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Excuse or Explanation? Eagles Injuries are a Big Part of Offensive Woes

It's fair to point out the poor play of Carson Wentz early in the 2020 season.

PHILADELPHIA - It's fair to point out the poor play of Carson Wentz early in the 2020 season.

The Eagles' QB1 is supposed to be the face of the franchise with the pocket-book to match and if Wentz's performance level was even just competent during the first three weeks, Philadelphia is likely 2-1 and leading the woeful NFC East with wins over bottom-feeders like the Washington Football Team and Cincinnati.

Instead, you had the collapse at FedExField and the ugly 23-23 tie with the Bengals where Zac Taylor and Doug Pederson tried to one-up each other when it came to ignoring Herm Edwards' cardinal rule of football: "You play to win the game."

So the Eagles remain winless at 0-2-1 and yet still just one-half game out of first place in the worst division since the government in New Jersey assembled a bureaucracy around motor vehicles.

Depending on your personal Rorschach test proclivities, you can easily explain Wentz's poor play with excuses or explanations.

By Sunday's halftime, the Eagles were without their three top receivers in DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery, rookie Jalen Reagor, and tight end Dallas Goedert. Meanwhile, 60 percent of their projected preference on the offensive line was also gone, with Brandon Brooks and Andre Dillard long gone and Isaac Seumalo joining them last week.

VIDEO: Ed Kracz and John McMullen give their postgame analysis after a 23-23 tie

J.J. Arcega-Whiteside was again dealing with a lower-body tweak suffered in pre-game and a non-entity as well. He played 18 of 91 snaps.

Attrition is always a part of the NFL and the next-man mentality is a needed mindset in the league but starters are starters for a reason.

“It is hard when you got some moving pieces and you got different guys in there,” said Pederson in the aftermath of the 23-23 tie on Sunday. “Listen, we're not going to make excuses for anything. We got to continue to work, practice, get better, and sort these things out. When the injuries piled up today, it just sort of got us a little bit out of our game-plan rhythm.”

When pressed by SI.com's EagleMaven, Wentz also admitted all the injuries have been difficult to deal with.

“It’s definitely always difficult. It’s always a challenge," said the QB. "In a week, it’s one thing. In a game, it’s even tougher. But none of those things are excuses. Guys prepare and guys are ready to go."

The stark reality is when the Eagles were fighting back to tie the game late in regulation Wentz's receivers were Greg Ward, John Hightower, and Deontay Burnett.

Hightower, a rookie fifth-round pick out of Boise State who played poorly in the opener at the WFT and was essentially benched by Week 2, played more than any other wideout despite coming into the game with one reception for minus-two yards.

Of 91 offensive snaps, a huge number spiked by a full overtime and a significant time of possession advantage, Hightower played 86 percent of the time (78 snaps) and managed two receptions on three targets for 19 yards.

"I thought guys did a good job," said Wentz. "Like I said earlier, I think, guys stepped up where they needed to. The offensive line, I thought they played well. I’ll obviously have to watch the tape, but I’m proud of the way guys are next man up. There’s no big eyes like, ‘What’s going on?’ Guys are ready to go, they know their stuff, and we have to just be better and play smart.”

For those already clamoring for a QB change, understand a five-year veteran is failing under the current conditions, and expecting Jalen Hurts to go out and make something out of nothing is the fastest way to make the most popular guy in town a pariah overnight.

“No, you don’t go there.," said Pederson on Monday morning during his weekly spot on sports talk radio 94WIP. "That’s a knee-jerk reaction."

John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM and every Monday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SportsMap Radio. He’s also the host of Extending the Play on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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