If you are looking for the one player on defense the Philadelphia Eagles cannot afford to lose, don’t look any further. We can tell you who it is.
It’s second year cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. Nobody else is even close.
That’s why it was such a blow when Mitchell injured his hamstring in the first half, left the game and didn’t return in a shocking, 34-17 Week 6 loss to the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football.
Mitchell’s exit meant the Eagles were forced to go with Kelee Ringo and Adoree Jackson at the outside cornerback spots for the rest of the game. Which is never a good option.
It was the second consecutive loss for the Eagles, who dropped to 4-2 on the season.
“Losing Quinyon Mitchell is a big deal,” Super Bowl champion cornerback and Amazon Prime Video commentator Richard Sherman said at halftime. “Kelee Ringo and Adoree Jackson have struggled and it’s been an issue. It’s going to continue to be an issue with those two guys at cornerback.”
Mitchell, a 2024 first round pick, was a plug-and-play starter for the Eagles as a rookie and one of their key players on the run to winning Super Bowl LIX and is widely thought of as one of the NFL’s elite cover cornerbacks.
Jackson’s Poor Effort on Skattebo TD Run
Jackson was bad in coverage, sure, but he was particularly bad on a 1-yard touchdown run by Giants running back Cam Skattebo on which Skattebo got into the end zone after a second and third effort … and with Jackson literally standing next to Skattebo and not making any serious effort to tackle him.
It was Skattebo’s second touchdown and gave the Giants a 27-17 lead with 7:56 remaining in the third quarter.
“Yikes: Adoree Jackson showed ZERO effort on that touchdown run by Cam Skattebo.” NFL reporter Dov Kleiman wrote on his official X account.
“Jihaad Campbell not hitting the QB at the sticks,” Eagles Pin Pull’s Shane Haff wrote on his official X account. “Adoree Jackson not even trying to wrap up Skattebo. Just soft. “Pull them both and put in Nakobe Dean and Mac McWilliams.”
“Wow, I’d cut Adoree Jackson tomorrow after that (expletive) attempt to tackle!” Will Lewis wrote on X. “My goodness that was a joke.”
“Adoree’ Jackson might lead the NFL in pass breakups that are still somehow caught,” The Philly Special’s Anthony DiBona wrote on his official X account.
“I knew the Eagles wasn’t serious about winning this year when they went with Adoree Jackson as a week 1 starter lol,” Project Jiggy wrote on X.
Mitchell Could Be Impossible to Replace
The Eagles can now just hope and pray Mitchell’s hamstring isn’t a serious issue that will keep him out … although even missing one game with Mitchell is going to hurt.
After helping lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl win, Mitchell landed at No. 9 on ESPN’s annual Top 10 position rankings — at 23 years old the youngest player to make the list.
“Mitchell was stellar in the predraft process in 2024 and continued that momentum throughout his rookie season,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on July 17. ” … When a receiver catches a pass in Mitchell’s vicinity, he doesn’t go far. Mitchell allowed an average of 1.5 yards after catch as the nearest defender in coverage last season, the fewest by any player with at least 30 targets. The next closest was Surtain at 1.9. In three playoff games, Mitchell allowed seven yards after the catch on five receptions.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Eagles Defense Suffers Major Injury Setback in Loss to Giants appeared first on Heavy Sports.