The Linc

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Orlovsky stunned by Eagles’ regression: ‘Has anyone gotten better?’ – ESPN
“That’s a poorly coached football team. Watch their tape. Number one, since the start of 2023, has anyone gotten better on the team? Jalen Hurts, in a matter of 20 games, has gone from the MVP in the Super Bowl to a liability on offense. And I know Jalen Hurts isn’t lazy. Number two, watch that game from this past weekend, there isn’t one person on that football team who pops off the tape. It’s the new guy, Saquon Barkley. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith aren’t available, you throw the ball seven of the first nine snaps? And I love Kellen Moore, he’s a good friend of mine. What the fudge are we doing? Why are we not giving the ball to Saquon to start the game? And if you watch some of effort moments? You’re sitting there going how come the guy that’s been there for a month this season is the one that you sit there and go he’s playing the best? The offensive line is pass protecting their butt off, yet the quarterback’s holding the ball for absolutely ever, he’s got a turnover in like 70 straight games or whatever right now. There’s questions of ‘where’s this defense?’

Eagles Film Analysis: Offense takeaways from the loss to the Buccaneers – BGN
It is far too simplistic to say that everything good is because of Kellen Moore, and everything bad is Nick Sirianni’s fault. However, there has to be some truth to the idea that Sirianni has some say in the offense. He is the head coach! I highly doubt that he has absolutely no say in the offense at all. In my opinion, the offense drifted too far back to the ideas from last year that relied on individuals winning their matchups and not the scheme to help get them open. We didn’t even see a lot of motion this week. The Eagles did go back to their classic 3-level stretch concept. No one runs these intermediate out routes better than Dallas Goedert, and Jalen Hurts loves to throw these outside-the-numbers balls, too. This should always be a staple concept in the Eagles’ offense, and it was good to see it a few times. It would have been nice to see Mesh again, wouldn’t it? You know, the play that the Eagles had a ton of success with last week?!

Bye Week Check-In With BLG: Where Is Kellen Moore? – Go Birds Podcast
Brandon Lee Gowton joins Eliot Shorr-Parks to discuss everything going on with the Eagles heading into the bye week, including Jalen Hurts’ struggles and the offensive coaching issues.

NFL QB Index, Week 5: Lamar Jackson rises to No. 1; Jayden Daniels, Geno Smith enter top 10 – NFL.com
16) Everything seems to be excessively difficult for the Eagles right now. They sleepwalked through the first quarter and a half in Week 4. Without A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, their receivers couldn’t get open quickly enough for Hurts to find them. He was holding onto the ball for too long and wasn’t using his legs much to keep plays (or drives) alive. They didn’t truly wake up until the final six minutes of the first half. Saquon Barkley finally was able to have some success in the second half, which propelled a bit of a comeback effort, but even that fell short. The vibes aren’t good right now, and while Hurts wasn’t awful, he’s not elevating this group.

Counting down the Eagles’ 10 biggest disappointments so far in 2024 – NBCSP
7. Jalen Hurts: Now in his fifth season, Hurts has done some good things this year. He drove the Eagles to six scores on their last nine drives in the win over the Packers. He gave the Eagles a late lead vs. the Falcons before the defense blew it. He rallied the Eagles to a last-minute win over the Saints. He’s completed 68 percent of his passes, highest by an Eagles quarterback after four games since Randall Cunningham in 1992. But the turnovers have been brutal. Seven so far, 2nd-most in the league. Five of the seven have been the direct results of poor pocket awareness. And three have come in the red zone. By any metric, Hurts has been one of the 10 worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL. Not what the Eagles need from a guy who had a record-setting Super Bowl just 20 months ago.

Mailbag: Should the Eagles trade for Davante Adams, Maxx Crosby? – PhillyVoice
Question from Taylor (via email): There are rumors that the Eagles could trade for Maxx Crosby. Is there anything to that? I think that nonsense stemmed from this. Crosby is the “the condor.” There are no condor emojis that I’m aware of, so I think Crosby was settling for an eagle. #EmojiAnalysis. Crosby is 27, he has a very manageable contract that runs through 2026, and he’s one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Why would the Raiders trade him?

4 NFL upset picks for Week 5 – SB Nation
Cleveland Browns over the Washington Commanders. You are right to assume that the Producer at Dawgs By Nature is slightly biased toward the 1-3 Browns knocking off the 3-1 Commanders on the road. Cleveland’s offensive line is a mess, the defense has regressed far beyond “the mean” after a great season last year and QB Deshaun Watson has been mostly bad while Washington has excelled this season. On the other hand, the expensive Browns roster is in must-win mode, Watson had his best game in Week 4 and HC Kevin Stefanski has lost three or more games in a row just twice in his four-plus season in the NFL. RB Brian Robinson’s knee injury also plays a role in this prediction.

Commanders looking for its first 4-1 start in 16 years – Hogs Haven
Since the NFL merger, the Washington Commanders have gotten off to nine 4-1 starts, and they are going for their tenth 4-1 start with this week’s matchup against the 1-3 Cleveland Browns. This would be Washington’s first time since 2008. The Dan Quinn era has gotten off to an exceptional start, with the Commanders offense, led by offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, being one of the best in the league at the current time. While the offense is coming off of a 42-point day in the offense against the Arizona Cardinals, the Commanders’ defense also saw one of its best productive days, holding the Cardinals’ offense to 14 points.

Kliff Kingsbury’s Offense May Have an Expiration Date. But Not With Jayden Daniels at Quarterback. – The Ringer
The Commanders’ offensive coordinator is great at finding early success—but it doesn’t always last a full season. Is his rookie QB’s skill set enough to stave off regression and keep Washington on top?

Cowboys injury report: Trevon Diggs, Ezekiel Elliott limited – Blogging The Boys
Micah Parsons did not practice today as he’ll miss this game with an ankle injury. Dallas has opted not to place Parsons on injured reserve, exhibiting a confidence that Parsons will miss less than four games. Markequese Bell (ankle) was a full-go on Thursday, and Caelen Carson (shoulder) was limited on Thursday. Both practicing on Thursday bodes well for their chances to play Sunday. After being given a light workload to rest Wednesday, veterans Malik Hooker, Eric Kendricks, Jourdan Lewis, and Zack Martin were full participants on Thursday. Brandin Cooks logged a DNP as he recovers from a knee infection.

Malik Nabers ruled out of Sunday’s game by New York Giants – Big Blue View
Malik Nabers is “not gonna make it” through the NFL concussion protocol in time to play for the New York Giants on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, head coach Brian Daboll said on Friday. Thus, the Giants will be without their star rookie wide receiver, the most-targeted player in the NFL. Daboll said Nabers is “making progress, but he’s not gonna make it.” Nabers won’t travel to Seattle. “He is making progress, but we’re going to do everything we can do to get him as healthy and right as we can,” Daboll said. “We’re always going to do what’s right. Take those concussions very seriously. He’s made progress, but not to the point where he can go out there and play. His safety, his well-being is first and foremost.”