Sigh... this is not a good football team. Opting in for a tie, rather than going for the win, is all but "Fearless". However, we must commence. Let’s take a look at what happened.
Carson Wentz is NOT Who We Thought He Was
The most puzzling part of this 2020 Eagles season has been the awful play of Carson Wentz. The Eagles have put playmakers around the 5th year QB, and while the top guys have fallen due to injury, a franchise QB should be making throws to help out his young weapons. We have seen the opposite.
Wentz has struggled severely with his accuracy and reads that have lead to a league-high six interceptions. Through three weeks, that is unacceptable. The regression of Carson Wentz will be the story of 2020 unless things drastically change. We’ve seen what Wentz can do, but that was prior to season-ending injuries. Is this just the shell of Carson Wentz?
Defensive Line Came to Play
Eight sacks, albeit against one of the league's worst offensive lines is still good to see. We saw Josh Sweat get more time and is beginning to blossom into a good pass rusher. Sacks went all around the defensive line, and getting Javon Hargrave back is a massive boost. Joe Mixon had nowhere to run, and the linebackers were only able to be exposed in the passing game, which brings us to the next topic.
Linebacking Play
Nathan Gerry had shown flashes last year as a decent developing linebacker. However, much like the rest of the team - he has seen serious regression in 2020. Against the pass, Gerry has allowed a 156.4 passer rating. Being a former college safety, the Eagles expected Gerry to stand out in coverage as a linebacker. The team will need to upgrade the position if they want their defense to start playing better as a unit.
Play Calling or Play Execution?
Much has been made of Doug Pederson‘s play calling. While the decision to punt the football to basically accept a tie was quite possibly one of the worst decisions that could be made, the Eagles shouldn’t have been in the situation in the first place. During the game, there were plays to be made. The play calls, if executed properly should have worked. However, poor decisions and throws derailed what could have been an Eagles blow out victory. A large take away from these past three weeks is if Doug still trusts Carson?
