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DeVonta Smith is one of the softest-speaking players on the roster, maybe the quietest guy to ever strap on the pads for the Philadelphia Eagles. So, it was interesting to hear his succinct critique of the team’s performance minutes after a 20-10 loss went final.
Smith, dressed to the nines as is his custom, gave a blunt assessment about a contest where the Eagles mustered 11 first downs and 313 yards of total offense. The stats look way better on paper than they did on the field.
“We just played terrible. That’s that,” Smith said. “We didn’t execute. We didn’t go out there and do the things we’re supposed to do. Had small penalties that set us back. Just played bad.”
The second-year receiver continues to shine despite the two-game losing streak. He posted 9 catches for 115 yards on 13 targets versus New Orleans. That is more than one-third of the Eagles’ total offense. He now has 520 yards and 4 touchdowns over his last five games.
“You’ve got to find a way to stop the bleeding,” Smith said after the loss. “Right now we’re not playing our best ball, so we’ve got to find a way to stop the downpour and things like that, and find a way to get back on track.”
Nick Sirianni Not Ready to Hit Panic Button
Head coach Nick Sirianni is usually all smiles when he sits down at the post-game podium. He’s been known to pound his fist and act out plays, mostly ones that resulted in touchdowns during what had been a magical 13-win season. Now, mired in a two-game losing streak, Sirianni took a somber tone. He was less animated, more serious as he looks to correct the mistakes.
“I don’t get too high when we play a really good game; I don’t get too low when we play a really bad game,” Sirianni said. “We played a really bad game today offensively. We’ll just have to look and get better from it.”
Here are some alarming final stats from the Philly offense to ponder: 11 first downs, 3-of-12 (25%) on third down, 67 net rushing yards, 8 penalties for 49 yards, 2 fumbles, and 1 interception returned for a touchdown.
“Again, I’m not ever going to be somebody that is going to hit a panic button,” Sirianni said. “We’re going to double down on the things we think are true and that we know are true, and we’re going to get better from this.”
Fletcher Cox, Defense Adjusted in Second Half
Following a brutal opening drive by the Saints that turned 15 plays into 75 yards and a touchdown, plus took 8:58 off the clock, the Eagles’ defense adjusted and settled in nicely. They only surrendered 66 yards of total offense in the second half, while limiting the Saints to 2-of-8 on third down after New Orleans went 5-of-8 prior to halftime.
Fletcher Cox, who recorded his seventh sack of the year late in the third quarter, admitted that the guys “just kind of locked in” to start the second half. But, at the end of the day, their effort wasn’t good enough. They lost the game.
“Listen, they won the game and that’s the end of it there,” Cox said. “We didn’t win, we didn’t get the job done, there’s no excuse about it. It’s hard, really hard to win games in the NFL and we didn’t get it done, so we’re looking forward to strapping up next weekend and playing for a division title.”
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