Eagles opposing player to stop, Week 3 edition

There are problems here that could become larger. The Eagles are 1-1 and are hemorrhaging yards rushing. It’s only Week 3 of the NFL season and there are glaring issues defensively with this team must address, or this 2024 Eagles’ season could be over by November.

Stretching back to the final seven games of last season, including the playoff loss to Tampa Bay, and the opening two games this season, the Eagles are 2-7. In their previous nine games, they have given up 1,278 yards rushing, over 252 attempts, which averages out to 5.07 yards a carry. In their first two games alone this season, they are giving up an NFL-high 6.4 yards a carry (315 yards rushing/49 carries). What’s worse is they have no pass rush, either.

Facing Alvin Kamara and the potent New Orleans Saints this Sunday at 1 p.m. in the noisy Caesars Superdome will be difficult.

Behind Kamara, a good offensive line and a competent Derek Carr, New Orleans is third in the NFL in offense, producing 811 yards in 47-10 victories over the Carolina Panthers and the surprising 44-19 win at Dallas, averaging 405.5 yards a game, which is No. 3 in the NFL behind Baltimore (417.5) and Detroit (413). The Saints are No. 1 in scoring, averaging 45.5 points a game, averaging 11 more points than the nearest team, Arizona (34.5).

Most of the Saints’ offense is coming on the ground. New Orleans is averaging 185 yards a game rushing, which is also No. 3 in the NFL, and as a team, 4.9 yards a carry.

The Saints looked like a wrecking machine in Week 2, scoring on their first six possessions against Dallas, which, on paper, has a far better defense than the Eagles.

Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was supposed to add stability in the back. He has not. Gardner-Johnson, not exactly a reliable tackling machine, made what looked like the play of the game in the Eagles’ heartbreaking 22-21 loss to Atlanta, coming up to stop Bijan Robinson for no gain at the Falcons’ 39 on a fourth-and-one with 5:38 to play. Earlier in the same game, Gardner-Johnson did get caught looking at Kirk Cousins as Darnell Mooney ran right by him for a 41-yard touchdown pass with 1:21 left in the third quarter. In Week 1 against Green Bay, Gardner-Johnson turned his body the wrong way, and was burned when Jayden Reed ran right by him unchecked for an easy 70-yard TD toss, Jordan Love’s longest TD pass in his young NFL career.

On Thursday and Friday, Gardner-Johnson sat out practice with a foot injury and is questionable to play against the Saints.

Against Atlanta, $51-million edge rusher Bryce Huff continued to have his problems (which become bigger when Britain Covey has more tackles in the same game—1). On the Falcons’ opening drive of the second half, the Falcons ran right at Huff on Robinson’s 19-yard carry to the Eagles’ 44. Huff was nowhere near the stat sheet. Did anyone notice he was even on the field? The Falcons certainly did when No. 0 was on the edge. They knew exactly where to run. Huff was getting thrown around and looked uncertain what he was supposed to do.

Expect Kamara and the Saints to continue running at Huff, especially with two formidable tackles in Taliese Fuaga (left) and Trevor Penning (right) creating space. Kamara, chosen NFC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 2 after rushing for 115 yards and three touchdowns against Dallas, has 198 rushing yards and four scores rushing this season. He is sixth in the NFL in rushing behind Saquon Barkley and is averaging 5.7 yards a carry. Running stretch behind Fuaga and Penning has worked well. Expect more of the same against the Eagles.

“Yeah, the Saints definitely have that run in their repertoire,” said Eagles’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who still plans on starting Huff. “They’ve run it a few times this year. And probably after watching our game, they may want to run it some more.”

When asked if he would make any wholesale changes, Fangio said, “You know, not wholesale changes, no. We need to do a better job, with me at the lead, of preparing the guys to play with better technique and better discipline.”

Since the Eagles’ 10-1 start last year and the 42-10 loss to San Francisco in Week 13, they have not been near the same team as 2022.