Eagles Don’t Want to Look Back — But the Problems Are Piling Up

I don’t think the Eagles want to look back (New York Times article today), because they will see a lot of guys who aren’t playing tonight—several of whom Rose could conceivably have kept.

I think Rose denuding the linebacker position after the Super Bowl appearance in 2022, and the choice of the current head coach, among other things, were responsible for that freefall. Now Rose is at it again: Jalen Hurts is out, and there is no adequate replacement, or even near adequate. Jalen Hurts getting ejected from the game is as predictable as Jalen Hurts getting hurt. You have to have a good backup in place.

This early going shows how teams, not even great teams, can take advantage of the Eagles’ defense when Jalen Carter is not playing. I think the absence of Brandon Graham, who was probably an unofficial coach in prior years, will hurt this team. A rookie offensive coordinator who has never called a pass play in the NFL?

The Eagles don’t want to look back because they don’t know which version of Jalen Hurts will show up. Brandon Graham and A.J. Brown were the first to call Hurts out for his indecisiveness and holding the ball so long that he inevitably got sacked. That really didn’t get corrected until the second half of the NFC Championship Game. The Eagles easily could have lost the game in the snow to L.A. because of this tendency.

Josh Sweat is another team leader who was in touch with reality during the 2023 meltdown and this past season, and he will be sorely missed—not to mention how great a defensive end he was.

It’s early in the game and the Eagles, without Jalen Carter, cannot stop the speedy Dallas offense. I am predicting an Eagles loss, and I am predicting an 8–8 or 9–7 season for the Eagles.