The Linc – Eagles on pace to make NFL history … in a bad way

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 9/29/21.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Eagles have historic penalty problem under Nick Sirianni, who vents his frustration at Derek Barnett – NJ.com
The Eagles’ 35 penalties through the first three games set a franchise record. The Oakland Raiders set the NFL record for most penalties in a season in 2011 when they committed 163. At the current rate the Eagles are racking up infractions, they would end up with 192 penalties, shattering the record.

Eagles-Cowboys snap counts: Time for less Jalen Reagor – BGN
Reagor should not be first in targets or second in skill player snaps. It’s painfully obvious that he’s not better than Quez Watkins. Reagor ranks 45th out of 50 wide receivers (minimum 17 targets) in yards per routes run so far this season. He just does not pass the eye test at all. And it feels like’s only playing more than Watkins because he was a higher draft pick. Reagor had five receptions for 53 yards against the Cowboys but four recs and 46 yards came when the game was already out of hand and Philly was trailing by 20+ points. Quez Watkins’ playing time increased for the third straight week (48% > 50% > 66%). It’s still not enough, though. Again, he should be playing more than Reagor. Watkins is PFF’s fifth-highest wide receiver in terms of receiving grade this season. The impressive contested catch he made against Dallas wasn’t something unlike what we saw from him in training camp. More Quez!

FROM THE SB NATION NFL SHOW: “Not upset” BLG gets upset about Eagles loss – BGN Radio
The SB Nation NFL Show brings together the greatest fan-alysts from across SB Nation’s NFL team communities in one place for the first time ever. Expect deep analysis, irreverent jokes, and plenty of bickering between rivals. It’s a show for NFL fans, by NFL fans.

NFL Week 4 Defense Rankings – PFF
22. Philadelphia Eagles. Brandon Graham being lost for the year is a huge blow, and Fletcher Cox doesn’t seem to be the force he once was. Still, much of that is being offset by the play of Javon Hargrave, who is currently the best-graded defender on the team (84.5). Hargrave has tallied 11 total pressures already, more than double the next best mark on the Eagles, and a 92.1 pass-rushing grade. Linebacker remains the team’s biggest problem area, with all three starters earning an overall PFF grade below 59.0 and two of the three posting sub-41.0 grades. [BLG Note: Cox ranks 48th out of 66 interior defenders who’ve played at least 93 snaps.]

NFC Hierarchy/Obituary: Week 4 – PhillyVoice
In other words, Sirianni wanted to get into a shootout with an opponent who is well-equipped to win a shootout, instead of formulating a game plan around the strengths of his players and the logical weaknesses of the opposing defense. So OK, fine, it was bad game plan. Whatever. The part of the game plan that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever is that if Sirianni felt like he was forced to match points with such a high octane offense, then why did he opt to punt twice on 4th and 5 on the Cowboys’ side of the field?

Eagles-Cowboys: What We Learned: Jalen Hurts may not be the QB for this coach – Inquirer
Jalen Hurts may not be the quarterback for this coach. Or conversely, Sirianni may not be the coach for this quarterback. It’s too early to draw conclusions, of course, but if either was capable of exceeding the limitations of the quarterback play or coaching, they’ve yet to do so through three games. It’s hard to fault the Eagles for looking into whether they could trade for Deshaun Watson. He has arguably top-five talent. But the flirtation with the dormant Houston quarterback clearly spoke to their having uncertainty about Hurts. And we’re seeing many of the issues evaluators had about the former Alabama-Oklahoma quarterback. Questions about accuracy, arm strength, and hesitancy were all reinforced on Monday night. “I didn’t execute,” Hurts said. “I didn’t do a good enough job of leading. I didn’t do a good enough job of running our offense and doing the things that I need to do. … This one’s on me.”

The day after: Another disastrous trip to Dallas for overwhelmed Eagles – The Athletic
There is still a lot of season ahead in a year that is less about stacking wins to compete at the top of the league than it is about setting a foundation for long-term success. But the makeup of the roster complicates that purpose. While veterans like Cox, Jason Kelce and Zach Ertz cling to the hope of being playoff-relevant in the twilight of their careers, 13 of the Eagles’ 22 starters Monday night are on rookie contracts, including eight on offense. “It’s still early, we’re still young. So we’ve just gotta grow up fast,” Ertz said. “I feel like we can have a dynamic running game if we’re playing ahead of the sticks. We can have a dynamic passing game if we’re playing on time and in rhythm. We’ve just got to put together 60 minutes on offense. The Atlanta game was a glimpse, I think, of what we can be on offense, but the past two games we just have not played well and that’s just a matter of fact. And we’ve got to be better.” Growing pains were always to be expected for a first-year head coach, first-year play caller, first-year defensive coordinator and first-year starting quarterback. There are still 14 games to go. But for this season, time is quickly running out.

Predicting NFL Week 4 upset picks, fantasy football sleepers and flops, plus buzz and notes around the league – ESPN
Who’s a fringe fantasy player who should be started in Week 4? Graziano: Miles Sanders, RB, Eagles (vs. KC). The Chiefs have allowed 160.3 rushing yards per game. Only the Chargers have allowed more. Kansas City has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to running backs. Eagles running backs amassed a grand total of three carries in Monday night’s loss to the Cowboys, which means Nick Sirianni & Co. will be hearing (and likely talking) all week about how they need to try and run the ball more. Teams tend to go run heavy against the Chiefs, who have yet to show they can really stop it. I wouldn’t expect Sirianni to all of a sudden turn run heavy, but I expect Sanders to be more involved. If he hits a big play or two, it could pay off for fantasy managers. Fowler: You took my pick. Sanders is a good one, a true sleeping giant who doesn’t get the usage he should.

Week 3 Eagles grades by position after ugly loss Cowboys – NBCSP
Eagles record: 1-2. The Eagles have a young and inexperienced coaching staff and it showed on Monday night. Nick Sirianni, Jonathan Gannon and company were throughout out-coached by the Cowboys on national television. Sirianni had no feel for his offense and abandoned the run, Gannon was slow to adjust and didn’t have answers. The Eagles also lead the league in penalties after 13 more on Monday night. For a staff that says it preaches discipline, that isn’t getting it done. Grade: F.

Jeff Stoutland is ready once again to prepare the next man up – PE.com
Jeff Stoutland never relaxes, never takes a thing for granted. When things are going well, he wants more. When he faces tough times, Stoutland digs in deeper. The challenge, he has said many times, is preparing for every scenario. He’s got a scenario now that is familiar with every NFL coach: Injuries are impacting the Eagles’ offensive line and Stoutland has to make adjustments with his personnel and play to the strengths of those on the field. “I think that every day when we’re working together,” Stoutland said earlier this year, “we work with each individual and try to make him the best he can be for that time when his number is called. For anyone who has been in this game, you prepare to play. You expect the unexpected in this business. Every player on this roster has to be ready to do his job.”

DVOA Week 3: Schedule Will Get Harder for Steelers, Cardinals, and Giants – Football Outsiders
[BLG Note: The Chiefs are 15th in DVOA while the Eagles are 17th.]

Cowboys Playoff Tracker: What the Cowboys 2-1 record says about their playoff chances – Blogging The Boys
When you want to make the playoffs, it helps to play in a crappy division, and the NFC East certainly is exactly that. The Giants are already out of it at 0-3, while Washington and Philly are barely hanging on at 1-2. FiveThirtyEight.com is currently showing the Cowboys with a 66% chance of winning their division, the third highest percentage in the league behind only the Bills and Titans (both with 79%). The Cowboys currently project as a 10-7 team on the site, with the Eagles their closest divisional competitor with seven projected wins. Washington (six wins) and the Giants (four) are even further behind.

Sunday’s matchup vs. Atlanta will need to be a bounce-back game for more than just players. – Hogs Haven
Washington Football Team players are not the only ones licking their wounds from a 43-21 beatdown by the hands of the Buffalo Bills. Head Coach Ron Rivera and his coaching staff received a comprehensive beatdown, too, and left Orchard Park, New York, with so many unanswered questions. What’s going on with his defensive unit? Why isn’t his pass-rush getting to the quarterback? How does the middle of the field continue to be wide open? Why aren’t they getting off of the field on third downs?

Giants’ schedule is NFL’s most difficult the rest of the way – Big Blue View
Where are the victories? Considering the way the season has gone thus far, is it unrealistic to think the Giants could be 0-10 heading into a Week 12 game at MetLife Stadium against the Philadelphia Eagles?

The First Read, Week 4: Getting ready for Brady vs. Belichick; Chiefs losing ground? – NFL.com
The New York Giants head coach tried to offer some reassurance that his team will be “alright,” but there is little to like about this squad. The Giants just lost to one of the worst teams in the league — a 17-14 defeat to Atlanta — and that was their best chance at a victory so far. Their next seven games? Try the Saints, Cowboys, Rams, Panthers, Chiefs, Raiders and Buccaneers. This team — one that is also battling a slew of injuries — has a legitimate chance of starting the season 0-10.

Eric Bieniemy stresses Chiefs’ situation would be different without turnovers – Arrowhead Pride
The Kansas City Chiefs offense appeared to be humming during its first three drives Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers before all three ended on turnovers — first an interception, then a Tyreek Hill fumble, followed by one from Clyde Edwards-Helaire. It is impossible to know, but had the Chiefs simply taken care of the football, it seemed all three of those drives were on their way to ending in seven points. The Chargers instead managed 14 points off the turnovers — creating a (very hypothetical) 35-point swing.

Off Day Debrief #56: Cowboys crush Eagles on MNF + Week 4 Power Rankings – The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera and Brandon Lee Gowton break down the Cowboys’ big win on Monday Night Football over BLG’s Eagles with RJ Ochoa from Blogging the Boys. Plus, we present the only 100% accurate power rankings in the NFL podcast kingdom. BLG sounds off about the current state of the Eagles (even though he claims to not be mad). Why the Cowboys are a real threat in the NFC. How the Cleveland Browns became the best team in the NFL. Are we not giving the Raiders enough credit for their start? When do we buy into the Arizona Cardinals? Why Stats thinks Kyle Shanahan is making it harder for the 49ers to win. MVP and LVPs of the week.

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