Section 215
Fansided

5 Eagles on Thin Ice After Week 6 Disaster vs. Jets

The Eagles are forced to reassess their strategies after disappointing performances from several key players, including Driscoll and Smith, lead to an upset loss to the Jets.

By Isaiah De Los Santos

Five Philadelphia Eagles thin ice after their performance in Week 6 against the New York Jets.
Five Philadelphia Eagles thin ice after their performance in Week 6 against the New York Jets. / Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next

4. The Special Teams Unit

The running backs weren't the only group to let Sirianni down on Sunday, though. The special teams unit turned out to be a disaster that either cost Philadelphia points or handed the opposition scores.

Let's start with punter Bradley Mann, whose 2023 struggles continued in Week 6. Arryn Siposs' replacement punted twice versus New York, but put up an extremely pitiful average of 40.5 with a long of just 41. That would rank outside the top 36 in yards per punt when compared to season-long numbers around the league.

Speaking of the punt unit, rookie Kelee Ringo committed a kick catch interference midway through the third quarter that gifted the Jets an extra 15 yards. That took the ball from New York's own 49 to the Eagles' own 36, putting Robert Saleh's team in striking distance to start their next drive. Well, they got another FG just a few plays later to make things 14-12.

Then there was usually steadfast kicker Jake Elliott. He was given a chip-shot 37-yard attempt in the middle of the fourth quarter that would've pushed Philly's lead to 17-12, requiring the Jets to score a touchdown to take the lead. However, whatever curse was going around the locker room struck Elliott as well, as he missed only his second try of the year.

Elliott's shank hurts a ton in retrospect. With that five-point lead, Philadelphia wouldn't have just let New York waltz into the end zone after the late Jalen Hurts interception. Instead, it would've come down to the Eagles' defense -- which held its own basically all day despite injuries -- against the Jets' offense with the game on the line.

Sirianni was forced to allow the TD in order for his offense, which struggled most of the day to finish drives, to get the ball back with a shot to win it. If Elliott hits his field goal, maybe the game's result changes.

Special teams execution is what sets apart good teams from great teams. It's an absolute killer when this group doesn't perform, and that's exactly what came back to bite Philadelphia in Week 6.

Home/Philadelphia Eagles