For much of this season, the Philadelphia Eagles looked like a favorite to return to the Super Bowl, if not win the Super Bowl.
They won 10 of their first 11 games, and although many of their victories weren’t pretty, they were finding ways to win the way that great teams do.
Then came a 42-19 humbling at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers, which was followed by a 33-13 blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
On Monday, Philly fell apart down the stretch and lost by three points to the Seattle Seahawks, and they’re now in danger of having to be a Wild Card playoff team.
Many have been asking what is wrong with the Eagles, and Nick Wright said on FS1’s “First Things First” that it comes down to their personnel.
“Defensively, the Eagles are a broken team. Guys, it’s not the coaching. It’s the personnel.”
— @getnickwright on why the Eagles 20-17 loss to the Seahawks was wildly concerning and if Jalen Hurts’ 2022 season was an outlier or launching pad: pic.twitter.com/N5Ya2bhcrs
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) December 19, 2023
Last season, the Eagles were an outstanding defensive team, but they lost defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, linebacker Kyzir White, and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency this past spring.
They drafted defensive tackle Jalen Carter in April’s draft, and while he may be on his way to the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, the team has major defensive issues, which Wright alluded to.
It ranks near the bottom of the league in passing yards and touchdowns allowed, and perhaps that deficiency has been exposed lately.
The Eagles gave up the decisive touchdown with 33 seconds left versus Seattle to Jaxon Smith-Njigba after forcing Seattle and quarterback Drew Lock to start on their own eight-yard line just inside of the two-minute mark.
Philly’s schedule to close the season is relatively easy with a game against the Arizona Cardinals and two versus the New York Giants, but winning the NFC East won’t do much to ease or mask their problems.
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