In some ways the Eagles 20-17 win on Sunday was incredibly impressive.
They went across country, didn’t play well and beat a desperate Arizona team 20-17. That is the sign of a great team -- winning when you don't play well.
As a result of the win the Eagles remained the only undefeated team in the NFL at 5-0, a very impressive accomplishment that keeps them (rightfully so) onto of the NFC power rankings.
This win was different than the others, however.
This one didn’t look good. It felt like it could have been a loss. It showed, for maybe the first time all season, this team might be starting to have some issues.
Here are some issues that were on display Sunday that are starting to pop up more frequently:
Bad tackling: The Eagles defense was bad in Week 1 because the tackling was horrendous. That changed quickly in the last three games, but the Eagles tackling was an issue on Sunday against the Cardinals.
The Cardinals first touchdown only happened because Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, TJ Edwards and Darius Slay all had missed tackles, allowing Marquis Brown to score from 25-yards out. The poor tackling showed up again on the Cardinals final drive of the second quarter when James Connor ripped off a 17-yard gain to help the Cardinals end the half with a field goal. In the third quarter receiver Rondale Moore got 17 yards on a short pass on 3rd-and-17, only breaking free because of a poor angle taken on a tackle after the catch. Two plays later Josh Sweat missed Murray for what should have been a sack, but instead on 3rd-and-3 the Cardinals got a first down.
It was still a good day for the defense overall, but there is no question tackling was an issue.
Defensive breakdowns: In the second quarter, with the Eagles winning 14-7, the Cardinals could have tied the game when Marquis Brown was wide open over the middle of the field. With his speed he likely would have scored from out 80-yards out if he caught it — but he dropped it. As well as the Eagles defense has played this season there is no question that they have benefited from opposing offenses not taking advantage of defensive breakdowns. The Vikings dropped a likely touchdown pass with the game still in question. Trevor Lawrence missed an open touchdown last week. The Cardinals missed one on Sunday.
All defenses are going to benefit from missed plays, but as the season has gone on, it seems like the Eagles are getting lucky with opposing offenses not making them pay for defensive breakdowns.
Third-Down Offense: Against Washington the Eagles were 5-15 on third down. Against Jacksonville they were 4-15. On Sunday against the Cardinals they started 3-7 and finished 6-13. What made Hurts and the Eagles offense special early on in the season was their ability to make big plays on big downs to stay on the field. That hasn’t been the case these past few weeks, and as a result, the offense has struggled to keep drives going.
Hurts back-to-back weeks with interceptable throws: Hurts was nearly flawless the first three weeks of the season. Expecting him to keep that up was unfair and unrealistic. It is by no means time to be concerned about Hurts, but he has now had really ugly passes two weeks in a row that looked more like passes from last year instead of the improved passing we have seen this season. On Sunday, Hurts threw a pass behind AJ Brown in the second quarter and it should have been picked off. Luckily for the Eagles, it was dropped. The Eagles weren’t lucky last week when Hurts’ pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown.
Hurts got lucky again at the end of the game when he threw the ball into the end zone on third down and just under two minutes to play. The pass should have been picked off, but instead two Cardinals ran into each other and it fell incomplete.
As awesome as this Eagles roster is, the reality is they are only going to be as good as their quarterback. Hurts has been elite this season. As a result, the Eagles are one of the best teams in the NFL. It’s pretty simple though — if that changes, and Hurts level of play drops, the Eagles are going to take a nose dive.
Injuries: Like most teams in the NFL the Eagles are starting to get banged up. At one point on Sunday they were playing without three of their starting offensive linemen. They entered the game without their starting nickel cornerback and starting kicker. Their best backup offensive tackle is still on injured reserve. Staying healthy is mostly luck in the NFL, and the last few weeks, that luck has not been breaking the Eagles way.
Special Teams: The special teams have not been good all season and they were once again an issue on Sunday. The Eagles got tricked by a fake punt in the second quarter, keeping a Cardinals drive that resulted in a field goal at the end of the first half. It was also not a great day for Britain Covey, who dropped two punts, but luckily recovered both.
The unit deserves credit for pulling off the short game-winning field goal, but it feels like the special teams are going to cost the Eagles a game pretty soon.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!