After the Eagles were handed their first loss of the season Sunday by the Denver Broncos, questions are lingering about the team and its offensive performance. ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith is among those questioning whether head coach Nick Sirianni can find an offensive identity.
On Monday’s episode of “First Take,” Smith mentioned the increased focus on getting the ball to wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith while eschewing the run game, which has been a staple of the offense for the past two seasons when they had success.
“On the offensive side of the ball, you’re running the football just twice in the entire second half and you’re throwing a football 38 times,” Smith said. “You’re going up against your supposed identity. Why? Because you’re hearing noise from folks about A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Nick Sirianni has to make up his mind. Are you the boss or not? Conduct yourself accordingly in terms of doing what you can to prioritize winning football games instead of appeasing people.”
Smith was also concerned that five weeks into the season, the team’s identity has not been determined.
“The fact that the Eagles lost this game is one thing, but the fact is that they shed their identity,” Smith said. “They don’t seem to know who they are and they don’t seem to be married to a certain culture or a certain way of winning football games. I think that’s something that could be incredibly alarming and we should pay attention to that.”
Smith added that the Eagles’ offensive identity should be based on the passing game, but he realizes the impact running back Saquon Barkley can have on the game, and he should receive a significant number of touches each game based on last year’s performance and his ability to be explosive.
Before Monday night’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Eagles currently sit 30th in the league in total offense, averaging 261.6 yards per game. Only the Cincinnati Bengals (228.6 yards per game) and the Tennessee Titans (233.8 yards per game) have a worse average.
The Eagles were in a similar situation last season with their offense and focused more on the run after their Week 5 bye. However, with the Eagles’ bye week not until the last week of October, they need to make changes quickly to get back on track and utilize their offensive talent. The Eagles’ offense will be back on the field Thursday night against the Giants, the 26th-ranked defense in the league (377.2 yards per game).
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