Eagles: Joe Milton starts, but Philadelphia's seven-game slide continues
The Eagles lost to the Giants in their third straight defeat, marking their longest losing streak since 2012.
By Lucas Navarro ·
Joe Milton took the snap on the first play of the game and was immediately flagged for a false start. By the final play of the contest, he had been sacked. In between those two moments, the third-string quarterback spent the evening playing exactly like a player signed from the Dallas Cowboys practice squad just three weeks prior.
Milton’s performance in his first start mirrored the inefficiency that saw Tanner McKee benched after three games. McKee himself was statistically similar to Jalen Hurts before the latter’s season ended with blood clots in his lungs. The faces on the field shifted, but the output remained stagnant.
The New York Giants used two quarterbacks to rally past the Eagles on Sunday. Philadelphia finished with 220 total yards. Their record falls to 2 wins and 7 losses. This is the longest losing streak for the franchise since Andy Reid’s final season in 2012.
Milton completed 18 of 34 passes for 169 yards. He threw no touchdowns and no interceptions. He was sacked seven times and gained 64 rushing yards on a long run of 24 yards. His receivers dropped at least four passes.
Head coach Nick Sirianni spoke to reporters more than 70 minutes after the game concluded. He said the pressure is not solely on offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. “It’s not Sean; it’s all of us,” Sirianni said. “It starts with me. The correct question there to me is, ‘do you think you’ve done a good enough job?’ Obviously, I haven’t done a good enough job. We all have things we’ve got to figure out.”
Sirianni declined to discuss specific roster changes or coaching moves ahead of the Tuesday trade deadline. He noted that the team has not exceeded 341 total yards in a game this season. They reached that mark in Week 2 against Tennessee, which remains their only other win of the year.
Running back Saquon Barkley carried the ball 13 times for an average of 1.7 yards per carry. Rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon dropped two easy passes while a victory was still within reach. The Eagles recorded their first first down of the second half in the fourth quarter.
Milton said he sees excitement on his teammates' faces. “Seeing them tonight, still got that excitement on their face, knowing that it’s not over,” Milton said. “It’s great to see.” The team enters a bye week before hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers, a 6-2 squad leading the AFC North.
