The Philadelphia Eagles have already secured a ticket to the NFL playoffs, but their form is still far from ideal. With just a week left in the regular season, Philadelphia has one more opportunity to address their issues on the field in time for the postseason. But since they are already booked for the playoffs, the Eagles can rest up their key players to preserve their bodies for the more important battle beyond Week 18’s matchup versus the lowly New York Giants on the road.
For Eagles cornerback Darius Slay, his team is not in a position to afford such a luxury.
“No. We ain’t playing great enough to sit down and we need momentum for the playoffs,” Slay said (via Zach Berman of PHLY).
“I know everybody is worried about their bodies, but on this team, everybody knows in their heart that we’ve go to go out there and play a complete, clean game. …We’ve got to get going. Ain’t no way we can sit down. But that is up to coach.”
Eagles wobbling their way to the playoffs
The Eagles are indeed not in a terrific form of late. The recent on-field debacles of Philadelphia must be so worrisome for its fans. After starting the season like a house on fire by winning 10 of their first 11 assignments, the Eagles have gone 1-4 since.
Just when it looked like they turned the corner by snapping a three-game losing skid with a 33-25 win at home over the Giants in Week 16, Jalen Hurts and company got embarrassed in front of their home crowd in a 35-31 loss at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals.
Philadelphia’s defense, in particular, has been a big issue during this tough stretch for the reigning NFC champions. On the season, they are only 29th in the league with 25.1 points allowed per game and 23rd with 352.4 total yards surrendered per outing.
When they made it all the way to the Super Bowl last season, the Eagles’ defense was a strength. Now, it’s a major question mark. Over their last two games, the Eagles have allowed two of the bottom 10 offenses in the league to score a combined output of 60 points.
The Eagles have a lot to do.
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