‘It’s A Work In Progress’

DeVonta Smith says the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense is a “work in progress.” (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

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DeVonta Smith knows the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense needs to be better if the team wants to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

While the Eagles have the best record in the NFC (8-2), they’ve won games in less-than-impressive fashion. Philadelphia pulled off a big win over the Detroit Lions in Week 11, but that was after they scored just 16 points in the game. It was the Eagles’ second straight game where they scored less than 17 points in a win, with Philadelphia scoring 10 points in their victory over the Green Bay Packers.

Entering their Week 12 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, the Eagles’ offense is averaging just 23.4 points per game, which is the 16th-best in the league. Furthermore, the passing attack ranks just 28th in the league.

“I feel like it’s a work in progress us offensively,” says Smith in a one-on-one interview. “We’re still trying to get there, we’re still trying to figure some things out, but every week we’re doing what we can to get better and go out there and perform the way we need to.”

One of the keys towards getting into a rhythm offensively is limiting the amount of penalties, according to Smith. In their most recent win over the Lions, the penalties were definitely an issue, with Philadelphia committing nine penalties for 78 yards in comparison to Detroit’s five penalties for 48 yards.

Smith stresses that if the Eagles want to reach their peak offensively, they need to limit the self-induced mistakes.

“Continue to be on the same page,” Smith says bluntly on how the Eagles can improve offensively. “Not shoot ourselves in the foot and eliminate the penalties.”

The Eagles have had one of the toughest schedules in the NFL, with ESPN’s FPI ranking them fifth overall. Through Week 11, Philadelphia has already faced seven playoff teams from last season and they’ve defeated six of them, with their lone loss being against the Denver Broncos.

It’s a pretty solid start for a team that is looking to become a repeat champ, something that’s only been done twice in this century, with the 2003 and 2004 New England Patriots accomplishing the feat, along with the 2023 and 2024 Kansas City Chiefs.

The Eagles’ second half of their schedule softens drastically, with one of the easiest remaining schedules in the NFL. Philadelphia’s remaining opponents have a winning percentage of .459, which is one of the six easiest schedules in the league.

Smith says he does believe the Eagles are starting to get into a better rhythm offensively on a week-to-week basis.

“I think we’re getting a better rhythm, but we’re just shooting ourselves in the foot,” says Smith. “Getting behind the sticks with penalties and things like that. When you do that, it’s hard, when you’re in first and long and second and long because you got a penalty or a negative play.”

If the Eagles are to start turning the page and showing their potential on offense, it should start this week against arguably the worst defense in the NFL in the Cowboys. Dallas rank second-to-last in points per game, allowing 29.3 points per game. They also rank 30th in total yards allowed and second-to-last in passing touchdowns allowed.

It also helps that the Eagles have dominated the rivalry as of late with their NFC East rivals, having won four of their past five games against them.

“Just go out there and play our brand of football,” Smith says of the key to beating the Cowboys. “It’s a rivalry game. It’s going to always be hostile, especially going there. So just be ready to go out there and do what we need to do.”

The Eagles will play their divisional rivals in four of their last seven games. He says what makes those games harder and more intense is that they legitimately hate each other.

“We hate each other,” Smith says of the Cowboys.

DeVonta Smith Talks About Being NFL Player Ambassador For Oral-B

As Smith goes through his fifth season in the league, the veteran receiver is partnering with Oral-B, which is the official toothbrush of the NFL. One of the featured products is the Oral-B iO series electric toothbrush.

Smith is one of the featured player ambassadors of the partnership.

“It means a lot for me personally, I take my hygiene and the way I look (seriously), Oral-B helps me keep that the way I want to keep it,” says Smith of why he’s partnering with the toothbrush brand. “The electric toothbrush is great. It gets to all the places that you can’t get in with a regular toothbrush.”

The campaign also sees the Eagles’ mascot, SWOOP, debut a brand new set of teeth thanks to Oral-B.

“Oral-B does a good job of making sure you have all the tools that you need to keep your teeth nice and white,” says Smith. “As you can see, it’s paying off with SWOOP’s smile.”