Philadelphia Eagles Looking to Solve Two Problems vs. New York Giants on Christmas
When the Philadelphia Eagles looked at their schedule for this NFL season one stretch of time stood out among the rest.
Starting on November 5, the Eagles faced a murderer's row of competitors that included the Dallas Cowboys twice, the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs, the Buffalo Bills, the San Francisco 49ers, and playoff competitor Seattle Seahawks.
The Seahawks taking the crown as the easiest team in that stretch demonstrates just how difficult those six weeks really were for Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) passes against the Seattle Seahawks during the first quarter at Lumen Field.
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A lot of teams would be thrilled to come out of it 3-3, but riding a three-game losing streak into Week 16, the Eagles are anything but.
"I think when you look at it and you kind of go through it, and it’s been a not good three weeks, not very good production, definitely not up to the standard that we expect," offensive coordinator Brian Johnson said. "It’s about action and problem solving, how do you fix it. That’s the question that I continuously ask myself every day after every single game. How do you get better and how do you fix it?"
Johnson says the answer is two things: They have to create explosive plays and take care of the football, two things the team has not been doing during the losing streak.
As a passer, quarterback Jalen Hurts has thrown two interceptions to just one touchdown in the last three weeks. That's not to say he hasn't done some of his trademark damage with his legs, but as a true quarterback, Hurts' play has been lacking during this stretch.
Johnson says getting better there is what will get Philadelphia back to playing winning football.
"That is the task. That is the challenge for us. I accept that," Johnson continued. "No one is running from that. It’s just very matter of fact in terms of, ‘okay, this is what needs to be done.’ There is no doubt in my mind — I say this with 1000% certainty — that these people in our offensive room, myself, are all made of the right stuff to get that done. We’re looking forward to going through that."
With two games against the New York Giants and one against the Arizona Cardinals coming up, nobody is going to give the Eagles credit if they end on a three-game winning streak.
But credit isn't what the team is after. If these next three games allow Hurts and his offense to get into a rhythm and reclaim some of the confidence that led to All-Pro center Jason Kelce returning instead of retiring, then it'll be valuable once the playoffs begin and Philadelphia again looks to rise to the top of the NFC.
