The Philadelphia Eagles offense is an absolute train wreck right now, and if you’re an Eagles fan, you’ve got every right to be screaming at your TV. They’re ranked 28th in EPA/play, 31st in yards per play, and a dismal 31st in success rate on first down. Seriously, it’s brutal. They’ve only managed to gain a first down on first down twice this season, the absolute fewest in the entire league, and neither of those was even on a typical 1st and 10! You had Darius Cooper snagging a 23-yard reception against the Titans on a 1st and 17, and then his touchdown came from 1st and goal from the 3. What a mess.
Their First Down Efforts Are Truly League-Worst
It’s not just “bad,” it’s historically bad already. On their 48 first downs, they’ve failed to gain any yardage on 18 of them. Think about that for a second! They have as many negative plays as they do plays that gained seven or more yards, nine each. That means their average second down already needs 8.7 yards to get a first down, putting them 26th in the league. When you’re constantly facing long second downs, your playbook shrinks to nothing. You’re fighting uphill every single snap. They might run 65% of the time on first down, but even that’s failing them. They’re 24th in EPA/play, 27th in success rate, and 28th in yards per carry on those run plays. It’s a complete disaster.
It’s Not About Hurts, It’s About the Line
Don’t go blaming Jalen Hurts or his receivers for this dumpster fire. Hurts was 5th in air yards per attempt on first down in 2025 and 14th in 2024. This isn’t a new issue for him throwing deep. And it’s definitely not about AJ Brown or his replacement, Dontayvion Wicks, either. Brown was 48th in air yards per target last season, and Wicks was 56th. The problem isn’t a lack of talent or willingness to throw downfield from the guys catching or throwing the ball. No, this mess screams offensive line and coaching issues from the rooftops. The Eagles are 19th in sack rate per play and a shocking 28th in pressures per play. That’s a massive problem. They’re trying to mask these offensive line woes with short passes, but it’s backfiring horribly. They’re 19th in CPOE, 26th in EPA per play, 31st in success rate, 31st in air yards per attempt, and dead last at 32nd in yards per attempt when they do throw on first down. They are not taking deep shots, period. Even Cooper’s 23-yard catch was only five yards beyond the line of scrimmage!
A Line in Shambles and a Small Sample That Stings
You might say, “Oh, it’s only two games, that’s a small sample size!” But in the NFL, two games can feel like a playoff run! We already know the Bucs, Chargers, Colts, and Texans are in deep trouble, and the Eagles offense is right there with them. This isn’t just one bad game either; they didn’t even gain a single first down on first down against the Commanders. And even if you normalize their terrible 7.1% conversion rate against the Titans (just 2 of 28 first downs), they’d still be dead last in the league, with the Steelers as the next worst team at 7.4%. What’s truly galling is that moving Cam Jurgens, who is currently co-leading the entire league in holding penalties, to guard hasn’t made things any better. In fact, it’s just highlighted the problems. Maybe more time will improve things, but right now, Philadelphia fans have to be dreading every single first down.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleeding Green Nation.
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