John Miller: No Reason To Lose Hope In Eagles
The Eagles have no chance this season, right? The season is already a throwaway, a rebuilding season the team won’t admit to, another nail in the coffin of Philadelphia as a football town. The quarterback situation is a shambles, the defense has had a disastrous time closing out games, and the offensive line is the worst we’ve seen in Philadelphia for at least a decade.
The Eagles are 3-2, just like nine other NFL teams; that nifty nine includes the Colts and Saints, last year’s Super Bowl combatants. The point is, it’s still early. The script is not written yet. There have been a lot of plot twists already; there are more to come.
Consider the team the Eagles play Sunday at the Linc, the Atlanta Falcons. They are 4-1 coming to town, have won four straight and are starting to gain attention as the team that might just be the best in the NFC (which is not to be confused with the AFC, which is clearly superior, at least for now).
The Falcons have a good young quarterback in Matt Ryan, a bruising running game that has them averaging 35 minutes a game in time of possession, and have allowed the second fewest points in the NFL – just 14 a game.
So, you can crab about parity and mediocrity, or you can see that this thing is wide open and that as flawed as the Eagles are, they’re not dead yet.
Like the Falcons, the Eagles lost their season opener to a team that a lot of folks think will be in the Super Bowl. Like the Falcons, have beaten three teams that they were absolutely expected to beat, although both teams struggled past the winless 49ers.
The difference in their seasons to date is that the Falcons beat New Orleans in overtime, while the Eagles lost to the Redskins. Of course, New Orleans might not be as good as we think, and the Redskins – with Shanahan and McNabb – might be better than we think. And if Jason Avant had held on to Kevin Kolb’s Hail Mary, the Eagles would’ve beaten Washington, they’d be 4-1, and people would be wondering if they were the best team in the NFC.
The Falcons are seventh in the NFL in total offense – 370 yards per game. The Eagles are eighth, with 361 yards per game. Defensively, the Falcons are 10th, allowing 310 yards per game; the Eagles are allowing 318 per game – just 15th in the league but obviously not far off what the Falcons are doing.
The Falcons have been outstanding in terms of takeaways this season – they are plus-7 in turnover differential. Only the Jets, at plus-11, are better. The Eagles? They’re also plus-7, thanks in large part to generous 49ers quarterback Alex Smith. Oh wait – the Falcons played Alex Smith too – they forced three San Fran turnovers in that game.
Atlanta is better than the Eagles in a couple of categories, but by and large these teams are not that far apart. There’s a good chance that plenty of you prefer the Falcons’ style of play – smash-mouth offense, stout against the run – but the point is that the Eagles, despite all of the turmoil and the injuries and the defensive lapses late in games, are not too far behind the team that many think is the best in the conference.
The wide-open reality of the NFC is a major reason Andy Reid made the move to Michael Vick last month. With Vick running the Eagles offense, the possibilities are just about endless, and those possibilities mean that the Eagles might just be able to make a run in the playoffs.
They’re a long way from doing that right now. They are a flawed team, inconsistent defensively, infuriating on special teams and incredibly loose on the offensive line. The smart money still pegs them for about an 8-8 season.
But we don’t know. Other teams will have injuries. Other coaches will make mistakes. Opposing players might stay out a little too late on a Saturday night. Donovan could tick off his teammates. Eli could throw five picks in a game. Jessica Simpson could come back into Tony Romo’s life.
We just don’t know. Not yet.
Right now, there’s no reason to get excited about the Eagles’ chances this season. But, there’s also no reason to give up hope. Not yet.
Follow John Miller on Twitter (@EagleWonk) and contact him at jmiller@phillysportsdaily.com.
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