Another torturous victory by the Birds in Week 2. Let’s answer some pressing questions…

Is the offensive line just bad now?

Short answer; yup. Cam Jurgens struggles regardless of where he lines up. The interior of the line is supposed to make up for their lack of size with quickness but they are just getting blown up off the line. The tackles are both old and while still great, they can’t make up for the frequent failures inside.

I’ve heard whispers about Saquon Barkley being the issue, and that Barkley isn’t hitting holes fast enough. Nonsense. Tank Bigsby averaged 2.5 yards per carry (13 carries) and was regularly met by defenders in the backfield. You can’t run the football if your offensive line cannot generate any push. If you think the Titans are some elite run defense, well, Jets running backs ran for 142 yards last week at 4.44 yards per carry. If you think the Jets are an elite rush offense, well their backs ran for 36 yards at 1.71 yards per carry in Week 2 against the Packers. This is an Eagles offensive line issue that has carried on for over a year. Maybe the undersize Willie Lampkin is the solution. Perhaps a homecoming for the available Mekhi Becton will bring much needed size to the interior. Who knows. The issues are real, though, and the Eagles offense will remain crippled until the offensive line issues are addressed.

And yes, this could be a product of the AJ Brown drama. Maybe Howie Roseman takes an offensive lineman in the 1st round instead of Makai Lemon if Brown wanted to be here. Speaking of Lemon…

Can the Eagles play to Makai Lemon’s strength?

Watch Lemon’s highlights from college. He’s a wizard inside the hashes. Yes, they are wider in college, but the middle of the field is where Lemon makes hay. The Eagles offense is already using the middle of the field way more than they did a year ago, but more is needed, especially with a talent like Lemon. Let’s throw out the bubble screens and get him the football on the move in open space. The Eagles have only had their third receiver surpass 300 yards once in the Nick Sirianni era, and that was back in 2022. Jalen Hurts with a legitimate third option could go a long way to unlocking the offense and maybe even lighten the box to aid the run game. Find Makai Lemon and let him work.

Why has the defense been underwhelming?

The simplest answer to this question… for me… is the pass rush has failed to deliver with any consistency. The Eagles have only three sacks in two games despite massive investment and talent on the line. Jordan Davis has been almost invisible. Their pressure rate sits in the bottom third of the NFL. The return of Jonathan Greenard in the coming weeks should give the unit a big boost, but there is still too much talent there for this group to underperform.

The tackling has also been woeful at times, especially on that atrocious 3rd and 22 conversion. The signing of Kenny Moore likely happened as a result of Marcus Epps’ poor play. I’m guessing they’re looking at dropping Cooper DeJean to safety and putting Moore at nickle. Maybe it works, but adding available veterans in September and believing they will solve all your issues is not a winning strategy. I’m not saying it’s not worth the swing, but the quickest solution to the early defensive “struggles” is the defensive line playing to their potential.

Hopefully these questions find answers as the schedule gets a little tougher over the next month.