6 biggest questions facing Eagles in second half of 2023 season – NBC Sports Philadelphia
After beating the Cowboys in Week 9, the Eagles got to sit back and relax this weekend on their bye week.
At 8-1, the Eagles are in a really great position as they enter the second half of their season. Even after the Cowboys crushed the Giants, the Eagles still have a nice lead in the division and are still the top team in the conference.
But there are some questions facing the Birds. Here are six of the most important:
Is Jalen Hurts’ knee injury going to linger?
The last time we heard from Jalen Hurts, he was speaking in his postgame press conference after the Eagles’ 28-23 win over the Cowboys. Hurts generally doesn’t like talking about his injuries, but did offer this:
“Selfishly, I don’t think the bye week could have come at a better time.”
It was impossible for Hurts to hide the injury before the bye week. He was clearly hobbled and his mobility hasn’t been at the level we’ve all grown accustomed to seeing. The injury is reportedly a bone bruise on his left knee so rest should help. But how much? And is this something that Hurts will have to continue to play through? We’ve seen Hurts play through pain before and we’ve seen him deal with injuries in back to back Decembers. Heck, last season, Hurts suffered a shoulder sprain against the Bears, missed two games and then came back for the final regular season game and the playoffs.
The amazing thing about Hurts before the bye week was that even though his mobility was negatively affected by the injury, he was playing at an extremely high level. He had a passer rating over 130 in back-to-back games for the first time in his NFL career. He’s the first Eagles quarterback to do that since Nick Foles in 2013. The only other Eagles QB to do that in the Super Bowl era is Randall Cunningham in 1992.
Here’s a look at Hurts’ last two games:
Week 9 vs. Dallas: 17/23 (73.9%), 207 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 130.2 rating
Week 8 at Washington: 29/38 (76.3%), 319 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs, 135.7 rating
The amazing thing is that Hurts has a total of 42 rushing yards over those two games. So he was clearly limited as a runner but has been shining as a passer, which really shows his improvement over the last couple of years. Still, getting a 100% Hurts down the stretch would be huge for this team. So we’ll be monitoring that injury the rest of the way.
Will Eagles get their run game going again?
Overall, the Eagles have been a good rushing team this season. In fact, heading into Week 10, they had the NFL’s No. 7-ranked rushing offense, averaging just under 130 yards per game. But in their last four games, they’re averaging just 86.8 yards per game.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni last week pushed back against the assertion that the rushing offense is struggling. His stance was that the numbers don’t tell the full story and pointed at plays like the jet sweep to D’Andre Swift that counted as a pass and option plays that end up being passes.
Sure, there are exceptions. But the numbers are the numbers and we have a pretty good sample size to draw some conclusions. After averaging 4.9 yards per carry in the first three weeks, the Eagles have averaging 3.4 yards per attempt in their last six. A couple weeks ago, Jason Kelce also commented that there were things to clean up in the run game.
The Eagles should get Cam Jurgens back at right guard after the bye week and that will help. But it would be foolish to think that’s the only reason the Eagles haven’t been able to run the ball well in recent weeks. Maybe they came up with some answers over the bye week.
The good news is there should be plenty of opportunity to run against the teams coming up on their schedule if they don’t get behind early. Even though the Eagles are in their gauntlet, there’s just one top 10 run defense coming up.
Here’s where their final opponents rank in rushing defense:
Week 11, Chiefs: No. 17 (112.2 ypg — 4.6 ypc)
Week 12, Bills: No. 19 (114.4 ypg — 4.9 ypc)
Week 13, 49ers: No. 4 (83.1 ypg — 4.0 ypc)
Week 14, Cowboys: No. 15 (109.1 ypg — 4.1 ypc)
Week 15, Seahawks: No. 20 (116.0 ypg — 4.3 ypc)
Week 16, Giants: No. 24 (131.2 ypg — 4.7 ypc)
Week 17: Cardinals, No. 28 (134.2 ypg — 4.2 ypc)
Week 18: Giants, No. 24 (131.2 ypg — 4.7 ypc)
What’s the plan without Dallas Goedert?
The Eagles beat the Cowboys before the bye week but that win came at a cost. They lost their star tight end. Dallas Goedert suffered a forearm fracture and while reports indicate they expect to get him back this year, they’re going to be without him for a while.
The Eagles went through this last year too, when Goedert missed five games with a shoulder injury. The Eagles were 5-0 in those five games but don’t let that fool you. Goedert is a huge piece of this offense and the Eagles will miss him.
So how do they replace him? Well, this isn’t a 1-for-1 swap. Sure, Jack Stoll will become the No. 1 tight end in the offense, bumping up Grant Calcaterra and Albert Okwuegbunam with him, but it’s not like the Eagles are suddenly going to feature Stoll. The easiest answer is that more of the pie will go to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
What the Eagles really need is for a third target in the offense to show up. It doesn’t even have to be the same player every week. And there are plenty of options: Julio Jones, Olamide Zaccheaus, Quez Watkins (if he comes off IR), D’Andre Swift, Kenny Gainwell. It’s obvious that the Eagles will work to get the ball to Brown and Smith like they always do. But they could really use a third option in the pass game without Goedert for the next month or so.
Will the secondary get shored up?
Some years it seems like injuries pile up at one position group. This year, those injuries have come in the secondary. The Eagles have already played 15 different defensive backs on defense and have seen a rotating cast at the nickel cornerback position.
The good news here is that nickel corner Bradley Roby is expected to return after the bye week, giving the Eagles the expected starting lineup of Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Roby, Kevin Byard and Reed Blankenship. The Eagles’ top reserves will be Sydney Brown, Eli Ricks and Josh Jobe. And there’s still a chance the Eagles bring back veteran Justin Evans (knee) from IR.
Through nine games, the Eagles have the No. 28 passing defense in the NFL and have given up more touchdowns through the air (19) than any other team in the league. This is the No. 1 run defense in the NFL but they’ve been extremely susceptible through the air. Not all of this is on the secondary. We’ll get to linebacker in a moment and sometimes the pass rush doesn’t get home. But the secondary needs to improve.
Some of that improvement could just be natural. Byard has been with the Eagles for just two games. While he hasn’t played particularly well, the bye week should have given him a chance to take a breath. The more he plays in this defense, the more he’ll get comfortable in the scheme and also with his new teammates. The spacing is especially important in zone coverage and that can take some time.
How will these linebackers play down the stretch?
Entering the 2023 season, Nakobe Dean was primed for a huge role. After a redshirt season, Dean was the starting middle linebacker and green dot on defense. But nothing has gone to plan. Dean suffered a foot injury in the season opener and went on IR. He returned after missing four games but didn’t play particularly well and is now reportedly going to land on IR again with a Lisfranc sprain in his foot.
That will leave the Eagles with Nicholas Morrow and Zach Cunningham as their starting linebackers. While that might not sound ideal, they have been their two best linebackers this season and it’s fair to say each of them has been a pleasant surprise. Remember, Morrow didn’t even make the 53-man roster coming out of training camp and Cunningham didn’t sign with the Eagles until August. When the Eagles signed Cunningham, it was actually Myles Jack who stole the headlines. But Jack retired shortly after that and Cunningham has gone on to be an integral part of the Eagles’ defense.
Both Morrow and Cunningham have played relatively well this season but it’s fair to wonder if that continues and it’s fair to wonder how much opposing offenses will really try to attack the middle of the field to get these two in coverage. It’s also worth pointing out that the Eagles don’t really have much depth here either. The only other linebacker on the active roster is special teams stud Christian Elliss.
How will the Eagles make it through the gauntlet?
The Eagles began their really tough six-game stretch with a huge win over the Cowboys before the bye. But it’s not getting any easier. Their next five opponents have a combined 30-15 record (.667).
Here’s a reminder of their next five games:
Week 11: at Chiefs (7-2)
Week 12: vs. Bills (5-4)
Week 13: vs. 49ers (6-3)
Week 14: at Cowboys (6-3)
Week 15: at Seahawks (6-3)
The nice part about the schedule is that after this five-game stretch, the Eagles have Giants-Cardinals-Giants to finish off the season. While nothing is guaranteed (the Eagles did lose to the Jets, after all) those are very winnable games.
The Eagles mostly took care of business and built an 8-1 record, which puts them in a great position. If they win just 2 of their next 5 games, they’d have a 10-4 record with a great chance to go 13-4 on the season. If they take 3 of their next 5, then a 14-win season is very much in play. Remember, 14 wins was enough for the Eagles earn the No. 1 seed in 2022.
The problem might be the Lions. The Eagles’ biggest threat for that No. 1 seed might be Lions (7-2), who have a much easier schedule down the stretch: Bears, Packers, Saints, Bears, Broncos, Vikings, Cowboys, Vikings.
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