The Eagles didn’t just lose to the Bears on “Monday Night Football.” They put together a performance that left plenty of numbers flashing red.
The 27-7 final in Chicago told part of the story. The deeper problem is what’s sitting behind it: through three games, the Eagles have collected a stack of ugly trends that don’t look like a one-night stumble. They look like a team with real issues in several spots, from the pass rush to the offense’s early-down rhythm.
Start with the defense. The Eagles have only three sacks through three games, and only the Cowboys, Giants and Dolphins have fewer.
That’s not the neighborhood Vic Fangio wants his group living in. The advanced numbers may offer a little hope, but Jalyx Hunt, Jonathan Greenard and the rest of that front still need to do more than hint at pressure.
They need to finish plays.
When the pressure does come in waves, the back end has been put in bad spots. Case Keenum was a perfect 11 for 11 against the blitz, throwing for 145 yards and two touchdowns, according to ESPN.
Credit Keenum for getting rid of the ball quickly. Still, if the Eagles can’t get home with four and have to lean on extra rushers, the secondary - especially the safeties - is exposed.
That’s not the kind of setup you want with Matthew Stafford coming to town.
The offense hasn’t held up its end either, especially after halftime. The Eagles have started the third quarter with the ball in each of their first three games, and each time the possession has ended in a three-and-out. That’s a hard way to come out of the locker room, and first-year OC Sean Mannion has to clean that up fast.
The numbers in the third quarter are even uglier. Through three games, the Eagles are posting a 17.5% offensive success rate in that frame, well below the league average of 46.5%.
They’re also dead-last on throws behind the line of scrimmage, per SumerSports, and those swing passes to Makai Lemon have become drive killers. They didn’t work against the Bears, and they haven’t worked in Weeks 1 or 2 either.
Saquon Barkley, meanwhile, barely touched the ball after halftime. He had only four carries in the second half, though he did finish the first half with 73 yards on 11 attempts and had a couple of strong runs wiped out by penalties. The game script pushed the Eagles away from the run late, but Barkley still needs more volume.
There were also individual concerns up front and on defense. Jalen Carter played 51 snaps, which was 70.8% of the total in a 72-snap game.
The highest-paid defensive tackle in football didn’t generate real pressure on Keenum, even with the workload managed. Carter is working through a wrist injury, and at times it looks like he’s playing with one arm tied behind his back.
That’s not ideal, but the Eagles still need more from him because of the investment they made.
Then there’s the turnover mess. The Eagles finished with zero takeaways again, and for a franchise that started in 1933, this is the first time they’ve ever opened a season with three straight games without one.
Their turnover differential sits at minus-5, and only the Falcons are worse. That runs directly against Nick Sirianni’s “mastering the things that require no talent” message.
Right now, the Eagles are doing the opposite.
And the Bears game itself landed in the history books for all the wrong reasons. Per OptaStats, the Eagles became the first team in the Super Bowl era, since 1967, to have fewer than 50 offensive plays, fewer than 250 total yards, 10 or more penalties, three giveaways, zero takeaways and zero sacks in one game.
That’s the kind of stat line that lingers. The Eagles can try to flush it and turn the page toward the Rams, but there’s no hiding from how bad Monday night was.
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Eagles Suddenly Have A Safety Problem They Thought Was Solved
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For a defense that wanted clarity on the back end after letting Blankenship leave in free agency, the arrangement is at least a workable answer for now, but not exactly a settled one. The Eagles are getting useful snaps from each defender, yet the continued rotation also leaves open the bigger question of whether one of them will seize the spot outright or whether this becomes a long-term committee. [Read more 🡒]