Each week, I dive into the film of the Eagles’ upcoming opponent to get a feel for who they really are. Think of it less as a stats preview and more as an overview of what shows up repeatedly on film, and what the Eagles will be facing.
This should be a get-right performance for Philadelphia’s offense. I am hoping we see some of the progress we made last week (minus the turnovers) carry over into this week’s performance against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Pass Defense
The structural issues start with this defense pre-snap. The Raiders rarely disguise coverage, barely rotate, and primarily play Cover 3 and Cover 1. Additionally, they play in base personnel more than any team in the NFL for half a decade, leaving slow linebackers and below-average safeties on the field against modern passing concepts. The defense feels a little outdated.
This defense plays tough, and they are not bad because of a lack of effort, but because the structure is slow and the personnel are insufficient. There is little pattern-matching, little disguise, little simulated pressure, and almost no multiplicity. These are things that all good modern defenses do. If the Eagles cannot move the ball against this defense, it says far more about Philadelphia’s offensive issues than anything Las Vegas is capable of.
No player embodies the issues with this defense than Devin White. He plays almost every snap, but I don’t think he is playing very well at all. He is targeted, manipulated, and schemed into mismatches every week, and offenses treat him like the matchup they must attack. The Eagles must do the same!
The defensive roster is thin everywhere. Their secondary features multiple young players who should not be playing full-time NFL roles yet. Their pass rush, outside of Max Crosby, is virtually nonexistent. Crosby remains the only real threat, playing through knee and shoulder injuries but still carrying elite effort and motor. With Lane Johnson out, this becomes a crucial matchup, but it’s not enough to compensate for the deficiencies everywhere else. The Eagles should try to chip Crosby and prevent him from getting pressure. They really do not have much on defense outside of him.
The Raiders’ defense plays hard for Pete Caroll, and it isn’t terrible, but the offense puts them in tough situations, and they aren’t good enough to compensate. The Eagles should come out and throw on this defense because I have less faith in the run game this week…
Run Defense
The run defense is better than the pass defense, primarily because they commit extra bodies to the box via heavy base looks. The issue is that this is also why their pass defense is bad. They leave slow players on the field to defend horizontal and vertical spacing concepts, which they simply cannot match. But they are at least structurally sound early in games against the run. They play hard, they fit downhill, and Crosby is a real factor as a backside chaser.
Still, the unit wears down late because they’re forced to defend for 35–40 minutes every week due to the offense sucking. Once the DL tires, cutback lanes and second-level gaps open quickly. Their LB group is slow laterally, and Devin White’s misreads consistently create advantages for offenses willing to press, bounce, or manipulate run fits. You can get outside on this defense. I would like to see some under center toss plays to the opposite side of Crosby.
Early down success may be limited against this defense, but I wouldn’t give up on the run. The Eagles should show heavy looks and run at times to get the Raiders into base personnel, and then throw. I wouldn’t give up running on early downs, even though it’s a pretty good run defense.
Final Thoughts
There is no getting around it: The Eagles must win this game, and the offense must look competent doing it. I don’t want a 16-7 win. I want the offense to score points and look good doing it. The Raiders are in the middle of a full organizational teardown. Their defense is outdated, slow, poorly constructed, and undermanned. Outside of Maxx Crosby, there is not much talent here at all.
This is the exact type of matchup where the Eagles should re-establish rhythm and regain confidence. If they don’t? It says everything about where this team truly is heading into the final month. I will lose all optimism I have left if they can’t look good this week.
Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions. If you enjoyed this piece, you can find more of my work and podcast here. If you would like to support me further, please check out my Patreon here!
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