“I’m especially intrigued to see how the Eagles handle the Rams’ quick game,” says Bleeding Green Nation of Fangio’s defense
The Los Angeles Rams will be out for revenge in Week 12 with the Philadelphia Eagles venturing to SoFi Stadium on Sunday Night Football. Philadelphia defeated LA 23-14 during the 2023 campaign thanks to Jalen Hurts’ 375 total yards.
This season, Hurts has additional help from Saquon Barkley, who is racing into the MVP conversation. First-year defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has also gotten his unit to play at an “elite” level. Brandon Lee Gowton from SB Nation’s Eagles blog Bleeding Green Nation joins us ahead of SNF to share his thoughts on Barkley, Fangio and more.
Q – Since losing 33-16 to the Bucs in Week 4, Jalen Hurts has been on a tear, amassing 17 total touchdowns during the Eagles’ six-game winning streak. What makes Hurts important to Philly’s success?
A – The Eagles have shifted to a super run-heavy approach since their Week 5 bye. They currently lead the NFL in rushing play percentage at 55.24%. And the difference between them and the Pittsburgh Steelers in second is the same as the difference between second and sixth.
Hurts has been much more efficient as a lower volume passer. Averaging 21.8 attempts over his last six games, he’s produced 17 total touchdowns, two giveaways, and a 118.1 passer rating. Averaging 33 attempts over his first four games, he logged six total touchdowns, seven giveaways, and an 85.7 passer rating.
So, Hurts isn’t so vital to the Eagles’ success in the sense that they’ve gotten better as his role has been reduced. And there’s actually been some frustration with the passing attack not totally being in sync. Hurts has been guilty of holding onto the ball too long at times (second longest average time-to-throw in the NFL) and leaving meat on the bone with plays to be made left on the field.
But Hurts deserves credit for mostly taking care of the ball. Turnovers were a big issue early on. He’s also made a habit of getting better as the game goes along; he typically doesn’t let early struggles snowball into a bigger disaster. And he’s obviously a big factor with his legs, be it picking up a crucial first down or being nearly unstoppable in short-yardage situations by way of the Brotherly Shove.
Q – The other catalyst for the Eagles’ success has been of course Saquon Barkley, who reached the 1,000-yard plateau against the Commanders on Thursday and already has four games with 140+ rushing yards. How has Barkley transformed the offense and where should he rank in the MVP conversation?
A – Barkley is obviously a huge reason why the Eagles have become the NFL’s most run-heavy offense. There’s every reason to keep giving the ball to the dude who’s been quite simply unstoppable.
Barkley’s logging 6.2 yards per rushing attempt over the last five weeks. He is not going to be denied. Take last week’s game against the Washington Commanders, for example. They had him relatively bottled up for most of the game … only for him to explode for two fourth quarter touchdown runs to close it out.
Barkley’s also a factor as a pass-catcher, as evidenced by his wheel route touchdown in Week 9. Or the dump-off that he turned into a 43-yard gain against Washington. Or the third down dump-off that he turned into a first-and-goal against the Dallas Cowboys. Or the catch in the flat where he juked one defender, spun around another, and then leapt BACKWARDS over a third in the Jacksonville Jaguars game.
We all know MVP is a quarterback award, so, I highly doubt Barkley wins it. But he’s absolutely deserves to be in that conversation. He’s a huge reason why the Eagles have won six in a row to reach 8-2. He’s averaging a league-leading 134.7 yards from scrimmage per game. That’s not crazy far off from where Adrian Peterson, the last running back to win MVP, was at in 2012 with 144.6 yards from scrimmage per game. Barkley conceivably could be closer to that mark by the end of the season. Maybe even exceed it?
Q – The Eagles have improved on defense following the offseason hiring of veteran defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. What has Fangio done to spark the defensive turnaround and what are some weaknesses the Rams could exploit on Sunday?
A – The Eagles’ defense is legit. Entering the season, the realistic hope was that they’d be average. They’ve been much better than that! Since the Eagles’ Week 5 bye, Fangio’s unit has allowed just 11.3 points per game and 190 yards per game. Six offensive touchdowns allowed in six games.
There was always some thought that it’d take some time for Fangio’s defense to gel. Not only because he’s in his first season as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator but also because his system emphasizes players communicating with each other such as when they’re passing routes off. Now that they’ve built up a rapport in this system that’s designed to limit big plays, we’re seeing Eagles defenders playing fast, aggressive, and confident. The Birds have allowed the fewest explosive plays in the NFL.
Fangio also deserves some credit for player evaluation and player development. Zack Baun was a rotational edge rusher on the New Orleans Saints and now he’s playing like — I swear I’m saying this without hyperbole — an All-Pro linebacker. Seriously, Baun leads the NFL in “stops,” which are tackles that constitute a failure for the offense. He also has the second-best coverage grade of any off-ball linebacker … only behind Fred Warner (via Pro Football Focus). Rookie cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean have been sensational. The former especially figures to challenge Jared Verse for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
While there aren’t many obvious weaknesses at the moment, I do expect the Rams’ offense to be a serious challenge this defense. Matthew Stafford is playing at a high level and the combination of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp won’t be easy to cover.
I’m especially intrigued to see how the Eagles handle the Rams’ quick game. Stafford has the third-fastest average time-to-throw this year. The Eagles had their worst game on defense this season back in Week 4 when Baker Mayfield was getting rid of the ball lightning quick. We’ll see if the Eagles have better answers for that kind of approach this time around.
Q – Philadelphia began the 2023 campaign 10-1 before losing six of seven to bow out of the postseason in embarrassing fashion. The Eagles are off to another great start at 8-2, so what changes do you notice in this season’s team compared to last year’s and what must the team do to avoid another collapse?
A – The 2023 Eagles were always due for some natural regression since they overachieved to get to 10-1. They were 6-1 in one-score games, which tend to speak more to luck than skill. They only had a +62 point differential. For context, the 7-4 Baltimore Ravens currently have a +63 point differential. The 8-2 Eagles have a +80 point differential.
Of course, the collapse was about more than just natural regression since the team totally fell off a cliff for a number of different reasons. None small among them: inexplicably replacing (current Rams assistant!) Sean Desai with MATT PATRICIA at defensive coordinator. I tend to think Fangio knows a thing or two more about defense than that guy.
I also think the vibes are just way, way better this year. The 2023 Eagles were dealing with the crushing weight of expectations having lost the Super Bowl despite being one of the greatest teams in franchise history in 2022. Just winning wasn’t good enough; they were (justifiably) being judged on how they won … and it often wasn’t very pretty. They just weren’t doing what the best teams typically do in terms of blowing out inferior incompletion. A team source described the Eagles as “the most miserable 10-1 team ever.” Things just never felt quite right.
The 2024 Eagles, by contrast, entered the season with lower expectations than the 2023 group. They’re beating teams more convincingly and they look like they’re having much more fun while doing it.
Q – In light of last year’s collapse, Nick Sirianni is on a short leash in Philly despite a 44-22 record since 2021. The coach has seemingly done enough to silence any talk of the hot seat these last few weeks. What are your honest thoughts on Sirianni?
A – On one hand, Nick Sirianni has done a whole lot of winning. Since 1959, only five coaches have a better all-time winning percentage: John Madden, Vince Lombardi, George Allen, Jim Harbaugh, and Blanton Collier. That’s pretty elite company. The Eagles have made the playoffs — and one Super Bowl — in three out of three seasons since he was hired in 2021. And there’s obviously a good chance it’ll be four out of four.
On the other hand, he was stripped of some of his power following the team’s unprecedented collapse late last season. One of the things we do know he directly handles is game management … and he’s hardly aced that category this season. At his best, he’s stayed out of the way and managed not to be a liability. At his worst, the Eagles have had to win in spite of their head coach.
Entering this season, I felt good about the Eagles’ outlook. I had them going 13-4. My confidence was rooted in their talent, though. I truly believe that’s the biggest driver of their success (so, big ups to Howie Roseman). I don’t feel confident in Sirianni giving his team an edge when the margin for error shrinks in the playoffs.
On that note, if the Eagles aren’t able to win a playoff game … that’ll be pretty concerning. The circumstances of such a defeat would obviously be relevant to whether he retains his job or not. He’d probably be safe with a close loss but he likely can’t survive another first-round blowout like the Eagles have suffered in two out of his three seasons.
