This season for the Philadelphia Eagles has not started out well. For a team that was picked to be a Super Bowl favorite, they are 0-2, and staring in the face of a possible 0-3 start to the season. One of the main reasons that the Eagles have started out poorly is inconsistent play of the offense.
Last season, the Eagles had quarterback Nick Foles, running back LeSean McCoy, and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin leading the offense. That year, the Eagles averaged 29.6 points per game, which was third in the NFL.
On the other hand, this season’s Eagles team has quarterback Sam Bradford, running back DeMarco Murray, and a wide receiver by committee, but is only averaging 17.0 points per game, which is 28th in the NFL.
The problem with the Eagles offense starts with the offensive line as they are not playing with any chemistry with two new starters at both guard positions. The offensive line is getting no push, which means no running lanes for DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews, and Darren Sproles.
The Eagles’ running game is averaging just 35 yards per game, and 2.1 yards per carry, which is the worst in the NFL. On the other hand, the passing game for the Eagles is doing better averaging 277.5 yards per game, but the wide receivers are having key drops to not help sustain drives.
Coming into Sunday afternoon’s game, the Eagles offense faces a tough task, going against a New York Jets defense that has helped their offense to a 2-0 record. New Jets head coach Todd Bowles has his team playing inspired defense with playmakers on the defensive line and in the secondary. Currently, the Jets defense is only allowing 8.5 points per game, which is the best in the NFL. When it comes to turnovers, they are first in that category with 10.
If there is some hope for the Eagles offense, it may be in the passing game. That is a daunting task since the Jets have Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, and Buster Skrine patrolling the secondary. The Eagles wideouts will have a tough task ahead of them, but the Jets defense is allowing 233.5 passing yards per game, so the opportunities will be there for Bradford.
But if you were hoping that the running game could get back on track, that maybe a struggle going against a Jets defensive line that has Leonard Williams and Muhammad Wilkerson. The Jets defense is giving up 98.5 yards per game on the ground. This will be a test for them because they haven’t faced a stable of running backs like Murray, Mathews, and Sproles this season.
In the grand scheme of things, what does this all mean for Sunday’s game? It means that the Eagles’ backs are against the wall as our own Adio Royster pointed out earlier this week. They will have to play a complete and perfect four quarters to win on Sunday because if not, they will be 0-3, and looking at a top five draft pick.
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