It was a calculated, risky move to shift the Philadelphia Eagles' Cam Jurgens to left guard and Drew Kendall to center for Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans, and it's safe to say it didn't quite work.
The Eagles still got the 24-20 win over the Titans, but Philly's offensive line clearly missed Landon Dickerson at left guard. Dickerson was placed on IR before the game because he was dealing with a knee injury that he suffered in training camp.
While the offensive line did its job, it was one of its worst performances in quite some time. There are clear signs the next three weeks will be long if something doesn't change quickly.
Eagles' offensive line got exposed in the win over Titans
The individual stats came from Sports Illustrated's Jeff Kerr, who named Jordan Mailata, Jurgens, and Kendall as losers in the game. Their pressure rates were pretty bad, to say the least.
Jurgens was beaten six times in his 43 pass-blocking snaps (14% of the time), after allowing three pressures and a sack, and he was called for his third holding penalty of the season. Kendall was slightly better, allowing only two pressures, but he didn't have to do as much pass-protection work as Jurgens. Mailata allowed three pressures from left tackle.
During the Titans game, the Eagles' offensive line rushed for 89 yards and averaged just 2.8 yards per carry. They also allowed three sacks in the win.
Poor Mailata got stuck in a bad situation because he lacked support from the left guard position, as Jurgens struggled there. It's hard to fault Jurgens, too, since it was his first time playing left guard in a game. Kendall only made his second career start ever in the NFL, so he's trying to navigate the waters at center.
What can the Eagles do to rectify the offensive line situation?
Philly could use this as a game to work through some headaches and treat it as a learning experience. The hope would be that Jurgens and Kendall will be more comfortable in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears at their positions. Having an extra day of work since it is a Monday Night Football game could help them as well.
Another option is to get Jurgens back at center and roll with Kendall at left guard. That kind of move, though, might not be good for the Eagles, as they need continuity in the line. At the same time, Jurgens is clearly a better player when he is at center since he is a two-time Pro Bowler there.
There's also Willie Lampkin. Could the Eagles move on from Kendall and let Lampkin play at left guard or center instead? This could be the worst decision yet, even though Lampkin was very good in training camp and preseason. That would be another dramatic change the Eagles can't afford to make.
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This might be the Eagles' reality as the offensive line tries to navigate this rough patch until Dickerson returns from injury. Once he does, Philly could be back on track.
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