Overall, the Philadelphia Eagles have had an underwhelming start to their season. In their previous two campaigns combined, they had a 14-1 record entering their bye week. Entering their 2024 bye, they had a middling 2-2 record with a minus-10 point differential. Suffice to say, things have changed.
However, not everything has to be doom and gloom. Yes, the Eagles have played poorly. Blame it on injuries all you’d like, the team has been playing down to their competition for a long time now. That said, there’s time to turn it around in Week 6 against the 1-4 Cleveland Browns.
Eagles Have No Excuse to Lose
Simply put, the Browns have struggled to show anything resembling a competent offense. Ranked 25th in rushing expected points average per play (EPA/play) and 31st in drop-back EPA/play, there’s nothing redeeming here. Nearly six percentage points below the next-worst team (32.3 percent versus the Miami Dolphins’ 38.2 percent) in success rate on downs one through three, there couldn’t be a better unit for the Birds to face.
You’d probably think the Browns have a top-end defense, but they don’t based on the numbers. It feasted against three underwhelming offenses (Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders) and gave up 33 and 34 points against the legitimately good ones (Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders). Now, it’s the Eagles’ turn.
In terms of EPA/play, the Browns only have the 14th-best defense in the NFL. It’s a solid unit, but not one that the Birds shouldn’t be able to take advantage of when Sunday comes. If the Cowboys and Commanders could beat this team by a combined 37 points, the Eagles should be able to just win the football game. With A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Lane Johnson healthy, there is absolutely zero excuse not to.
This Is the Eagles’ Chance at Domination
We’ll know a lot about the Eagles after Sunday. They haven’t won a game by more than one score in nearly an entire calendar year (Oct. 22, 2023, versus Miami), perfectly exemplifying Philadelphia’s tendency to play down to teams they are clearly superior to. If they’re in a tight defensive matchup like the Jaguars, Giants, and Raiders, those teams are who the Eagles are.
If they can barely sneak out a win or lose entirely, the Eagles are a Jacksonville, New York, or Las Vegas type of team—not good. Especially since they’re at home, their patented “ugly win” is not going to cut it this time. If you plan to be competitive with the Cowboys and Commanders for NFC East supremacy, win, and win big.
It might seem a little harsh to write off a team because they won a football game but “not by enough points”, but this has been the story for an entire year now. It’s now or never; break the curse.
What a Big Win Could Do for the Eagles
Aside from being 3-2, in the race for a division title, and still possibly in the conversation for the top seed in the NFC (the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings are bound to lose at some point, right?), a big win would give the Eagles their swagger back. They haven’t had any of that since, well, they went to the Super Bowl.
The Eagles won 10 of their first 11 games last season, but they didn’t do so convincingly. In 2022, they were convincingly dominant—anyone predicting a collapse was doing so out of spite because the team plays in Philadelphia. In 2023, people predicting a collapse were watching the games. This team hasn’t had the feeling of a stress-free win in so long, and it’s time to end that.
Perhaps, a big win can bring a return to the 2022 days of this team. Maybe that’s a little too premature, but it’s worth establishing just how important a clean win would be. Most good teams do this all the time, but it’s been a struggle for Philadelphia
With all due respect, the Browns do not touch the Eagles in the talent department. Now with a healthy roster, it’s time to start having fun again. Win by a lot, and people will start to forget about your Week 2 and Week 4 collapses.
PHOTO: AP Photo
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