The Philadelphia Eagles have dropped three straight games and are 8-5 on the season. The loss to the Los Angeles Chargers was headlined by Jalen Hurts' five turnovers, but fans shouldn't waver in their trust in their Super Bowl-winning QB.
Some things need to improve, of course, but that's on both sides of the ball. The defense played extremely well in the loss to Los Angeles, and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio made some changes in the secondary.
The Eagles started Marcus Epps at safety over Sydney Brown, indicating that Brown's grip on the starting job is gone.
Marcus Epps Stole Starting Job from Sydney Brown
In Week 13 against the Chicago Bears, Brown started and played in 85 defensive snaps (98%). In that contest, he struggled, finishing with a 48.6 overall grade, 52.7 run-defense grade, and a 51.5 coverage grade on Pro Football Focus. Brown hasn't been able to play at the level Philly believed he was capable of, which is why they shifted over to Epps.
In the game against the Chargers, Epps stepped into the starting lineup, playing in 72 defensive plays (97%). In his outing, he posted three total tackles but looked more competent back there. On PFF, he had a 65 overall grade, 79.9 tackling grade, and a 65.4 coverage grade. Although he wasn't targeted in coverage, the fact that Philadelphia moved on from Brown in favor of Epps shows how they view these two.
The defense as a whole played well in the loss to the Chargers, as they allowed just 106 passing yards. They also consistently generated pressure, sacking Justin Herbert seven times. That certainly helped out the secondary, but considering they only gave up 275 total yards (3.2 yards per play), the Eagles will likely roll with this starting unit going forward.
Before getting the starting nod this season, Epps was a special teams contributor, playing in 47% of those snaps. Nonetheless, he has 46 career starts under his belt, with 26 coming with the Eagles. He's a veteran who knows where to be and provides Philadelphia with a better floor on the backend.
Meanwhile, Brown is a high-variance player. The Eagles don't know what they are getting from him on a week-to-week basis, which is why he was sent back to the bench. With the Eagles in a slump, they will roll with the productive players. And based on how Epps looked in Week 14, he'll likely stay in the starting lineup.