Jason Kelce offers his support of Tanner McKee following the Eagles’ fifth straight loss, and more from ‘New Heights’
Jason, and his younger brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, broke down the Eagles' latest loss as well as other storylines around the NFL.
Monday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys brought the Eagles’ season to new lows, as they’ve now lost five in a row for the first time since 2016.
But Jason Kelce still isn’t ready to join the fans dogpiling on the team this season.
On Wednesday’s episode of New Heights, Jason and his brother, Travis, discussed the good and the bad from the 38-21 Monday Night Football loss before taking a look at how other teams fared in Week 7.
Flipping the script
If you’re anything like Jason, you’ve found the Eagles’ defense to be one of few bright spots in a rather grim season. As recently as last episode, Jason was saying that with an defense like theirs, the Eagles’ offense doesn’t have to excel to win games.
Monday’s loss proved the opposite to be true with what Jason called “a frustrating performance from the defense.”
» READ MORE: What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 8 vs. the Commanders
Still, the eternal optimist when it comes to the Eagles, the offense received Jason’s praises, despite the final score.
“I’d be lying if I say I wasn’t happy with how the offense performed, especially in the first half and even into the second half,” Jason said. “If it wouldn’t have got out of hand, I think the offense would have played a little bit better. The big negative from the game, from my perspective, the defense played really bad.”
Jason credited rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon for the toughness he displayed during the game, as well as running back Saquon Barkley, who returned from a hamstring injury on Monday. Even though it was apparent Barkley wasn’t fully healthy and suffered another injury in the game, Jason called him a “dog and a warrior” for battling through his discomfort in attempts to help his team.
The biggest takeaway, however, was how backup quarterback Tanner McKee played, displaying more comfort in this outing.
“Thought Tanner played a lot better,” Jason said. “Obviously at the end of the game the pick and had a misthrow over the middle. It wasn’t the second half he’d want, but he played much better throughout the game, had some really good throws, especially big-time third-down throws that I thought extended drives. He should be really happy.”
Weather the storm
Speaking from experience, Jason knows the difference a backup quarterback can make, especially when the starter is out for an extended stretch — like when Nick Foles took over for an injured Carson Wentz in 2017. We all know how that season ended.
Jason did not understate how big of a loss it is for the Eagles to be without Jalen Hurts and referred to a starting quarterback as the “the leader, the orchestrator, the guy running the show offensively.”
“It hits you the hardest as a unit emotionally and also as a player and what they can do and what their strengths are and what you do as an offense,” Jason said. “It’s the most impactful of anybody getting injured.”
» READ MORE: Nick Foles says ‘culture things’ are hurting the Eagles; Nick Sirianni wants his team to ignore ‘that crap’
That said, Jason also said there’s genuine excitement from teammates anytime a teammate who typically doesn’t get the chance to start is given that opportunity.
Having a new leader with limited reps and losing their main guy, Jason said, isn’t the hard part of what the Eagles are going through mentally. Instead, he said, it’s coming back from five losses in a row.
“That’s when it gets hard to keep things on rail and keep it together,” Jason said. “And it’s not even just the players. It’s like everything, man. Because everybody starts questioning everything, and you should because you’re losing games. But this is where great coaches, leaders, this is where you get tested as a ballclub and how you weather this.”
Around the NFL
The Eagles have lost five straight, but Travis and the Chiefs also suffered a loss, their first of the season.
But Travis is only focusing on what he can improve.
“It was just, bad techniques, bad fundamentals, just OK effort,” Travis said. “And I say this, because that’s what I see out of myself on film. Didn’t play our best, but I can only speak on what I can do better, and I’ll only tell my side of the story in terms of what I need to be doing to get better. As a unit, we got to play better together, which is making sure that we’re all being accountable in every single aspect of the game.”
With the Chiefs’ loss, the Vikings are the only undefeated team remaining. But Jason doesn’t see them as a Super Bowl contender just yet.
“If you’re going to be a legitimate contender in this league, you got to be playing well on both sides of the ball come the playoffs,” Jason said. “Now, if they start turning around offensively, like Kyler [Murray] starts playing better, whatever. But as of right now, I just don’t see it.”
How were we so wrong? Heading into the season, the Eagles’ defense was supposed to be their strength. After Monday’s throttling by the Cowboys, the group reached a new low, especially on the defensive line, where major offseason investments and commitments were made. Why has a unit that showed promise in training camp failed to live up to expectations? And how will the Eagles’ five-game losing streak influence the organization’s approach to the NFL’s impending trade deadline? The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and David Murphy tackle these topics and more the day after the Eagles’ 38-21 defeat to Dallas. Listen here.
Listen to all episodes here or wherever you get your podcasts.
