The Eagles have their work cut out to stay in contention in the NFC East | Early Birds
The Eagles' remaining schedule is challenging, and they have allowed the other three NFC East teams back in the race.
Good morning Eagles, fans. What was worse, the weather in Cleveland on Sunday or the actual game? Tough call. Not only did the Eagles suffer their second straight defeat, a 22-17 loss to the Browns, but the view from on top of the NFC East isn’t very scenic at this point.
If you like what you’re reading, tell your friends it’s free to sign up here. I want to know what you think, what we should add, and what you want to read, so send me feedback by email or on Twitter @SJnard.
— Marc Narducci (earlybirds@inquirer.com)
Comparing the remaining schedules
With six games remaining, the difference between the first-place Eagles and everybody else in the NFC East is the tie against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Here are the standings:
Eagles 3-6-1
Dallas 3-7
Washington 3-7
NY Giants 3-7
Keep in mind that there is no such thing as an easy game left for teams with three wins at this juncture. Here are the teams’ remaining schedules and their opponents’ records:
EAGLES
Nov. 30 Seattle (7-3)
Dec. 6 at Green Bay (7-3)
Dec. 13 New Orleans (8-2)
Dec. 20 at Arizona (6-4)
Dec. 27 at Dallas (3-7)
Jan. 3 Washington (3-7)
Opponents’ overall record: 34-26 (.566)
DALLAS
Nov. 26: Washington (3-7)
Dec. 3 at Baltimore (6-4)
Dec. 13 at Cincinnati (2-7-1)
Dec. 20 San Francisco (4-6)
Dec. 27 Eagles (3-6-1)
Jan. 3 at NY Giants (3-7)
Opponents’ overall record: 21-37-2 (.366)
NY GIANTS
Nov. 29 at Cincinnati (2-7-1)
Dec. 6 at Seattle (7-3)
Dec. 13 Arizona (6-4)
Dec. 20 Cleveland (7-3)
Dec. 27 at Baltimore (6-4)
Jan. 3: Dallas (3-7)
Opponents’ overall record: 31-28-1 (.525)
WASHINGTON
Nov. 26 at Dallas (3-7)
Dec. 6 at Pittsburgh (10-0)
Dec. 13 at San Francisco (4-6)
Dec. 20 Seattle (7-3)
Dec. 27 Arizona (6-4)
Jan. 3 at Eagles (3-6-1)
Opponents’ overall record: 33-26-1 (.558)
Washington has the most difficult remaining schedule among the Eagles’ division opponents, largely because of Pittsburgh’s 10-0 record. The other five teams Washington will face have a record of 23-26-1.
The winner of the Thanksgiving game (assuming there is a winner and not a tie) between Washington and Dallas will move into first place.
It must be mentioned that none of the NFC East teams has earned a victory over a team that currently has a winning record.
The Eagles will play their next four games against teams with winning records.
It won’t get any easier, although nothing has come easily anyway for the Eagles, who were in command of this weak division and now have allowed everybody else to jump back in the race.
What you need to know about the Eagles
Mike Sielski writes that the loss to Cleveland is the latest sign that the Eagles’ arrogance is catching up to them.
Marcus Hayes questions Doug Pederson’s insistence on leaving Carson Wentz in the lineup. Hayes describes Wentz as an “error-prone, ineffective starter.”
Jeff McLane writes that the Eagles are broken and Pederson can’t seem to figure out how to fix them.
Paul Domowitch outlines the poor play of the offensive line in Sunday’s loss.
Leading off Ed Barkowitz’s NFL notes for Week 11 is the season-ending injury to Cincinnati Bengals rookie Joe Burrow.
While most of the blame for the Eagles loss went to Wentz and the offense, EJ Smith isn’t letting the defense off the hook. Smith gives examples of many breakdowns by the Eagles D.
Domowitch gives his grades for the Cleveland game and it’s no surprise that the Eagles’ passing offense didn’t fare so well.
Leading off Les Bowen’s Eagles notes is the Eagles debut of Joe Ostman, who got a “welcome to the NFL moment” during Nick Chubb’s 54-yard run.
In McLane’s Up-Down Drill, the first four Eagles he mentions received a thumbs down.
Predictably, the Eagles were roasted on Twitter for their performance against Cleveland.
In his postgame press conference, Pederson remained clearly in Wentz’s corner.
Smith and Damichael Cole chronicled the Eagles loss as it happened, with all the important updates and video highlights.
Yong Kim and David Maialetti provide the photo gallery from Sunday’s game in Cleveland.
From the mailbag
Question: Is the team or the organization blindly loyal to Jason Peters? (Coach or Ownership issue?) And what the hell happened to Lane Johnson? Both were brutal today! - Bill Brannick on Twitter, @CoachB0066
Answer: Thanks for the question, Bill. The simple answer is that it seems the team is blindly loyal to Peters. He had a rough day, with one of the lowlights coming when Olivier Vernon blew past him to tackle Wentz for a safety.
I don’t even know if Peters would work at guard, but despite his Hall of Fame resume, his days as an effective tackle seem long gone. He was in and out of the game, and Pederson said he didn’t pull him. “He had kind of injured himself, and he had come out,” Pederson said.
Johnson has been bothered all season by an ankle injury, but Bowen reported that he left the game with a shoulder injury. Injuries could be a reason Johnson has not performed up to his standard. If healthy, he still has a lot of good football left, but the injuries have to be a concern. As for Peters, who will turn 39 in January, Father Time is winning this most recent battle.