The duration of a six-hour flight across the country is already long. However, it may seem even longer on the return trip if the Eagles fail to secure a victory on Monday night in Seattle.
The recent announcement over the weekend regarding the replacement of Eagles’ defensive coordinator Sean Desai with assistant coach Matt Patricia came as a surprise. This move appears to have been made more by Jeff Lurie and Howie Roseman than by Nick Sirianni, hinting at a sense of panic within the Eagles organization due to their freefall in the last two games. In those games, they were outscored by a combined 75-32.
Throughout the games against San Francisco and Dallas, the Eagles appeared to be a fatigued team. Their performance reflected this fatigue, as they seemed to be dragging on the field.
As a team, the Eagles currently rank among the worst in the NFL in pass defense. They hold the No. 28 position in the league, having surrendered 3,379 yards passing this season. Additionally, they have given up an NFL-high 179 first downs passing and are ranked last in the NFL for allowing third-down conversions, with an NFL-high rate of 48.07%, which has increased to 61.22% in the last three games. Over the last three games, Seattle and Arizona (along with former Eagles’ DC Jonathan Gannon) are the closest in comparison, surrendering third-down conversions at 52.78%.
In terms of points surrendered, the Eagles currently hold the No. 28 position in the NFL, giving up an average of 24.7 points per game.
The absence of their top cornerback, Darius Slay, as well as the absence of right guard Cam Jurgens and linebacker Zach Cunningham (who is second on the team in tackles with 80) will further challenge the Eagles during the upcoming game.
Former Eagle and current NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger is known for his astute observations. He highlighted the team’s vulnerability due to their high number of breakdowns, emphasizing that they are giving up many points in a pass-heavy league. Baldinger also mentioned the team’s tough schedule and specific plays where the Eagles fell short defensively in recent games against Dallas and San Francisco.
Baldinger expressed concern about the Eagles’ upcoming games, indicating that the team cannot guarantee wins or losses. He stressed the importance of the upcoming game against Seattle and how a potential loss could lead to a further decline in the team’s morale and performance.
He also emphasized the impact of a potential loss on the team’s locker room dynamics, predicting an increase in finger-pointing and questioning of the coaching staff if the Eagles fail to secure a victory.
Baldinger concluded by noting that a win could help the team regain their confidence and momentum. However, a loss could lead to a negative spiral, potentially causing the team’s locker room to fracture and resulting in further struggles.
Joseph Santoliquito is a hall of fame, award-winning sportswriter based in the Philadelphia area who has written feature stories for SI.com, ESPN.com, NFL.com, MLB.com, Deadspin and The Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News. In 2006, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for a special project piece for ESPN.com called “Love at First Beep.” He is most noted for his award-winning ESPN.com feature on high school wrestler A.J. Detwiler in February 2006, which appeared on SportsCenter. In 2015, he was elected president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
