Missed chances: A departure from the Philadelphia Eagles’ positivity train

Deep, deep breaths

The negativity is overwhelming and it’s near impossible to have a different outlook after today’s performance. But the season is far from over and the Eagles are still in second place in the division.

They have two games remaining against both the Cowboys and the NFC East-leading Redskins in which they can make monumental progress towards the top of the division along with what should be one more cakewalk win against the Giants at home.

A few positives to look at from today’s game include:

• Michael Bennett performed very well with constant pressure on Newton including a sack and impressive run defense as well. Bennett is putting his skills on display as to why his acquisition was a huge boost to the already dominant defensive line. Bennett is silencing critics such as Mike Missanelli who questioned whether Bennett can handle any significant amount of reps at his age.
• Zach Ertz continues his career-best season with yet another 100+ yard game. His 138 yards is a season high and he has topped the century mark in three of the last four games.
• Alshon Jeffery continues to wow Philadelphia fans as he earns every penny of his contract with incredible jump balls and sideline awareness. He’s been a frequent tenant of the end zone and his chemistry with Wentz is consistently building.
• Jason Peters and Lane Johnson both made it through the entire game. Peters had a few penalties and the line allowed another three sacks, but they showed signs of their previous season’s form.

Next week and many of the games from here on out are must-win situations for the now 3-4 Eagles. Coach Pederson stated that this loss takes the pressure off of the players so we’ll see how loose they play as they travel to London to face a struggling Jacksonville Jaguars team who benched their starting quarterback this week.

With the trade deadline just two days after, that game is the last possible chance for the team to assess their current roster and decide whether they need to make a move or not. And even then, it might be too late.