Part of it is modern defenses are not built to stop every play. They have a certain amount of bend to then to not give up bigger plays.

So, what you’ll often see from the Eagles, is they take those 3-5 yard buffer plays (a quick checkdown to Smith, a run up the middle). Then on third downs, defenses usually play the sticks, trying to force a punt. The Eagles push this to take the easy yards and come up short on 3rd down, specifically knowing how common 4th-1s can be.

What you saw in the Jets game (and early on against Kansas City and Buffalo to a degree), was the defense selling out to stop those little plays - extra pressure on first down, right coverage combined with blitzes. The goal was to set up 4th and long, rather than just 4th down.

God, that prediction of a Broncos playoff run looked REALLY rough for a while, now it looks like a lock

I’ll say it again, every reason to have been excited about the 2022 Broncos is still there, only they went from Mr “dick around for 3 minutes and play for a 65 yard field goal” to Mr “Onside kick at halftime of the Super Bowl”. They were bound to be better.

Or the sign of a really undisciplined team. Maybe like one where a player feels comfortable going up to the stands and shoving a fan.

Ironically, the Eagles only need to go 5-2 the rest of the way (split these next 4 against the Bill’s, Niners, Cowboys, and Seahawks, then handle business against the Giants, Cards, and Giants) to surpass THEIR 13 wins form last year.