Eagles player shares 'meltdown' concern amid club's offensive struggles

Concerns about the Philadelphia Eagles' offense existed even before the defending Super Bowl champions fell to 4-2 on the season after a surprising 34-17 loss at the New York Giants (2-4) in Week 6. 

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler attended that Oct. 9 "Thursday Night Football" showdown held at MetLife Stadium. Fowler revealed on Wednesday that he "definitely sensed concern" among Eagles players after the club suffered a second straight defeat. 

Are Eagles fearing a repeat of the 2023 season?

"One player told me that this is starting to feel like the 2023 meltdown all over again (when Philadelphia lost five of its last six games), and the team needs to use this week to figure things out and avoid a full-blown repeat," Fowler wrote. 

Following the Eagles' 2023 collapse, stories emerged claiming that the relationship between head coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts became "fractured" and "unhealthy" during that season. More recently, it was suggested that some NFL teams seem to think that unsettled Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown could be made available ahead of the Nov. 4 trade deadline due to his frustrations regarding his role in Philadelphia's offense.

ESPN stats show that the Eagles enter Week 7 ranked 30th in the NFL with an average of 274.5 yards gained per game. Following the loss to the Giants, Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson said the Philadelphia offense has felt "very predictable" at times this fall. 

Do Eagles players have a solution for offensive struggles?

"As for solutions, some in the locker room would like to see more play-action," Fowler added. "The Eagles use it 19.6% of the time, which is 29th in the NFL. Perhaps we see more pre-snap movement/motion to open up more throwing windows, which might encourage Hurts to let it loose a little more. Hit the throws that are there, and hit them on time."

As Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk pointed out, Fowler shared his update one day after first-year Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo told reporters that "we had a good meeting [Monday] as an offensive unit" and are "in a good spot working forward." Patullo's words will be tested when the Eagles play the Minnesota Vikings (3-2) on Sunday. 

As of Wednesday morning, ESPN BET had the Eagles as 1.5-point road favorites for that matchup.