Amongst the numerous issues the Eagles have to fix before their matchup against Carolina on Sunday has to be their execution in the red zone. Against the Chiefs, the Eagles had several opportunities to capitalize on their field position but failed to do so almost every time. The good news is they could get downfield, but once goal-line situations occurred, everything came to a halt. 

According to Flurry Sports, the Eagles have 13 redzone attempts this season, tied for 7th most in the NFL. Of those opportunities, they have scored a touchdown on a very nice 69% of those drives. Overall they are one of the best red-zone offenses in the NFL, scoring on 92% of their appearances, but watching the games, it can be so much better.

If some of these drives have better play-calling and execution in the red zone, there’s a good chance the Eagles have a far different record than they do currently. Luckily, they have an opportunity to change their fortunes against the Carolina Panthers this weekend.

Carolina has allowed the fewest red zone drives in the NFL this season with just six attempts. The Panthers have also played the Jets, Saints, and Texans, three teams that have very little offensive production to begin with. When you look at the Panthers’ red zone defense, although they only allowed six drives, their defense has let up a touchdown every single time. 

The Panthers are just one of two teams in the NFL to allow opponents to score a touchdown on 100% of red zone appearances. Their secondary is phenomenal, allowing the second-fewest passing yards in football, behind only the Buffalo Bills, while their rushing defense is 10th in the league.

Sam Darnold has looked like a completely different QB this season with a plethora of options on offense. Meanwhile, Christian McCaffrey seems to be on pace to return this week, bolstering their offense even more. With the Eagles’ poor run defense, they will need every point they can get on Sunday, and their red zone offense is a crucial component to doing so.

Simple mistakes have killed this Eagles team almost every single week. They have put themselves in positions to succeed. Outside of Dallas, this team has been in every single one of their games. If Nick Sirianni can turn things around this week, it’s hard to say that the Eagles don’t have a shot to pull off a win.

Mandatory Credit: Philadelphia Inquirer