The Philadelphia Eagles have been struggling on the defensive side of the ball the past few weeks with opponents averaging more than 450 yards and 36 points per game in their three games to the Buffalo Bills, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Dallas Cowboys. And it sounds like defensive coordinator Sean Desai knows exactly where the team needs to improve.
During a press conference this week, Sean Desai made it clear that the Eagles need to be better on third down and in the red zone.
“I think it’s just we have been inopportune,” Desai said according to Pro Football Talk. “We have not been able to get off the field when we need to get off the field. Yeah, in third down and situational football we got to be better, third down, red zone. Those have been our bugaboos. Not going to lie to you. That’s been our Achilles’ heel right now.”
And that hasn’t just been a problem in recent weeks, it’s been a struggle for the team through the entire season. The Eagles currently rank last in the entire league in third-down defense with teams converting 48.1 percent of their third-down opportunities, and they ranked just No. 30 in red zone touchdown rate, allowing touchdowns on 70.5 percent of red-zone drives.
Those are certainly key areas where the Eagles will have to improve if they want to compete for a Super Bowl title.
