Can the Rams defense “nickel and dime” the Eagles?

Defensive Coordinator Mike Shula puts his safety unit front and center

Looking for a little payback and an NFC Conference Championship berth, the Los Angeles Rams head to the eastern seaboard for a rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles. Back in Week 12 on the west coast, Philly rolled to a 37-20 win on the power of 314 rushing yards.

The Eagles continue as a force to be reckoned with on the ground, running for 179.3 yards per game at a 4.9 yard per carry clip. Running back Saquon Barkley leads the attack with 2114 yards rushing and 17 explosive carries of 20 yards or more. In the Rams/Eagles previous meeting, he had two touchdown runs of 70+ yards.

Since that game, Rams Defensive coordinator Mike Shula has battened down the hatches on opponent’s run games to the tune of 104.1 yards per game.

One of the changes made is extensive use of his safety unit in “big” nickel and dime formations. Traditional nickel sets would be five coverage men, normally subbing in a third cornerback for a linebacker or defensive linemen, to go along with two safeties. Dime sets were an extension of that, employing six coverage players. You might bring on a safety, but if you had enough corners, you would field four corners and two safeties. On “big” dimes, the numbers are opposite. In theory, this offers the requisite pass coverage and a tackling advantage, as safeties are normally stronger tacklers.

Yes, 86% of nickel/dime snaps is a large number, but I’m not particularly in agreement that the Rams will make radical changes to that amount. The way the Eagles offense is structured would appear to make tackling a higher priority than downfield coverage.

Philly is exclusively a read/option offense. Although similar to what many colleges employ, they have incorporated gap and power blocking schemes. As the Eagles use it, the read/option is not about trickery, it’s a downhill attack based on getting a numerical blocking advantage. Opposite of the Rams, they don’t use a large amount of shifts and motion.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts directs things from a shotgun formation. Hurts is bigger than safeties, faster than most linebackers and arguably, is as good a runner as passer. The concept of read/option is simple, the quarterback reads the defensive pursuit and if the edges crash down aggressively, he can keep the ball and take off outside the tackle. If the defensive ends play it straight, he hands the ball off to the running back.

While the rush attack is downhill, every play has a delay/draw feel to it. It makes for a variety of possibilities. Philly uses a lot of base blocks (1on1), power pulls, and trap-like schemes. They use a tight end wham/kickout block very similar to the Rams, but not out of motion, theirs comes off a pull. The twist on the trap/wham/kickout is what the Eagles call “crunch.” Jonny Page, from Bleeding Green Nation explains it.

“…“Crunch” is a type of trap play. It’s a rare concept involving a trap and a wham block… These are blocks that pull a blocker to block an uncovered defender. This block will go opposite to the rest of the offensive line. Trap and wham are the same thing. Wham uses a tight end to block, while trap uses an offensive lineman. That’s it. I saw someone describe the offensive line movement as looking like a pair of scissors a few years ago and that has always stuck with me.”

The Eagles have a stellar offensive line, they are a mammoth quintet at an average of 330+ lb. and very athletic. For the third-straight year, Pro Football Focus ranks them as the #1 rated unit, NFL Lines power rankings charts them as the third best, and ESPN scores them 6th in pass block win rate and 9th in run block win rate.

Philadelphia leans towards the run game at a 56-44 ratio and it sets up the pass well. While the pass offense is driven by short and mid-range passes, the strength of the run game discourages opponents use of two-high safety and umbrella coverages in exchange for extra support near the line of scrimmage. The stellar pass protection, his ability to extend plays, and favorable coverages has allowed Jalen Hurts to complete 20% of his pass attempts for 20+ yards.

Generally speaking, the Eagles passing game force defenses to cover sideline to sideline in the short/mid areas. They use a lot of mesh concepts/rub routes to achieve separation and have a strong receiving presence with their tight ends. Although not a huge part of the Philly offense, their strong run game creates opportunities for play action and Hurts has been very efficient in using it.

Slowing down the Eagles offense

So, how do the Rams defend the #7 scoring and #2 running offense?

Concentrate on stopping the run and force Philadelphia to march down the field through the air. Press them into long extended drives that end in field goals and shorten the game. While neither team is particularly strong at a scoring early, the Rams did show that ability in Round 1. Getting an early lead and making the Eagles play from behind could fire up the young Rams defense and put pressure on Hurts to win it with his arm.

Digging in deeper, the Rams have to tackle like they did last week, against both run and pass. While the weather may make for slick conditions, all have to get under control, square up, and wrap up. Flying to the ball and gang-tackling is great, but getting runners down 1on1 or in space is the difference maker.

The front line

Against the run, the defensive linemen must get penetration and blow things up at the point of attack. They must “feel” the traps and be ready to squat and fight off. Backside pursuit, from behind the pullers must be explosive. It’s paramount that the edges have read/react discipline. Philly doesn’t go outside a lot with its backs, but that’s where Hurts does his damage. Pass rush pocket integrity is always important against a mobile quarterback. On passing downs, I’d like to the Rams use a spy behind rush and really turn the edge rushers loose.

Linebackers

Huge test, the Eagles offensive line is just so good at getting to the second level. Omar Speights has now 65-70% of reps in nine straight games, his success will be measured in aggressively hitting gaps on run fits. For Christian Rozeboom it will be about tackling in space.

Cornerbacks

Loved the mixture of press/man and zone vs. the Vikings. Will Hurts ability to extend plays force the Rams to stay in zone and keep their eyes in the backfield? With 66% (2 out of 3) of Eagle targets are going to just three players, I vote man them up. No disrespect to the Eagles WR#3, but he’s battling with backups for targets. Mix it up, disguise it, and don’t forget those delayed blitzes off the edge. The same edge Hurts likes run read/option off of.

Back to the nickel and dimes

L.A. has been making use of all four of their safeties in the second half of the season. They now return veteran John Johnson, while he may have a little rust after the long layoff, he also brings fresh legs and the savvy of eight seasons and seven playoff appearances.

If the unit plays the way they did vs. the Vikings, the Rams chances to win raise exponentially. Their pursuit angles and tackling in space are tantamount to success. The Eagles are going to move the ball, they’re a good offense, but squelching yards after contact will make the difference. Allowing big plays made the created the imbalance in the last meeting. It’s tough to focus on your responsibility when a mobile quarterback breaks the pocket, but not letting receivers get behind them or lost in open areas, lets Rams live to fight another play.

Conclusion

The Eagles are not a tricky team. The linemen are maulers and the skill players are gifted runners. They do what they do very well. If you cannot stop a particular play, or show a weak spot they will bludgeon you with it.

But the Rams are a different team from eight weeks ago. They have proven resilient and able to gut out and win close games, even when struggling. Of course the offense must do their share, but this young defense is playing with emotion and play-to-play intensity. DC Mike Shula has shown an endless number of formations, personnel packages, and blitz variations. Now they must show the Philadelphia Eagles.