The Eagles Are Good — But They Can Be Better- Here Are Three Areas To Focus On In The Second Half.
The Eagles climbed to the NFL’s best record through the first nine games of the season. Throughout the bye week, coach Nick Sirianni and his staff will attempt to execute their best self-assessment as they prepare for the second half of the season.
Here are three areas that the team should prioritize during their self-scout period.
Red zone offense
Offensive coordinator Brian Johnson found himself in the spotlight early in the season with fans clamoring for improved play-calling, specifically in the red zone, where the Eagles noticeably struggled. Over the first several weeks, they found themselves relying heavily on kicker Jake Elliott, who has made 18 of 20field-goal attempts.
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To Johnson’s credit, though, the offense has worked diligently to tighten up its execution near that critical part of the field. Leading up to the bye, the Eagles improved their red-zone efficiency in four straight weeks after they were ranked as low as 27th in the NFL. Here’s how they’ve fared week to week:
- Week 2: 15th
- Week 3: 7th
- Week 4: 25th
- Week 5:24th
- Week 6: 27th
- Week 7: 23rd
- Week 8:19th
- Week 9:18th
- Week 10:13th
Against the Cowboys in Week 9, the Eagles impressively went 3-for-3 in the red zone, featuring rushing touchdowns from Kenneth Gainwell and Jalen Hurts, along with a 4-yard TD reception by A.J. Brown. The Eagles now have scored on 55.6% of their red zone trips. For comparison, the Miami Dolphins entered Sunday ranked first (75%), while the New York Jets were last (23.9%).
If the Eagles are able to catapult themselves into the top 10, they’ll further cement themselves as one of the NFL’s best offenses.
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Life without Goedert
Tight end Dallas Goedert suffered a broken forearm in the team’s most recent game, and he is now expected to be placed on injured reserve. That’s devastating news as the Eagles prepare to enter their toughest stretch of the season.
After Goedert exited during the third quarter a week ago, the Eagles managed just 22 yards over the final 16 plays. Those are inexcusable numbers for a unit featuring multiple playmakers in top wideouts Brown and DeVonta Smith, running back D’Andre Swift, and a dual threat in Hurts.
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With Goedert expected to be sidelined for multiple games, the Eagles will need to adjust on the fly. He arguably hasn’t been utilized nearly enough within the passing offense this season, but he’s still one of the league’s best tight ends from both a pass-catching and run-blocking perspective.
The small, recent, Goedert-less sample size isn’t encouraging — and neither are the historical numbers. Last season, Goedert missed five games due to a shoulder injury; backup tight ends Jack Stoll and Grant Calcaterra caught a combined 11 passes for 115 receiving yards with zero touchdowns from Week 10 to 14. Despite his extended absence, Goedert still finished the 2022 season as the Eagles’ third-leading receiver with 702 yards.
Stoll and Calcaterra, who missed the Cowboys game with a concussion, are still the team’s featured reserves, along with newcomer Albert Okwuegbunam. It’s unrealistic to expect any of them to replace Goedert’s production, but the Eagles surely would welcome any contributions from the group over the next month-plus.
Eagles preparing for life without tight end Dallas Goedert
“We are hopeful Dallas will make a good, clean recovery, and be back soon, when he’s ready to be back,” Sirianni said. “We like the guys that we have on this roster. We’re excited about them to get an opportunity. There are different ways that you can supplement not having Dallas, also. It doesn’t just fall on Jack, Grant, Albert.
“You can supplement it sometimes with different personnel groupings, as well. We feel like we have some good options.”
Pass defense
Through nine games, the Eagles have allowed 257 passing yards per game, the fourth-highest average in the NFL, and 19 touchdown passes. These are flat-out embarrassing numbers, and one might imagine the pass defense needs to improve tenfold if the Eagles have true championship aspirations.
Defensive coordinator Sean Desai, though, deserves some benefit of the doubt.
The Eagles have had little continuity across the secondary due to a multitude of injuries. The group appears to finally be coming to form with starting cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry, and safeties Reed Blankenship and Kevin Byard. Veteran Bradley Roby is expected to return from his pec injury after the bye. His return will be most welcome as the Eagles continue to look for a full-time solution at nickel cornerback from among Roby and rookies Eli Ricks and Sydney Brown.
It’s remarkable that the Eagles have the NFL’s best record despite their lapses across the secondary. Consider it a testament to the team’s ultra-talented roster.
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“We have to put the [nickel cornerbacks] in position to succeed, and then the guys have to go out and execute,” Sirianni said. “We are excited when Bradley gets back and we know he’s a big-time player. So [I’ve] got confidence in the group. [General manager] Howie Roseman has done a great job of bringing in depth through the midst of some things where we’ve had, injuries at this defensive back position.
“We’ll continue to get guys ready, and I’m comfortable with the group moving forward in the season.”
Thankfully for the Eagles, their run defense ranks first in the league with just 66.3 yards allowed per game. For comparison, the Denver Broncos allow the most rushing yards in the NFL — nearly 90 yards per game more than the Eagles.
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