I gotta be honest… winning ten in a row is great for everything except content. Complaining is just way easier than celebrating. Nonetheless, I will find a way.

Complaint number one is the quality of the two drives right before the half. Were the Eagles simply content with their 17 point output? Jalen Hurts took back-to-back sacks on 2^nd and 3^rd down. He had Jahan Dotson open on a drag on 2nd down and either didn’t see him or opted to take off instead. He was sacked at the line of scrimmage. Why Hurts doesn’t see or trust Dotson is confusing to me but it’s not surprising at this point of the season either. On 3^rd and long after a false start penalty, Hurts had AJ Brown coming wide open for a 1^st down. Hurts was looking right at him but evacuated the pocket too early and got himself sacked. If he simply slides right in the pocket he has time to throw to Brown for the first down. Instead he panics and gets himself sacked. It was amazing Hurts held onto the ball there, so credit to him for that, but there are still plays out there that Hurts is leaving on the field because he’s not decisive enough. And I hate to say this, but Hurts clearly doesn’t want to get hit. Sometimes you have to stand in that pocket and take a lick to deliver a big play. You just have to. Hurts does not do that.

On the final drive before the half, the Eagles had enough time to get into field goal range. Hurts took a sack on the first play and decided it was best for the team to just go into the half. I have to be honest; this made me mad. That call isn’t up to Hurts. If I were Nick Sirianni I would’ve burned the timeout just to keep him out there as punishment. Just kidding. (Kind of.) Anyway, no, there was no one open downfield, but Kenny Gainwell was all alone in the flat to Hurts’ left and would’ve easily had the first down and got out of bounds. That would have left about 20 seconds left with the ball near midfield and a timeout remaining. Hurts was really good Sunday but he still leaves so many plays on the field because he’s too tentative.

Complaint number two is one I’ve repeated several times. Removing Saquon Barkley from the game for the final three minutes of play because Gainwell is the official back of the hurry up offense is just plain stupid. Gainwell played great Sunday, probably his best game of the season. This is not at all a knock on Gainwell, but Barkley is the best back in the league. I will ask again: Do you think the defense wants Barkley on the field or Gainwell? What are we doing? Barkley took a dump off in the 2^nd half at the line of scrimmage with two defenders closing in and spun and cut his way to five yards. Imagine that in the space afforded the running back in a two-minute offense. Don’t give me the “he was injured” nonsense either. He had his helmet on standing next Kellen Moore. He was ready. Good job by Fox there, too. They clearly haven’t watched a lot of Eagles games this year because they would know Barkley wasn’t being held out due to injury. No, he was being held out due to stupidity, and it’s been that way all season.

My final complaint is the ineffectiveness of the running game on that final drive that went over ten minutes. Come on, offensive line, we need to get Barkley that record. That had all the makings of the Eagles signature 4^th quarter Barkley breaks a long run victory-sealing drive. That was the first time all season the defense knew the Eagles were going to run and the offensive line couldn’t win the battle. Thankfully, Hurts was up to the task and delivered again and again, but it would’ve been nice to see Barkley eat there.

There you have it. I can still complain despite ten straight wins. Hopefully I’ll have an opportunity to do so after eleven. Go birds.