The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off a disappointing season. The defense was dead last in rushing yards, and nearly dead last in everything else. The offense wasn’t as big of a disappointment, but it was a disappointment nonetheless, barely ranking above 15 in points and yards. With plenty of blame to go around the Eagles decided to can Chip Kelly and make room for Doug Pederson. Pederson was a part of the Eagles organization for several years before following former Eagles head coach Andy Reid to Kansas City. Now Pederson is returning to Philadelphia and fans are optimistic as ever, and there’s good reason to be. In the three seasons that Pederson spent as offensive coordinator the chiefs dominated in three key areas. These three areas are the backbone of a Pederson offense. Kansas City led the league in rushing touchdowns, had the 3rd highest yard-per-carry average, and had the 3rd fewest turnovers. Online sportsbook users can bet that with Pederson in the mix the Eagles offense will do a serious turnaround.
Last season the Eagles were haunted by turnovers and penalties, usually manifesting during the most crucial points. During the 2014 season the Eagles led the league with 36 turnovers, last year they had 31; only two teams had more. The Eagles committed 55 penalties on offense alone last year. Pederson’s helped the Chiefs keep control of the ball, and he is looking to the same in Philadelphia, but he must also discipline these players. Offensive penalties hindered the Eagles greatly, and resulted in the Eagles ranking 15th in touchdown efficiency within the red zone.
Even when they weren’t shooting themselves in the foot the offense performed poorly. Bradford and Sanchez compiled an efficiency rating of 63.8 in 2015, the penultimate ranking within the league. Bradford threw four interceptions in the red zone. Overall he only had 19 touchdowns to his 14 interceptions in 14 game played. This poor performance gave way to a 7-9 record, placing 3rd in the NFC East. On top of that Bradford had a dramatic offseason with his holdout and he understands that he has to win the fans back. Pederson will be able to turn this offense around and get his players to perform, but can he do the same for defense?
The Eagles organization has been aggressive this offseason. They have added 5 defensive backs this offseason; 3 in free agency and they picked up two in the draft. Bringing on Rodney Mcleod to play opposite of Malcolm Jenkins will give the Eagles one of the better safety tandems in the league. However bringing on players doesn’t guarantee success. The Eagles brought on 4 players last year to try to stabilize the secondary and that didn’t go as planned. The Eagles ranked 28th in pass yards last year and it is extremely important for them to improve that rating this season. If they want to have a serious chance of clinching the NFC East they’re going to have to be able to cover Odell Beckham and Dez Bryant.
Overall things are looking up for the Eagles. They’ve brought on an accomplished offensive coordinator as head coach to help the offense stabilize, and they’ve made some key acquisitions during free agency to help their secondary. The night is darkest just before the dawn and it has been pitch black in Philadelphia for the last couple seasons. The talent is there all that is needed is better coaching. The Eagles have addressed that and both fans and online sportsbook users can be confident that Philadelphia will be a serious playoff contender this season.
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