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Eagles News: Carson Wentz is PFF’s lowest graded quarterback through two games

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 9/23/20.

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Los Angeles Rams v Philadelphia Eagles Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images

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What’s wrong with Carson Wentz and the Eagles offense? - PFF
Carson Wentz’s 40.7% on-target pass rate is currently the lowest of any starter in the NFL, and he leads the NFL with eight turnover-worthy plays (almost one-third of the way to his 25 from a year ago) after two games. That not only means that he has been wildly inaccurate, but it also means that he’s been callous in his decision-making. Unsurprisingly, he’s the lowest-graded quarterback in the NFL so far this season. [...] At the end of the day, the quarterback simply has to be better. On top of all the issues above, his mechanics have been shoddy on a number of off-target throws.

The Eagles are getting too much respect heading into this week’s Bengals game - BGN
The Philadelphia Eagles are 0-2. They’re the NFL’s worst team in terms of DVOA. Only one team ranks lower in point differential. Carson Wentz owns the NFL’s second lowest passer rating. Despite all this, the Eagles are somehow 6.5 point favorites to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3. My question is: why?

NFC Hierarchy/Obituary: Week 3 - PhillyVoice
12) Eagles. The window is closed. This team is not a Super Bowl contender. Most of the team’s best players are older and in decline, and there’s very little in the way of good, young players to get excited about, at least compared to other teams around the league. The best thing that can happen for the Eagles is for the Cowboys to just run away with the division, and quickly, or you’re going to see the same pattern, yet again: The rest of the division sucks, and the Eagles just kind of hang around. They light a future draft pick on fire for a player at the trade deadline who doesn’t help in any way. They maybe win the division (but probably not this year). They make offseason moves designed to compete in 2021, mostly centered around the nucleus already in place that has long since run its course.

What’s Going On? - Iggles Blitz
I do believe this team can still turn things around, but it is also possible this season could really fall apart. Wentz has to be a bit of a head case right now. He’s struggling in a way that’s foreign to him. He’s had a bad game before, but he’s not played this poorly in consecutive weeks. He could snap out of it right away or this could be a lingering issue. Did drafting Jalen Hurts bother him more than we know? Chemistry might not be ideal with this team. Jason Peters made it clear where his head was when he refused to play LT without a raise. Zach Ertz is worried about his contract. Alshon Jeffery isn’t in an ideal situation. Brandon Graham knows this could be his last year with the Eagles (age/price). DeSean Jackson is likely playing his last season with the team. Throw a bunch of rookies into the mix and you have a lot of different agendas and mindsets. That could lead to issues.

Rating the 32 biggest surprises of the 2020 NFL season: Which will continue, and which are a mirage? - ESPN+
The biggest surprise: Carson Wentz is off to a brutal start. The verdict: Mirage. Wentz is tied for most interceptions (four) through two weeks, ranks 29th in completion percentage (58.8), 32nd in yards per attempt (6.0) and is ahead of only Kirk Cousins in quarterback rating (64.4). The Eagles are now 14-15 under his stewardship since that magical 2017 run, and there are some flaws in his game — such as a lack of situational awareness in spots — that haven’t gone away. There is legitimate concern here, but there’s no doubt Wentz is better than what he has shown through two weeks and can calm the masses (some) by stringing a couple of good outings together.

10 Carson Wentz stats you won’t believe - NBCSP
Wentz had a passer rating of 72.5 against Washington and 56.5 against the Rams. He’s the only NFL quarterback who’s had a rating below 73 in two starts this year. In fact, every other QB in the NFL has had a rating below 73 a combined six times and Wentz twice. So he’s responsible for 25 percent of the sub-73 passer ratings in the entire league this year.

Any Given Sunday: Rams Over Eagles - Football Outsiders
This is probably overly reductionist, but when I think about the Eagles winning the Super Bowl, I think about them going for it on fourth down often. I think about them taking that free money that has been on the counter for years and starting a revolution. In 2020, though, most teams do this now. That was one of the things that made them special. Without it, well, the offense just doesn’t seem like it has changed much since then. Defenses seem to be keying on what they want to do pretty easily.

Changes to spark Eagles, 12 personnel usage, Wentz-Burrow trade hypothetical - The Athletic
The Eagles have been in 12 personnel more than twice as much as the No. 2 team and they’re dead last in 11 personnel usage. I get that Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert are two of their best players on offense. The Eagles have also been terrible on the few plays they’ve run in 11 personnel — they’re averaging a league-worst 2.7 yards per play on those snaps, almost 2 yards per play worse than the No. 31 team (the Bengals, coincidentally, at 4.3 yards per play). But come on! Defenses aren’t surprised by this anymore and it’s not working. Did you know the Eagles are 25th in the league since the start of the 2019 season in yards per pass (6.5) out of 12 personnel? They’re not even good at the thing they keep banging their heads against the wall with. I don’t know if it’s more Greg Ward, throwing John Hightower on the outside with DeSean Jackson or Jalen Reagor in the slot, or bringing Mike Quick down to the field from the radio booth, but the Eagles need to stop pretending they’ve unlocked some offensive secret hidden.

Jalen Mills: ‘Go out there and be ourselves ... that’s the perfect solution’ - PE.com
Mills thinks that is the case. As disappointing as the first two games have been, he has high hopes for what is ahead. “Go out there and be ourselves. The biggest thing, this being my fifth year, we’ve always faced adversity and the way we handled that was that nobody would do anything uncharacteristic and we would just go out there and be ourselves and play our type of football,” Mills said. “I think that’s the perfect solution.”

Shockingly, the Bengals rank near bottom of the NFL in protecting QB - Cincy Jungle
There are a lot of challenges facing Joe Burrow this season. None of which is more impactful than the amount of pressure the Bengals offensive line is giving up. It’s hard enough to start in Week 1 after having no preseason and limited practices in the offseason. But the Bengals have allowed the third-most pressures in the NFL through Week 2, according to Pro Football Focus.

2020 Cowboys rookie report: CeeDee Lamb busts out in Week 2 win - Blogging The Boys
Is it possible to gush too much over the newest 88? Lamb fantastic on Sunday, following up his solid NFL debut by leading the team with 106 receiving yards on six catches. He almost nearly caught his first touchdown, but Dak Prescott’s throw on the move was a bit too low for Lamb to reel it in. But the rookie still managed to show off his acrobatic abilities. That’s an impressive catch for anybody, but a rookie in his second game? With no real offseason preparation? Amazing. But that’s not all. Lamb also had a big catch and run down the middle of the field on the Cowboys’ first possession of the second half. It flipped the field and put Dallas in position for a touchdown as they started their mad dash to get back in the game.

Devonta Freeman signing: Giants expected to make deal with running back official on Wednesday - Big Blue View
Freeman’s deal is reportedly for one year and could be worth up to $3 million. The Philadelphia Eagles were also said to be interested in Freeman. “Devonta turned down more money from other teams because he likes the opportunity with the Giants best,” said his agency, Rosenhaus Sports.

Football and family go hand in hand for FOX NFL Sunday’s Howie Long - SB Nation
That led to some special moments, like Howie being able to hold his grandson in his lap while watching Terry interview Chris after his Eagles won the NFC Championship and punched their ticket to Super Bowl LII. “Terry has known the kids — has known Chris since he was eight years old had been a big part of his high school career and his college career and his pro career, and same thing with Kyle, and same thing with young Howie, who played college lacrosse and now works with the Raiders,” Long said. “So it truly is a family, and when I tell you it’s rare that when something good happens to you they’re as happy for you as you are, which is really amazing.”

Everything you need to know about voting in 2020 (but were afraid to ask) - Vox
One thing to note: Voting rules differ state by state, and there can even be variances within individual states. So make sure you know what’s allowed and available where you live. Your options for voting may be different this year, and they may even change between now and Election Day, so look for the most up-to-date and reliable resources. We’ve provided links to some of those here.

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