The Philadelphia Eagles improved to 8-2 with a 26-18 home win against the Washington Commanders Nov. 14. They have won six straight games and sit in control of the NFC East.
The Eagles are winning in the face of major changes. Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio replaced Brian Johnson and Sean Desai as offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively. Jason Kelce’s retirement forced changes across the offensive line. General manager Howie Roseman made a series of moves to fix a shaky defense. These adjustments, among others, have helped the Eagles recover from a disappointing 2023 season.
The Eagles’ two rookie defensive backs, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, have bolstered the pass defense. Opposing quarterbacks are only completing 55% of passes thrown to receivers, whom Mitchell is covering. DeJean, meanwhile, has transformed Fangio’s coverage strategy. He has excelled as a nickelback, the defensive back who replaces a linebacker to cover slot receivers. His versatility caused Fangio to adopt the nickel as his primary package. Factor in veterans C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Darius Slay Jr., and it is no surprise why the Eagles are second in the NFL in passing yards allowed.
The rest of the Eagles’ defense has been solid, too. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter has excelled at stopping the run. The linebacker corps is much improved; free agent signing Zack Baun and third-year Nakobe Dean lead the team in tackles. The only area that needs improvement is the pass rush. The edge rushers have struggled to generate pressure, a problem in a Fangio scheme that is light on blitzes. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is not very mobile, exposed this in week two when he carved up the Eagles’ defense on a game-winning drive.
By far the most transformative change the Eagles made was signing running back Saquon Barkley. His explosiveness adds a big play factor to the Eagles’ offense. Every game, he will burst free for large gains or make highlight-reel plays, like his backward hurdle against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns against the Commanders, and he has already surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the year.
Barkley’s play is opening up opportunities for quarterback Jalen Hurts. Since star receiver A.J. Brown returned from injury in week six, Hurts completed 70% of his passes, threw for eight touchdowns and rushed for another nine. His consistency is key to the Eagles’ success. If an opposing defense slows down Barkley, Hurts will need to carry the offense.
The Eagles’ biggest struggles have resulted from in-game management. Head coach Nick Sirianni employs an aggressive style. He often attempts fourth-down conversions at the expense of easy field goals. His most controversial decisions include going for a fourth-and-one with 15 seconds left in the first half while in field goal range against the New Orleans Saints and failing twice on two-point conversions against Jacksonville. These decisions, while consistent with Sirianni’s philosophy, have left points on the board and allowed opponents to stay competitive. The Eagles need to figure out the balance between taking easy points and manageable risks.
Regardless, the Eagles are in the driver’s seat of the NFC East. They hold a two-game lead over Washington. The rest of the schedule has some tricky games, including against the Baltimore Ravens, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Commanders again. However, with eight wins already under their belt, the Birds are set up to compete for an NFC Title.
