The Philadelphia Eagles are facing some serious defensive challenges in recent weeks, drawing attention with losses to the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys. In their clash with the 49ers, Philadelphia’s defense found themselves on the wrong end of six consecutive touchdown drives to close out the game. The following week against the Cowboys, they allowed their opponents to score on seven out of nine possessions.
This defensive performance is a far cry from the high standard the Eagles set just a year ago when they boasted the NFL’s second-best total defense and ranked first against the pass under the guidance of former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. However, under the new defensive coordinator, Sean Desai, the Eagles have slipped to the 22nd overall position in defensive rankings, ranking fifth to last in both pass defense and scoring defense.
Their struggles are most evident on third downs, where they currently occupy the undesirable title of dead-last in the league, allowing a 48.07% conversion rate on third downs throughout the season. Over the past three games, this figure has worsened significantly, with opposing offenses converting an alarming 61.22% of their third-down attempts. The Cowboys managed to convert 9 out of 16 third-down attempts against the Eagles, while the 49ers went 8 for 11 the week before. These statistics are clearly unsustainable if the Eagles hope to find success come playoff time.
Coach Nick Sirianni has acknowledged the issues and expressed confidence that Sean Desai is the man to help rectify the situation. “That’s why we hired him for the job,” Sirianni explained, emphasizing the need to improve execution and coaching on all fronts.
Sean Desai also addressed the recent setbacks, acknowledging that they do not meet their standards. He expressed the team’s commitment to returning to their defensive prowess. “We accept that. We know that. We’re going to lean back into what we really believe in ourselves, in our standard, and we’ve got to go back and achieve that from a coaching standpoint and a player’s standpoint. And it’s going to be all of us working together to do that. And I think we’ve got the guys and the leaders in this building to help us do that,” Desai declared.
The Eagles will have an opportunity to implement their revamped plan when they face the Seattle Seahawks on Monday, eager to turn the tide and reestablish themselves as a formidable defensive force in the NFL.