Well, depending on who you talk to, you might be surprised to see that the vibe about these Philadelphia Eagles is that the glass is half-full. Saying there was adversity in their first game is an understatement. They weren’t very sharp on offense, but tremendous tests were also passed.
Jalen Hurts was must-see television. The defense needed an entire half to figure out how to play football without its star, Jalen Carter, but they managed. The weather delayed the action. That obviously affected both teams.
Philadelphia committed too many penalties, including an unnecessary taunting call. They’ll need to be better, but it was one game. They will be better.
No one should overreact, but there is cause for concern. This team doesn’t seem any closer to fixing its biggest issue than it was several months ago.
The Eagles still haven’t found a solid CB solution opposite of Quinyon Mitchell.
Okay, we’re a game into the Eagles’ season, and we still haven’t answered the question we asked all spring and summer. Who should the starter be at cornerback on the outside opposite Quinyon Mitchell?
The second-year star was targeted nine times. He was flagged for a penalty early, but he only allowed four catches and 30 yards receiving. Last year’s second-round selection was more impressive. Cooper DeJean allowed one catch for zero yards on three targets.
Adoree Jackson and Jakorian Bennett are another story. The former played 42 snaps, 69% of the overall defensive total, while the latter played seven snaps (11%). Neither guy was imposing.
Bennett was targeted three times. He gave up three catches and 20 yards receiving. He was also flagged for a pass interference penalty. Jackson was worse. He was targeted seven times. He allowed five catches and 103 yards receiving. It isn’t time to sound the alarm yet, but there is cause for concern.
The Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on the horizon. A road date versus Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes comes on September 14. One might ask what the harm would be in throwing Kelee Ringo in at this point. How could things be worse, right? Don’t speak too soon. This needs to be repaired as quickly as possible.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: A familiar Eagles problem could be hitting its critical stage
