Another loss for the Eagles, and more cause for concern | Early Birds

Good morning. I'm writing this after the 23-21 loss to the Minnesota Vikings that left the Eagles with back-to-back defeats for the first time since December 2016. There's not much time to spend dissecting this game because the Eagles will visit the New York Giants on Thursday. Doug Pederson has a noon news conference today. The Eagles return to practice tomorrow.

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— Zach Berman

One expression repeated in the locker room after the Eagles' 23-21 loss to the Minnesota Vikings was that the players must take a long look in the mirror and figure out how to fix what's ailing the team. The defending Super Bowl champions look like the team that went 7-9 in 2016 – this was a sentiment they also shared – by losing back-to-back close games with foolish mistakes, costly turnovers, and untimely penalties.

"These little mistakes that can sometimes get overlooked are just killing us," Carson Wentz said. "We're playing like we're a young rookie team, and we're not. So we have to really be hard on ourselves and learn from these mistakes and turn it around fast."

The Eagles are 2-3, so it's still early in the season. But that rationalization goes only so far. Wins are precious in the NFL. The Eagles have lost the past two games by a combined five points. Those are losses that come back to bite you in January. It could have been said last week, and it's even more clear after a home loss to a potential NFC contender. And by the way, the Eagles' two wins were also close games and came against teams that are a combined 2-8.

This is a struggling team right now, and with a Thursday night game against the New York Giants ahead of them, the Eagles must start fixing what ails them quickly.

As much emphasis as there was on the turnovers and penalties and the "self-inflicted" wounds, those are symptoms. The problem is an offense that's struggling to score. The Eagles haven't scored more than 23 points in a game this season. The defense held the Vikings to 16 points and only one touchdown Sunday. Sure, the unit allowed big plays and couldn't force a punt on the Vikings' final drive in the fourth quarter, but it's hard to win games without offensive firepower.

The Eagles had an explosive offense that built leads early in games last season. They played from ahead, which made the opponents one-dimensional and allowed the pass rush to get after the quarterback. Yes, the Eagles were ahead against Tennessee, but they weren't ahead Sunday and they have only seven first-quarter points this season. The slow starts are especially concerning because Doug Pederson made it a point of emphasis this weekend. He knew the importance of starting quickly. The Eagles script their early plays. And then they sputtered to two three-and-outs.

They must block better, as the offensive line will tell you. The Eagles could have run more in the first half Sunday. But simply said, they need to find the end zone. They had a chance to win the Titans game at the end of regulation and overtime in Week 4, and they kicked field goals both times. The offense took the field at the Vikings' 30-yard line while down six points in the fourth quarter Sunday. The Eagles went backwards, with penalties knocking them out of field-goal range. (By the way, I would have attempted a 58-yard field goal instead of punting in that situation.) This is what the Eagles are supposed to want: the ball in Wentz's hands with a chance to win. They haven't won.

Of course, they had two fumbles – one that directly led to seven points for the Vikings, and one that came five yards from the end zone. That's a 14-point swing in the game.

"Those are things that we have to correct in a big-time hurry," Pederson said.

The Eagles already have as many losses as they had last season. But this is not going to be like last year's path. The best news for the Eagles is the division is wide open. Washington, which will play Monday night, is the only team with a winning record, at 2-1. The Cowboys are 2-3, just like the Eagles. The Giants are 1-4 entering Thursday's game.

It will be the Eagles' first division game. It's hard to call an October game a "must-win," but if you think this morning is a tough feeling, you won't want to experience Friday morning if there's a loss. So the Eagles can take that long look in the mirror, but they need to get back to work — and back in the win column — quickly if they're going to turn around the season.

The Eagles should have run more, especially in the first half. They finished the game with 12 called running plays. Jay Ajayi had only three rushes at halftime.

I'm a proponent of passing the ball, and I didn't think the run-pass distribution was an issue against the Titans because they moved the ball well, but it could help the Eagles get in more manageable third downs if they can run effectively on early downs. Ajayi is a good running back, and this is a good run-blocking offensive line. The Eagles should have used the run game more Sunday. My guess is Pederson will say the same thing.

I thought the defensive line against Minnesota's offensive line was going to be the edge in the game. It wasn't. Kirk Cousins got the ball off often with pressure in his face, but the Eagles must finish those rushes. They missed Derek Barnett on Sunday.

The pass rushers are not getting home quick enough. It's that simple. This defense is built on a four-man pass rush. I didn't think the defense was the problem Sunday, but the pass rushers should have done more. Then again, it's easier to rush the passer when the team isn't trailing by 14 points.

If they can win Thursday night, that will go a long way. They'd be 3-3 and returning home with extended rest against the Panthers. A win can cure a lot — especially a division win. The Eagles have some tough games ahead, but they can't dig a deeper hole. If they're 2-4 with Carolina and Jacksonville ahead of them, it will be panic mode.

So the Eagles need to win Thursday and regroup during the weekend, and then they will have 10 games (and five division games) left to win the NFC East and host a playoff game. That should be the fans' hope right now.

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