The only thing Eagles fans engage with more than success is locker room drama.
Following a pretty ugly Week 14 win over the Panthers that saw the offense held together with duct tape and baling wire in what should have been a blowout, Eagles' star wide receiver A.J. Brown expressed frustration with the passing attack — which was obviously a dig at quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Hurts has been a solid game manager in recent weeks as the Eagles have expanded their win streak to nine games, tying a franchise-best mark. But he hasn't been anywhere near the MVP candidate he was in parts of the two prior seasons.
On WIP following the win, veteran pass rusher Brandon Graham made comments that more or less confirmed the QB and wideout had beef with each other before he walked it back a bit, trying to emphasize that he felt that responsible NFL players should know how to keep things out of the media.
Clearly the Eagles passing game is dragging behind the run game — but with Eagles' single-season rushing leader and MVP candidate Saquon Barkley running behind the best offensive line in football, that's not necessarily reason for concern.
Which is exactly where we dive into some recent takes on the Eagles passing game, in our latest 'What They're Saying.'
Not this again…
Brooks Kubena | The Athletic
Last season, the Eagles' offense fell apart and locker room strife took over, as the Birds collapsed in epic fashion following a 10-2 start. The 11-2 Eagles in 2024 are obviously mindful of this, and hope they don't see their struggles translate into a loss against the Steelers next week in what might be the toughest game of the year so far.
Simply put, if the Eagles want to win next week, Hurts must be better. And the Eagles have to figure out just why he's played below his previously established potential in recent games:
Jalen Hurts finished with under 200 yards passing for the third straight game. He’s made up for his lack of production by delivering key passes or key scrambles in certain critical moments, and the passing game’s shortcomings have been mitigated by Barkley’s dominance. The Panthers proved how this is an untenable pattern. It’s at the root of the offense’s slow starts at the beginning of games. It paralyzes the team’s game plan when the running game is no longer an option.
After Lane Johnson was flagged for holding on the opening play of the game, Hurts settled for a first-and-20 checkdown when A.J. Brown appeared open deep downfield. Hurts took a sack two plays later, threw two incomplete passes and the Eagles punted. Hurts failed to gain first-down yardage on two QB runs on a second drive that became a three-and-out. Up 7-3 in the second quarter, Hurts had ample time against a third-and-7, six-man rush but overthrew Johnny Wilson for yet another three-and-out. Brown slammed his helmet on the sideline as the Eagles punted again. [The Athletic]
A new approach
E.J. Smith | The Philadelphia Inquirer
Maybe it's not Hurts' fault. Maybe the offense has simply become predictable and it's up to Nick Sirianni and Kellen Moore to add some more wrinkles and looks to a stale aerial attack:
So where does the passing game go from here?
The answer is far more complicated than just one thing, but in general the offense may need to evolve beyond the handful of route concepts the group has utilized heavily this season.
Even the run-pass option slant routes to Brown, a staple of the Eagles offense the last few seasons, became predictable late in the second half. The Eagles ran it twice in quick succession at the midway point of the second half, the first of which ended in an 11-yard completion to Brown. The second one resulted in Hurts taking a dubious sack to avoid an illegal man downfield penalty, which would have been the lesser of two evils.
Diversifying the menu for Hurts and the Eagles receiving corps would likely go a long way toward fixing what ails the passing game this late into the season, but that will require Hurts to trust the concepts in the fleeting moments when things open up. [Inquirer.com]
They're still winning
Dave Zangaro | NBC Sports Philadelphia
It's hard to win nine games in a row, and not all of them are going to look good. The AFC-leading Chiefs, for example, haven't exactly looked great in many of their recent wins. It happens to even elite teams and it happens a lot. So maybe critics and concerned Eagles fans should relax a bit.
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The Eagles are 11-2 and they actually clinched a playoff spot later in the day on Sunday with some help. But they obviously have bigger goals than just getting to the playoffs. They are legitimate Super Bowl contenders if they play the way they think they’re capable of playing.
They didn’t do that on Sunday.
But after the win, Sirianni made a point to tell his team to enjoy the win. Sure, they have things to correct, but wins are hard to get.
“I like the fact that guys when we don’t reach our standard of how we want to play and show everybody how we play each week, that they’re disappointed in that,” Sirianni said. “But you also have to remind them in those moments that it’s hard to win. You have to enjoy those moments. Because I know this, when you lose that will sit with you and you’re sick about that. You have to balance that out from when you win to enjoy it." [NBC Sports Philly]
And Hurts is a winner, too
Mike Sielski | The Philadelphia Inquirer
One more from our friends at the Inky, as columnist Mike Sielski endeavors the difficult task of trying to define Hurts as a quarterback. He's not a superstar through the air, like Joe Burrow, nor is he currently playing like a multi-faceted MVP, in the Josh Allen-Lamar Jackson mold. But he's also not really a typical game manager either:
Boiled down, Hurts did a lot of puzzling things Sunday, and this was not the first time this season that he has. But then, he also threw two touchdown passes, committed no turnovers, and rushed for 59 yards, including a 35-yard scramble that he ripped off on third-and-10 to extend a drive that led to the winning touchdown. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni is fond of calling Hurts a winner, and perhaps that term is the one that best applies to him. He is certainly contributing to the Eagles’ 11-2 record and their nine-game winning streak, and without him, they wouldn’t be nearly as good — they might not be a playoff team without him — even though he isn’t the primary reason for their success. [Inquirer.com]
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