The Philadelphia Eagles need to find something to shake loose of their three-game losing streak before it becomes four this weekend against the New York Giants.
Without being overly disrespectful of the Giants, it’s one thing for the Eagles to lose to the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, and even the Seattle Seahawks. Losing to New York at home would be a whole other thing altogether.
That search for answers could spark a quest to find new contributors on offense. And despite disappointing results more often than not, Philadelphia receiver Quez Watkins appears to still be a part of that search.
“Understand this with Quez. His speed changes the game, and not just because it’s going to him,” coach Nick Sirianni said of his receiver this week. “It’s going to open up the rest of the field, and you can’t always predict where the ball is going to go. The defense obviously — there are things that happen where the defense dictates where the ball is going to go.”
The question of using Watkins is less about volume - he only has 10 targets this season while missing seven games - and much more about the quality of those opportunities.
In Week 15, against the Seahawks, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts targeted Watkins on a deep ball that was intercepted by the defense. While the pass was underthrown the bigger concern on the play was the presumed lack of effort by the receiver to make even a defensive play on the ball.
And that has drawn even more criticism and question from those outside the organization on if Watkins has truly earned the right to have more snaps than teammate Olamide Zaccheaus whose play has been more consistent in limited action.
“Quez was on a clear-out route,” Sirianni said of the play. “The defense did something a little different than what we anticipated, and the ball went to him. I still have confidence in Quez, but sometimes he’s in there also to clear the field and to show his speed because his speed is legit, legit.
“I’m confident still in Quez. I still have confidence in him, but that’s the way the game goes sometimes with where the ball is going because he has to be accounted for on each play because of his speed, and it opens guys up underneath because of his speed.”
It’s good that Sirianni still has confidence in one of his players who no doubt has potential to be an impact player, but not addressing the lack of effort isn’t likely to help Watkins find the top of his ceiling.
Meanwhile, leaving a more consistent teammate and producer like Zaccheaus on the bench certainly has the possibility of growing frustrations, especially if Watkins fails to step up when his team needs him to against the Giants this weekend.
One month ago there would be no way anyone would have doubts in Philadelphia beating its NFC East Division rival from New York at home.
Now, with the struggles the Eagles are facing and the defense the Giants have built, this game is far from a sure thing - just like any pass you throw Watkins’ way.
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