As Saquon Barkley said, the “sky’s falling” in the Philadelphia Eagles’ fan base after Friday’s loss to the Chicago Bears. The Eagles have lost two in a row, falling to 8-4 on the season.
So, whose stock took a hit against the Bears? And whose arrow is pointing up as the Eagles prepare for the Los Angeles Chargers?
Let’s take a closer look.
STOCK UP
WR A.J. Brown: The Eagles have lost their last two games, but at least Brown is finally producing. After an eight-catch, 110-yard performance vs. the Cowboys, Brown had 10 catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns vs. Chicago. Some of that was done in garbage time. But Brown made his presence felt early, including a 33-yard touchdown in the third quarter. The offense is a mess. But it’s a good sign that Brown is making an impact.
EDGE Jalyx Hunt: Hunt has been inconsistent as a pass-rusher. But he was a problem for Chicago’s offensive line on Friday. The second-year edge rusher had four QB pressures, including two QB hits. He also secured his second interception of the season. The Eagles failed to capitalize on it. But credit to the third-year edge rusher for the heady play.
STOCK DOWN
LB Jihaad Campbell: A month ago, Campbell was looking like a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate. On Friday, the first-round linebacker didn’t play a single snap vs. Chicago. Ever since Nakobe Dean has come back, Campbell’s usage has gone down (21 snaps vs. Detroit, 11 snaps vs. Dallas). But having him active and not playing a single down — when the defense was getting gashed and gassed vs. the Bears — was surprising.
RB Tank Bigsby: Speaking of not getting on the field, Bigsby had zero carries on one snap. The backup running back has proven to be a spark when afforded the opportunity, rushing for 104 yards vs. New York in Week 8 and 34 yards on four carries vs. Detroit in Week 11. But after having one carry vs. Dallas, Bigsby didn’t get the ball on Friday. That should change.
DE Brandon Graham: Continuing the trend of players not playing, Graham had only six snaps against Chicago. I wasn’t expecting the 37-year-old to unretire and log starter-level snaps. But I was expecting more than 32 snaps in four games so far.
TE Dallas Goedert: Goedert was tied for the NFL lead in receiving touchdowns going into the bye. In the four games since, he’s had 10 catches. The Bears entered Friday’s game as one of the most generous defenses for tight ends. Goedert had only two catches for 27 yards in garbage time — and Jalen Hurts missed him wide open for a touchdown.
QB Jalen Hurts: Kevin Patullo isn’t the only problem with this offense. Hurts went from playing at a dark horse MVP level before the bye week to playing some of his worst ball recently. QB1 has to get out of this rut if the Eagles want to go anywhere this season.