Eagles left searching for answers to a vexing question: Why has a consistent pass rush eluded them?
The Eagles' inability to consistently pressure the quarterback is exposing the defense, and frustration is mounting after a second straight loss.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott runs with the ball in the second quarter against the Eagles at AT&T Stadium.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
ARLINGTON, Texas — Haason Reddick initially offered a blank stare in response to a question about the Eagles lacking consistency in their pass rush.
Against the Cowboys on Sunday night, Reddick was one of just two players to register sacks on quarterback Dak Prescott. The defense’s lack of pressure, along with its inability to maintain sticky coverage across the back end, was highlighted on third downs as the Eagles allowed the opposition to convert at another alarming rate in a 33-13 defeat.
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After mulling the question, Reddick offered his thoughts: “If I’m being honest, man, there need to be a lot of harsh truths that are told this week. That’s two weeks back-to-back where we didn’t look like ourselves.”
If the Eagles defense is searching for the truth, it can likely be found within the numbers that display a struggling unit. It’s a Sean Desai-led group that has given up nine touchdowns over the last two games — both embarrassing losses to the NFC’s other top dogs. Over this critical two-week span, only two players — Reddick and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox — have recorded sacks.
Less than one year removed from finishing with the third- highest sack total in a season (70) in NFL history, the Eagles enter Week 14 ranked 12th in the league with 37 sacks. Not only are they getting much fewer sacks, but also they are failing to get timely ones.
On third downs this season, the Eagles are sacking opposing quarterbacks on 6.3% of plays, which ranks last in the NFL, according to TruMedia analytics.
“It’s a lot of factors that play into us [rushing at a more consistent level],” said Reddick, who leads the team with 11½ sacks. “Evidently, whatever we’re doing is not good enough. We need to figure out our weaknesses and get better there.
“First, every man needs to look themselves in the mirror and realize that who you are, what you did or didn’t do — nobody is playing well enough for us to win games. I think it starts there. We’ve got to check ourselves and get back to playing Eagles football.”
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni walks off after a loss to the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. Eagles lost, 33-13.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts jogs off next to Philadelphia Eagles running back D'Andre Swift after a loss to the Dallas Cowboys.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith sits on the bench late in the game against the Cowboys.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys safety Markquese Bell knocks the ball aways from Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith during the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, in Arlington, TX. Dallas recovers the ball.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith is double-teamed by Dallas Cowboys safety Malik Hooker and Dallas Cowboys safety Markquese Bell in the fourth quarter. Smith fumbles the ball and Dallas recovers.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith gets frustrated and slams the ball after coming up short on the fourth down in the third quarter against the Cowboys.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore wraps up Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith short of the first down in the third quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore stops Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith after he caught the pass and the Eagles came up short on fourth down.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter is congratulated by his teammates Philadelphia Eagles safety Sydney Brown and Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zach Cunningham after he scores on a fumble in the third quarter against the Cowboys.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick joins Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter as Carter runs it in for a touchdown after a fumble recover from Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott during the third quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox forces a fumble from Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in the third quarter at AT&T Stadium. Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter picks up the ball and runs it in for a touchdown.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox knocks the ball out of the hands of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott during the third quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore knocks the ball out of Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown’s arms and the Cowboys recover in the third quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Young Eagles fans watch late in the second quarter as the Philadelphia Eagles play the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, in Arlington, TX. Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay reacts after Dallas Cowboys score with twenty seconds left in the second quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks catches the ball late in the second quarter against Philadelphia Eagles cornerback James Bradberry.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott laughs as Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay points to a flag that was thrown on their touchdown during the second quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott runs with the ball in the second quarter against the Eagles at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. Thirty-seven seconds left in the second quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown catches a pass in front of Dallas Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore during the second quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith can’t hold onto the catch, defense by Dallas Cowboys safety Malik Hooker in the second quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles safety Kevin Byard brings down Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle in the second quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship collides helmet-to-helmet with Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson in the second quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham and Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox talk to one of the officials after one of the calls is being reviewed in the second quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles place kicker Jake Elliott as he kicks his second successful field goal of the game against the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Field goals give the Philadelphia Eagles six total points.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is helped up after an incomplete pass in the second quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is sacked during the second quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is helped up by Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata after he fumbled the ball during the first quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts helped up after a fumble in the first quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys recovered the fumble from Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in the first quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts fumbles the football during the game against the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in the first quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles safety Kevin Byard cannot bring down Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard during the first quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb walked into the end zone after catching a short pass against the Eagles at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott looks for an open receiver.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard tries to fight off a tackle from Philadelphia Eagles safety Kevin Byard during the first quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Head of Philadelphia Eagles security Dom DiSandro peeks out from the player's tunnel before the Eagles play the Cowboys in Arlington, Texas on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. He is not allowed on the field this week after an altercation on the sidelines last week.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox walks the sideline before the start of the game against the Cowboys.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles take to the field for pregame as they prepare to play the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata warms up before a game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter greets fans before a game against the Dallas Cowboys.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles running back Boston Scott warms up before a game against the Dallas Cowboys.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert takes the field for warmups before a game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown and Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Julio Jones laugh before a game against the Dallas Cowboys.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Jaylyn DeLaCruz, of Ennis, Texas, greets players as they take the field for warm-ups before the Eagles play the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. DeLaCruz said he became an Eagles fan when he played Madden 2004 and liked Brian Dawkins. He’s been an Eagles fan ever since.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
For defensive end Josh Sweat, the frustration is mounting. Through 13 games, Sweat already has registered a career high in quarterback pressures. But those don’t mean much to Sweat if he isn’t bringing down the quarterback with the football.
During the fourth quarter Sunday, Sweat came close to recording a sack on Prescott. Right as Sweat was about to swipe down with his arm after coming around the edge, Prescott quick-released the football. And rather than Sweat registering his first sack in four games, Prescott connected with receiver Michael Gallup for a 39-yard completion on third-and-5.
As Gallup hauled in the deep reception, Sweat sat on the turf, seemingly in disbelief.
“I don’t know what it is — it’s everything,” Sweat said. “I can really only speak for the front. We’ve got to take care of each other and be better. We’re too good of a rush to be getting too many ‘almosts.’ Too many QB hits. Too many pressures. We need to get home.
“We’ve seen we can be dominant, we change games. … I’m tired of [bleeping] ‘almosts.’”
Similar to Sweat, rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter also hasn’t registered a sack over the last four games. While he has been effective in other facets — Carter returned a fumble for the Eagles’ only touchdown against the Cowboys — he hasn’t been able to get home in over a month.
Asked a similar question that was presented to Reddick regarding the defense’s lack of consistent pressure, Carter replied: “I don’t know. I guess we have to be more aggressive. That’s a really good question. I guess we just have to get back to what we were doing before.
“It’s a lot of mental. It’s about what you work on all week. Knowing that one move, when you’re watching film and you see the [offensive linemen] you’re going up against, and knowing what move you want to use.”
Carter, Reddick, and Sweat are at their best when the Eagles force opposing offenses into known passing scenarios. That hasn’t been a common occurrence in recent weeks with the Eagles being outscored by the 49ers and Cowboys, 75-32.
Of the conference’s top three teams, the Eagles possess the most favorable remaining schedule. But even if they find a way to capture the NFC’s No. 1 seed over the final month of the regular season, the Eagles still will likely meet either the 49ers or Cowboys again in the playoffs.
Will that be enough time to right the ship and fix the pass-rushing woes?
“It should start with some harsh truth,” Reddick reiterated. “Nobody played well enough for us to win this game. Everybody needs to figure out what can we do better, check themselves first.
“We’ve got to go back to the drawing board and see what we can do differently.”
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