Eagles-Giants: What we learned

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Eagles plunged to 4-4 when they fell to the New York Giants, 28-23, on Sunday. Here are 10 things we learned:

1. The Eagles lack a winning identity. The Eagles could be 8-0. OK, they really had no business winning in Washington even though they had the ball with 4:05 left in the game and trailed by only seven points. But an argument could be made that they should have beaten the Lions, Cowboys and Giants on the road. But here's the thing: They didn't. The Eagles can point to the fact that they lost those games by a combined 12 points and had an opportunity to win each on a late drive. They can take solace in their effort to rebound from early deficits. And they can learn from the tight losses and utilize the experiences the next time they find themselves in similar circumstances. But right now, they just aren't a team that can win in crunch time. Consider the fact that their four wins came by a combined 76 points. That's an average winning margin of 19 points. That's a formula for having a winning season if you're playing high school or college football. But in the NFL, you can't contend for the playoffs and win in the postseason that way. The disparity between teams is too narrow. And whether it's the offense's inability to mount a successful last-minute drive, or Doug Pederson's inability to dial up winning plays in pressure situations, or the inconsistencies on defense, particularly in Texas, the Eagles don't have what it takes to win nip-and-tuck contests.

2. Doug Pederson is a bit reckless. I like Pederson's aggression. I thought each of his fourth-quarter gambles in the first four games made situational sense. I thought the plays called in each of those situations were practical based on the field position, distance and defense. For instance, the Carson Wentz slant to Zach Ertz on fourth and 4 in the opener was a high-percentage play against the Browns' double A-gap blitz. Time keeps me from diving into each conversion, but Pederson was able to successfully weigh the risk-reward equation. That's one reason I was little surprised that he turtled up in Texas. He said his aggression in North Jersey wasn't in response to his timid decision-making against the Cowboys, but he appeared to swing the pendulum too far in the other direction on Sunday. I was fine with the first fourth-down roll of the dice. Pederson passed up a 41-yard field goal to go for it on fourth and 2. My issue was with the call. Yeah, the execution sucked. Wentz didn't really carry out the run action fake to Darren Sproles. Brandon Brooks got beat. But the Giants were geared up for the zone read. They had already dropped Wentz for a loss earlier on a similar play. You could see the Giants linebackers inching up onto the line by the time the ball was snapped. The play was doomed. On Pederson's second gamble, he passed up 24-yard FG to go for it on fourth and 1. I thought in that circumstance – the Eagles trailed, 21-10, and had proven that they could move the ball on the Giants defense – they needed the points. I didn't have as much of an issue with the play. The Eagles ran Darren Sproles off the right guard with offensive lineman Isaac Seumalo as the fullback. They should be able to get three feet there. The execution, though, was negligent. Center Jason Kelce and Brooks were blown back. Someone missed a blocking assignment at the second level. And Sproles might have run the wrong way. My other issue had to do with personnel. Why not Ryan Mathews in that situation? He has 30 pounds on Sproles. You're not as worried about Mathews fumbling there because a failed fourth down is a turnover on downs anyway.

3. Carson Wentz is looking more like a rookie. And in the big picture, that's OK. Most fans don't want to take a wider view, and that is completely understandable. Eagles fans have been far too patient far too long. But Wentz is only eight games into his career, and taken as a whole, he has had a very good start. Has he regressed some over the last four games? Yes. Are there reasons to be cautious about his future? Absolutely. But the raw skills are still there. He can make all the throws. He can make the proper pre-snap checks. He can quarterback. Imagine if Wentz had better receivers and better running backs and didn't lose his right tackle four games ago? Every quarterback has to make do. But these aren't built-in excuses for the rookie. It's reality. Were the back-to-back, first-quarter interceptions egregiously bad? They sure were. If Sam Bradford had tossed those picks, there would have been a mob with torches and pitchforks at the NovaCare the next day (OK, that might be an exaggeration). He wouldn't have gotten off easy. If almost any quarterback had failed to deliver in the clutch in four losses over five games, he would have had to deal with intense criticism. And Wentz will start to take his fair share. As he should. But he needs help. He needs time. He needs for others to be patient. The sample is still too small.

4. Changes need to be made at wide receiver. I wrote about my proposed changes to the wide receiver position in my newspaper column off the game, but I think it bears repeating here: More Bryce Treggs (20 percent of the snaps against the Giants) and less Dorial Green-Beckham (65 percent), please. I'd cut into the playing time of Nelson Agholor (92 percent), as well. I get that change takes time. Treggs is still learning the offense. The Eagles still rely on Agholor for his blocking on run plays. But Green-Beckham needs to take a step back and Treggs' performance in his first career game (two catches for 68 yards) gives Pederson the opportunity to tilt the scales some. I'm not suggesting that the Eagles should bench Green-Beckham. He's too young (23) and too raw to give up on so early. But I'm starting to see some red flags. I can excuse his inability to make plays on the ball, or get separation downfield, or even line up properly, but he had a few lazy routes on Sunday. That should be intolerable at this level. Wentz threw in his direction five times, and while not all the passes were on target, Green-Beckham failed to notch a single reception. Agholor is a little more consistent, but it speaks volumes that Treggs in his debut had a longer catch (58 yards) and more receiving yards in a game than Agholor has had in a year and a half. I'm not suggesting that Treggs will be a star. But I think I already know enough about the other two.

5. Changes need to be made at running back. I get why Sproles has shouldered the bulk of running plays. He has been the Eagles' best runner, their best receiver out of the backfield, and their best blocking running back. I'd still play him most of the time in the backfield – he was on the field for 80 percent of the Eagles' snaps. But Mathews (8 snaps), Wendell Smallwood (4 snaps) and Kenjon Barner (3 snaps) need to be sprinkled into the rotation a little more. All three had their moments Sunday. Mathews ran for an 8-yard touchdown. Smallwood had a 19-yard rush. Barner ran for a 3-yard score. I'd like to see a little more of Smallwood. The Eagles are most certainly not out of the playoff picture, but at some point they will need to see more from their rookie running back.

6. Jordan Hicks is a game-changer. There were positives to take away from Sunday. The defense wasn't perfect, but overall, Jim Schwartz's unit did enough to win the game. The Eagles could have held the Giants to field goals after Wentz's interceptions, but they allowed only two drives of more than 31 yards during the day. The Giants' final four possessions, aside from the last, went punt, interception, punt, interception. Nolan Carroll had an impressive pick when he won an Eli Manning pass to Odell Beckham Jr.  Hicks made a tremendous leaping grab off a Connor Barwin tip on the second Manning pick. Hicks has two interceptions in the last two games. He has been, aside from maybe defensive end Brandon Graham, the Eagles' best defender over the last three games. Hicks' performance makes me wonder why Schwartz was taking him off the field for Stephen Tulloch earlier in the season. Tulloch, it should be noted, didn't have a snap on defense or special teams on Sunday. Weak-side linebacker Mychal Kendricks was on the field for just three defensive snaps as the Giants went heavy with their "11" personnel package. That's a lot of money for nothing.

7. Defensive line needs to be more disruptive. The Eagles had just one sack -- when defensive tackle Destiny Vaeao cleaned up after a strong Graham bull rush. But that was it in terms of quarterback takedowns. Did they otherwise move Manning off his spot? Sometimes. But it wasn't enough considering they were facing a mediocre-at-best offensive line. Fletcher Cox has been relatively silent the last month. He had four sacks in the first three games, but has none since. He has seen his share of double teams, but those can be the breaks inside. That's why many teams don't like to pay interior defensive linemen $100 million franchise deals. It's easier to get defensive ends singled up on tackles. But Cox should be the least of the Eagles' worries up front. He's still producing. Vinny Curry and Barwin, however, have struggled to beat left tackles for most of the season. Curry had some moments on Sunday, particularly against the run. But one sack in eight games isn't enough for someone who just signed a $46 million contract. He has eight games to turn it around.

8. Zach Ertz needs to remain a focal point on offense. Ertz caught every pass thrown in his direction – eight catches for 98 yards. For the season, he has caught 23 of 28 targets. That's an excellent catch ratio. It's amazing that it took this long for the Eagles to make him a centerpiece of the passing offense. I get the criticism of Ertz. He's not going to take on many defenders after the catch. He's not going to consistently break tackles. His slide after what was a nice third-down conversion was a touch troubling. He should want to run over a 185-pound cornerback. But that's just isn't who he is now. My guess is that recent injuries have made him more cautious. I'm not certain he's 100 percent healthy after the displaced-rib injury, either. But Ertz knows how to get open, he knows how to exploit mismatches against linebackers and safeties, and he knows how to catch the ball. I can't understand why there wasn't one pass thrown his way in the end zone on Sunday.

9. Leodis McKelvin's playing through injury is hurting the defense. McKelvin said after the game that he wasn't completely recovered from the hamstring injury that caused him to miss most of the first six games. If not, then why is he playing? If you're a cornerback, hamstring injuries aren't to be trifled with. He had plenty of issues on Sunday, needless to say. He seemed to be chasing receivers the entire first half. Jalen Mills has been solid enough, so I'm not sure why or if the Eagles have forced MeKelvin into the lineup. It might also be time to see what rookie C.J. Smith has got. Cornerback has been an issue for the Eagles for many years. The evaluation of the position has been inept.

10. And some leftovers: Sproles had an explosive 66-yard punt return that would have been a touchdown had he not stepped out at the 15-yard line. He wasn't on the field for the next few plays, but he did run back out for the failed fourth-down try. Maybe an extra breather there would have made more sense. … Caleb Sturgis missed his first field-goal try in 19 attempts when a 40-yarder was blocked in the second quarter.