PHILADELPHIA (94 WIP) -- This past offseason, New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara's quote saying his team would have "beat the s**t" out of the Philadelphia Eagles had they played in the postseason was met with laughter.
On Sunday, Kamara got the last laugh.
The Saints' 48-7 beatdown of the Eagles at the Mercedez-Benz Superdome was the worst of the Doug Pederson era, and made it crystal clear that the Eagles are not even in the same stratosphere as the Saints right now.
The loss also made it clear that the Eagles' fall from being viewed as one of the top teams in the NFL is complete. The team that was coming off of a Super Bowl win, was among the favorites to win it again and spent the entire offseason near the top of all power rankings is long gone.
Now, the Eagles are the team that lost by 41 points on Sunday.
Here are eight reasons things have fallen apart for the Eagles:
Reich left: At the time of his departure, the loss of offensive coordinator Frank Reich was not viewed as a big deal, considering Pederson was the guy calling the plays and was viewed as one of the top offensive coaches in the NFL. That proved to be dead wrong. The Eagles' offense is nowhere near the unit it was in 2017, and although there are a number of reasons that is the case, Reich's departure might be near the top. While the Eagles' offense is 24th in the NFL in points per game with an average of just 20.4, Reich's new team, the Indianapolis Colts, are averaging almost 30 points (29.8) and put up 38 points this past Sunday. The loss of Reich was a clearly much bigger loss than anyone could have anticipated.
The invisable defensive line: The days of the Eagles have a dominant defensive line might be over. The defensive line was nowhere to be seen against the Saints, giving quarterback Drew Brees all the time in the world to pick apart the secondary. A lack of pressure has been an extremely common occurrence this season.
The Eagles' defensive line is tied for 14th in the NFL with just 26 sacks through 10 games. Only one defensive end on the roster, Michael Bennett, has more than five sacks. Defensive end Brandon Graham has just three sacks in 10 games.
The unit has also taken a step back against the run. Last season, the Eagles were No. 1 in the NFL against the run. Now, the Eagles have allowed teams to run for over 170 yards in back-to-back games, the first time the defense has allowed that sine 2006.
Offensive line took a step back: Like the defensive line, the Eagles' offensive line was viewed as one of the top units in the NFL entering the season. That has proven to not be the case. The offensive line has done a terrible job protecting the quarterback. Pro Football Focus has the Eagles as the 18th best offensive line in the NFL for pass protection. Offensive tackle Jason Peters appears to be on his last legs, and they benched Stefen Wisniewski. Even offensive tackle Lane Johnson has had a down season, something this unit has not been able to recover from.
Secondary: The jump that the Eagles expected from their young secondary players never happened. Sidney Jones, who missed all of last season, has been basically a non-factor, and his play has come closer to hurting this defense than helping it. He has played nowhere near the level that Patrick Robinson did in the nickel last season. Cornerback Ronald Darby, prior to going down with a torn ACL, did not take the jump many expected him to this season. Only rookie cornerback Avonte Maddox played better than expected in the secondary. Injuries have been a factor, but it is important to point out that even when healthy, the main pieces in the secondary did not play at a high level.
Third-down offense went back to normal: Last season, the Eagles had the second-best third-down offense in the NFL, which allowed them to control the clock and keep drives alive. This season, they are 13th, converting just 40 percent of their third-down attempts into first downs. Part of the reason the offense was so good on third down last season was quarterback Carson Wentz routinely saved the day with big plays on third-and-long. That has not been the case this season.
Turnovers: The Eagles absolutely had to win the turnover battle on Sunday to remain competitive against the game. Instead, as has been the case all season, they didn't force a single turnover and gave the ball away three times. The Eagles have forced just seven turnovers in 10 games, an extreme drop from last season, when the defense averaged nearly two turnovers a game. The Eagles' minus-nine turnover differential is 28th in the NFL.
They aren't starting quick: The Eagles jumped all over teams last season from the second the ball was kicked off. The big leads the Eagles would jump out to completely changed them on both sides of the ball — they could pin their ears back and rush the passer on defense, and they could run a balanced offense. This year, the Eagles are dead last in the NFL in first-quarter points, averaging just 2.1. Against the Saints, the Eagles' offense totaled 15 yards and one turnover on their first three drives. Tight end Zach Ertz has said time and time again this season that the Eagles are built to play with a lead, which is something they have rarely had this season.
Carson Wentz: In the first few weeks of Wentz's return from his ACL injury, there was an argument to be made that the team was losing despite his strong play. That is no longer the case. Wentz has not looked anything like the player in 2018 that was on his way to becoming NFL MVP in 2017. Not only does Wentz have four interceptions in the last two games, but he has had major accuracy issues and has consistently made poor decisions. He has arguably been the biggest issue on the offense, coming up very small in two very big games. Until Wentz is able to play at a much higher level, the Eagles' are going to continue to struggle.
