Eagles Face Fourth Down on the Season, and it’s Time to Punt: ‘It’s Just Bad Ball, Man’

The Eagles’ offense has no identity left, and the offensive line that once defined this era of Eagles football is the biggest reason.

On Sunday night, that unit took what was left of this season down with it.

The Eagles jumped out to a 10-0 lead on the road, then watched the Washington Commanders score 27 unanswered points on their way to a 27-10 win. The Eagles are 2-6, sit in last place in the NFC East, and have lost six straight for the first time since 2012. Tanner McKee was sacked five times, and the offense gathered just 199 yards before a meaningless final drive that didn’t even end in points.

This was not just a bad night; this is the worst offensive performance of the Nick Sirianni era, and look no further than the decimated offensive line if you want answers. The Eagles opened the year with all five starters back and a top-two ranking on multiple preseason lists. Since then, Lane Johnson retired in the middle of the season, Cam Jurgens was traded to Baltimore, and Landon Dickerson began the year on injured reserve. Monday night, Dickerson left defensive tackle Shy Tuttle unblocked on one of Sunday’s sacks.

“Every product on that field — offense, defense, special teams, fundamentals, situational football, player making a mistake, coach making a mistake — that’s my freaking job,” Sirianni said postgame. “And so I’m pissed at myself, and I know I’ll fight like hell to do everything I can do to get it fixed.”

The numbers match the eye test. The line has allowed pressure on 41.7 percent of dropbacks, one of the worst marks in the league, and running backs are getting just 0.8 yards before contact per carry. Saquon Barkley and Elijah Mitchell combined for 64 yards on 24 carries Sunday, a 2.7-yard average. Left tackle and offensive line captain Jordan Mailata has been the only consistent starter and is watching the worst football of his career.

“It’s just bad ball, man. Bad ball,” Mailata said postgame. “We put ourselves in on the back foot multiple times and that was from first and second down errors in the run game.”

That is why this offense, as built, is not worth building around. It is also why the Eagles should sit Barkley until he is completely healthy. He ran 13 times for 30 yards and a touchdown while playing through hamstring and back injuries at Northwest Stadium, two seasons removed from a 2,005-yard season. The hamstring has bothered him since the loss on Oct. 4 against the Los Angeles Rams, and he could not have been clearer about where he stands.

“My body’s not really where I need to be right now,” Barkley said.

A 2-6 team gets nothing out of 30 yards from its ailing star running back, except the risk of a bigger injury. Shut him down until he is 100 percent, hand the carries to Mitchell and the other backs, and treat Barkley’s health as the asset it is heading into 2027, where a reset can happen.

The rest of the schedule should be an audition. Rookie receiver Makai Lemon, the 20th overall pick, caught six passes for 57 yards on nine targets Sunday after catching seven for 67 yards and his first career touchdown against the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. He had 127 yards on 18 catches before that game. Feed him. Find out what the other young players can do, too. Center Drew Kendall has been growing every series, specifically on runs up the middle, and he deserves more looks.

After that, try out others, or move expiring deals, and get any draft capital possible. The season is over; there is no way to recover this season with this squad. The Eagles face the New York Giants next before their Week 10 bye, and a win against the Giants would only impact draft positioning negatively.

The offseason will be one of transition, and it starts with the offensive line. The group needs new starters, and general manager Howie Roseman already holds an extra 2027 fifth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick from the Jurgens trade, and a 2-6 record should bring an early first-round pick. Spend them on resetting the players on the offensive line. The way for the Eagles to dig themselves out of this hole is to rebuild the front five, protect Barkley and Hurts, and get the rest of the offensive weapons healthy.

The Eagles won a Super Bowl with their offensive line, and if they have any hope of returning to another, they will need to lean on the big men in the trenches once again.

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