The Path to an NFC East Title
PHILADELPHIA - Much is made about just how poor the NFC East is.
The laughable minus-184 point differential and the two wins outside the division against an Atlanta team that had to fire its head coach to get its own first win and a San Francisco club without its quarterback and top defensive star.
Add in the realization that the Washington Football Team and the New York Giants might have to tank for Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields two years after taking quarterbacks in the first round.
The Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys were supposed to be at least a little different, however. Not world-beaters mind you but competitive teams.
That just hasn't been the case with the latter leading the division at a dismal 2-4 after a 38-10 drubbing at the hands of Arizona on Monday night and Philadelphia on the Cowboys' "heels" at 1-4-1 after consecutive losses to AFC North powerhouses Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
The issues have been similar in both cities. Projected mediocrity or maybe a little more than that derailed by injuries, particularly on the offensive lines, something that was further compounded in Dallas by the loss of starting quarterback Dak Prescott.
Somehow, as the Eagles begin a three-game stretch against division foes on Thursday night against the woeful Giants, Doug Pederson's team has an opportunity to seize control of the historically bad division.
Most teams with one win at this stage have already started thinking about April and it's almost guaranteed Philadelphia will play meaningful football down the stretch because no one in the NFC East is pulling away.
The Eagles have injuries all over the field, of course, with Miles Sanders and Zach Ertz the latest key contributors sidelined, but that's white noise when it comes to winning this division.
To do that, the Eagles simply need to calm down the pass protection issues that have resulted in Carson Wentz turning into a pinata in recent weeks.
By the end of Sunday's 30-28 setback to the Ravens, Jeff Stoutland was down seven offensive linemen and 80 percent of what he projected his starting OL to be.
The results were predictable with Wentz being pressured on 24 of his 47 dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
Jamon Brown, filling in for the COVID-restricted Matt Pryor, who was inserted when the now-injured Jason Peters, the original stop-gap for All-Pro Brandon Brooks, was shited back to left tackle once Andre Dillard went down.
As you can imagine, the Russian-nesting-doll approach isn't an optimal one.
Brown, a veteran who was signed off the Chicago practice squad in mid-September, will be having Calais Campbell nightmares for the foreseeable future after allowing nine pressures, four hits, and two sacks.
To date, Wentz has been sacked an NFL-high 25 times, the ugly marriage of poor play up front and his own stubbornness when it comes to holding onto the football. Much more of that and Wentz will join Prescott in the M*A*S*H unit.
The only solution is getting players back in the lineup on the offensive line.
Jordan Mailata has been a silver lining at left tackle and settling Lane Johnson's ankle down at right tackle could sure up the edges.
Peters is closer to returning than Seumalo and RG should be back in the mix for him. Seumalo's injury, meanwhile, is not believed to be a season-ending one so getting him back for any stretch run is on the table.
A unit of Mailata-Seumalo/Nate Herbig-Jason Kelce-Peters-Johnson up front will win the Eagles a bad division.
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, Harry Mayes, and Barrett Brooks on SportsMap Radio and PhillyVoice.com. 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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