I can sense the frustration online among Philadelphia Eagles fans after this win over the Kansas City Chiefs. It wasn’t the cleanest offensive showing, but I actually came away feeling a little better about the game plan than I expected to. There were obvious flaws in the dropback pass game and some odd decisions in the run game design, but there were also some clear positives. Let’s go.
Offense
On the very first play of the game, the Eagles had a chance to land a huge blow. A.J. Brown was wide open on a shot play because the Chiefs blew the coverage. This should have been a touchdown. But Grant Calcaterra completely failed to pick up the rusher, and Kylen Granson had no chance to get across in time, so the play was wrecked before it could develop. You can blame the tight ends for the execution, but you can’t fault the call. The Eagles dialed up the perfect shot on the first snap, and if it’s blocked properly, it’s a huge gain on the very first play of the game.
One of the reasons the Eagles had such a low average depth of target in this game was because of how the Chiefs’ defense. The Chiefs sent plenty of pressure and sat in zones behind it, and the Eagles responded by getting the ball out of Hurts’ hands quickly. I don’t hate that approach at all. Hurts stayed calm, delivered on time, and trusted his guys to create after the catch. It didn’t work all of the time, and the receivers broke almost no tackles, but the logic was sound. The encouraging part was how calm Hurts looked. I’ve spoken about Hurts’ evolution as a player before and I think we are seeing him progress in several new areas this year, including against the blitz. Also, this is probably the best game I’ve seen from Eagles running backs in pass protection in years, too. Both Saquon Barkley and A.J. Dillon had some outstanding reps picking up blitzes, and it made Hurts’ job much easier.
This play was a great example of how the process was right, even if the outcome was nothing exciting. The Eagles deliberately let a rusher come free into Hurts’ line of vision, and Hurts calmly threw into the blitz. The Eagles were happy to let free rushers get to Hurts, but they prevented him from getting hit from his backside. Hurts was always staring into the free rusher. Compare this game to a few years ago, when Hurts faced Todd Bowles and his Buccaneers’ defense, when he completely melted in these situations. Now he looks unfazed. That’s a huge positive. This throw came out on time, and if DeVonta Smith breaks a tackle, it’s a huge gain. That’s the difference in Hurts now. Steve Spagnuolo’s pressure didn’t rattle him at all. The Eagles had a plan for the blitz and executed it pretty well.
Another strong call came on this tunnel screen. The Eagles used motion to pull defenders one way before throwing the ball back across the field. This is the kind of screen I actually like: get the offensive linemen out in space and let them block, rather than relying on wide receivers to hold up on the perimeter. This is known as a tunnel screen, and I prefer it to a bubble screen, where you ask the receivers to block. The wide blocking was poor all of last season, so this adjustment made sense. It was one of the few times in the past couple of years where the screen game felt like a real weapon.
Now, I imagine most fans are more frustrated with the pass game than the run game, but I actually had huge issues with the run designs, too. The heavy personnel stuff just doesn’t work. The tight ends can’t block, and Calcaterra is a big reason for that. I can’t be bothered to show more clips of Calcaterra failing to block (I showed enough last week) because it’s boring at this point. It’s not his fault. He’s being misused. Early runs out of 12 personnel were a mess. To their credit, the offensive staff seemed to realize this mid-game and adjusted. They used the tight ends as backside decoys instead of asking them to block frontside. They ran this look three times (that I counted) and got 11, 9, and 9 yards. If you want to run 12 personnel for other reasons (such as to force a specific personnel package or get predictable coverage), then I would rather rely on the five offensive linemen, not the tight ends. And when you have someone like Cam Jurgens climbing to the second level and erasing linebackers like this, you don’t need to complicate things. Barkley still looked explosive even if his box score didn’t show it. He’s playing at a very high level, and it highlights the weakness of the design of the run game that his production has been pretty poor so far.
This was maybe the most fascinating play of the game for me. I have so many thoughts, and I’ll tackle this play on my podcast this week, because I need to discuss it even further! Hurts worked through his reads so quickly, right to left, eliminating what wasn’t there, and getting to Jahan Dotson in the flat. His process is so much quicker than it was even a year ago, and that’s a huge development. His evolution is evident. I also liked the design, using Barkley as almost a lead blocker in front of Dotson. But there’s an alternative point to consider here. Sometimes, when you process too fast, you don’t let things develop down the field. Hurts may have eliminated Calcaterra on the corner route too early. If he’d let it play, it might have been open. That balance is key: eliminate what isn’t there, but don’t kill plays too early. Still, overall, this was really encouraging quarterback play. It’s just something to consider.
Here was the low point against the blitz. Most of the night, the Eagles had an answer built in, but not here. The Chiefs brought pressure, the Eagles had nothing dialed up to counter it, and Hurts was stuck. This also highlighted how poor the dropback pass game has been. Against standard four-man rush and zone coverage, they look average at best. And that’s a huge concern. We will get into that issue shortly…
Back to the positives for now. I was surprised we didn’t see more empty looks, because the Eagles actually handled them really well. This play was textbook. Hurts knew the ball had to come out instantly, trusted A.J. Brown on the slant, and delivered a perfect strike. Again, if Brown breaks one tackle, it’s a huge gain. This offense looked far more effective against pressure than it did in the standard dropback game, which is not what I expected against a Spagnuolo defense.
Alright, it’s time. You’ve waited long enough. The Eagles’ dropback game just isn’t good enough. There are numerous reasons why, but let’s get into the basics. They live in 2×2 sets, running one concept to each side, which makes it far too easy for defenses to cover zones without being stressed. I have no issue with this offense against man coverage, but against zone (especially two-high coverages), it has been a disaster. Against zone coverage, you have to flood areas or put linebackers in conflict. The Eagles aren’t doing that. They ran “Crash” multiple times (deep out + short in), and the Chiefs sniffed it out every time. These were staples of last year’s offense, but teams know what’s coming. Without motion or disguise, it’s too predictable. Hurts can beat man coverage all day, but against four-man rush and zone coverage, this passing game doesn’t have answers. That’s on the coordinator, not the quarterback. I know Hurts can run more concepts designed to beat zone, because I have seen him run them plenty of times. I think Hurts is one of the best intermediate throwers outside the numbers in the NFL (think deep comeback or deep out), and I don’t think I’ve seen Hurts throw one successfully all season long. That’s madness. The Eagles need to have a serious look at their standard drop-back pass game. This team is too talented to be this poor.
The run game wasn’t much better at times, either. It’s been bland through two weeks, missing the creativity that defined it last year. Plays like QB Counter Bash that were staples have vanished, and Hurts has barely been used as a runner. With so few shotgun runs, Hurts’ ability to keep the football hasn’t been used as a weapon so far. I’ve said for years that mobile quarterbacks are cheat codes in the run game, and it feels like the Eagles are not using theirs. Maybe that’s deliberate, and they are saving his body for later in the year, but it makes the run game far easier to defend right now. This was one of the few creative runs we saw, featuring an outside zone toss pin-pull. Mailata and Dickerson pulled beautifully, but even here the tight ends struggled. Granson was nearly walked back into Barkley. The lack of blocking from the TE room is crippling this run game.
Finally, one of the highlights. I’ve always said I don’t mind throwing downfield against all-out blitzes when you have talent outside, and this was perfect. The Eagles missed one of these shots earlier in the game, and I have to be consistent and say that I didn’t mind that shot either. However, this is better as a slot fade is better than a vertical route outside the numbers. Barkley picked up backside pressure perfectly, Hurts stood tall and got the ball out despite the free rusher in his face, and DeVonta Smith made a spectacular play tracking it down. People called it underthrown, but considering the situation, Hurts had no time to step into it and did the right thing by giving his receiver a chance and getting a lot of height on the ball. It was a beautiful execution all around, and it’s why I prefer slot fades to outside go routes. There is more room and more time for the receiver to adjust.
Let’s end on a small wrinkle, which is maybe a sign of something to come. On the final drive, the Eagles used Fred Johnson as a sixth offensive lineman, and it worked. He lined up next to Lane Johnson, Barkley picked up nine yards, and it made far more sense than rolling out 12 personnel again. Chris Jones was wrecking plays all game, and Barkley only bailed them out here with his burst. If the Eagles insist on heavy looks, I’d rather see this six-OL package than rely on tight ends who can’t block.
Overall, this wasn’t a perfect game on offense. The dropback pass game is deeply flawed, and the run game is predictable and unimaginative. But Hurts against the blitz was outstanding, the running backs in protection were superb, and there were flashes of creativity that worked, which could lead to future success. On another day, if that first play connects or a receiver breaks a tackle, the passing numbers look very different. There’s a lot to clean up, but there’s also a platform here to build on.
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.
0 CommentsSee More:
