BALTIMORE – We should go Edgar Allan Poe in Baltimore but let’s try some T.S. Eliot: The revamped Eagles offense made its public debut on Saturday night not with a bang but a whimper.
In what can only be described as a dismal performance, Philadelphia and new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion generated only 159 total yards — 79 of that in a late garbage-time touchdown from Cole Payton to Erik Ezukanma — in 24-7 loss at the Baltimore Ravens, who generated 440 yards and 31 first downs.
The context is that none of the Eagles’ key starters were playing but neither did the Ravens so it was basically an even playing field. Philadelphia didn’t record a first down until 8:38 left in the second quarter.
The Eagles were 0-for-9 on third downs and managed only six first downs in 60 minutes of football. Four of those came during the Cole Payton drive late in the fourth quarter, which was dominated by the off-scheduled ability of Philadelphia’s rookie quarterback.
The positives were few and far between but did exist despite being overwhelmed by the offensive ineptitude.
The Bulls
–Will Shipley – While some had speculated that Shipley might be on the bubble, that’s a fallacy. The third-year running back is too important on special teams to move off of. He also remains the Eagles’ best receiver out of the backfield and was the only offensive heartbeat Philadelphia had in the first half with two successful runs.
–Ty Robinson – The second-year defensive tackle needed to show improvement and did it, factoring in as a solid run defender and netting a sack. He did get flagged for roughing the passer late in the game but if If Robinson keeps being a nuisance inside, Howie Roseman won’t be giving up on the Nebraska product.
–John Ojukwu – It’s hard to call anything good in the first half but Ojukwu started at left guard and moved outside to left tackle and wasn’t one of the O-Linemen who looked overmatched, nor did he get caught on any of the holding calls that set the Philadelphia offense back multiple times.
–Strip Circuits – The Eagles spent an inordinate amount of time on ball-security drills, Their daily strip circuits paid dividends with Baltimore driving in the third quarter. Joe Fagnano completed a nifty pass to rookie WR Elijah Sarratt and who beat Shaun Wade. The backup Eagles’ CB also missed the tackle. Instead of sulking, Wade hustled back into the play and chopped the ball away from Sarratt, which was recovered by Ambry Thomas.
The Bears
–Sean Mannion’s Start – The much-ballyhooed rookie OC didn’t fix the issues that needed to be fixed with the Eagles’ offense, starting with three consecutive three-and-outs after facing 3rd-and-15, 3rd-and-6 and 3rd-and-5. Later in the first half they were pushed back to a 3rd-and-12 after a Jake Majors holding call and the Eagles finished the first 30 minutes 0-for-5 on the game’s most important down.
Too many have missed the plot here by worrying about scheme, concepts and packaging. Efficiency on first and second downs keeps you in third-and-manageable situations, which keeps the run and pass in play to keep the defense guessing.
The good news is that the Eagles’ offensive starters weren’t contributing to the inefficiency. However, they will be trying to solve the same formula, not some magical flip of the scheme switch.
–Jake Majors – The Texas product had a tough outing that included multiple missed blocks and a holding call that turned third-and-short into a exercise in futility behind the sticks. With Cam Jurgens healthy and Drew Kendall and Willie Lampkin around as backups, Majors may played his ceiling into the practice squad.
–The QB2 Race – Calling Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee pedestrian in this game seems kind. Neither QB distanced himself in the QB2 race behind Jalen Hurts. After Dalton’s inauspicious start which included three consecutive three-and-outs, it felt like a golden opportunity for McKee to surge ahead. If anything McKee looked worse throwing the football and his regression in accuracy is troubling.
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