November 01, 2026
Geoff Burke/Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Remember when the Eagles were elite at rushing the passer?
Well, the NFL Draft will be fun next year at least.
Besides that, there aren't too many encouraging takeaways as the Eagles lost their sixth straight game, 27-10 in Week 8 to the Commanders, and all but assure their status as sellers at the trade deadline.
In one of the weakest NFC East divisions in recent memory, the Eagles are just too bruised and beaten down to put up any kind of a fight.
As always, here's a look at a very straw-grasping stock up, and a concerning stock down from a frustrating setback in Washington, DC.
The positives are lacking right now (besides their soaring draft positioning, which now enters top five pick territory). But Dallas Goedert looked good Sunday, once again filling in as a useful safety valve for quarterback Tanner McKee, who was making just his fifth career start in this one. The grizzled vet caught four passes, converting a handful of key first downs.
Tanner McKee connects with Dallas Goedert for the first down!
— NFL (@NFL) November 2, 2026
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And with Jalen Hurts sidelined and the offensive line, well, not looking like its typical dominant self, there was a new wrinkle on fourth and short. Looking like a totally believable shotgun snap out of an empty set that the Eagles would totally call in that situation, Goedert motioned to take the snap under center, and after failing to sneak up the gut he found a little space to the left side to convert the situation formerly reserved for a 'tush push.' The drive could have given the Eagles the lead if they had any sort of offensive spark, but a missed field goal led to the eventual loss.
Also on the topic of tight ends, Eagles first round pick Eli Stowers caught his first NFL pass (and later a second and third in garbage time), always a fun moment for a young player. Perhaps as the season continues to fall apart, he'll have more opportunities to show what he can do with Goedert potentially on the trade block approaching the NFL's trade deadline in just over a week.
Sunday night in D.C. the pass rush didn't get on the bus. Jayden Daniels rarely broke a sweat under center and carved up the Eagles' second level with both his arm and legs. As did their run game, netting 5.2 yards per run.
There is a trickle down effect from the basic, non-existence of the Eagles' pass rush. Prior to Jalen Carter's bull rush for a sack — in the third quarter, and a later Nolan Smith sack that did little to help the Eagles back into this one — the last time the Eagles defense sacked an opposing QB was Bryce Young two weeks ago in Week 6 in Philly, when Jordan Davis and Jeremiah Trotter combined for a sack for no gain (barely even registering as a sack). A play later the Panthers scored.
Here's a look at some stats heading into Week 8, that will surely get worse. They're downright embarrassing. Especially for a franchise that prides itself in play in the trenches.
| Category | Stat | NFL Rank |
| Sacks | 8 | 31st |
| Blitz % | 21.1% | 28th |
| Pressure % | 19.2% | 28th |
| Knockdown % | 6.6% | 32nd |
| Hurry % | 10.2% | 8th |
| Missed tackles | 49 | 3rd most |
So the Eagles rarely blitz, and rarely sack the quarterback. But somehow they are in the top 10 in pressuring a quarterback — but are dead last in QB hits, and third worst in the NFL in missed tackles. They have 10 sacks now through eight games, including the two they got Sunday. They had 70 sacks in 2022.Â
Jalyx Hunt's breakout training camp has not carried to the regular season. Marquee trade acquistion Jonathan Greenard has been hurt a lot, and man-handled when he hasn't been. And what about the two highest paid and most hyped defensive tackles in the sport in Carter and Davis? Carter has four sacks this year and the other three have 0.5 combined.
The eye test also says what those stats quantify — no matter what the Eagles do at the line of scrimmage on defense, they just can't produce. A listless offense hangs the defense out to dry over and over again as the Eagles' defense is among the leaders in the NFL in total snaps played.
And as a result, the secondary is under a ton of stress week after week as the defensive line routinely gets exhausted. It's not even close to a winning formula. How much worse can it get?
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