Welcome to rock bottom.
The Eagles are now 0-2-1 following their devastating 23-23 tie to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, a game that saw quarterback Carson Wentz throw two more interceptions and turn in maybe the worst game he has played in an Eagles' uniform.
Here are some thoughts on the latest embarrassing loss for the Eagles:
** Carson Wentz: Simply put, it was too little, too late for Wentz.
Yes, Wentz lead the Eagles on a game-tying, 11-play drive at the end of regulation to force over time. Yes, he ran in the 7-yard touchdown run with 21 seconds left. Yes, Wentz had his best throw of the day when the Eagles needed it, hitting tight end Zach Ertz for a 30-yard gain down the right side line to put the Eagles into field goal range.
But two things were crystal clear for anyone who watched that game.
First, Wentz is why they were in the situation to need those plays against a bad Bengals team.
Second? The Eagles starting quarterback looked completely lost for the majority of the game.
The Eagles starting quarterback looks completely lost. The issues that have plagued Wentz so far this season were very much on display against the Bengals — turnovers, accuracy and decisions in the pocket.
Wentz threw an interception on the Eagles' first drive of the game, throwing the ball directly to Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson. The ball was tipped, but it would have been picked off anyway, as Wentz didn't seem to see Wilson stepping right in front of receiver DeSean Jackson. The interception was his fifth of the season, nearly matching his total (7) from 16-games last season.
Wentz once again had trouble converting what should have been easy completions. His accuracy was all over the place, missing tight end Zach Ertz on at least two plays that should have resulted in first downs. Wentz missed running back Miles Sanders on what should have been a wide-open, easy touchdown at the beginning of the 4th quarter on third down. Sanders had two steps on the defender about 20-yards down the field and Wentz sailed the ball out of bounds and one this hand. Of all the bad throws Wentz had on Sunday, that one might have been the worst.
Wentz's second interception was the result of a poor throw, as he tried to hit tight end Zach Ertz down the sideline towards the end of the third quarter, but threw it too far outside and it was picked off LeShaun Sims.
Wentz did make some plays with his legs, totaling 65 rushing yards on nine carries, 24 of which came on one run. Wentz did a nice job at times escaping pressure, getting away from at least two sacks to keep the play alive. In a league that is slowly becoming dominated by quick, mobile quarterbacks, however, it was hard not to notice how slow Wentz looked when he did take off.
Benching Wentz is not something the Eagles want to do. It is not something they should do, considering the ramifications.
But there is absolutely no denying that right now he is playing at a level where he deserves to be benched.
** Jason Peters: Jason Peters looked like a 38-year old offensive tackle on Sunday, and the Eagles' offense really struggled early on because of it.
Peters should have given up two sacks in the first quarter, but Carson Wentz avoided the pressure and was able to scramble away. On 3rd-and-7 Peters gave up a sack when he was badly beaten by Bengals defensive end Carl Lawson, forcing the Eagles to punt. Peters was so bad early on that it made it hard for the Eagles to get anything going on offense.
Peters was beat by Lawson again at the end of the first half, and it nearly resulted in disaster. With just over 30 seconds left to play, Lawson got around Peters and knocked the ball out of Wentz's hand. The Eagles were lucky to recover it, and on the next play, Wentz hit receiver Greg Ward for a 26-yard touchdown.
Peters has not had a good start to the season, and moving after he left the game with a leg injury in overtime, the Eagles have to be concerned about the left tackle position moving forward.
Penalties: The Eagles did a lot of things bad teams do on Sunday, including three crucial penalties that twice knocked them out of field goal range. The final one, a false start, pushed the Eagles from having to try a 60-yard field goal for the win in overtime to a 65-yard attempt — that caused Pederson to pass on the attempt and punt the ball away.
** Miles Sanders: The lone bright spot for the Eagles' offense on Sunday? Running back Miles Sanders, who looked electric, quick and dangerous right away.
At least, when he got the ball.
Sanders got 45 yards on his first 7 carries, and it seemed like the Eagles were getting ready to ride him to a big day on offense. Instead, Sanders' touches were few-and-far between, as instead of leaning on Sanders, Pederson remained committed to trying to pass the ball despite terrible results.
Often times the criticism Pederson gets for not committing to the running game isn't warranted. But on Sunday, his refusal to run the ball more early on really hurt the team.
** Josh Sweat and Derek Barnett: The Eagles decided to start Josh Sweat over Derek Barnett on Sunday, and it was the right decision. Sweat has outplayed Barnett this season and earned the starting job.
The Eagles had to be pleased with what they got from both Sweat and Barnett.
Sweat rewarded the Eagles for the start by getting a sack on the first drive of the game, bringing down Joe Burrow on 3rd-down to end a promising Bengals drive. Barnett also got his first sack of the season, also bringing down Burrow on third-down when he was matched up one-on-one with Bengals tight end Drew Sample.
The pass rush did a nice job against the Bengals and the play of the two young defensive ends was one of the reasons why.
** Jalen Hurts: The Eagles once again put Jalen Hurts into the game on Sunday, but this week, he touched the ball. Hurts came into the game on 2nd-and-8 on the first drive of the third quarter, taking the direct snap and running eight yards for the first down. Wentz was split out wide on the play.
The plays where Hurts comes in might be working, but they still feel forced in, and really just highlight how unimaginative the offense has looked otherwise.
*** Injuries: It wouldn't be an Eagles' game if they didn't suffer injuries to multiple key players.
Cornerback Darius Slay left the game towards the end of the third quarter with an elbow injury, but did return from the locker room. Tight end Dallas Goedert left the game early on with a left ankle injury, and after trying to play through it, was eventually ruled out. Receiver DeSean Jackson suffered a hamstring injury and did not come out of the locker room to start the second half. Cornerback Avonte Maddox left the game in the third quarter with what seemed to be a knee injury.
It is safe to say there is a chance all four will miss practice on Wednesday and their status for next Sunday against San Francisco should be considered questionable.
** Start to the game: The Eagles walked into this game coming off of a week where they faced heavy criticism and were embarrassed by the Los Angeles Rams. They were 0-2. They needed a win, and perhaps more importantly, they needed to show some signs of life.
Yet once again they came out flat, sloppy and lifeless.
For all of the issues this Eagles team has right now, their biggest might be something that can't be fixed with better play designs or better throws. Something seems off with this team.
Perhaps the scariest part of the team's tie on Sunday — whatever Doug Pederson is doing during the week is not working.
Now we will find out if he can figure out the answer to saving a season that might already be lost.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
