5 questions Eagles must answer for Week 15 showdown with Seahawks: Who replaces Darius Slay?
PHILADELPHIA -- Coming off two consecutive losses, the Philadelphia Eagles need a victory to get their season back on track. Philadelphia ends its schedule gauntlet with a West Coast trip to Lumen Field to take on the Seattle Seahawks in another primetime contest.
Seattle is the first team with a losing record Philadelphia has faced since Week 8, showcasing how brutal the schedule has been for the Eagles over the last two months. This is still a tough test for the Eagles, who have lost seven straight to the Seahawks and haven't won in Seattle since 2008.
The Eagles can still win the NFC East if they win out and finish 14-3, no matter what the Dallas Cowboys do. If the Eagles win out and the San Francisco 49ers lose one of their final four, Philadelphia has home-field advantage in the NFC. They don't control their own destiny for the No. 1 seed, but it's still within reach.
To get back on the right track, here's what the Eagles have to answer this weekend.
1. Who replaces Darius Slay at CB?
Darius Slay will be out for several weeks after getting arthroscopic knee surgery this week, but the Eagles game planned for his absence. Nick Sirianni won't reveal who will start in place of Slay, yet the Eagles have several combinations.
Josh Jobe (82.8 rating in coverage) is the likely cornerback to start on the outside (as he did in place of James Bradberry earlier this year). Kelee Ringo (70.1 rating) and Eli Ricks (78.1 rating) could also see snaps on the outside. The Eagles could also move Bradley Roby (62.2 rating) to the outside and put Sydney Brown in the slot (Brown has played in all areas of the defense and the Eagles like to give him snaps and keep him on the field).
2. Will Jalen Hurts correct his turnover issues?
The turnovers for Hurts have been a concern throughout the season, as the Eagles quarterback has 15 giveaways in 13 games. Hurts has thrown 10 interceptions and has five fumbles lost. He's fumbled the football in seven consecutive games and hasn't gone a game without a fumble since Week 6. The seven-game fumble streak is the longest in the NFL since Carson Wentz fumbled in nine straight games in the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
The Eagles worked on ball security drills with Hurts during the open portion of practice this week, showcasing different ways to go down with the ball and protect it.
"We have to do a better job protecting the football going to the ground," said Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni this week. "Jalen has to do a better job with that, going to the ground, and we got to do a better job coaching that. There are different ways to simulate going to the ground."
Hurts has to prevent the turnover issues this week.
3. Can Nolan Smith and Kelee Ringo get on the field?
Smith has seen an uptick in snaps over the past few weeks, yet the Eagles should find a way to get their first-round pass rusher on the field more. The Eagles are 21st in the league in sack rate (6.6%) despite being 12th in the league with 37 sacks. Philadelphia is fourth in the league in pressures (210), yet is 12th in pressure rate (35.7%).
The sack rate in the second half and overtime is 7.6% (17th in the NFL) and pressure rate in that span is 38.3% (12th in the NFL). Philadelphia's sack rate is 4.2% over the last four games (30th in the NFL), which could be a result of Josh Sweat and Haason Reddick each playing over 75% of the snaps while Brandon Graham's snaps have been reduced to 31.5%. Smith gets on the field just 11.6% of the time despite being 3/4 of the way into his rookie year.
Ringo played 22 defensive snaps last week (had just one prior to Week 14) and should see more time with Slay out. Eagles defensive coordinator Sean Desai says both Smith and Ringo have earned those snaps they're getting.
"Those guys have done a good job through practice in earning some of those spots," Desai said. "As we talk about it every week, in terms of our rotations and plans, those guys are certainly in the conversation to help us as we move forward."
"You see some quickness and speed from both of them. Some switch at the point of attack, and the ability for Kelee to get out there and challenge and do some things there, which was nice. Try to use his length to his advantage."
"Nolan obviously has been physical at the point of attack, and you see his athleticism as well. So I think those guys are growing and learning the defense. They keep getting better, and the coaches are doing a good job developing them."
With the Eagles' struggles on defense, there's a good sign they'll be on the field more in Week 15.
4. How can Eagles run the ball better?
The Eagles haven't been able to run the ball efficiently, the real problem Philadelphia has with running the football. Since Week 4, the Eagles are 27th in the NFL in yards per carry (3.8) and 31st in yards after contact per rush (2.32). Philadelphia runs more shotgun than any team in the NFL and averages just 4.2 yards per carry out of shotgun, good for 26th in the NFL.
When teams line up eight in the box, the Eagles average 1.5 yards per carry (29th in NFL). The explosive rushes (12+ yards) are at 6.1% (25th in NFL). Their tackles avoided per rush is at 12.7% (30th in the NFL). All these numbers are since Week 4 of the season when the rushing issues started.
This is the same offense that was No. 1 in the NFL in rushing over the last two years. The Eagles need to change up their approach toward running the football, perhaps run out of shotgun less and take what the defense gives them in the passing game to set up the run. These run game issues are fixable.
5. How will Nick Sirianni and coaching staff respond to the adversity?
The Eagles are 24-6 since the start of last season — the second-most victories over a two-year stretch in franchise history. Nick Sirianni has coached that stretch, yet he and his coordinators (Brian Johnson and Sean Desai) are under fire for how the team has performed against elite football teams in the 49ers and Cowboys over the last two weeks.
What is Sirianni doing to change this up? The Eagles had a full-padded practice on Thursday instead of the traditional December walkthrough to start a game week. Sirianni has preached ball security in practice and had the Eagles go through a more physical regimen to get them more prepared for Monday night (the extra day of preparation helped).
Desai has listened to his players regarding their own communication issues, having the defensive backs draw up the scouting report for handing the Seahawks' talented trio of receivers. This shows a willingness to adapt by the coaching staff amidst the struggles in the secondary.
The Eagles pass defense has allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 64.6% of passes for 3,379 yards for 29 touchdowns to just six interceptions for a 98.4 passer rating. Only the Washington Commanders have allowed more touchdown passes and the Commanders and Arizona Cardinals have allowed a higher passer rating than the Eagles pass defense, so something had to be adjusted.
The coaches are changing things up. Now, the results have to be demonstrated on the field.