September was not a great month for the Philadelphia Eagles. For a team that had high hopes for a deep playoff run, things have fallen apart quickly. Thanks to a variety of unpleasant circumstances, the Eagles sit at 0-2-1, and look very much like a team headed in the wrong direction.
Philadelphia Eagles Desperate To Turn Season Around
After watching a 17-0 lead slip away against the Washington Football Team in Week 1, the Eagles followed that up with a 37-19 drubbing at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2, and tied the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3. Currently, the franchise finds itself in third place in the NFC East and is seeking its first win on Sunday Night Football on the road against the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers are banged up right now, with stars like Nick Bosa out for the year, and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo likely to miss a second consecutive start. But injuries have also really affected the Eagles this season.
Brandon Brooks is out for the year. Rookie wideout Jalen Reagor is currently on injured reserve. Alshon Jeffery has yet to see the field. Miles Sanders missed Week 1. The list goes on and on. In fact, when the Eagles practiced on Thursday, Greg Ward was the only healthy receiver on the field.
Early Season Struggles
Carson Wentz, an MVP-level quarterback during the team’s Super Bowl season has struggled mightily in 2020, averaging two interceptions a game and producing a career-worst 5.6 passing yards per attempt, while taking 11 sacks over the first three weeks. Typically, he throws very few picks but he’s suffering behind poor offensive line play and is currently producing some of the worst football of his career.
There’s no doubt that he can (and likely will) get back on track soon, but at the moment the team’s offense isn’t clicking, having been held to less than 20 point in two of their first three games, while only managing to score 23 against a generous Bengals defense.
Meanwhile the defense has actually allowed the fifth-fewest yards in the league, but has somehow surrendered 29 points per game in spite of this. Some of that can be chalked up to bad luck and will likely normalize over time, but it’s yet another example of how frustrating this season has been for the Eagles and their fans.
Pros and Cons
However, there’s still plenty of reason for optimism in Philly. Working in the Eagles favor is the fact that they play in an NFC East that has no breakout team. The Dallas Cowboys and Washington sit atop the division at 1-2, while the New York Giants are at the bottom at 0-3. Even in their current winless predicament, the Eagles are very much a contender to win the East, as improbable as that may sound.
Unfortunately, there is a lot working against this franchise as well. In particular, they have a very difficult schedule which could pose a huge problem. After they finish up with the 49ers on Sunday night, they have match-ups with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens on the docket. Later in the season they have a particularly tough four-game stretch with games against the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, and Arizona Cardinals. And that’s not even discussing two games against the Cowboys and Giants, a rematch with the Football Team and an intriguing date with the Cleveland Browns.
It’s far too early to write off the Philadelphia Eagles 2020 season, but there’s plenty of reason to be alarmed. The franchise can get back on track with a big win Sunday night, but another loss, coupled with a brutal upcoming stretch, could spell disaster. Sunday night’s game will be a pivotal moment for the organization and it’s only Week 4.
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