While it is too early to consider them a victim of the persistent “Super Bowl hangover,” the Philadelphia Eagles have gotten off to a shaky 1-1 start in 2018.
Some view this as impressive, considering star quarterback Carson Wentz has not played a down yet after suffering his ACL tear late last season. Others are concerned with many of the issues present thus far. This, by no means, is the worst-case-scenario start Philadelphia dreaded, but expectations of the optimistic are yet to have been met.
In Week 2s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Eagles were simply outplayed. Though they only lost by a score of 27-21, Tampa Bay remained in control for a large part of the game. Head coach Doug Pederson was not able to improve upon backup quarterback Nick Foles’ Week 1 performance, and it showed.
Another factor in last weekend’s debacle was the outstanding play of Buccaneers quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick has gotten off to an exceedingly hot start, torching both defenses he has faced for a total of 819 passing yards and eight touchdowns. The deep-passing game employed by head coach Dirk Koetter’s Buccaneers shredded a vulnerable secondary and continuously killed any momentum the reigning champions found.
No matter what Philadelphia dialed up, it was not enough to defeat a tough Tampa Bay team.
Week 3 holds an interesting matchup for the Eagles, as they head home to host the Indianapolis Colts. While Colts quarterback Andrew Luck always poses a threat, Philly’s finest should be favored. One reason for this is the return of Wentz. After a bid for MVP was cut short, Wentz is back with a chip on his shoulder. Everybody knows he wants to lead this team into January football. Winning this game will be an important challenge for Philadelphia to overcome on its way to the playoffs.
Before they progress any further, questions will need to be answered.
To add, Philadelphia’s issues have come from both sides of the ball, only complicating things some more. Every facet of the Eagles’ game underperformed down in Tampa and will need to improve moving forward. Whether it be quarterback controversies, injury woes or poor performances, Philadelphia has its fair share of issues to tend to. While Pederson has proven himself to be a quality coach, this season may test him more than ever before.
With two other relevant teams in their division, the Eagles need to step up immediately before the NFC consumes them. Here are three burning questions following Week 2’s loss in Tampa Bay.
This has to be one of the most poorly written articles I’ve ever read. I could name a half dozen reasons.. but one sentence stands out “its surprising Mills is left in the dust with his speed” hes ridiculously slow which is why it was a 7th rd pick.. he doesnt have the speed to consistently keep up with NFL WRs.. you either watch very little football or 0 Eagles football. And Grugier-Hill as a young player we are waiting to develop ????.
???I agree with Ryan Hall’s comment. I was expecting something enlightening to come from “The X-Factor” portion. To say Mills would take us to an elite level is absurd. Our CB’s are shotty at best. No one fears are secondary, I think that goes without saying.
Actually he was a 7th round pick because of off the field issues.. You shouldve looked that up before you said something.. And his speed is average to above average.. Just saying
Mills is slow which is why he was supposed to be a safety and may transition back there.
Was at the game j mills to slow and he bites on every double move