Philadelphia Eagles’ first quarter struggles are worse than they appear

The first quarter of an NFL game hasn’t been an ally to the Philadelphia Eagles this season.

Even though the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New York Giants on Sunday by a score of 25-22 on a late-game field goal by Jake “The Giant Killer” Elliot, their anemic first quarter struggles remain prevalent. Averaging a measly 1.9 points in the first frame, Philly ranks dead last in the entire league when it comes to putting points on the board in a game’s first 15 minutes.

During last season’s championship run ‘The Birds’ averaged 6.4 points in the first quarter and were second behind the explosive Los Angeles Rams offense.

This season the Eagles have 15 punts, five turnovers, two missed field goals, and only three touchdowns in the first quarter.

Contextually, that’s 165 minutes and essentially three full games where Philadelphia has played mediocre football.

Their inability to ‘come out the gates swinging’ is a major reason this season has gone awry.

Zach Ertz weighs in on Philly’s current state

After the Eagles win on Sunday, tight end Zach Ertz appeared on NFL Network‘s Gameday Prime segment “you ball, you get the call” to chat with Deion Sanders.

Speaking about the difference between a year ago and now Ertz had this to say:

"From an offensive standpoint, we haven’t started the games exactly where we wanted to be. We got to be better in the first quarter and allow our defense to play with the lead because our team is meant and built to play with a lead. If we are able to get ahead in games, we can unleash the pass rushers and most of the time we are going to be extremely successful."

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Ertz hit it right on the head. Playing with a lead will force opposing teams to lean heavily on their passing attack. Philly’s defensive line, led by Michael Bennett and Fletcher Cox, would be able to pin their ears back in hopes of changing momentum with sacks or by helping to generate turnovers.

Though, that’s a lot easier said than done, Philly has shown no signs on improving their slow starts. In fact, they are heading in the opposite direction.

Over the last three games versus the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, and Giants, ‘The Birds’ offense has only put up 85 yards in the first quarter. While Philly’s defense has given up 431 yards in the first 15 minutes. Furthermore, the Eagles haven’t scored a single point in the first-quarter of any of those three games.

Is Carson Wentz or Doug Pederson to blame?

Despite having statically his best year, quarterback Carson Wentz deserves some of the blame for Philly’s sluggish first quarter performances.

Since entering the league three seasons ago, Wentz has thrown a total of 25 interceptions. 11 of those have been in the first quarter.

Sometimes Wentz tries to do too much early in games instead of making the correct read. That’s somewhat understandable for a young quarterback, but Wentz is not your average QB.

As Ertz mentioned, Philly’s defense plays exceptionally better with a lead. The same can be said for Wentz and the offense. The numbers don’t lie.

So far this season, when the Eagles are up on the scoreboard, Wentz’s completion percentage is nearly 15 points better than when they are trailing. His quarterback rating is just over 28 points better as well.

It’s a well-known fact that NFL teams usually script about the first 15 plays. If the Eagles are failing to score in the first quarter, the blame should fall on Doug Pederson and the coaching staff right?

From an outsider’s perspective, it appears the coaching staff as a whole isn’t coming into games fully prepared. One has to ask what they’re doing when they’re studying the weak spots of their opponents.

Of course, the players are the ones who need to execute the plays, but if the coaching staff isn’t putting the right scheme together that doesn’t bode well for anyone.

Entering the home stretch

Aside from the three divisional matchups that are remaining, the Eagles are scheduled to play the Los Angeles Rams and the Houston Texans in the final month of the regular season. Both of those team are ranked in the top 10 for first quarter scoring.

If Philly wants any chance to compete with them, they quickly need to figure out how to put some points up, or these games may be over before halftime.