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Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has not yet been at the same level of playmaker as there was a season ago for head coach Doug Pederson. (Images of Winslow Townson / AP for Panini)
We are five games away from the 2018 NFL season and the Philadelphia Eagles have already lost as many times as they did in 19 games a year ago. They are not the first team to have a hangover in the Super Bowl, but what makes people cringe is that there is no obvious reason for that. For the most part, the reigning Super Bowl champions have maintained the status quo starting in 2017.
However, an NFL saying says, "If you do not get better, you get worse," and we saw the Eagles fall back into a handful of key areas. The problems below explain why the 2018 Eagles are not yet close to the 2017 version and must be resolved so that the team can move forward, including this Thursday night against the Giants.
The secondary is in difficulty.
That's pretty much the biggest problem Philadelphia faces in the future. The Eagles defense begins and ends with the first four. Their ability to generate field pressure is unmatched and offers unparalleled flexibility in coverage. At the same time, although it can mask some problems, it can not serve as a complete solution.
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Apart from Malcolm Jenkins, there is no other player who is always good in high school. Rodney McLeod would have qualified, but he is finished for the season after he ripped the MCL to the knee during the 3rd week. The best coverage of Pro Football Focus among starters in non-Jenkins high school is Ronald Darby's (58.6) ladder. Darby was above average last season, despite injuries, and allowed a 53.7 completion percentage on 82 targets, but he did not prove he was a regular player. Even last season, he still allowed over 100 yards twice last year, including at the Super Bowl. He did the same thing in the second week against the Bucs this year and has so far allowed a completion percentage of 69.6.
The scary thing is that he was the best team defense outside Jenkins. Jalen Mills, a cornerback to Darby, turned the other quarterback into Patrick Mahomes, allowing him to capture 25 assists, 385 yards and 35 touchdowns.
The unfortunate part here is that there is no clear solution. The best cornerback of the team a year ago, Patrick Robinson, left for New Orleans during the off season. The Eagles tried to replace him in the slot by Sidney Jones, but he misbehaved (score of 56.9). Last year, outside cornerbacks were a concern for Philly, but the scramble for the passes and the performance of the safes and the slot corner ruined everything. The Eagles could only rely on the hurry so far this year.
Carson Wentz is not the same playmaker he was a year ago.
One of the most successful aspects of Wentz's 2017 season was its off-platform capability. Whether it's maneuvering tight pockets or breaking them all together and playing while playing, Wentz does not have to follow the entire offensive pattern to get the first try.
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Since his three matches since returning from the torn anterior cruciate ligament that he suffered last December, he has not been at the same level of playmaker with his legs. In games where Wentz moves inside or outside the pocket (instead of being able to rest and be comfortable), he has accumulated an average of 5.4 yards per game. and 5.1 yards per race in 2018, a difference with the average of 7.8 yards per pass and 7.9 yards per run.
Much of what made Wentz special last year is simply not there, especially in the red zone. The Eagles were dominant in the 20-yard line last season, converting 64% of their trips into the red zone into touchdowns (second fastest rate in the NFL). It is a product of Wentz's mobility that plays behind a very good offensive line. The ability to take advantage of the numbers in the game running with options and save time outside the pocket is very useful near the goal line – and Wentz does not. just did not have the same runner and play extension this season that it was a year since.
Wentz gets fired a lot more often.
If you're looking for a reason, yards totals by Wentz seem excellent so far, but the Eagles do not seem to be able to stand the orders, look no further than his bag rate. Last season, Wentz took out bags on just 5.6% of his returns. That number jumped to 8.5% in 2018 – the fourth highest rate of any quarter in the league. This is despite the fact that they faced a group of opponents with average passing passes.
Part of the problem of the bags is due to the presence of some representatives of the protection of unusually ugly passes of good striker Lane Johnson, who has already yielded more bags in 2018 (five) than the last two combined seasons (four). But part of that falls on Wentz. It has been under pressure on 36.6% of its spinoffs this season, which is almost identical to 35.7% last year.
To a certain extent, this goes hand in hand with Wentz's ability to play outside the pocket. He does not look very different physically after having torn his anterior cruciate ligament, but it's hard to expect him to have the same intrepidity that he had handled his pocket last year. As long as this confidence is not restored, the offensive will struggle to reach the peak it had reached a season ago.
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