All their wide receivers combined have only two receptions of at least 30 yards all year. None longer than 35 yards.
A 33-year-old running back is their biggest long-ball threat. Their former first-round pick has three career receptions over 21 yards.
The deep ball has been non-existent for the Eagles so far this year. Carson Wentz throws it, but nobody catches it.
And Jordan Matthews acknowledges it’s a problem.
“The deep numbers aren’t there and that’s something we’ve been really stressing,” Matthews said. “We can talk about chemistry, we can talk about all those things all we want to, but at the end of the day, 11 (Wentz) is still putting it out there, so the opportunities are there. We’ve just got to go out there and make the plays.”
The Eagles’ two longest receptions this year have been courtesy of running back Darren Sproles, a 73-yard TD and a 40-yarder, both against the Steelers.
The longest catch by a wideout this year is Nelson Agholor’s 35-yard TD against the Browns. Matthews’ 32-yard pickup against the Bears is the only other reception of 30-plus yards this year by an Eagles wide receiver.
NFL
In four games, Eagles wideouts have only eight catches of 20 yards or more.
The Eagles have played one fewer game than most NFL teams, but no team in the league has gotten fewer plays of 30 yards or more from their wide receivers.
The inability of Eagles wideouts to make plays down the field was magnified at the end of the Eagles’ first loss of the season Sunday in Detroit, when Agholor failed to battle for a 50-50 ball chucked down the field by Wentz.
Darius Slay's uncontested interception, Wentz's first ever, clinched the Lions' win.
“There’s really no gray area when it comes to 50-50 balls, it’s black and white,” Matthews said. “Either you’re making plays or you’re not and right now we’re not and it’s something we’re stressing and something G-Lew (receivers coach Greg Lewis) is stressing.
“Because all the other stuff on the film, the routes, getting separation, things people thought we couldn’t do before, all those things, we’ve worked on that and we’ve gotten better at that and it’s been seen. But the one thing right now I guess is the 50-50 balls and this has to change.
“But G-Lew can’t set up drills for that. We just have to go out there and make those plays and just compete for the ball. I think the guys understand that and they know that, so we’ve just got to go out there and do that now.”
Agholor has started 17 games the last two years but has just three career receptions longer than 21 yards.
For the sake of comparison, Miles Austin and Riley Cooper each had three catches of 30 yards or more last year and both are out of the league.
Matthews says the opportunities are there. The Eagles’ receivers just aren’t catching them.
“As long as 11’s back there, he’s going to give us opportunities,” Matthews said. “He doesn’t shy away from that. He’s just going to give guys opportunities, because he always feels like that next play might be the one.
“I don’t know, sometimes we don’t know how fortunate we are to have a guy like that. Some guys would get gun-shy and just want to check it down all day but Carson’s still going to give us some opportunities. It’s cut and dried. We have to go out and make plays.
“We do 1-on-1’s and everything (in practice) but there’s a huge discrepancy from 50-50 balls in practice and in the game. You can practice all day but in the game it’s just about going out there and doing it.
“(Lewis) has stressed it and talked about it and the main thing is, ‘Guys, we’ve got to go attack it. We’ve got to have that attack mentality.’ I believe he’s right and the other guys do too and we just have to go out there and do it.”
The Eagles do have a built-in excuse when it comes to the lack of deep balls. Wentz missed virtually all of training camp, played only one half in the preseason and didn’t become the starter until five weeks ago. He didn’t have a lot of time to develop chemistry and timing with his receivers, and when it comes to chemistry and timing, the deep ball is going to be the last thing that comes.
Valid?
“I think obviously that’s going to be one thing that’s always brought up,” Matthews said. “But I don’t want to look up and it’s Week 9 and we’re talking about the same thing. Let’s go out and fix it right now and get the job done.”