Eagles Film Room: Concept of the Week – QB Draw

In addition to writing the All-22 offense and defense reviews after each Eagles game this year, I will also write this one called ‘Concept of the Week.’ I will break down a specific concept or play on offense and defense and explain the play in more detail. Hopefully, this will allow you to look out for that play in future weeks. This week, we will look at Jalen Hurts’ run on 3rd down that came on a QB Draw.

QB Draw

Before we get into this week’s concept, I want to talk about play sequencing! Great offensive coordinators often call plays to see how the defense reacts and to try to catch them out later. The Eagles threw to Saquon Barkley in the flat earlier in the game with three blockers out in front of him. Here’s the play.

Later in the game, on a huge 3rd down, the Eagles motion out Saquon Barkley as if he is going to catch it as he did earlier. The Baltimore Ravens have to respect this, particularly Roquan Smith, so the Eagles end up catching the Ravens out with no one in the box. This is the beauty of sequencing plays, late motion, or a late shift. The Ravens probably wouldn’t play a 2-high defense with nobody at all in the box if the Eagles came out with Barkley lined up as a receiver. But they had no time to adjust. And the QB Draw works! The draw play is a run that disguises itself as a pass, so you will see the offensive tackles take a passing set, rather than aggressively go and attack the defense linemen like they would on a normal run play.

Two years ago, we saw the Eagles have loads of success with QB Draw runs from empty. But last year, defenses adjusted. Whenever the Eagles went empty, the defense would often send five or six rushers after Hurts, preventing him from effectively running the draw. Kellen Moore brought this play back this week, but he used motion to prevent the defense from predicting what was coming. Simple.

Running the football is all about angles and numbers. Having a mobile quarterback gives you a +1 on every running play, which is a massive advantage. Jalen Hurts’ mobility helps Barkley out, so this play is Barkley returning the favor. The Eagles create a 5v4 in the run game, making it a simple run to execute. This is a good look…

The draw play is a run that disguises itself as a pass, so you will see the offensive tackles take a passing set rather than aggressively go and attack the defense linemen like they would on a normal run play. Then you have the interior trio who can double-team one of the Ravens’ defensive tackles before getting to the second level. It’s a straightforward play, but combined with some great sequencing, it’s a fantastic call.

I really want to see the quarterback draw come back into the Eagles’ playbook more frequently. Let’s talk basic math. If the Eagles have five players as receiving options and spread them out, that leaves six defenders who can come into the box. The Eagles have five offensive linemen. This means that, in very simple terms, the Eagles will nearly always get Hurts one-on-one with a defender in the box when they run a draw from empty.

Lastly, I am going to be doing the same segment on my podcast weekly, so if you want to check out a video explanation in addition to the article, you can do so here!

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