Eagles

Four straight losses have the Eagles season continuing in a downward spiral, but the end is near with three games left on the season. The Eagles have a particularly busy week this week, starting on Sunday with their final road matchup of the season against the Baltimore Ravens.

There hasn’t been any positive news for the Eagles in the past 11 weeks. The team is 2-8 since the bye week and Carson Wentz has lost his game that everyone compared to Peyton Manning. So, who has been the biggest surprise this season? It is Wentz’s top target of late, tight end Trey Burton.

Among the arising issues for the Eagles are continued penalties. The Eagles have accounted for several unnecessary penalties this season and it has been a trend for weeks on end.

The Eagles and Ravens have split their last two meetings, giving the Eagles a 2-1-1 record in the four overall match-ups. The round five contest looks to be between two teams that could be heading in opposite directions as the 2016 season is winding down.

Last Sunday, Fletcher Cox played his best game in months with 1.5 sacks, four total tackles and several knockdowns of Kirk Cousins. In Week 13 against the Bengals, a lack of effort from several players was a concern. Cox was one of the names getting attention. He responded in a huge way last week.

The Eagles will use these final three games to evaluate their roster and these three players could find themselves unemployed or on a different team before next season.

The current statistics don’t tell the entire story with Carson Wentz. Yes, the rookie quarterback has had his expected ups and down this season. But in last Sunday’s game against the Redskins, he put together one of his best performances of the season. The great effort didn’t equate in a win, but it should remind doubters that the North Dakota State product remains the franchise quarterback for years to come.

All three of the Eagles most glaring needs were on full display on Sunday. They still lack weapons at wide receiver. They still don’t have a shutdown cornerback and desperately need players at the position. And most of all, they lacked depth on the offensive line.

The Eagles signed cornerback Dwayne Gratz and long-snapper Rick Lovato to join the team for Week 15 against the Baltimore Ravens. To make room on the roster, they placed three players on season-ending injured reserve: Jon Dorenbos, Matt Tobin and Wendell Smallwood.