Nick Sirianni has said the Philadelphia Eagles would correct their penalties after the first week of the season. Through three games, the penalty issues have gotten worse -- giving the Eagles a moniker no football team wants to be affiliated with.
Undisciplined.
Philadelphia finished with 13 penalties in Monday's embarrassing loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the second time this season the Eagles finished with double-digit penalties. The Eagles have committed 35 penalties through three games, a franchise record that broke the previous mark set in 1956. That Eagles team finished 3-8-1, which is where this team is heading if the penalties aren't cleaned up.
"It's really the players," Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson said on the JAKIB Media Postgame Show after the loss. "I can say for myself I had two holding penalties there at the end (of the game). I can't say if I agree with them, but if you go back and look at the tape most of the night -- if I could have those two plays back I'd say it was an excellent game. Whenever it gets late in the game and you gotta have it, stupid penalties -- it starts with me.
"We'll go back and watch the film and that's one thing we do, every play -- good, bad, or indifferent. That's what we do here, hold people accountable. So it starts with the guys up front, me (included)."
The Eagles have a minus-14 penalty count (21 the beneficiary, 35 called against), the worst in the NFL. Overall, 37 flags have been called on the Eagles and two have been declined. Here's the breakdown of Eagles penalties and their NFL rank:
- Holding -- 6 (t-4th)
- False starts -- 6 (2nd)
- Defensive pass interference -- 4 (2nd)
- Unnecessary roughness -- 2 (t-4th)
- Offsides -- 2 (t-5th)
The Eagles are on pace for 198 penalties, which would be the most in NFL history. The 2011 Oakland Raiders have the most penalties in a season with 163, averaging 10.19 per game. Philadelphia is averaging 11.65 penalties per game.
This is a problem that needs to be fixed.
"We've got to go back to work and get better at that because that's unacceptable," Sirianni said after the loss. "We're all in this together. It starts with me, and it's unacceptable on my part."
