Tori Sheffer

What’s been going on with the birds?

By Tori Sheffer

The Eagles’ Bye Week has come and gone, and fans are a little restless as the beginning of this season has not been as successful as fans and the team were hoping for. As of Week 5, the Eagles are 2-2 having taken wins in Week 1 against Green Bay and Week 3 against the Saints (thanks to Saquon), and dropping their games during Week 2 to the Falcons and Week 4 to the Bucs, and with the loss to Tampa Bay the last game in fans minds, reminding them of the dramatic way in which the 2023 season ended, in Florida with a poorly played football game. A lot of fans have recently grown worried about the state of the team, especially having an earlier Bye Week, which is going to result in the boys having to play through the rest of the season with no breaks. The recent struggles have resulted in underlying dread being the common emotion amongst passionate fans who were expecting a higher standard for the 2024 Eagles after the past two seasons. While they are currently ranked 3rd in the NFC East sitting at 2-2, we have to ask ourselves: is it time to think about hitting the panic button?

While things haven’t been outstanding, one consistently good component of this team is our offense. With an offensive line that ranks fifth overall in the league, complete with a 68% pass block win rate and a 74% run block win rate, they remain unbreakable, and a powerhouse that other teams’ defenses should be wary of. While the dynamic duo of AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith were injured during Week 4 against the Bucs, they are rumored to be healthy and available heading into Week 6, along with RT Lane Johnson as well. In addition to the already strong and established artillery, the Eagles went even further this offseason when they picked up Saquon Barkley, who has become a staple to this inconsistent offense. Barkley is leading the charge on a new era in the NFL, an era that specifically highlights the running game instead of passing, and is easily making his case for Offensive Player of the Year as he currently ranks 3rd in the NFL with 435 rushing yards. He’s had four different runs of 20-plus yards, 5 touchdowns, and is averaging 6 yards per carry. While the pieces are there to become an offensive machine, there is one thing lacking: stability from Jalen. During training camp, Hurts only threw one interception and was “playing point guard” aka getting into a rhythm and once in the groove getting the ball out of his hands in a shorter sequence. This, however, feels like lifetimes ago now because, in his four regular season starts, his average time before throwing the ball is 3.1 seconds (ranked 32nd), has had 5 fumbles 3 of which were lost, and 4 interceptions. While Jalen is still getting accustomed to new Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore’s playcalling style, he needs to keep his head in the zone and put an end to this pattern of giving the ball away to the other team. If the Eagles can solve Jalen’s consistency issue, our offense is still going to be one of the top in the league for defenses to contend with. 

While our offense could be our saving grace, our defense could very well be the undoing of this 2024 Eagles team. It’s no secret that our new Defensive Coordinator, Vic Fangio, has not been the solution to the Eagles’ defensive woes. In the NFL right now, our defense ranks 24th in defensive efficiency, 30th in opponent yards per play, 23rd in points allowed, and we are tied for 28th in takeaways. There wasn’t much momentum from Howie Roseman this offseason in solving the Eagles’ defensive problems, but the major defensive signing that was made was edge risher Bryce Huff, who is not shaping up to be as incredible of an acquisition as we thought. In his four starts with the Eagles, Huff has put up zero sacks and has had only one solo tackle; luckily for them, Huff’s counterpart, Brandon Graham, has been holding it down for him and Huff alike. Their only other notable acquisition was when they resigned CJ Gardner-Johnson, but even CGJ has been underperforming from how Eagles fans once knew him in the 2022 season. There are also University of Georgia alums Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Nolan Smith Jr.; however, Davis and Smith have really not been able to deliver solid returns and while Carter truly does have a gift, he remains inconsistent. The one shining star that’s consistently been strong for our defense is rookie corner, Quinyon Mitchell. One of the problems the Eagles needed to address this past offseason was a stronger secondary, and thanks to Mitchell, we’re starting to see a positive change there in 2024. He currently ranks 3rd league-wide in pass break-ups, he and his counterpart Darius Slay Jr. have been putting in the work. Because of Slay Jr., Mitchell has been targeted quite a bit (25 times to be exact), and he still has a 52% completion rate when he’s the nearest defender in coverage. He’s already been an improvement from James Bradberry IV who in total managed to finish the 2023 season with a completion rate of just 60%, so it’s been pleasant to see that improve from last season at least. 

In addition to the players themselves, you also have to look at the coaching, too. Sirianni and the coaching staff have left something to be desired so far in 2024, to say the least. Some of Sirianni’s calls, especially on fourth down, have been questionable. Something to note as well that still hasn’t changed thanks to last week’s Bye, is the fact that our offense hasn’t scored in the first quarter all season long thus far, that’s a huge fact to note; especially with the powerhouses that align our offense. The one ally the Eagles have, now that their Bye has passed, is their schedule. The Birds are coming into Week 6 with the fourth easiest remaining schedule, and the next four weeks especially look as though they could be to the Eagles’ benefit. This upcoming Sunday, the Eagles are going to be taking on the Cleveland Browns (1-3), then go on to face the New York Giants (1-3), the Cincinnati Bengals (1-3), and the Jacksonville Jaguars (0-4). With a lighter schedule and coming off fully healthy and rested, the Eagles are looking to get back on track, and get back to the top of playoff contention talk. Until Sunday’s game, I hope everyone out there enjoys tonight’s Phillies game and the rest of the NLDS, and as always, go birds!