Each week seems to bring another victory for the Philadelphia Eagles, yet with every triumph, fresh rumors and controversies emerge from the camp of the reigning Super Bowl champions.
The latest buzz stemmed from a report by The Athletic over the weekend, which revealed that several offensive players are reportedly growing frustrated with their quarterback, Jalen Hurts.
According to the report, these anonymous players believe that Hurts is hesitant to throw into tight coverage zones, opting instead for more scrambles and checkdowns. This approach, they claim, has reduced the opportunities for the Eagles’ highly-paid wide receivers to shine.
Addressing the issue on Wednesday, Hurts stated, “I never run away from holding myself accountable. I think that’s exactly what I’ve taken the approach of doing. … We’ve obviously got work to do, and that obviously starts with me.”
Despite holding a commanding 8-2 record and leading the NFC East, the Eagles find themselves ranked 25th in total offense with an average of 300.1 yards per game, 16th in scoring at 23.4 points per game, and 28th in passing yards per game, managing just 184.9 yards.
Although the Eagles are 8-2 and sit comfortably atop the NFC East, they rank 25th in total offense (300.1 yards per game), 16th in scoring (23.4 points per game) and 28th in passing yards per game (184.9).
Hurts’ 269 pass attempts through 10 games rank 23rd among quarterbacks, though he’s thrown only one interception.
After three consecutive second-team All-Pro selections, wide receiver A.J. Brown is on pace for 66 catches, 812 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 16 games.
Fellow receiver DeVonta Smith had one catch for eight yards in Sunday night’s 16-9 win over Detroit Lions.
“When there’s not a name on it, I don’t put a lot of credence into that,” head coach Nick Sirianni said Wednesday.
“I don’t necessarily believe everything that’s being written. I just don’t. I’ve been around long enough to know that, so I don’t give it a lot of credence when there’s not a name. Again, just don’t fall into the trap of believing everything you see or read.”
At least one Eagles star has been vocally public about his feelings.
On a video-game livestream earlier this month, Brown described his situation as a “s–t show” and encouraged viewers who have him on their fantasy team to “get rid of me.”
Brown did not apologize for the viral comments when he expounded on them to the media.
“If we’re really focusing on winning and doing our job, we can’t just keep slapping a Band-Aid over the defense doing their job and getting us out of trouble. At what point are we going to pick up our slack as an offense?” Brown said last week.
Defensively, the Eagles are allowing 20.1 points per game, the eighth-best mark in the NFL.
“You can’t just keep slapping a Band-Aid over that and you expect to win late in the year,” Brown continued. “It’s not going to happen.”
The Eagles endured a similar controversy last season, with veteran defensive end Brandon Graham suggesting Brown and Hurts weren’t as close as they once were — and then apologizing for that remark — as the Eagles’ passing attack stagnated.
The difference last year was that running back Saquon Barkley carried the Eagles’ offense with the ninth 2,000-yard rushing season in NFL history. Barkley is on pace for only 1,125 rushing yards this year.
Of course, the Eagles’ offense rounded into form at the right time, as Philly scored 40 points in their Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Hurts was the MVP of that game, passing for 221 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 72 yards and a score.
“Last year was what it was,” Brown said last week. “Thank you for the ring, but it’s a new season.”
The Eagles enter Sunday’s road game against the Dallas Cowboys as winners of four straight, with their last loss coming on Oct. 9 against Jaxson Dart and the Giants.
Hurts and his receivers have a plum opportunity to get right against a Cowboys defense that ranks 30th in passing defense (249.9 yards per game) and 31st in scoring defense (29.3 points per game).
The Eagles lead the second-place Cowboys (4-5-1) by 3.5 games and already beat them in Week 1. Dallas has retooled defensively since that first meeting, however, by adding Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson at the trade deadline while getting DeMarvion Overshown back from injury.
“Everybody’s gonna have an opinion, and I give a lot of respect to those things,” Hurts said. “Ultimately, we’re all here to do the same thing, so it’s about the pursuit of that. I’ve always encouraged trying to work together to achieve that.”
