New York Giants' cornerback, Prince Amukamara, says he knows exactly what has been missing from the vaunted Philadelphia Eagles' offense so far this season - diminutive wide receiver DeSean Jackson.
The Eagles, who face off this Sunday night against Amukamara's Giants, were undeniably prolific on offense last year - they set team records in points, yards, touchdowns, passing yards and fewest turnovers. They had the league's leading rusher in LeSean McCoy and a quarterback in Nick Foles who threw 27 touchdowns and only two interceptions.
Jackson had career highs in receptions (82), yards (1,332) and touchdowns (9) in Philadelphia head coach Chip Kelly's offense.
The Eagles won 10 games on their way to an NFC East crown and a playoff berth.
So far this season, they're still managing the most points in the league with a 31.2 game average, but they're not quite as dynamic as they previously were.
Amukamara thinks this can all be traced back to one fateful off-season decision - cutting Jackson.
"The only difference is [Foles] doesn't have DeSean [Jackson] and [Jason] Avant anymore and those guys were great, great key guys," Amukamara said. "I guess it's just tough for those other guys to fill in their shoes."
McCoy has been bottled up almost from the get-go (2.9 yards per rush) and Foles' once-sterling numbers are now below average - he's only managing 6.8 yards per pass, and he's got five interceptions through five games, or three more than he threw in 10 games last season.
"I think the Eagles formula to winning now is just different," he said. "Their defense and special teams need to step up. ... Last year you knew what the offense was going to give you, but I think it's early in the season and I think they're going to get it going because they have a reputation for being an explosive offense."
The Eagles' defense and special teams have stepped up thus far - four special teams touchdowns, an interception return for a touchdown, two fumble recoveries for a touchdown - helping to bail out an offense that has yet to return completely to 2013-14 form.
When asked if the Eagles miss Jackson offensively, Amukamara responded with a question that may point to why the Eagles parted ways with DeSean in the first place.
"As a person or a player?" Amukamara wondered.
But Amukamara maintains that Jackson adds a special element to the offense that the Eagles just haven't been able to replace.
"As a player, of course they miss him. You can't coach speed and I don't know if he's replaceable. That's tough. He's such a great player and attracts a lot of attention on the field."
