The Eagles might very well win the NFC East. They are, somehow, still in first place.
But make no mistake about it — this is not a good team capable of going on a run in the second half of the season.
The Eagles are now 3-5-1 following their 27-17 loss to the Giants, a game that was — as normal — an uglier performance than the score indicates.
There will be plenty to talk about from this one, but for now, here are some initial thoughts from the loss:
Quarterback
*** There is no question that the poor play of the offensive line impacted Wentz. Wentz had pressure in his face throughout the game and it clearly impacted the offense overall. Credit to Wentz for taking some big hits while standing in the pocket.
*** Wentz was a little sporadic to start the game with his accuracy, which is par for the course this season. The pressure had something to do with it, but there were a few plays where the ball just sailed on Wentz.
*** One issue Wentz has had all year is throwing the ball late, and that was an issue on the opening drive, when he double-clutched the ball on a 3rd-and-3 pass. The slight hesitation allowed Giants cornerback James Bradberry to recover and knock the ball away from Jalen Reagor, forcing the Eagles to kick a field goal instead of keeping the drive alive.
*** Wentz had one of his best throws of the game, and one of his better throws on the season, on 2nd-and-2 midway through the third quarter. With a defender in his face Wentz sidearmed the ball right into the hands of receiver Greg Ward for the first down. The 16-yard completion was a big one on what ended up being a touchdown drive to pull the Eagles within four, 21-17.
*** Wentz's accuracy issues really burned the Eagles late in the fourth quarter. On two straight plays Wentz delivered inaccurate passes to his receivers, first putting the ball too low for Miles Sanders, then putting the ball behind Travis Fulgham on the next play. The back-to-back incompletions put the Eagles into a 4th-and-10 situation on the Giants' 36-yard line with just under five minutes to play — which they were unable to convert.
*** Wentz was outplayed by Daniel Jones. You can blame other parts of the offense and the coaching staff, and there would be some truth to that. But the bottom line is that in a game the Eagles needed to win, Wentz was outplayed by Jones.
Doug Pederson
*** Went for it on 4th-and-1 on the Eagles' 47-yard line on the first drive of the game. The decision was a great one, and the call was even better, as a perfectly designed wide-receiver screen to Jalen Reagor resulted in a 10-yard gain.
*** Pederson decided not to go for it on 4th-and-5 at the beginning of the second quarter, with the Eagles trailing 14-3 and the ball on the Giants' 45-yard line. Going for it was probably the right move, but it is also easy to understand why Pederson decided not to, considering how the offense was playing and how the defense was being completely shredded by the Giants' offense.
*** Pederson made a head-scratching decision in the third quarter when he went for two after a touchdown, down 21-17, instead of taking the PAT to pull within a field goal. The numbers were likely on Pederson's side, and were the driving factor in his decision, but still felt like a moment where common sense should have kicked in — just take the PAT and make it a field-goal game.
*** The play of the offensive line impacted the offense, and he doesn't coach the defense, but Pederson has to hold some of the blame for how bad this team looked to start the game. While the Giants came out with some life, the Eagles looked sloppy and slow coming out of their Bye Week.
Jim Schwartz
** The Eagles' defense looked completely out coached and out matched to start the game, much like they did in Week 2 vs. the Los Angeles Rams. The Giants scored a touchdown on the first two drives of the game, totaling 150 yards on 21 plays and taking a way-too-easy 14-3 lead.
** The defense actually settled down after the terrible start. After the Eagles' offense finally got some momentum and pulled within three at the start of the third quarter, however, the defense immediately gave up a 75-yard touchdown drive in just two minutes and 42 seconds.
Running Back
*** Miles Sanders had 25 yards on his first three carries of the day, and looked lighting quick out of the backfield. He got 12 on his next four.
*** Boston Scott remains a Giant killer. Scott broke loose for a 66-yard touchdown on the Eagles' first drive of the third quarter. The blocking was great on the play, but Scott deserves credit for breaking away and making the last defender miss to get in the end zone. The touchdown, plus the two-point conversion, pulled the Eagles to within three, 14-11.
Wide Receivers
*** Wentz's first real pass, after a short screen to Greg Ward, went to — of course — Alshon Jeffery. Jeffery was on the field early-and-often to start the game, but wasn't a big part of the offense, as he got just one target in the first half.
*** Travis Fulgham had his worst game since breaking out as a starter for the Eagles. He had just one catch for eight yards on four targets, and dropped a third-down pass late in the fourth quarter that would have given the Eagles a first-down on the Giants' 25-yard line. Maybe it is just a coincidence that Fulgham had his worst game the first week Jeffery was back, but it is certainly an interesting coincidence.
Offensive Line
*** Sua Opeta got the start at left guard with Isaac Seumalo out.
*** The offensive line really, really struggled against the Giants, and as a result, the entire offense had trouble. Part of the issue seemed to be Nate Herbig going down with a hand injury and Matt Pryor coming in. Pryor looked very slow, and Wentz seemed to have multiple defenders in his face on the majority of his throws in the first half.
*** Jason Kelce had an outstanding block on Scott's 66-yard touchdown run, pulling to the left side of the field and springing Scott free. He did have some issues throughout the game with his snaps, however, sending one in the third quarter right at the feet of Jalen Hurts when he was under center.
*** There is plenty of blame to go around for this loss, but the offensive line might be at the top, or at least pretty close to the top with the defense. Their struggles early on really hurt the offense, and the offense really couldn't get anything going until they started to move Wentz out of the pocket.
Defensive Line
*** Derek Barnett with a sack on the first play of the game. His fourth of the year.
*** Hard to know who to blame exactly for Daniel Jones' 34-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the game, but once again, a misdirection play on the ground tricked the Eagles defense. Jones went almost untouched on the ground after nearly the entire defense — including almost the entire defensive line— bit on the play-action keep.
Secondary
*** Nickell Robey-Coleman dropped an easy interception on 3rd-and-14 with just under 10 seconds to play in the first half and the ball on the Eagles' 47-yard line. The tipped pass went right to Robey-Coleman, but it went through his hands and bounced off his helmet. The drop didn't end up costing the Eagles any points, as Fletcher Cox sacked Daniel Jones on the next play to end the half.
*** The Eagles are definitely going to need to make CB2 a priority this offseason. After the Eagles scored to pull within three at the start of the third quarter, Avonte Maddox and Robey-Coleman were burned on back-to-back plays totaling 65 yards. The big completions put the Giants on the 10-yard line, and two plays later, they ran it in for a 20-11 lead.
*** Darius Slay was beat deep by receiver Darius Slayton with under five minutes to play in the fourth quarter, a 40-yard completion that put the Giants in field-goal territory and helped extend their lead to 10, essentially putting away the game. Slay is paid to get stops in moments like that, but it is hard to blame him, as it was a great throw-and-catch.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
