The Philadelphia Eagles are struggling like never before with QB Jalen Hurts. The Denver Broncos’ offense isn’t any better. Former blue-chip wide receiver prospect Marvin Harrison Jr. has a new team. The New York Jets have a new star defender.
Each week, I dive into the All-22 coaches’ film before offering a few insights to watch. Here are four developments that could be long-term storylines involving some of the best teams and players in the NFL.
It is rare for a Super Bowl MVP to land on the hot seat shortly after feeling the confetti fall on his shoulders, but Philly natives are growing restless after watching the Eagles offense sputter and stall again under Jalen Hurts.Â
The perennial title contenders are sitting at 2-3, with an offense that ranks near the bottom of the league in most major statistical categories. The Eagles anemic running game is accompanied by a scattershot aerial attack that doesnt appear to have any rhyme or reason under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion.Â
To be fair, the Eagles are dealing with numerous personnel issues, from injuries (Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith) to departures (A.J. Brown, Lane Johnson, Cam Jurgens) that have wrecked an offensive lineup built to overwhelm opponents with superior talent. Now, Hurts is overseeing a patchwork offense that lacks the star power to roll over opponents, while being asked to do more in a traditional scheme that wants him to operate like a pass-first point guard instead of a playmaker who scores in multiple ways.Â
Without an elite wideout on the perimeter, Hurts is expected to get it done with a wide receiver-by-committee approach that features a borderline WR1 (Smith) and a collection of B-list pass catchers (Hollywood Brown, Dontavyion Wicks, Makai Lemon, and Darius Cooper) who dont scare opposing defensive coordinators or defenders with their individual or collective talents.Â
Although some Eagles supporters might dispute that sentiment based on the first-round pedigrees of Brown and Lemon, neither has made an impact in Philly that demands attention from their opponents thus far. Until they are able to spark the offense with splash plays, the Eagles will rely heavily on Smith and Dallas Goedert as Wicks makes key contributions in a supporting role.Â
While the Eagles have succeeded without a marquee pass-catcher in the past (see: 2017), the lack of five-star perimeter talents puts more pressure on the offensive line and running game to produce results to help the quarterback find positive plays down the field. Barkley has been a non-factor this season due to injuries limiting the bulk of his work to two games (Washington and Chicago). Despite averaging 5.1 yards per carry in those contests, his absence and the losses of Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley have forced the Eagles into a one-dimensional attack that was doomed from the start.Â
In that past, the Eagles stellar offensive line could mask their playmakers woes because they could dominate the line of scrimmage and allow marginal backs to churn out yards between the tackles. However, the loss of respected offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland and the aforementioned departures of Jurgens and Johnson, leaves the Eagles searching for an identity within the trenches with a bunch of newcomers trying to figure it out in a new system.Â
Speaking of schematics, the addition of Mannion as the offensive coordinator also appears to be a poor fit based on his preferred system and Hurts abilities. Mannion, of course, is the fifth OC head coach Nick Sirianni has hired in his six-year joint tenure with Hurts. While the Sean McVay/Matt LaFleur disciple brings over Xs and Os that have helped several quarterbacks flourish in the pocket, Mannion’s traditional dropbacks and play-action concepts from shotgun and under center are a far cry from the RPO (run-pass option) concepts that helped turn Hurts into an unstoppable force as the Eagles QB1.Â
Although the franch
