Eagles vs. Browns Preview
The Eagles host the Cleveland Browns for their second home game of the season. Freshly off the bye week, it is imperative that Philadelphia looks vastly different this Sunday. After a rollercoaster stretch of games, they face a weaker opponent, as the Browns are 1-4 and have not scored more than 20 points in a game so far. This should bode well for the defense, as holding the Browns to minimal production should give the Eagles’ offense an opportunity to get ahead early. For perspective, Philadelphia has yet to score a point in any of the four first quarters this season thus far. The lack of urgency early in games has been uneasy to watch, and continued pressure on playcalling has heightened through the past five weeks. Focusing on what occurred during the bye week, a few roster changes have happened as well. The Eagles released linebacker Devin White, and have also announced that rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean will be starting. In promising news, star wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are fully healthy, returning to action Sunday. With a few areas of execution being evident, let’s look at the keys to victory for the Eagles against the Browns.
Truthfully, the only consistent weapons on offense through the early slate of the season have been running back Saquon Barkley, and DeVonta Smith. Saquon has been as advertised, accumulating 435 yards and averaging six per carry. Previously stressed, quarterback Jalen Hurts has not looked to his standard. His turnover issues have been costly, even in red zone opportunities. The bye week hopefully served him some time to study his habits and make adjustments for the middle slate of the season. Moving forward, it is expected for coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to collectively work on bringing more creativity to the offense. This could range from more pre-snap motion, getting Saquon involved in the passing game, and taking more deep shots down the field. Throwing continuous bubble screens and short of the chains on third downs will continue to show a stagnant and disappointing offense if not changed.
Many believe, even outside of Philadelphia, that the offense on paper proves to be amongst the best in the league. It is imperative they prove this sentiment coming out of the bye. On the other side, the defense has been rather inconsistent for the most part. They had a satisfactory performance overall against the Falcons, a great outing against the Saints, but followed with a putrid performance in Tampa Bay. The defensive line has disappointed thus far, with only six sacks in their first four games. The line needs to execute in their pressures against Watson. If the defensive line cannot get to quarterback Deshaun Watson with a less-than-formidable Browns offensive line, it will be extremely telling. It is unusual for a team to host their second home game in Week Six, but hopefully, this serves as a chance to gain momentum for the team going into an easier stretch of the season.
