Whats wrong with the Eagles How Jalen Hurts play injuries have Philly on edge to start playoffs
Whats wrong with the Eagles How Jalen Hurts play injuries have Philly on edge to start playoffs
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The Eagles had plenty on the line in Week 18. Losing to the Cardinals and thus falling out of the NFC East lead last week, Philadelphia needed a win in the final week of the season against the Giants to have a shot at winning the division for the second straight year.Instead, Philadelphia has turned in its worst performance of the season. Facing a 5-11 Giants team, the Eagles were dismantled in the first half, falling behind 24-0. When Philadelphia came out for the third quarter, it appeared resigned to its fate as NFC East runners-up, pulling most of the team's starters and shifting focus to their upcoming playoff matchup against the NFC South champion Buccaneers. By the end of it, the Giants stood tall with a 27-10 win.The Eagles' season started with so much promise. They came into Week 13 sitting at 10-1, posting wins over the Cowboys, Chiefs, and Bills. However, that week, they were demolished by the 49ers 42-19. That lo s marked the first of Jordan Matthews Jersey a three-game losing streak and a total of five lo ses over the final six weeks to close the 2023 season.MORE: The reigning NFC champions will now limp into the playoffs as a wild-card team facing a litany of questions about their prospects for this season and beyond.What do the late-season struggles mean for the clash against the Buccaneers? Here's what you need to know.Philadelphia was dominant over the first 12 weeks of the season. The Eagles scored 310 points, tied for the fifth-most in the league during that span. The offense graded as fifth in EPA (expected points added) per play.The defense, though flawed, was at least solid, allowing 246 points, the 14th-most in the league, and it ranked 18th in EPA per play.At 11-1, it looked like the Eagles were a dominant squad, free of the concerns of any Super Bowl hangover and looking the part of a team that could easily vie for a title in 2023.From there, the story of the Eagles' season has changed. Philadelphia has allowed the most points in the league by a considerable margin with 182 allowed Washington is second with 168, Seattle and Cleveland third at 153. It has only scored the 16th-most points with 123. The defense ranks 31st in EPA per play during that span, while the offense ranks 14th in EPA per play.A season ago, the Eagles ranked eighth in the league in points allowed per game at 20.2. Their defense ranked fourth in EPA per play. Their dominance on both sides of the ball is part of what made Philadelphia a team to be feared.How would this year's defense, playing in a must-win game, fare against a Giants' offense that ranks 30th in EPA per play? Evidently, not well. New York's Tyrod Taylor picked the Eagles apart, completing 23-of-32 pa ses for 297 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He did all that despite the lack of a steady running game, with the Giants collectively rushing 30 times for 109 yards (3.6 yards per carry).Against a Giants' team that ranked 32nd in PFF pa s-block grade, the Eagles were able to tally just two sacks. This has been a recurring problem for Philadelphia's defense, which has just 11 sacks since Week 13 (tied for 27th in the NFL in that span). The defense has just 38 pre sures in that time, which ranks 26th.Plenty of other teams boosted their overall numbers by facing the Eagles.WeekOpponentSeason Off EPA/playSeason Def EPA/playvs. Eagles Off EPA/playvs. Eagles Def EPA/play1349ers (L)0.179 (1st)-0.052 (10th)0.531 (1st)0.092 (16th)14Cowboys (L)0.121 (2nd)-0.085 (4th)0.061 (5th)-0.202 (6th)15Seahawks (L)0.031 (10th)0.066 (30th)0.121 (8th)0.114 (24th)16Giants (W)-0.165 (30th)-0.007 (22nd)-0.071 (18th)0.095 (19th)17Cardinals (L)-0.055 (22nd)0.091 (31st)0.272 (3rd)0.231 (27th)18Giants (L)-0.165 (30th)-0.007 (22nd Kyle Juszczyk Jersey )0.072 (12th)-0.282 (6th)In all but the weekagainst the Cowboys, the Eagles' opponent out-played their average offensive EPA per play. Philadelphia's offense also made opposing defenses look better, with only the 49ers performing slightly below their average defensive EPA per play.There are plenty of injuries that contributed to the Eagles' Week 18 defensive struggles. Corner Darius Slay was ruled out for the contest with a knee injury and standout defensive tackle Fletcher Cox sat out the game as he rested for the playoffs.There were some key offensive absences as well. Coming into Sunday's game, starting running back D'Andre Swift was ruled out because of an illne s and No. 2 receiver DeVonta Smith was ruled out with an ankle injury.Following the defeat, coach Nick Sirianni was asked why the team still believes in itself heading into the playoffs. He responded simply that they aren't quitters and don't intend to give up on the campaign. He said the me sage to his team hasn' Richard Sherman Jersey t changed between last year when the team was heading into the NFC championship and this year when it's riding a losing streak."We all get up off the mat when we're down and we get up and we keep going. When you get hit in life, when you get hit in football, you got two options. You can stay down or you can get the eff up," Sirianni said. "Nobody's quitting on this team. Because that's the reason all these guys are in that locker room because they know how to freaking fight. The coaches know how to freaking fight. The players know how to freaking fight. The staff know how to freaking fight. And so we'll just get up and we'll fight again."Before halftime even arrived, Hurts was on the bench for the Eagles. He finished the game having completed just seven-of-16 pa ses for 55 yards and an interception. He threw the interception with 1:34 left in the first half, and it wound up being his last pa s of the game. Marcus Mariota came out for the next series and threw an interception on the first play.Part of the decision to pull Hurts undoubtedly stemmed from a . He briefly went to the medical tent but wound up returning. However, with the playoffs looming, the team trailing by 24, and the Cowboys running away against the Commanders, there was little reason to risk further injury.Mariota finished the game completing 13-of-20 pa ses for 148 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.After the game, Sirianni explained the Eagles decided to pull Hurts and several other starters because he wanted to get his starters some rest, particularly with the team trailing by 24 points and the Cowboys leading their game around halftime.Philadelphia had its starters play against the Giants for most of the first half, and the decision wound up back-firing. Star wide receiver and did not return. He will not play in the playoff game against Tampa Bay.Along with Brown, safety Reed Blankenship (groin), safety Sydney Brown (knee), and guard Cam Jurgens (eye) were all ruled out against the Giants. Sydney Brown was ruled out for Monday's playoff game and Blankenship remains questionable.Jalen Hurts, who injured his finger against New York, was a limited participant on Thursday, but was a full participant the rest of the week.
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