10 things I think about the Eagles after the loss to the Giants

It’s the end of the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2026 season. At least when it comes to winning the NFC East and making the playoffs.

The Eagles won’t make the playoffs, not after a 19-11 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday. During that crucial three-game stretch against NFC East opponents, the Eagles went 0-3 and lost by a combined score of 84-32 to the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders and New York Giants.

For those keeping score, that’s a -52 differential against three teams with a combined record of 11-12-2 this season. Three of those wins came against the Eagles.

The Eagles are 2-7 for the first time since 1999 and have lost seven straight games for the first time since 2012. This season is over.

There are still eight games to play, but this season is not turning around. Here are some thoughts following the latest loss.

1. A member of this coaching staff must be let go during the bye week

The Eagles need to make a major move within this coaching staff, especially on the offensive side of the ball. What this offense is doing in the second half of games is unacceptable.

The Eagles totaled 99 yards in the second half, scoring just three points. They totaled no yards in the third quarter, running 9 plays and going 3-and-3 on three possessions in the period.

Philadelphia is the only team averaging less than 2.0 points and 50 yards in the third quarter this season. It doesn’t matter who the quarterback is. The system remains the same, inefficient and ineffective.

The offensive line allowed seven sacks and put Joe Milton under duress throughout the day. They continue to have communication issues early on, missing assignments and lapses in run blocking and allowing too many free rushers in pass protection.

It’s up to Sean Mannion or Chris Kuper if Nick Sirianni doesn’t let go. One of those three coaches won’t be able to be back when they take the field again in two weeks.

2. The third trimester woes continue.

The Eagles have the worst third-quarter offense in the NFL, but hit a new low against the Giants.

Their third-quarter possessions went like this:

Drew Kendall had a holding penalty, Joe Milton was sacked for a 10-yard loss and Landon Dickerson had a holding penalty that was disallowed. Eagles running backs totaled -3 rushing yards in the quarter while Milton averaged 2.2 yards per attempt.

The Eagles dropped their third-quarter scoring average to 1.4 points and their yardage average to 39.2. yards per play also dropped to 3.0. Somehow they came off worse after halftime.

Nick Sirianni says adjustments are being made. They don’t work.

3. Joe Milton didn’t provide a spark

It’s not Joe Milton’s fault, but it was foolish to think this offense was going to be better because of a change in quarterback.

Milton finished 18 of 34 for 169 yards with 0 TD and 0 INT and a lost fumble. He was sacked seven times due to the offensive line’s miscommunication and lack of a running game to help him settle in.

The ground game was Milton’s, who had nine carries for 64 yards, accounting for 69.6 percent of the Eagles’ rushing yards. The Eagles offense could have been worse if Tanner McKee was back with the Giants pass rush having a significant number of wins up front. McKee could have been sacked more than 10 times in this one.

Milton couldn’t show off his deep ball because he didn’t have time to throw it. He was just 6 of 13 on throws traveling more than 10 air yards, and the accuracy issues were visible throughout the game.

Milton deserves another start, but does it really matter behind this offensive line? The Eagles also have an extremely limited Saquon Barkley and were once again without DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks.

It was difficult for Milton to have a fighting chance with the personnel he had to work with.

4. The running game is terrible

The Eagles don’t have much to work with at running back with Saquon Barkley on throw counts and Elijah Mitchell being elevated from the practice squad to be his backup. The duo combined for 16 carries for 28 yards, 1.8 yards per carry.

Barkley was so limited that he only had three carries in the second half – for 0 yards. Neither Barkley nor Mitchell had a yard on the ground in the second half. Mitchell’s impact – or lack thereof – in the second half will come next.

Neither Barkley nor Mitchell have much work up front, as communication issues on the Eagles’ offensive line spill over into the running game as well. Watch the 4th and 1 play in the second quarter where Barkley loses a yard, due to missed assignments in multiple spaces.

The offensive line doesn’t help the running game either. Notice a pattern.

5. What was Elijah Mitchell doing?

This final desperate push by the Eagles wasn’t Mitchell’s finest moment. Mitchell didn’t get the first down on the 3rd and 8 possession just before the two minute warning, just falling a yard away and not turning around for the first down showed a lack of situational awareness.

Mitchell somehow got past that moment by not going out of bounds on a reception with less than 20 seconds left, forcing the Eagles to chew up even more time in a 19-11 game. Even though the Eagles’ offense was terrible all afternoon, they still had a chance to score a touchdown in the final minute.

Mitchell wouldn’t be on this team if Tank Bigsby or Will Shipley were healthy. Dameon Pierce was waived on an injury settlement and Carson Steele is out, so the Eagles really had to dig deep just to find a running back who knew the offense (which Mitchell was during his stint this summer).

Hard to see Mitchell taking any more snaps for the Eagles after that final possession, but that lack of situational awareness exists everywhere. It’s above Mitchell.

6. Defense allows points in 4th quarter due to offense

There’s a lot to be said for how the Eagles’ defense crumbles in the second half, but look at how long they were on the field in the third quarter on Sunday.

The Eagles offense only had the ball for 4:55 in the third quarter, meaning the defense was on the field for 10:05. A 3-and-out on three possessions took its toll on the defense, which gave up a touchdown on the Giants’ second offensive possession of the quarter – which took up 7:56 of game time.

Philadelphia did not have a single drive in more than 3 hours of play in the second half, with a time of possession of 10:58. The defense is on the field an average of 16:44 in the second half, which is third-worst in the NFL.

That doesn’t absolve the defense, which allowed 193.3 yards (31st in the NFL) and 5.7 yards per play (24th) in the second half. There’s just one method to deal with their struggles, and that’s too being on the ground.

They still allowed 13 points, but were on the field for almost 20 minutes. This offense just can’t sustain the drives.

7. Makai Lemon always learns on the fly

There was a lot to like in Lemon’s performance, as he finished with six catches for 61 yards (on nine targets). Lemon was the only reliable wideout on Sunday for the Eagles, as his route running and separation were better than at any time this season. Joe Milton had an 85.9 passer rating when targeting Lemon, higher than any wideout with multiple targets on Sunday.

Although Lemon has shown progress over the past month, he still had two bad falls that he mentioned and took responsibility for after the match. That’s four drops in the last three games, which Lemon needs to improve on if he wants to become a reliable pass catcher in the league.

Lemon can be a good WR3 this year, and possibly become a reliable WR2 over the next few years as a complement to DeVonta Smith (assuming Dontayvion Wicks isn’t with the Eagles after 2027).

This has been a typical rookie season for a wideout. Some ups and some downs, but it’s clear Lemon can play in this league. His place in the great project of the future of the Eagles still remains to be debated.

Thanks to the Eagles pass rush for coming home this week. Whether it was because of the Giants offensive line or JJ McCarthy not recognizing pressure, it was nice to see this pass rush live up to its potential.

The Eagles finished with six sacks and 20 pressures on the afternoon. Jonathan Greenard looked 100% healthy with one sack and four pressures while Zack Baun had two sacks.

Vic Fangio increased the pressure further to put pressure on JJ McCarthy – and it worked. McCarthy struggled with the pressure, looking indecisive when the Eagles decided to send more than four rushers. Even the four-way race managed to get McCarthy – who was sacked five times.

The Eagles had just 10 sacks Sunday. They now have 16.

This is still a disappointing unit, but perhaps the pass rush can build on this performance in the second half,

9. Nolan Smith is having a good season

The offseason speeding incident was the highlight of Smith’s offseason, as the former first-round pick faced an uncertain future with the franchise. Smith is showing this season that he wants to stick around beyond 2027 (when his fifth-year option and rookie contract expire).

Smith had one sack and three pressures Sunday, finishing with a 15.8 percent pressure rate. He is having his best season to date thanks to sacks, with 5.0 sacks in eight games played. Smith is actually on track for 9.5 sacks this year, which would easily surpass his career high of 6.5 from two seasons ago.

Pressure rate is down for Smith, going from 15.4% last year to 11.8% this year, but he’s down across the board among the Eagles pass rush. Jalyx Hunt has no sacks and a pressure rate of 10.5% while Jonathan Greenard has one sack and a pressure rate of 10.7%.

Among the Edge Rushers this season, Smith has been the Eagles’ best. Maybe he’s done enough to earn his way to a contract extension.

10. So who is being traded?

The Eagles will be sellers at the deadline, but it’s unclear how many players they will trade to other teams.

The obvious candidates are Riq Woolen and Dallas Goedert, who are in the final year of their contracts. Moro Ojomo could be had at the right price, and the same with Landon Dickerson.

Philadelphia doesn’t have a reliable tight end after Goedert, and Eli Stowers isn’t ready for an elevated role yet. The Eagles wouldn’t get much for Goedert.

Woolen likely won’t be back after this season, and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio would like to keep Ojomo. Maybe the Eagles will unload Dickerson’s contract and give Willie Lampkin the opportunity to start for the rest of the year. The same could be said of Tyler Steen.

This team needs to stockpile draft picks, especially with a top-10 (at worst) pick coming up. The rebuild can be quick, as Howie Roseman has shown in the past.