Eagles' Schwartz: 'Our corners aren't playing very well right now'

After dropping three straight games while allowing at least 26 points per loss, Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz sees a problem with his defense.

The Eagles once-stingy unit has dropped off in recent weeks after exhibiting several dominating performances early in the season. Schwartz said after Sunday's 32-14 beatdown against the Cincinnati Bengals, who were without some key offensive pieces, that the unit tried everything they could, but ultimately, one position group wasn't good enough.

"Facts were, in this game, we got beat in blitz, we got beat in zone, we got beat in Cover 2, we got beat in two-man, we got beat in six. We rolled through every one. We got beat in all of them," Schwartz told Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer about the loss. "Facts of life, our corners aren't playing very well right now."

Schwartz says he doesn't believe there is an inherit flaw with his cornerbacks - Leodis McKelvin, Nolan Carroll, Jalen Mills, and C.J. Smith - but he notes they are currently playing below top-performance level.

"It doesn't mean I've lost confidence in them, because that's the same bunch of corners that shut down some of the best offenses in the NFL," said Schwartz. "But we're in a slump, and it didn't matter what we were calling.

"A couple weeks ago when I was up here, we were talking about Minnesota and I said, 'It didn't matter what I was calling, they were all working.' In this game, it didn't matter. Didn't matter what we were calling, it wasn't working."

Part of the problem with the Eagles' corner backs could stem from the loss of Ron Brooks, who was playing as a high-level nickel corner before suffering a season-ending quad injury in mid-October. The team also traded 2015 second-round pick Eric Rowe to the New England Patriots before the season.