Philadelphia Eagles must adopt new identity going into postseason

After two straight lackluster performances on offense, the Philadelphia Eagles must adopt a new identity if they wish to go far in the postseason.

For the first 14 or so weeks of the NFL 2017 season, the Philadelphia Eagles were humming right along. They dominated on the offensive side of the ball thanks in large part to MVP candidate Carson Wentz. On defense, the Eagles were dominating some weeks, and other weeks would do enough for the Eagles to win games.

The running game came on after a few weeks and helped make Wentz’s job easier. But at the end of the day, much of the success of the Eagles’ offense was due to the play of Wentz.

With Wentz now done with a torn ACL, the Eagles have handed the keys to their offense to sixth-year signal caller Nick Foles. After looking really good in his first start against the Giants, Foles has struggled the past two weeks and has failed to give fans any confidence in him as the Eagles head into the postseason.

Granted the weather has been awful the past two weeks, and the Eagles have run a very “vanilla” offense with already having a playoff spot locked up, but that is no excuse for the offense to look this bad.

More from Section 215

• 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
• Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
• 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
• Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
• Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles

Even though they haven`t had many full practices over the past two weeks, the Eagles should still expect to see more out of Foles and the rest of their offense these past two weeks.

They tried to get some momentum early in yesterday`s game to go into the postseason on a good note, but the first-team offense quickly stalled and left the field with many questions still left to be answered.

If there is one positive for the Eagles over the past two weeks, it has been the play of their defense. They held the Raiders to 10 points while forcing five turnovers, and on Sunday held the Dallas Cowboys to only six points with most of the starters not playing for much of the game.

Now with two weeks to get everything figured out and prepare for their first playoff game, the Eagles must take a step back and evaluate the situation they are in.

Foles offers the Eagles a lot less than what Wentz would bring to the table on a weekly basis. It is unfair to expect Foles to run the same types of plays that Wentz would run and expect him to make something out of nothing like Wentz had so often this season.

Doug Pederson and the Eagles must cater to Foles` strengths if they wish to have success in the postseason. Foles seems to lack confidence in making some throws and will hold onto the ball a bit too long at times, leading to a sack or a late throw that could turn into an interception.

The Eagles need to get Foles and the offense into a rhythm by running the ball and quick throws from Foles to get him comfortable. One thing I have noticed over the past few weeks is that Foles had success when running a hurry-up offense (like in 2013) that allowed him to make quick reads and not have to stand back in the pocket and possibly force throws downfield.

The way to win football games in January is by running the football, and by using that to set up easy passes for your quarterback. Having a strong running game is going to be more important than ever in helping keep Foles comfortable and from not making mistakes.

Seeing the Eagles rest Jay Ajayi on Sunday shows that they want him to be 100 percent fresh when the playoffs come so he can be that lead running back, and they are going to need him to carry the ball 25+ times a game and dominate if they want to win in the playoffs.

Having home-field advantage will allow Philadelphia to play cold weather football by running the ball and dominating on defense. If the Eagles can run the ball with success and shut down the run on defense, then that will be a recipe for success in the postseason.

It was just a thought about a month ago that when the playoffs come around, the Eagles were going to rely on Wentz to lead them deep into the postseason. But now with Wentz out, the Eagles are going to have to change that mantra just a bit by leaning on the running game and defense to carry their backup quarterback.

If the Eagles can do that, and Foles can do just enough when asked, then winning playoff games will not be as tough of a chore. But for that to happen, the Eagles must adjust their approach.

Next: Philadelphia Eagles: Most Valuable Eagle of the Year

The Eagles will not be led by a pass-heavy and high-scoring approach like they were through most of the season. Winning in the trenches must be this team`s identity going forward, and one the team must embrace if they wish to make a run at Minnesota on the first Sunday in February.