The Philadelphia Eagles looked better in Week 4 versus the Kansas City Chiefs than in Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys, but would that improvement be enough for them to defeat the Carolina Panthers in Week 5?
That’s one of the issues covered in Why Eagles Why, our YouTube channel devoted to the Birds.
Pete Amato, Bill Gelman, and myself track the various angles fans and bettors like to discuss each week about this fickle 1-3 team. The Eagles have learned to tease, but not quite, please.
They enter this matchup looking like a team that could break out. As long as they don’t bust themselves up.
Gelman’s Gold
Bill chose 21 in his Gelman’s Gold segment, in which he attaches a number to a summary of the Eagles’ recent performance. The number does not indicate a love for blackjack.
In this case, 21 meant three TD’s taken off the board because of penalties against the Chiefs. The Eagles settled for six points in those situations that loomed large after they lost 42-30.
The shotgun, apparently, is more than an offensive formation. It can blast teams out of scoring range.
“The penalties keep killing this team,” Bill says of an Eagles group that is well on its way to setting an NFL record for one season. “Nick Sirianni said it best in the press conference. The self-inflicted wounds have got to stop. We keep hitting on this every week.”
Lack of Run Game
The Birds did get their running backs more involved in the passing game more in against Kansas City Chiefs than in previous weeks. They even got a score from Kenneth Gainwell.
Did they run the ball as often as they should have?
“No, it’s not enough, “Pete says. “The lack of a running game is still pretty bad for this team. When you are a playing a team with the offense of Kansas City, you have to keep Patrick Mahomes off the field and the running game is a way to do that,” he adds in reference to Mahomes, who threw for five touchdowns.
To bear out his point, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was the Eagles’ leading rusher with 47 yards. By contrast, Clyde Edwards-Helaire led Kansas City with 102.
Eagles vs Panthers Week 5
What about the Panthers, who feature a reborn Sam Darnold? We examine the former Jet, who might author his own parody of “New York, New York.”
“If I can escape from there, I can make it anywhere….”
The Eagles face the NFL’s most improved player.
The NFC East went 3-1 last week, bringing focus on our analysis of the Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and Washington Football Team. Each brings something interesting to the conversation as the division chases the Cowboys, who lead it at 3-1.
Looking around the NFL, we all like a game to focus on in Week 5. We won’t give it away or try to jinx Pete, but he is 4-0 on his picks this season.
WhyEaglesWhy is a good time, a group of Eagles buddies dissecting the team and keeping it to about a half-hour. It’s broken up into four separate quarters, each with a different focus, and overtime.
We invite you to check it out each week… CLICK HERE
