (26-357). So it isn’t as if he is struggling.
However Brown has additionally been largely quiet the previous couple of video games. And he hasn’t been a lot of a second-half issue in any respect, the place he has simply 11 catches for 131 yards.
After which there’s the Eagles’ cross rush, which has 17 sacks, good for seventeenth within the NFL. That is good, till they keep in mind that 9 of these sacks got here in a single recreation towards the Washington Commanders’ broken-down offensive line. Defensive finish Brandon Graham had 2.5 of his three sacks in that recreation. Haason Reddick, their $45 million edge rusher, has 4.5 sacks, however has some prolonged quiet stretches, too.
Just a little extra Brown and a extra constant cross rush could possibly be the answer to the Eagles’ second-half issues and will flip them into a very dominant crew the remainder of the best way.
In fact, “issues” is a relative time period. What issues most is the Eagles are 6-0, clearly heading for the playoffs, possibly for an NFC East title, they usually hope in direction of Tremendous Bowl LVII. They’re that good and that deep, and they are going to be arduous to beat the remainder of the best way in the event that they keep wholesome.
And in the event that they ever handle to repair their “issues” — particularly within the second half? There is perhaps nothing standing of their method.
“We’re a fairly good soccer crew,” operating again Miles Sanders stated. “However we nonetheless have not performed our greatest recreation. Everyone is aware of that.”
Added Kelce: “There are a number of areas the place we must be higher. We have now but to play our greatest recreation and it is thrilling to know that it is nonetheless on the market.”
Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports activities, protecting the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the earlier six years protecting the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and earlier than that, 16 years protecting the Giants and the NFL for the New York Day by day Information. Observe him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.
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