For the second week in a row the Eagles were dominated to start and made a comeback at the end — but this time it wasn't enough
The Eagles were completely outclassed by the Buccaneers to start the game on Thursday night in their 28-22 loss, and a late push in the second half wasn't enough to steal the win like they did last week in Carolina.
The good news is the Eagles' schedule eases up from here, and even with a 2-4 record, the season is far from over.
If they have any hope of making a playoff push, however, they are going to need both Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni to improve — and quickly.
Here is a report card for Sirianni and Hurts from the loss:
Jalen Hurts: In the weekly debate of who is the problem, Jalen Hurts or Nick Sirianni, this week it seemed to be on the quarterback.
Hurts is still missing way too many throws that should be easy completions. He missed Jalen Reagor on an easy completion in the first quarter, under throwing him by a few yards. He missed Zach Ertz on 3rd-and-5 in the second quarter, sailing it out of bounds along the sideline. There were throws there to be made, but Hurts simply wasn't able to make them.
Of the Eagles first six possessions, four were three-and-outs, and the scoring drive they got was aided by a 45-yard pass interference call that gave them the ball on the five-yard line. Yes, the Eagles should be running the ball more — but that doesn't change the fact that receivers are open and Hurts is missing them.
To his credit, Hurts did pick it up in the second half, leading the Eagles on two scoring drives. The main reason for those drives, however, was Sirianni committing to the run. Hurts did have a nice pass on the two-point conversion to pull the Eagles within six, 28-22. It is fair to wonder how Hurts would look for the whole game if Sirianni would commit to the run earlier.
Hurts has shown some special qualities so far this season, but his biggest flaw — an average arm that is inconsistent — continues to hold him and the offense back from being consistently able to move the ball.
Grade: C-
Nick Sirianni: Eagles fans are used to having head coaches that don't run the ball — but they haven't see anything like Sirianni.
The Eagles ran the ball with a running back just one time in the first half. Hurts, meanwhile, had 14 passing attempts and six rushing attempts. The only running back that got an attempt was Miles Sanders, with Kenny Gainwell not touching the ball once. That is simply unacceptable for a team that has some of it's best playmakers at running back, and a quarterback that was struggling with his accuracy on Thursday night.
Making Sirianni's lack of running plays in the first half more frustrating is that when he decided to run it in the second half, it worked. The Eagles went on a scoring drive midway through the fourth quarter fueled by the running game, with Miles Sanders running for 14 yards and 23 yards on consecutive runs.
If there was one positive from the night, it was that Sirianni's red-zone play calling continued to be pretty good. Save for a terrible series vs. the 49ers in Week 3, Sirianni has made calls to get guys open inside the 20. He made the right call again on Thursday night on the Eagles' first drive of the game, getting Zach Ertz wide open from five-yards out for the touchdown. He then called a Jalen Hurts run on 2nd-and-Gaol from the three-yard line in the 4th quarter, which Hurts ran in easily to make it a one-score game, 28-21.
As a game manager, Sirianni made a questionable decision in the fourth quarter, with his team down 28-14 and 12:38 to play. The Eagles had a bit of momentum, but faced a 4th-and-10 at the Buccaneers 35-yard line. Instead of going for it, Sirianni called for a field goal — and it missed. Converting 4th-and-10 isn't easy, but down 14, going for it seemed like the right call.
It would be interesting to see Sirianni's offense with a different quarterback. Right now it looks like Hurts is missing guys that are open. Running plays aside, it would be interesting to see how Sirianni's offense would move with a quarterback that is consistently able to hit the receivers that are open.
Until we see that, however, Siranni has to be better at getting his offense to move with Hurts at quarterback. Right now, he is failing.
Grade: F
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
