NFL
By: Thomas Brown
The strange 2020 NFL regular season has come to a close. This article discusses one of the many disappointing teams of this campaign in the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite there being so many options to choose from, I will give you 5 concrete reasons for their mishaps this season.
1. No Offensive Coordinator
One of the warning signs of the season ahead came when the Eagles decided to split play calling on offense. Doug Pederson and Duce Staley struggled all season long with moving the ball downfield consistently. The Eagles ranked 28th in the league when it came to passing the ball. Regardless of who was behind center, the coaching staff did not prepare well to have effective play-calling to last a full 60 minutes.
2. An Unstable Offensive Line
Apart from other positions on the roster, a consistent offensive rotation with this Eagles team was inapparent. They set an NFL record for 13 different offensive line combinations over their first 14 games. The continuous trend of plugging different players out of position helped plague the season also.
3. Forbidden Running Game
The Eagles literally had a top-10 rushing attack on the season. They averaged 126 yards a contest. A large portion of the season was lost due to abandoning the running game. Miles Sanders averaged 5.3 yards per carry and didn’t have a 1,000-yard season. Had the offense have been predicated towards the running game more, the season would probably be directed in the right direction.
4. The Secondary Was Offensive
The team leader in interceptions was Marcus Epps. He only had 2 of those occasions. Whether it was Metcalf having a career night on CB Darius Slay or allowing Tyler Higbee to have 3 touchdowns, it was a disaster all around.
5. Struggling Quarterback Play
Carson Wentz performed himself out of a starting job. He threw 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions before being benched in Week 14. His passer rating averaged 72.8. The majority of the 50 sacks that he sustained were due to Wentz holding the ball too long. Because of this, there is now a quarterback controversy in Philadelphia for months to come.
