/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73775547/2188898601.0.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,800&ssl=1 "The Linc – “Eagles’ feckless passing game is becoming a concern”")
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73775547/2188898601.0.jpg "The Linc – “Eagles’ feckless passing game is becoming a concern”")
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
Winners and Losers of NFL Week 14 – The Ringer
Hurts’s efficiency numbers still look … fine. He ranks 12th in both EPA and yards per dropback. Even against the Panthers, he finished with a passer rating of 110.8. But it doesn’t quite pass the eye test. Against Carolina, Hurts was indecisive in the pocket, he turned down open receivers downfield, and he held on to the football far too long. We’ve seen Hurts play at a high level for short spurts during the win streak, so we know the ceiling for the Eagles’ passing game is higher than we saw on Sunday. But it’s also been over a year since we’ve seen Hurts put together long stretches of good play. Winning covers up a lot and Philadelphia has an easy schedule down the stretch, so this streak could continue, but the Eagles’ feckless passing game is becoming a concern.
Eagles vs. Panthers: 10 winners, 3 losers, 3 IDKs – BGN
LOSERS: THE PASSING OFFENSE. I can’t get over the Eagles only having 83 net passing yards in this game. 83 net passing yards. In the year 2024. That’s just so incredibly unserious. 83 net passing yards against a Panthers defense that entered Week 14 allowing the ninth-most passing yards per game (225.3). And a Panthers defense that was missing their sack leader (Jadeveon Clowney dodged the Eagles) and their top cornerback for a portion of the game (Jaycee Horn got hurt).
The Eagles have been a run-first team since the bye — Saquon Barkley set the franchise’s single-season rushing record and reached the most 100-yard games in Eagles history — so the expectation is not a Steve Spurrier offense. The goal is to win, and they’re on their longest winning streak since the Super Bowl season in 2017. Nick Sirianni cited passer rating in his argument about Hurts being MVP-worthy last week, so there could be pushback about Hurts not turning the ball over and throwing two touchdowns. Hurts’ problem isn’t throwing the ball to the other team. It’s that he’s not throwing it enough to his team. Brown had two targets at the end of the third quarter. That’s the fewest of any game he’s been healthy in his Eagles career. Brown and Smith combined for 10 targets in the game. There were 18 players who were targeted more than them alone in Week 14. The Eagles have not scored a touchdown on the opening drive of games. Brown was not targeted on the opening drive for the third time in five games.
Eagles not ‘on the same page’ as passing attack struggles – ESPN
The standards are high among a gifted group of players with championship aspirations. It’s not a big surprise, then, that Smith’s takeaway postgame, which echoed the thoughts of several others, is that “offensively, we need to be better.” “I think [the Panthers] did a good job; I think we did a bad job,” Hurts said of the passing game. “That starts with me, how I execute. Ultimately, you yearn and I yearn for better synchronization, for a more complimentary style of ball, in a sense. “You know, some things don’t get you until it gets you. And there’s definitely been some urgency there, trying to figure it out. And got to keep climbing and trying to progress.” So should the conversation of being on the same page be happening this late into the season? “No,” Hurts replied. “I’ll just say no.”
NFL Week 14 Review: The Vikings Are on a Roll – SumerSports
It is rare to be handily leading the division, on a huge win streak, and still figuring things out through the air. The Eagles have won close games and taken care of tough opponents but haven’t scored a touchdown on their offense’s opening drive; they seem to restart the PlayStation after drive two. Despite the modern NFL’s insistence on passing leading the way, the Eagles have had more efficient days on the ground than through the air in seven of their 13 games this season. The Panthers game was no exception. The film will help show what was happening in the Panthers secondary, but Jalen Hurts had a low average depth of target and a high time to throw, while A.J. Brown did not see a target until after the two-minute warning. Hurts holding onto the ball hints that there may not have been open receivers, and Philadelphia couldn’t attack on the outside. The Eagles did have some middle of the field throws last week, and it has felt like the passing game has been inching forward for 14 weeks.
NBC’s Chris Simms rips Eagles’ Jalen Hurts (again) — but gets told to ‘take a breath’ – NJ.com
“They’re too talented to look like this in the passing offense…there are pass plays where you simply need to pull the trigger,” Simms said. “We’ve seen too much of Jalen Hurts looking at the rush, leaving the pocket in some situations, and leaving yards on the football field. Their offense is not very complex when it comes to the passing game. They don’t dress it up. You don’t see motions or shifts. I don’t know – let’s hit the best receiver in football on the underneath route and see what he does after the catch…they need to do some more creative stuff to help [Hurts] out going forward.”
Panthers 16 Eagles 22: Another individual mistake loses the game – Cat Scratch Reader
It was another week of improved play across the board for the Panthers. The defense struggled with Saquon, but everyone does. They completely stifled the Eagles passing attack and kept the offense in the game. Bryce Young didn’t have a great statistical day, but he was playing against one of the league’s better defenses and made plays in big moments. Again, he did enough to win the game. Xavier Legette is becoming a major concern. He dropped three passes on the final drive, though one didn’t count because of a penalty. He’s been throwing up a lot of red flags with his shaky hands and lack of awareness at times. In all, it’s a game we can come away pleased with. The Panthers are playing well. They look like a good team in the making. Next week they get a visit from the Cowboys.
2024 NFL season, Week 14: What We Learned from Sunday’s games – NFL.com
Eagles survive upstart Panthers. Philly avoided an any-given-Sunday letdown when Darius Slay ‘s diving pass breakup on fourth down ended Carolina’s final threat. It wasn’t a pretty Eagles victory against a three-win club, but Nick Sirianni will take it. Saquon Barkley was just about the only part of the Eagles’ offense that worked. The Philly back blasted through a beleaguered Carolina defense with ease, averaging 6.2 yards per carry on 20 attempts for 124 yards. The performance pushed Barkley past LeSean McCoy for the most single-season rushing yards in franchise history (1,623) with four games to go. For most of the game, the passing attempts from Jalen Hurts were a futile effort — 14 of 21 for 108 yards with two TDs. Given how easy Barkley ran through Carolina, it was a surprise Philly didn’t saddle up the back even more. It felt like the Eagles were insistent about trying to jumpstart a stalled passing game. It didn’t work. However, they were still able to escape with a win to keep their hopes of passing Detroit for the No. 1 seed alive.
Roob’s Observations: Eagles hang on vs. Panthers, tie franchise record in the process – NBCSP
2. Is it time for the Eagles to start looking for another kicker? I can’t believe I’m even writing that because Jake Elliott has been so good for so long. Coming into this season, he was a 70 percent kicker from 50 yards and out, 13th-most accurate in NFL history. And he was 86 percent overall, 12th-highest in NFL history. And unbelievably clutch, as anybody who watched Super Bowl LII will tell you. But this year has been a nightmare. With his 52-yard miss Sunday, he’s now 0-for-5 from 50 yards and out. The last NFL kicker to attempt five or more 50-yarders in a season without making any? In 1994, Jason Hanson of the Lions was 0-for-5 and Morten Anderson was 0-for-6. That was 30 years ago. The rest of the NFL was making field goals from 50 yards and out at a 72 percent clip coming into Week 14. Elliott is at 0 percent. He also missed a PAT Sunday, although a penalty negated that miss and the Eagles wound up getting two. You want to give Elliott every opportunity to work his way out of this, but when you keep missing long field goals, you keep giving the other team a short field and momentum. When he missed his 52-yarder Sunday, the Panthers took over on the Eagles’ 42-yard-line, drove down the field and scored what was then the go-ahead touchdown. Sirianni didn’t even feel comfortable letting Elliott kick a 54-yard field goal with three minutes left to make this a two-possession game, taking a delay and punting instead. That’s really bad. The Eagles are going to have to think long and hard about whether Elliott is their best option heading into the postseason.
1. C.J. Gardner-Johnson sets the tone. In so many ways, the Eagles wanted C.J. Gardner-Johnson back for the 2024 season. As much of a big-play maker he was in the 2022 Super Bowl season, CJGJ was also an emotional sparkplug for the Eagles’ defense and locker room. He played in Detroit last season and his void was felt in the defense. Gardner-Johnson has been a big part of the Philadelphia defense this season, and Sunday was no exception. His first-possession hit on Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette lit up the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field, and then his late-first-half interception of an overthrown Bryce Young pass – cornerback Cooper DeJean had tight coverage on wide receiver Adam Thielen – that CJGJ picked off at the Philadelphia 41-yard line and returned 15 yards to the Carolina 44, ignited the offense. Philadelphia put together a 7-play touchdown drive from there to take the lead at 14-10 after two quarters. Tip of the cap to C.J. Gardner-Johnson for his work to lift the Eagles’ defense. “We want to win and play hard for our guys. I think just going out there and showing them that I still have it in me regardless of how I’m feeling, it feeds off of everybody else,” Gardner-Johnson said.
Steelers open as 4.5-point underdogs against Eagles in Week 15 – Behind The Steel Curtain
Though the Steelers are entering Week 15 hot, with wins in 6 of 7 starts under QB Russell Wilson this year, their offense will have one looming question mark approaching the game — the health of their WR1 George Pickens, who missed Week 14 with a hamstring injury. Though Pittsburgh did manage to scrape together a win without him over the Cleveland Browns, his absence was felt in a big way without a single receiver totaling 50+ yards on the day.
Cowboys playoff picture: Dallas picks up some, but not much, help in Week 14 – Blogging The Boys
The Dallas Cowboys remain mathematically alive for a playoff spot this NFL season. As this is the case we are continuing to have conversations about their standing within the NFC, where they are, what they need, so on and so forth. Obviously this season has been trying so it is possible that you prefer a different outcome. Please recognize that the following conversation pertains to the potential of this team reaching the postseason. With our full and proper disclaimer now out of the way, Week 14 sort of stunk for the Dallas Cowboys. There were eight total things we were rooting for relative to the NFC side of things and only three of them went our way.
2025 NFL Draft order: 2-11 Giants hold second overall pick – Big Blue View
The New York Giants currently hold the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft following their Week 14 loss, per Tankathon. The Giants suffered their eighth straight loss in heartbreaking fashion, as the New Orleans Saints blocked a last-second field goal which would have sent the game to overtime. The loss drops the Giants to 2-11 on the season, but it boosts their draft position.
Jets eliminated from playoffs, extend longest postseason drought in American pro sports – SB Nation
That’s right, the last time the Jets advanced to the playoffs came back in 2010. Rex Ryan was their head coach, Mark Sanchez was their starting quarterback, and the Jets advanced to the AFC Championship Game for the second straight season, before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers by a final score of 24-19.
…
Social Media Information:
BGN Facebook Page: Click here to like our page
BGN Twitter: Follow @BleedingGreen
BGN Bluesky: Follow @bleedgreennation.bsky.social
BGN Instagram: Follow @BleedingGreenInsta
BGN Manager: Brandon Lee Gowton: Follow @BrandonGowton
BGN Radio Twitter: Follow @BGN_Radio
