Disjointed

Four days following their first loss of the season, the Eagles traveled up I-95 for their annual road clash with the New York Giants, theoretically presenting an ideal bounce-back opportunity.

GETTY IMAGES: QB Jalen Hurts and the offense have yet to put together four complete quarters.

The Giants, crafting an offense around rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, are devoid of much firepower in the way of skill players. For perspective, Dart’s primary receiving options Thursday evening included Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, Beaux Collins and Lil’Jordan Humphrey, who was elevated from the practice squad prior to the game.

They also lack for difference makers on the other side of the ball, apart from the defensive line. A secondary featuring the likes of cornerbacks Paulson Adebo and Cordale Flott conjured intrigue that the turbulent Eagles’ passing offense was primed for a much-needed revival.

Further supporting the narrative of facing a Giants team on the ropes is that the Eagles were catching Brian Daboll’s group fresh off a 26-14 loss to the lowly New Orleans Saints.

It was supposed to be a spot where the Eagles imposed its will, breathing life into a mystifying offense that has struggled to sustain synchronization in both the run and pass game.

It was supposed to be a game in which the Eagles reverted back to its foundational approach offensively, pounding the football with running back Saquon Barkley and controlling the line of scrimmage

But following consecutive Barkley runs of 18 and 13 yards to open the game, a porous Giants run defense proved stout, stifling the ground game and limiting Barkley to 58 yards on 12 carries

“The Giants came out and they played great,” Barkley said following the 34-17 loss. “They were the better team today. They played with energy, they played tough, they made more plays than us. Usually, that’s how you lose football games. We just gotta go back to the drawing board, look at film, hold each other accountable, and move on from it.”

To put the offensive struggles into perspective, the Eagles entered the break trailing 20-17, but were unable to generate any synchronization in the second half and failed to produce any more points, punting on three consecutive drives, with the final two resulted in turnovers.

Against the Broncos, a prominent talking point in the aftermath was an overthrown Jalen Hurts pass that missed a streaking A.J. Brown that would’ve broken the game wide open and furnish the Eagles with a 24-3 lead.

Down three and faced with a 3rd-and-6 from their own 11-yard line early in the third quarter Thursday night, the Eagles couldn’t have asked for a better matchup. DeVonta Smith had slipped past the secondary and a connection would have resulted in an 89-yard touchdown. The protection up front held strong, but the pass to Smith sailed and the opportunity to recapture momentum was squandered. Punt.

The other turnover occurred in the final frame, with the Eagles trailing by 10 and driving deep into Giants territory, primed to produce their first points of the half. But on a 2nd-and-15 from the Giants’ 15, Hurts threw inside to Jahan Dotson on an out route along the left sideline. Flott jumped the route for the easy interception, cruising 68 yards down the sideline before being knocked out of bounds by Barkley.

Miscommunications, predictability, untimely penalties and executional lapses have plagued the high-powered offense through six games. Through the first four weeks, the team had gotten away with living on the edge offensively, but for the past two games — twice in four days — the inefficiencies caught up.

The Kevin Patullo-led unit has had its moments of creativity and aggressiveness this season, specifically in the red zone, but the sporadic and disjointed nature is cause for concern.

Foundationally, the Eagles want to run the football and bully teams at the line of scrimmage while protecting the football and taking their shots through the air when opportunity strikes. Impeding their ability to revert back to their imposing DNA, where the offense broke the will of the opposition and dictated the flow of the game is an offensive line, the engine that fuels it all, is hardly operating at full strength.

Still, it becomes incumbent upon Patullo to craft a game plan versed in variance, so to keep a defense on its heels. And for the better part of the season, it’s become increasingly evident that the offense lacks for creativity and has become predictable, even if Barkley doesn’t necessarily agree with the sentiment.

“Last year, do you think we were predictable?” he asked. “I mean, everyone knew we were running the ball and we still got it off. So, I think we also gotta get back into that attitude, to that mindset, of not really giving a f—- what people are trying to do. And that’s something that I’m definitely looking for.”

While the offense has been largely stuck in neutral and unable to uphold their role in playing complementary football, it’s been the defense and special teams that have shouldered much of the burden, sans the last five quarters. The most confounding aspect of their struggles is the laboring nature in which they move the football despite its collective talent and continuity.

Even at its best this season, Patullo’s unit has been enigmatic, having yet to register a complete four quarters of consistency. This week, the Eagles are afforded the benefit of a longer week, which, in theory, should present a much needed opportunity to return to the drawing board and ahead of a road matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.

“We have spurts where we show glimpses of what we could be, but the consistency isn’t there. It’s not a finger-pointing show. I’m with Kevin until the end. A lot of it goes down to execution. So, we’ll go back and look at this tape and see what we gotta get fixed. But moving forward, we need to be more efficient, less predictable, and capitalize on big plays and explosives.”

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com