/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73863195/2194769625.0.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,800&ssl=1 "The Linc – Putting the Eagles’ passing offense in historical context")
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73863195/2194769625.0.jpg "The Linc – Putting the Eagles’ passing offense in historical context")
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Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
Is the rest of the Eagles team so dominant that they don’t need a consistently good passing game to win a title? So far, the answer would appear to be yes. But such teams are few and far between in this century of the NFL. The 2015 Broncos won in Peyton Manning’s final season even though he had been one of the least efficient passers in the league during the regular season. The Broncos had the league’s best defense and never scored more than 24 points on offense in any of their three playoff wins. Manning did engineer a crucial fourth-quarter game-winning touchdown drive to beat Pittsburgh in the divisional round. He finished the 2015 playoffs with the worst expected points added per dropback of any Super Bowl champion quarterback in the past 15 years, at minus-.223 per play. The Eagles’ pass offense has barely been better than that, at minus-.190. The only other quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl this century with a negative EPA per dropback in the playoffs were Trent Dilfer in 2000 and Tom Brady in 2001. That was a vastly different era of football. There’s some inherent survivorship bias in the data below—teams who win the Super Bowl usually need to pass the ball better in their biggest games, which the Eagles haven’t yet played—but it shows how much of a relative outlier Hurts would be.
Eagles-Commanders Game Preview: 6 questions and answers with the NFC Championship Game enemy – BGN
2) Commanders starting right guard Sam Cosmi suffered a season-ending injury in Detroit. To what extent is his absence a concern and how will Washington replace him? Well it is a concern, especially playing against Jalen Carter this week. Cosmi was one of our better offensive linemen (and one of the only Ron Rivera draft picks still on the team). However, Trent Scott came in and filled in pretty well for him against the Lions. Scott has primarily served as a depth offensive tackle for us previously, so it was curious to see him act as the replacement guard, but I think the coaches haven’t been too happy with our depth IOL and thought Scott could do a better job. Scott played well for 3 quarters against the Lions, but that’s less of a fearsome front than the Eagles, so we’ll see how he does in this game or if they use someone else.
NFC Championship Edition: Five Questions with Bleeding Green Nation – Hogs Haven
Although the Eagles offense hasn’t been quite as good as the defense, it has still been good, ranking 8th in total yards and 7th in total points over the regular season. However, that overall productivity masks a big difference in the run and pass game, as the Eagles are ranked 2nd in rushing yards and 29th in passing yards over the regular season. A big part of the rushing game is the ability of QB Jalen Hurts to rush for yards himself, but this may be impacted by a knee injury he sustained in last week’s game against the Rams. Hurts is currently likely to play, but may be limited by his knee. The Eagles offense had 4 players granted AP All-Pro honors for the 2024 season: RB Saquon Barkley for 1st Team All-Pro and LT Jordan Mailata, RT Lane Johnson, and WR AJ Brown for 2nd Team All-Pro honors. I asked Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation five questions to better understand the state of the Eagles and what to look for in this game.
Jalen Hurts meets his moment of truth for Eagles in the NFC Championship Game – SB Nation
There’s an easy fix to all of these simulated pressures getting the best of Hurts and the Eagles’ passing game: never put yourself in those situations in the first place. Most teams are going to unleash those kind of pressures on obvious passing downs, but it’s really hard to do them on 3rd and 4. In the Eagles’ first matchup with the Commanders and Hurts being healthy, Philly had a 47% Success Rate and 0.15 EPA per run on early downs. This offense remaining on schedule opens up so many more avenues for their playcalling, but most importantly it allows them to never be in a situation where they have to pass the ball. Take the first big Saquon touchdown, for example. It’s 3rd and 4, and the Rams line up with three of their defensive linemen to one side, and both linebackers to the other side. Hurts sees this, knowing the down and distance, and checks into a run play because they have a really good chance at hitting LA hard with a run. Next thing you know, Barkley takes off for a touchdown.
PFF Grades and Data: Everything you need to know for the AFC, NFC championship games – PFF
No team ran the ball on first down more often than the Eagles during the regular season, doing so at a 64% rate. They’ve leaned into this tendency even further in the postseason, running on 71% of first downs. The Commanders’ defense will need to commit to stopping the run early, as forcing Philadelphia into third-and-long situations could create significant challenges for their offense. The Eagles have converted just one of 11 third downs with seven or more yards to go this postseason, with a 9% conversion rate that ranks as the lowest among all playoff teams. To force long conversions on critical downs, Washington will likely stick with their aggressive strategy of sending early-down run blitzes. During the regular season, the Commanders executed 101 run blitzes on first and second down combined, tied for the second-most in the NFL. Their 51 run blitzes on first down alone ranked fifth overall. In the postseason, Washington leads all teams with 13 run blitzes on run downs, a key factor in limiting Saquon Barkley. The Eagles’ star running back has faced 10 run blitzes in the playoffs, gaining just 21 yards and picking up only one first down in those situations.
A.J. Brown: Numbers are down, but right now winning matters – PFT
“I can’t worry about what happened in the past or even these past two games,” Brown said in a press conference. “I can only look at the film and learn from it. It’s just kinda how the game’s been going. I’m OK, we won. I had some incredible blocks to spring touchdowns, so regardless of if the numbers are not there — I know people care about that — but right now, none of that matters. It’s all about getting that win at the end of the day, so it don’t matter.”
Eagles-Commanders preview: Five things to watch when the Commanders have the ball – PhillyVoice
2) Can the Eagles continue to shut down the Commanders’ running backs? The Commanders were the fifth-most run heavy team in the NFL this season. Obviously, a big part of that is because they have a quarterback who can run. But they were also very effective running with their backs against the Lions in the Divisional Round, as Brian Robinson, Austin Ekeler, and Jeremy McNichols combined for 25 carries for 132 yards and 3 TDs. (I actually think that if this team adds a stud running back this offseason this offense will be a nightmare, but that’s a discussion for another day.) The Eagles did a good job against the Commanders’ running backs in each of the first two matchups, as their backs combined for 36 carries for just 107 yards (2.97 per carry) and a TD. Honestly, any time the Commanders take the ball out of Daniels’ hands and give it a back, that’s probably a gift to the Eagles.
Eagles-Commanders matchups to watch in NFC Championship Game – NBCSP
Vic Fangio vs. Jayden Daniels. The Eagles don’t need any reminders of how dangerous Jayden Daniels can be. The last time these two teams met in Week 16, Daniels threw five touchdown passes, including three in the fourth quarter to give the Commanders a 36-33 win in Washington. The Eagles definitely missed Jalen Hurts after he was knocked out of the game early but that didn’t have any effect on the Eagles’ defense in the fourth quarter getting roasted by Daniels. In that fourth quarter back in Week 16, Daniels completed 12 of 17 passes for 139 yards with 3 touchdowns and an interception. He had a passer rating of 110.0 in that quarter and finished off the comeback by hitting Jamison Crowder in the end zone with six seconds left. Rookie quarterbacks are 0-5 all-time in conference championship games but Daniels is a really good player and the Eagles have to be ready for him.
Divisional Round DVOA: Two Teams Stand Out in Final Four – FTN Fantasy
[BLG Note: Among remaining teams, the Eagles rank 2nd in DVOA while the Commanders rank 4th.]
He made a move to create some separation at the line of scrimmage, and then, bam, running back Saquon Barkley was in the clear down the left sideline on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams with just over 4 minutes remaining in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game. Once he crossed the goal line, 78 yards later, Barkley ran across the back of the end zone and did a baseball slide, joined by wide receiver A.J. Brown, in celebration. It was an amazing moment. And, for Barkley, a moment to remember. “Yeah, probably my favorite touchdown so far of my football career since I was a little kid,” he said. “The conversations I had with myself, the stuff that I’ve been working on, it kind of all just came together in that moment. It also taught me a lesson, too, that – which, I was still focused, but it teaches you a lesson in that moment – there are still 4 minutes of time left (in the game) before you know it, we were at the mercy of (Rams quarterback) Matthew Stafford driving down the field. It was one of my favorite moments, but it’s playoff football, and you gotta keep playing.”
Game Review – Playoffs – PHI 28, LAR 22 – Iggles Blitz
Jalen Hurts had an up and down showing. He was 15-20-128 as a passer and 7-70-1 as a runner. Sirianni would stress to you that Hurts didn’t turn the ball over and won the game. Hurts did have two very good downfield throws. He hit DeVonta for what would have been a good gain, but a DB hit DeVonta in the helmet and he dropped the pass. That did draw a flag. Hurts gave AJ a chance to catch a ball inside the 5. It was well-placed, but AJ couldn’t secure the ball. Hurts looked fine early on. Moore had him throw on the first two plays of the game and they worked well. Hurts seemed to get into a rhythm. The snow hurt him and so did the Rams pass rush. He was sacked 7 times. To be fair, Hurts had time to throw on most of those plays. He held the ball too long. It was very frustrating, as some of those sacks killed promising drives. The safety was a bad moment. Hurts had to know to get rid of that ball. He did make a good fourth down throw to AJ late in the game and led to a FG. You also have to give Hurts credit for playing on a bad knee. He got bent backwards and had to go to the medical tent. He fought through that injury and never missed a snap.
2025 NFL mock draft: Mel Kiper’s Round 1 pick predictions – ESPN+
32. Philadelphia Eagles. Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan. GM Howie Roseman favors the trenches in Round 1, so don’t be surprised if he finds another impact defensive tackle with the Eagles’ first pick. Yes, it would be the third time in four years that he used a Day 1 selection at the position (Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis), and according to ESPN Research, we’ve seen a team do that only three times in the common draft era. But hey, if the Eagles are picking at No. 32, it means they won the Super Bowl and the strategy is working. Plus, Milton Williams is a free agent. Grant’s instincts and ability to bat balls at the line of scrimmage would be welcomed in Philadelphia. Here’s a wild card to watch, though. The Eagles need edge rushers, too, and Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku could rise up draft boards this spring. He had 16.5 sacks this season.
NFC team wants to have a 2nd interview with Eagles’ Kellen Moore for head coaching job – NJ.com
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the New Orleans Saints want to have an in-person interview with Moore, which would make it the second time. he would speak to them about their vacant head coaching job. Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, and Giants assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka are among the known candidates the Saints are still considering to replace former head coach Dennis Allen.
Why the Cowboys shouldn’t hire Brian Schottenheimer as head coach – Blogging The Boys
No one knows where the Dallas Cowboys will turn to in finding their next head coach right now. They’ve been rumors about Deion Sanders; they had an interview with Robert Saleh and a virtual interview with Kellen Moore. It’s also hard to rule out reopening talks with Mike McCarthy if they genuinely were unsure of what direction to go after their negotiations broke down a few weeks ago. That would be shocking, yet uninspired. However, what would be equally uninspiring is hiring Brian Schottenheimer for the position of head coach. Fans understand that Jerry Jones’ way of doing business isn’t like that of anyone else in the league. A positive spin would be that he is comfortable in his beliefs and methods, but a negative spin would be it’s terribly archaic for the modern NFL. Dropping McCarthy and spurning other coveted candidates to promote from within with Schottenheimer would be a horrible mistake. Here’s why the Cowboys settling on Schottenheimer would set them back.
Mel Kiper 2025 NFL mock draft 1.0: Shedeur Sanders to New York Giants – Big Blue View
Is Sanders the answer to the Giants’ prayers at quarterback? Even if they select him in April, only time will tell. No one, though, would be surprised if they don’t let Sanders slip through their fingers. Kiper is right that one of Ward or Sanders falling into the Giants’ lap at No. 3 is probably a “best-case scenario.” They would not have to give up draft assets to move up, nor would they have to take a second-tier quarterback prospect later and hope they strike gold.
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