The Philadelphia Eagles’ offense is in an absolute free fall right now, fresh off an epic meltdown home defeat against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4 where they blew a double-digit lead and went a brutal 0-12 on third-down conversions. Now, heading into their Week 5 clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, they’re hit with even more crushing news: 2024 NFL Offensive Player of the Year running back Saquon Barkley and wide receiver DeVonta Smith are both officially ruled out with hamstring injuries. Seriously, what a nightmare.
The Philly Roster Is Taking a Beating, Hard
As if losing Barkley and Smith wasn’t enough, the Eagles have been absolutely decimated this week. Six-time Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson, a foundational piece of that O-line, retired on Tuesday. You heard that right, *retired*. Then, to add insult to injury, they traded two-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens. Think about that: in a single week, they’ve lost their starting running back, a star receiver, their Pro Bowl right tackle to retirement, and a two-time Pro Bowl lineman via trade. It’s a “CVS receipt-length” injury list and then some. This team is bleeding talent, and it’s happening at the worst possible time.
Jalen Hurts’ Numbers Are Getting Scary Bad
With all those changes, quarterback Jalen Hurts has been struggling big time, and the numbers don’t lie. In that Week 4 loss to the Rams, Hurts completed just 12 of his 27 throws for a measly 93 yards. He also took four sacks and posted a career-low 3.0 yards per dropback. What the heck, dude? Since Week 3, his average of 4.7 yards per pass attempt ranks dead last in the NFL. That’s a massive drop from the first two weeks where he was averaging 7.5 yards per pass, good for 11th best in the league. Without Barkley and Smith, and with a reshuffled O-line, Week 5 against the 3-1 Jaguars could look a lot like that dreadful Week 4 performance, and that’s not good for anyone in Philly.
It’s going to be fascinating to see how head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Sean Mannion try to adjust for these massive absences, especially facing a “schematic clash” so early in the season.
NFC East Is Still a Mess, Which Is Their Only Hope
Here’s the only silver lining for the 2-2 Eagles: the rest of the NFC East isn’t exactly thriving either. The New York Giants are 3-1, but their ceiling is absolutely capped. Quarterback Jaxson Dart is out for the season with a knee injury, and fill-in Jameis Winston is dead last in the NFL with a 55.1% completion percentage. Plus, the Giants also lost their best pass rusher, three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Brian Burns, for the rest of the year after he tore his ACL and meniscus. Burns led the league in 2025 with 16.5 sacks. Oof. And the Washington Commanders? They’re 1-3, with quarterback Jayden Daniels once again dealing with an elbow injury. So, even if the Eagles drop this London game, the NFC East will likely remain completely up for grabs.
This Week 5 battle in London against the Jaguars is huge. The Eagles need to find some answers, fast, to keep themselves from spiraling even further, and show that they can still compete in what’s shaping up to be a truly wild NFC East race.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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