The Eagles lost to the Raiders 33-22 on the road in an abysmal performance. The Raiders’ offense was simply unstoppable, and they were moving the ball however they wanted. 

The scorecard didn’t tell the story of this game, much like the previous weeks. At one point the score was 30-7, and in many of the Eagles’ games this year, they scored in garbage time, where the game was already lost.

To be competitive, the coaching staff must step up. They were brought in during the offseason to fix the poor teaching habits and techniques of the young players who have room to develop. So far, there had been progress, but they have yet to use their young talent. Many defensive leaders like Fletcher Cox and Rodney McLeod spoke in their interviews about the defensive scheme, indirectly stating they didn’t like it. 

The defense allowed Derek Carr to complete 31 of his 34 pass attempts. That was just an absurd completion percentage, and as a team it cannot be expected to win a game relying on this defense. The defense forced an interception in the red-zone when the Eagles led 7-0, which could’ve been a huge momentum push, but the offense couldn’t put points up.

Miles Sanders went down with an injury and is currently week-to-week. We are hoping for a speedy recovery and for him to return soon. In the meantime, Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott must step up and prove that this offense should run the ball. Nick Sirianni now has more excuses not to run the ball, but it is up to Gainwell and Scott to show otherwise. 

The offense has been atrocious on third down. Last year Jalen Hurts played well on third down and he had many clutch touchdowns and conversions. This year, their 3rd downplay calling has been bad, but I don’t think it’s on Jalen. He has the ability, but the offense has to cater to those abilities. However, the organization is losing their patience with him, which is evident with many rumors of trading for quarterbacks or drafting one in 2022. 

Jalen’s window to prove himself is closing, as the trade deadline is approaching. Howie Roseman will be eager to use the draft capital he gained last year to make moves. Personally, I think they should be patient with Jalen, but they know more about him than the fans do. If they don’t see improvement on film, it wouldn’t be shocking to see a change at quarterback rather soon. 

Overall, the team is not competing for anything, and it is more important to take away lessons from these losses. There are no moral wins in the NFL, but it is important to have accountability and see where things are failing and how to improve them. The Lions may have a bad record, but they might beat the Eagles because of their grit and work ethic.

Expectations for week 8:

The Detroit Lions faced the Rams on Sunday and came out with a roar. The Lions were able to shut down the running game and were surprisingly good on both sides of the ball. DeAndre Swift and Company were doing well, but because the Lions faced the Los Angeles Rams, a loss was inevitable. 

The Lions seemed to loosen up their playbook with multiple bold calls, such as the fake punt, which eventually became a completion to D’Andre Swift to keep the drive alive. It was especially bold because the play happened 7 yards behind the first down mark (4th & 7), and the play came relatively early in the game (11 minutes remaining in the first quarter), compared to other trick plays like these. It should be a sign for what is supposed to come for The Eagles this week. 

Though no fan of any franchise deserves to feel this, Eagles fans should prepare themselves in case of another embarrassing showing against the Lions. The Lions, despite losing, are coming out of a good game where they stuck with the Rams throughout the whole game. 

Philadelphia is proving themselves to be deserving in the bottom five of the league as time goes on. As of now, there is a trend of a growing number of Eagles fans who do not think that Jalen Hurts is the answer at quarterback, and this might as well be true by the end of the year. Staffing issues are prominent as well.

 Head Coach Nick Sirriani admitted he did not look at the defensive tape in preparation for this past Sunday. Nick Sirianni’s decision to perform an onside kick to open the second half is the most idiotic play I have ever seen from any team this year. For now, Eagles fans must demand that Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman (once again) are on the hot seat. I predict the winless Detroit Lions are no longer winless after this upcoming Sunday with an “upset” win over the Eagles 31-24 (Eagles fall to 2-6 on the year with a considerable risk of missing the playoffs). 

Fantasy Predictions Week 8:

Jalen Hurts had another good fantasy week, scoring 23.54 points. Because of his consistent performances throughout the first seven weeks of the season and the fact that the Eagles are playing the Detroit Lions, who do not have a great defense, I predict that Hurts will get 27-30 points next week.

Because of Miles Sanders’ injury early in the game, he did not score many points. However, when he was playing, we saw a huge increase in his attempts compared to the last six weeks. If Sanders were to play next week (which is unlikely), it is possible that he could score 15 points against the Lions’ defense. If Sanders does not play, then Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott will split carries, both possibly scoring around 12 points each.

Devonta Smith had a mediocrre fantasy game last week, scoring 11.1 points. However, the Eagles as a whole team had a difficult time against the Raiders’ defense. Therefore, because Smith is going to be playing against a weaker defense this week, he could get more targets which will result in more points. I predict that Smith will get 18-21 points next week. 

In his first game, without splitting time with Ertz, Dallas Goedert had a decent game. Goedert had a total of 12 points last week which is decent for a tight end. However, just like I said before, the Eagles had a difficult time against the Raiders’ defense. Therefore, I predict that Goedert will get 15-18 points next week. 

ESPN Stats: https://www.espn.com/nfl/boxscore/_/gameId/401326431

Photo Credits:Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports