Who Is Ultimately Responsible for Eagles' Offensive Collapse?

So many breakdowns. So many culprits. So many people to blame for an embarrassing offensive collapse like this.
 
Carson Wentz has to be better. He has to hit guys when they're open. He has to chuck the ball away instead of taking bad sacks and fumbling. 

The receivers have to be better. That's obvious to anybody paying attention. They have to help out their quarterback, make the routine plays and maybe a great one here and there.
 
The offensive line has to be better. Less than 2½ yards per carry in the second half against one of the NFL's worst run defenses is unacceptable, even without Lane Johnson.
 
Mike Groh, Duce Staley, Press Taylor, Carson Walch … all the offensive assistant coaches have to be better. They all have a role in putting together the gameplan, figuring out how to attack, preparing players for what they're going to see, making in-game adjustments.
 
Howie Roseman has to be better. A lot better. This is his roster, and it's not his fault guys keep getting hurt, but it is job to replace them with the best available players, and that clearly hasn't happened.
 
They're all responsible. They all have a piece of this. 
 
But one person is most responsible, and that's Doug Pederson.
 
He'll always be a legend for bringing a Lombardi Trophy back to Philly, but when you have an offensive head coach and the offense has been this wildly inconsistent, it's on him.
 
Why can't the Eagles put together two halves of quality offensive football? That's ultimately on Doug.
 
Why does the play-calling often seem predictable and stale? That's ultimately on Doug. 
 
Why are wide receivers not improving and in some cases regressing? That's ultimately on Doug.
 
Why can't the Eagles make a play down the field? That's on Doug, too.
 
Sunday was one of Doug's worst days. 
 
If you're up 10-0 early in the second quarter in your own stadium against a team with very little firepower, you have to find a way to finish that thing off. I don't care who you're playing.
 
I get that the Patriots have a great defense and one of the best coaches ever, but 10 straight drives without a point is inexcusable. After the Eagles took the 10-0 lead, their last 10 drives ended with seven punts, a fumble, a failed 4th down and the end of the game.
 
While Bill Belichick was over on the other sideline figuring out what the Eagles were doing and how to stop it, Doug Pederson kept handing the ball off to a fumble-prone practice squad running back.

This just in: You're not going to beat Bill Belichick with Boston Scott.
 
That the Eagles went down with their dynamic rookie running back getting just five touches in the game's final 43½ minutes is incomprehensible.
 
If you're going to lose, lose with your best guy out there.
 
I know Sanders was banged up there for a minute, but he missed part of only one series, and he wound up playing 64 snaps - almost double his previous career high.
 
Yet after a terrific start - 6-for-29 on the first three drives - he got just five carries on the Eagles' last 10 drives.
 
Against a defense allowing an NFL-worst 5.6 yards per carry since Week 4.
 
That was right out of the Andy Reid Playbook.
 
The one thing about Pederson since he got here is that he's always had an answer. There have been ugly stretches before and he's always been able to figure things out. 
 
He's navigated the Eagles through a lot of adversity over the last 3½ years. Through an astounding number of injuries to critical guys, through too many off-the-field distractions, through bad losses.
 
Sunday was ugly, but I still believe the NFC East is still there for the taking if the Eagles beat the Cowboys on Dec. 22.
 
For that to happen, everybody has to be better. But more than anything, Doug has to be better.

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