Philadelphia Eagles fans were nothing but elated when the season kicked off Week 1. After a rough first half with the Redskins, the Eagles offense exploded in the second half, showing how much star power they really have on that side of the ball.
Fast forward to the Week 2 matchup with the Falcons, that once again had our Birds struggling to get the offense moving. Granted, this game had an absurd amount of injuries including Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, Dallas Goedert and Timmy Jernigan, among others.
Wentz faced yet another lackluster first half, including two interceptions without his top two wideouts on the field. Not ideal, but losing his starting receivers and an impactful guy like Goedert throws the game plan out the window. Considering the situation, Doug Pederson and company handled the adjustments pretty well.
It wasn’t all negative feedback, as the Eagles came out swinging in the second half. Wentz finished with 25 completions of 43 attempts and 231 yards, not bad after starting the game terribly. Wentz also saw the medical tent for a few minutes in the first half but looked outstanding as the game continued to move into the second half, on top of a beautiful deep ball that Nelson Agholor missed near the end of the fourth quarter that could’ve sealed an Eagles win.
Coach Pederson needs to focus on getting running backs… involved as much as possible.
Moving forward, the Eagles are faced with plenty of injury concerns on both sides of the ball. Starting with defensive tackle Malik Jackson, he is out for the season, Jernigan is out for at least six weeks and Fletcher Cox is questionable at the moment. This is a major problem as defensive tackle (DT) was one of the strongest positions these past few seasons. Our elite tackles have helped us get by with these mediocre corners, who have given up the most receiving yards to opponents two weeks into the season.
General Manager Howie Roseman must have something up his sleeve with the defense so banged up. Jaguars corner Jalen Ramsey is supposedly on the trade market, and no matter the cost, the Eagles need to consider trading for debatably the best corner in the NFL. He would be an immediate upgrade, and the best corner this franchise has seen in years. Malcom Jenkins is great and all, but he needs some help at the corner position.
On the offensive side, the injuries to Jeffery, Jackson and Goedert are all day-to-day. DeSean is expected to miss two games with a groin injury as the Eagles face two games in the next 12 days. Coach Pederson needs to focus on getting running backs Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders involved as much as possible to spread the field with the receivers banged up. If Pederson can get the running game established, it will help Carson get the ball downfield no matter who we have chasing down the routes.
The Eagles came into this season with high expectations, and they need to maintain composure through this early adversity. They still have the talent to be a Super Bowl contender come February. Yes, maybe Roseman needs to make a trade or two, and maybe Pederson needs to focus more on the running game but remember, it’s a long season. Expect the Birds to continue to compete through these struggles.
Anthony DiRezno is a third-year student majoring in communications and minoring in journalism. AD943204@wcupa.edu