Pressure on Philadelphia Eagles to start turning things around in NFC East clash with New York Giants

Jay Asser 22:32 10/10/2018
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  • The Super Bowl shine is beginning to come off the Philadelphia Eagles, who have had a concerning start to their title defence.

    At 2-3, Philadelphia don’t look like a team that is a serious threat to repeat as champions, with issues on both sides of the ball plaguing them through the first five weeks of the season.

    Fortunately for the Eagles, they’re in the only division in football that doesn’t have a team with a winning record, as Washington, Dallas and the New York Giants are all flawed sides in their own right.

    But if reigning Super Bowl winners hope to legitimately contend and not just eke out a playoff appearance, Thursday’s NFC East clash with the Giants would be a good place to start turning things around.

    Offensively, the return of Carson Wentz hasn’t magically returned Philadelphia’s attack back to the heights of last year.

    It was fair to assume a regression for Wentz after he put up otherworldly numbers in an MVP-worthy campaign, which included a 7.5 per cent touchdown rate, and so far in his third season, the Eagles quarterback has had his ups and downs.

    The inconsistencies have reared their head in the red zone, where Philadelphia are converting touchdowns at a rate of 38.5 per cent over the past three weeks. In 2017, that mark was 64 per cent, ranking second-best in the league.

    Now, the offence will also have to deal with a major injury as running back Jay Ajayi has been lost to a torn ACL.

    Super Bowl hero Corey Clement and fellow back-up Wendell Smallwood should see their roles increase, but the Eagles could also make a play for Pittsburgh Steelers hold-out Le’Veon Bell or Buffalo Bills back LeSean McCoy in a trade.

    Philadelphia’s offence, however, has been just half the problem.

    On the other side of the ball, the secondary has mightily struggled to contain the pass.

    The Eagles have one of the best front fours in the league, but when that group fails to generate a pass rush – they rank middle of the pack with 12 sacks – the defensive backs haven’t held up in coverage.

    As such, 80.6 per cent of the yards Philadelphia’s defence is allowing this season is coming through the air – the highest figure in football.

    With Rodney McLeod now done for the season due to an MCL tear, the Eagles have little choice but to hope cornerbacks Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills improve as the year goes on.

    RIPE FOR THE PICKING

    The Giants aren’t exactly a team that strikes fear into the hearts of opponents, but Philadelphia, considering their current predicament, won’t be glad to see them this week.

    Between Odell Beckham, Sterling Shepard and Saquon Barkley, Eli Manning has three dangerous weapons at his disposal in the passing game.

    Tight end Evan Engram will be sidelined with a knee injury, but Beckham in particular will be licking his lips in a match-up against Mills, who is graded 99th among cornerbacks this season, according to Pro Football Focus.

    Both Beckham and Manning are also coming off their best games of the year, with the former hauling in eight of his 18 targets for 131 yards and a touchdown, while the latter threw for 326 yards and two scores.

    Even though New York fell to Carolina this past weekend, they finally ended their streak of 37 games without scoring at least 30 points, which shows the offence is at least heading in the right direction.

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