Welcome to The Linc, the daily Philadelphia Eagles links roundup at Bleeding Green Nation!
Zero takeaways through three games. Not great! In fairness, the Birds have forced a couple fumbles that were recovered by the offense. So, some bad luck there. And with luck being an element in the turnover equation, the Eagles are probably due for some moving forward. That’s the optimistic spin. The less rosy view of this situation is that the Eagles might not have enough playmakers to come up with these takeaways.
Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …
Here’s this week’s Roob’s Eagles Stats: Proceed at your own risk – NBCSP
How is it possible to play three entire football games without forcing a turnover? That’s where the Eagles are. This is the first time in franchise history the Eagles have opened a season without a takeaway in their first three games. They’re only the 16th NFL team to ever achieve that dubious distinction. Of the first 15, only two reached the playoffs – the 1979 Broncos and 2004 Rams. There have been four previous seasons where the Eagles only forced one turnover through Week 3 – 1996, 1998, 2020 and 2021. This is also only the fourth time the Eagles haven’t intercepted a pass through Week 3. That also happened in 1998, 2020 and 2021. The Eagles have now gone 13 consecutive games without multiple interceptions, the 6th-longest streak in franchise history and the 4th-longest current streak in the NFL. They haven’t had a three-interception game since 2022, and their streak of 65 consecutive games without more than two INTs is by far the longest in franchise history. The next-longest streak is 34 games over the 2019 through 2021 seasons. The 65-game streak is 13th-longest in NFL history. Last time the Eagles picked off three passes in a game was Week 6 of the 2022 season, when C.J. Gardner-Johnson had two and Slay had one off Cooper Rush in a 26-17 win over the Cowboys at the Linc. The Eagles are 1-27-1 in their last 29 games when they’re minus-three or worse in turnover differential. The Eagles are also only the fifth team with no takeaways and three or fewer sacks through Week 3 since sacks became an official stat in 1982. The four others: The 2002 Bengals, 2013 Steelers, 2019 Broncos and 2023 Giants. None of them made the playoffs.
Trying to Decipher How Bad This Eagles Defense is – Crossing Broad
It brings me no joy to say this, but I think what we saw on Monday night is closer to what this defensive unit actually is, and the elite Week 1 and Week 2 numbers are the fluke. The smoking gun for this theory is how bad Washington and Tennessee’s offenses are. The Commanders are 27th in pass offense and the Titans are 30th in scoring, 31st in total offense, and 30th in pass offense. Those are two bad teams, which is why the Eagles looked nice against them. But when facing Chicago’s actually-good offense — which ranks 3rd in total yards (408.0 YPG) and 1st in rushing (184.3 YPG) — the Eagles got exposed. They had no pass rush, they couldn’t create turnovers, and they allowed Case Keenum of all people to sling the ball wherever he wanted. And sadly, these seem like foundational issues to me. Through three weeks, the Eagles have no takeaways. They have 3 sacks. No need to overcomplicate it. That’s a bad defense.
Eagles Film Review: This team looks like they are running two separate offenses – BGN
This was a deeply disappointing offensive performance. There were positives on film, and I do not want to ignore them. However, those positives existed within an offense that still doesn’t fit together. Right now, the Eagles look like they are running two separate offenses. They have a shotgun passing game and an under center running game. Those two worlds barely connect. The Eagles ran for 107 yards on 19 attempts, but that success didn’t produce the explosive play-action passes it should. The numbers were ugly. The Eagles finished with 14 first downs and 248 net yards. They went 2-for-9 on third down, 0-for-5 on third-and-long, and 0-for-2 on fourth down. They reached the red zone twice and came away empty once. Andy Dalton’s interception was the single biggest win-probability swing of the game. We will get into that because I’m still angry… For me, the biggest problem was pass protection, particularly against pressure. I’m saying pass protection rather than offensive line play. Cam Jurgens had a poor game in pass protection, but the recurring free rushers were not simply five linemen losing individual blocks. The Eagles repeatedly looked confused about who they wanted to block and which defender they were prepared to leave free. That is a schematic and coaching problem first. Jalen Hurts was largely fine for three quarters before his play deteriorated once the Eagles fell behind by 20. The quarterback was not the main reason this offense failed.
NFC East Mixtape Vol. 193: The Upside Down is here and so is JJ McCarthy – NFC East Mixtape
Last week brought chaos to the NFC East as the Washington Commanders shocked the reigning champions to change everything we thought about them. Elsewhere in the division… the Dallas Cowboys collapsed against the Baltimore Ravens in Brazil. All the while the New York Giants took care of business against the Tennessee Titans… and then got a new quarterback in JJ McCarthy! Finally, the Philadelphia Eagles were expoed on Monday night by the Chicago Bears and Case Keenum of all people. Needless to say… RJ Ochoa and Brandon Lee Gowton have a lot to discuss! You can see that we have a BRAND NEW NFC East Mixtape YouTube Channel so make sure to subscribe as the show will live here exclusively in video format. AND you can also listen to the show! On Blogging The Boys and/or Bleeding Green Nation podcast feeds as well as the SB Nation NFL Show feed!
NFC Hierarchy/Obituary: Week 4 edition – PhillyVoice
So what the coaching staff essentially did there was trade an opportunity for three shots into the end zone for one bite at the apple on a type of play that (a) hadn’t worked all season, (b) didn’t really even work when they got a favorable look for it and finally executed it well, and (c) was a risky call that had a high likelihood of burning the rest of the clock if it failed. “We had 19 seconds,” Nick Sirianni said. “We had plenty of time to get it clocked or do what we did in that particular case. They were bringing a certain type of pressure there, and that screen was built into the call, and it worked out to be able to get the touchdown there. But with 19 seconds left you should be able to get another play off.” What?! They were flat out unable to get their next intended play off, which was a spike to stop the clock. They never would have been able to execute that in time, or even come close, and really, they came within hundredths of a second within getting the snap off on the impromptu sneak. If Smith had been tackled, at, saaay, the 3 yard line instead of the 1, there’s a pretty good chance that Hurts would not have made the split-second decision to sneak it from that far away, even if the result of the play showed that he got in easily from the 1. Like, what would that scenario have looked like? My guess is that Hurts’ best bet would have been to take the snap and try to run around hoping a receiver got open in some kind of back yard improv play. Honestly, I’m almost kind of bummed that we didn’t get to see it. Even though it ultimately worked, there is really no good argument for that screen call in that situation, and it’s alarming to me that any 12 year old playing Madden would also recognize that.
Something or Nothing? – Iggles Blitz
You can’t point to anything to get genuinely excited about. The offense is wildly inconsistent. The defense has underachieved. They only have 3 sacks and don’t have a single takeaway. As bad as things might sound, this group still has a lot of potential. It won’t shock me to see them turn things around and start playing at a high level. Multiple experts picked this team to win the Super Bowl for a reason. The flip side is that I can also see things going sideways and this being a disappointing season. I don’t get good vibes from this team. But I also had serious questions in 2024 and that group became a juggernaut once they got past the slow start. The Rams come to Philly on Sunday. They are 1-2 and coming off a highly frustrating loss. Sirianni, his coaches and the players better come up with some answers in a hurry or the Eagles could find themselves 2-2 with things getting crazy in a hurry.
Why the Eagles’ 27-7 loss to the Bears looks even worse a day later: 6 thoughts – The Athletic
This is the rare loss that seems even worse than when I left the stadium. Reviewing the game and the data shows just how concerning this was for the Eagles. It was their first 20-point loss since the 2023 season and matched the lowest scoring output of the Nick Sirianni era. It was their least efficient offensive performance of the Sirianni era, based on EPA per drive. The team was listless, heavily penalized, and lacked answers on both sides. And this didn’t happen against Patrick Mahomes — they faced a third-string quarterback who hadn’t started a game in 1,009 days and a defense that allowed 37 points and 478 yards in Week 1. “I think we all have to own that loss right there,” Sirianni said. “I don’t think anybody coached well. I don’t think anyone played well. That was a true team loss. … I have to look at myself first. We weren’t ready to coach, we weren’t ready to play, and that ultimately starts and ends with me.” My view with any loss is that it counts the same whether it’s by 20 points or two points, so be careful about conflating a bad loss with a bad team. (This perspective doesn’t always endear me to the fan base, but it matters over the course of a four-month season.) The problem with this loss now is you cannot rely on the first two games for all the equity this group built. When the Eagles lost to the New York Giants on Thursday night last year, it was a night where everything went wrong. The Eagles were also the defending Super Bowl champions who beat the Kansas City Chiefs and the Rams in September last year. But this team lacks the carryover equity from last year, and the first two games didn’t convince anyone of heavyweight status. The Eagles had festering offensive problems in the first two weeks, saved by Jalen Hurts’ superb third-down performance, while the defense wasn’t yet playing to its potential. Hurts’ third-down magic faded on Monday. The defense looked overmatched against Case Keenum and overwhelmed by Ben Johnson. This is an experienced, calloused group. Let’s see how they respond.
2026 NFL fantasy football waiver wire, Week 4: TE Juwan Johnson, RB Braelon Allen headline targets – NFL.com
Dontayvion Wicks had a disappointing Monday night in a game that saw the Eagles generally struggle, but he’s still averaging a strong 2.3 yards per route run and carries a 31.2% air-yards share. He’s a high-priority pickup for the future.
Philadelphia Eagles help Olney High School football players learn CPR, AED skills at practice – CBS News
The Eagles’ visit included wide receiver Darius Cooper, Eagles cheerleaders and team mascot Swoop. The organization also announced a $10,000 donation supporting the American Heart Association’s CPR education and lifesaving training efforts.
RAMalytics: One reason why Rams’ passing game feels anemic – Turf Show Times
One can attempt to mistakenly place blame for the Los Angeles Rams’ 1-2 start on either injuries or officiating. The real reason for LA’s shortcomings are the fact that their key players are not performing at star levels. Matthew Stafford has objectively been one of the worst quarterbacks in football so far. He’s certainly better than that and will likely rebound at some point. Colby Parkinson is on a milk carton instead of the box score. The offensive line has overall taken a step back in pass protection. Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Byron Young, and even Aaron Donald have disappointed on the defensive line. Nate Landman still hasn’t regained his early season magic from a year ago. For right now let’s focus on the Rams’ anemic passing attack.
NY Giants release WR Odell Beckham Jr., per reports – Big Blue View
Beckham’s usage (or lack thereof) on offense had observers wondering what he was even doing on the team, considering he doesn’t play special teams. In releasing Beckham, the Giants are now only carrying three wide receivers on their 53-man roster: Malik Nabers, Darnell Mooney, and rookie Malachi Fields.
Cowboys unleash explosive plays, but find ways to self-destruct – Blogging The Boys
There are many things to be pleased with. Prescott continues to roll, and the defense continues to tease us by flashing its upside. But even amidst these showings, this team can’t do what they have failed to do in the past. Win at big moments. They had this game for the taking, but flamed out in the most Cowboys way. And the bad thing is a lot of this could have been avoided. Better play-calling at the goal line and more attention given to fend off the Ravens’ offensive strength would have put them over the top to come away with the win. Until they can show they are capable of that, they’ll always be the team that comes up a tad short.
Sam Cosmi, Nick Cross won’t travel to UK, ruled out for Commanders game – Hogs Haven
The Commanders announced on Tuesday evening that guard Sam Cosmi (concussion/throat) and safety Nick Cross (illness/internal injury) will not make the trip, and have therefore been ruled out this week. Cosmi ended last season on IR due to a concussion and then suffered another one, along with a throat injury, from a nasty friendly-fire hit from rookie RB Kaytron Allen at the end of the Cowboys game in Week 2.
Ben Johnson turned his Madden fantasy into reality with the Bears – SB Nation
Ben Johnson, born in 1986, grew up in the heyday of the Madden era. Johnson’s signature style of play calling has always seemed heavily indebted to the way someone would play video game football, with aggressive fourth down calls, intricate passing designs, and a love of mobile quarterbacks. The Chicago Bears head coach couldn’t hide a smile when a reporter asked if he ever played Madden as a younger man last season.
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