The Philadelphia Eagles spent the entirety of this short week ahead of the Thursday Night Football clash against the Giants trying to fix their offense. There was a lot of talking, diverting responsibility, promising improvement, and even a players-only meeting among the offensive stars. The result, however, was more of the same, keeping offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo on the thinnest of ices.
It was essentially a repeat of last week. A somewhat promising first half before a complete collapse on the offensive end. The Eagles' inability to put two good halves together has been an issue all year, and the fact that Nick Sirianni and Patullo can't seem to get to the bottom of it remains a major concern.
Kevin Patullo Remains a Big Problem for the Eagles After Week 6 Loss
The Eagles failed to strike the right balance between the run and passing game. After only having six carries against the Broncos, Saquon Barkley had only 12 rushing attempts on Thursday. Despite the run game working well early, the Eagles were too pass-heavy for a second straight week, finishing the game with 33 pass plays to 20 run plays. Seven of the run plays came from Jalen Hurts' scrambling. Force-feeding targets to the star receivers to keep them happy may have caused the balance of the offense to tilt too much in one direction.
One of the biggest criticisms of Patullo has been play-calling. The lack of variety in his play-calling and not using play-action sufficiently made the Eagles' offense predictable. When you run a predictable offense, defenses adjust, forcing you to adjust, as well. When you don't, then you hit a wall like the Eagles have been hitting in second halves.
It is obviously not all on Patullo. Jalen Hurts overthrew to a wide-open Devonta Smith for what would have been a 90-yard TD, and the star QB probably should have done better in the interception he threw in the fourth quarter that sealed the game. Individual players can obviously play better, but it's also on the coaching staff to put them in positions to succeed. Patullo has not been doing that all season. The dynamic offense that ran a ton of play action, and made adjustments depending on the coverage last year is nowhere to be seen this year under Patullo.
The Eagles are at risk of throwing away their season if they don't make a radical change. Instead of improving, the offense is getting worse every week. That can only be solved by bringing in a new voice.