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The Philadelphia Eagles snapped a three-game losing streak on Monday with a victory over the New York Giants.
But there was still plenty of unrest among both the team and its fans at Lincoln Financial Field.
Now, it appears that some Eagles players are passing the blame for some of their recent struggles onto those very same fans.
Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that some Eagles players believe that the home crowd is partially responsible for communication issues on offense.
“Over the past month several Eagles offensive players have hinted that the crowd noise at Lincoln Financial Field has affected the offense’s efficiency. Now, they’re going public,” Hayes writes. “Some can’t hear Jalen Hurts’ cadence. Some can’t hear audibles, every syllable of which is crucial…some can’t hear the play call in the huddle.
“The noise can get so bad that the Eagles have had to use silent counts in their own stadium. One lineman said that was the case during the infamous ‘Run the ball!’ drive.”
Hayes states that Eagles center Jason Kelce told him “it would be nice if you could hear yourself think out there,” after Philadelphia’s overtime win against the Buffalo Bills on Nov. 26.
But Kelce isn’t alone.
“It kind of gets loud for the offense,” star quarterback said after the win over the Giants. “It’s supposed to get loud for the defense.”
Left tackle Jordan Mailata shared those sentiments.
“One hundred percent. I would love to hear the cadence,” Mailata told Hayes. “People don’t understand the gravity of playing at home. Because we can go on our cadence. Maybe draw them offside.”
Philadelphia plays its final home game of the season on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. A win would take it one step closer to an NFC East victory. Which would mean at least one more home game in the playoffs.
But maybe home field advantage isn’t quite what it’s cracked up to be for the Eagles.
