After going up 17-0 against the Washington Football Team, the Philadelphia Eagles broke down and surrendered 27 unanswered points to a team that had no business of even showing up to the game. There’s plenty of bad to take away but there’s still good to take away too. So depending on your mood, its time to choose between the light side and the dark side. Embrace the force as we going over who’s trending up and who’s trending down in this week's stock report.
Trending Down
Carson Wentz
Carson Wentz is probably the only player in the NFL with an unlimited amount of unpaid lawyers. There are more people defending the play of the Eagles QB than there is of people going against him. All in all, after a game like this, I completely understand both sides but the issue at hand is that Wentz is becoming his own enemy at the wrong time.
Carson is still struggling to find the line between hero ball and smart ball. We’ve seen players like him lose their careers due to hero ball. When it works, it's great but when it's bad, well its week one bad. Carson Wentz is still looking for the home run ball even when it's not there and just like any great home run hitter, Wentz is striking out more and more after every at-bat. The good news is, we all know he's just one snap away from hitting a streak of dingers.
While Wentz can bounce back this Sunday against the Rams, the focus for him will be taking care of the ball and being efficient on offense. If Wentz can’t do either then the Eagles will be in big trouble.
Doug Pederson
Pederson is entering his 5th season as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles but is still acting like it's his first. Everyone knows that the QB room is missing a key ingredient that is STILL being neglected. How can you know what the cure to the virus is but not apply it? Wentz is a talented QB, top 5 on a good week, but the truth is that Franchise QB lacks discipline. In 2017, the team's QB coach was John DeFilippo, who is currently the QB coach for the Chicago Bears, and John was known for being hard on Carson about his mechanics and his indecisiveness. There’s no coincidence that Wentz had a career season that year which led to the team winning their first Super Bowl title.
Ever since, we’ve seen Doug struggle with keeping his QB in check. Doug has been too much of a player’s coach instead of being the Head Coach. While I understand that Pederson is one of the top offensive minds in all of football, the issue at hand is that his stubborn ways are starting to show. From providing false information on player injuries to not putting his foot down on Wentz for failing to protect the ball or get rid of it.
With a predictable gameplan in week one only adding fuel to the fire, it's time for Pederson to channel some underdog energy once more.
Zach Ertz
It’s no secret that Ertz wants to get paid top TE money. He currently has two years left on his contract but is seeking an extension sooner rather than later. This has led to Ertz being vulnerable when speaking to members of the media - Stating that this may just be his last season with Philadelphia.
It's gut-wrenching to think that the most consistent receiver on the roster is feeling like he may be on the outs with the club. It also isn’t a smart move to make such a public announcement of it. After Ertz’s press with the media, it was leaked out that Howie Roseman and Zach Ertz got into a “spirited” argument after one of the team practices.
All of this before the start of a big season for the team. So why does any of this matter in reference to his stock? Well, he didn’t make his case when the team needed him the most. Ertz may have scored the first touchdown of the season but he also stopped the team from making a comeback after dropping a fourth-down pass. Goedert reaped the rewards of Ertz drawing attention from Safeties, but if he can't find an uptick in production, his leverage will only disappear as time wears on.
The Offensive Line
Once upon a time, the Eagles had the number one offensive line in the NFL. That's just a distant memory for the time being.
The offensive line allowed a pressure rate of 34% which the third-worst in the entire NFL for week 1. They also allowed the most sacks of week one with 8 total on top of 14 QB hits. According to PFF, the entire line allowed 17 pressures, the left side of the line had one more pressure than the right side (the rookie side). Think about that for a second. Fortunately, the offensive line will be semi-complete this weekend as Lane Johnson returns but if they don’t get their communication in line, there’s a chance that Carson may not survive Aaron Donald.
Continued on the page below.
Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire
Trending Up
Dallas Goedert
Goedert took full advantage of a group of linebackers that couldn’t cover him. The 25-year-old caught 8 of 9 targets for 101 receiving yards and a touchdown. It finally looked as if things came full circle for the stud tight end as he looked unguardable in the first half.
Once the Eagles strayed away from the offensive gameplan, it seemed as if he disappeared. Fortunately, the team will be facing another group of linebackers that may not be able to keep up with Goedert and Ertz.
Dallas Goedert is already trending to surpass his receiving yard total of 607 yards from last season as the coaching staff is looking to stick with their 12-personnel setups. Expect Goedert to continue his rise as long as he can stay healthy.
The secondary
I've said it before and ill say it again: The Eagles finally have an elite cornerback. While Slay isn't perfect, he did everything that the team needed him to do against Washington. Slay held the speedy Terry McLaurin to only 30 receiving yards on 3 catches. His presence looked to create a new dynamic in the secondary as Avonte Maddox and Nickell Robey-Coleman joined the party allowing just 7 catches for 88 yards combined. Not a bad stat line from a secondary that had a complete facelift this offseason. The Eagles as a whole only allowed 239 yards which was good enough to rank one in the NFL.
Josh Sweat
With the absence of Derek Barnett in week one, Josh Sweat stood out in a big way. He finished with a sack and a forced fumble, while also receiving praise from his DC Jim Schwartz.
Schwartz stated the Sweat is one of their most improved players this season so far. Last year, the FSU product finished with four sacks, seven tackles for loss, and fifteen pressures.
The third-year pro could unseat Barnett if he’s able to hold up for the entire season.
Jalen Reagor
While Reagor didn’t have the most outstanding day of all time, he did own the biggest moment of the game. Reagor was on the receiving end of an incredible 55-yard catch that may have taken every Eagles fan off of their seats. Unfortunately, he was also included in two plays that the rookie wished he could take back.
Reagor admitted to slowing down on a big deep pass by Wentz and also admitted that he should’ve fought for the ball that was intercepted. Simple mistakes that can be fixed moving forward but the maturity of the rookie is really shining as the Eagles may have found their playmaker for years to come.
(Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire
