Why Eagles' DeVonta Smith Was Unhappy Even After Winning Skid Game – NBC Sports Philadelphia

Some holiday music played over the speakers in the Eagles' locker room after their 33-25 win over the Giants on Christmas Day at the Linc.

But it wasn't Holly Jolie's birthday.

far from it.

The Eagles improved to 11-4 but with just two games remaining in the 2023 regular season, it's clear they're not playing their best. One of the leaders of the offense, DeVonta Smith, did not mince words.

“Eleven wins?” Smith said. “We're not playing good football right now. As an offense, we're not where we want to be. I didn't like it. Yeah, we got 11 wins. I'm not happy. It's got to be better for what I want to do, and what everyone here wants to do.” And what we want to be. We're not close to that, so no, I'm not happy.

Many of the Eagles shared this feeling after the victory, which ended a three-game losing streak. There was some relief about getting a W but it was not convincing and did little to allay the concerns that have arisen over the past month.

In fact, this was the same win we've seen many times from the Eagles this season.

“I think that could be pretty much anyone around here, man,” Smith said. “They'd probably tell you the same thing. We know what we can be and we know we're not there yet. We have a lot to do.”

Smith on Monday surpassed the 1,000 receiving yards mark for the second straight season and was asked about the milestone twice after the game. Both times, he gave some version of the same answer: “We're not playing the way we're supposed to play.”

Smith was not alone in his frustration. A few feet away from Smith's locker booth, fellow captain AJ Brown declined several requests for an interview, a rarity in the NFL after a win. There's obviously a lot of frustration among the Eagles' offensive players and we saw some of that frustration on TV late in the game.

But it wasn't as if the Eagles offense was having a bad day. And while they occasionally stumbled in the red zone, turned the ball over and committed costly penalties, they still moved the ball. They had 28 first downs to the Giants' 14 and finished with 465 yards of total offense — the second-highest total of the season.

“We have high standards and it's hard when you know there's a lot of opportunities you know are missed,” left tackle Jordan Mailata said. “A win will always be a win, but it won't be great. It feels good. It won't feel good. I think that's the high bar in this locker room.”

Throughout the 2023 season, quarterback Jalen Hurts has spoken about the importance of winning but also playing to their standards. He talked about that a lot this season because there were a lot of wins where the Eagles didn't play their best but found a way to sneak by.

Obviously, games like this leave the Eagles' quarterback a bit conflicted.

“It's like a double-edged sword, what's more important, the win or the standard? It's mind-bending sometimes,” he said. “I can play at my level and lose and get sick. I can win and not play at my level and say: 'We have more work to do.' It's that battle we balance as competitors.

If the Eagles have some magic switch that will allow them to play a complete game, it's time to flip it. Because they are running out of time.

The Eagles host the Cardinals in Week 17 and then travel to North Jersey to conclude the regular season against the Giants. Two more games against sub-par opponents before the playoffs begin.

“You hope you get close to that point,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. “We know we have better football within us. To be 11-4 and still have better football is encouraging, but let's go. We have to get there.”

If the Eagles take care of it over these final two games, they will clinch the NFC East. If they take care of it and the Lions lose a game, they get the No. 2 seed. If they take care of it and the 49ers lose another game, they get the No. 1 seed.

But none of that seems to matter much if the Eagles don't start playing better as they prepare for a playoff run.

Every player who spoke in the locker room on Christmas evening seemed confident they could turn things around, even this late in the season.

“I know the kind of people we have in this team,” Olamide Zacchaeus said. “We just have to go out and do it.”

Maybe he will start next week against the Cardinals.

“I have all the confidence in the world that we can fix it,” Smith said. “I would never doubt that we would be able to fix this. But we're running out of time. We've got two weeks. We've got two weeks to get it together.”

Subscribe to Eagle Eye wherever you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcast | YouTube music | Spotify | stitch | Art19 | RSS | Watch on YouTube