Are the Eagles the most frustrating 4-0 team? Or are we just spoiled at this point? It seems insane that I can point out so many weaknesses with this offense when Jalen Hurts is 18-0 in his last 18 starts.
18-0! It’s insane. However, when you zoom out, the same themes keep cropping up: a broken run game and a coaching staff that seems more concerned with hiding flaws than maximising strengths. There’s a lot to get into. Let’s go.
Offense
The first drive of the game showed how far Hurts has come against pressure. Todd Bowles’ blitzes have given him nightmares in the past, but on 3rd-and-long, Hurts calmly recognised the pressure, set his feet, and ripped a completion despite having a free rusher charging towards him. A couple of years ago, against Todd Bowles, that was a sack or panic throw. It’s really cool to see the progression he’s made. The difference in Hurts’ processing is night and day, and he’s seeing the field quicker and cleaner than ever when faced with pressure. Bowles is known for his blitzes, but the Eagles struggled when the Bucs stopped blitzing!
I don’t get the Eagles’ run game. I’m confused. On all three of AJ Dillon’s carries, the Eagles went to gap schemes (usually Counter), and he picked up 17 yards. That might not sound like much, but it stood out because almost the majority of the other runs were zone runs. Dillon looked comfortable running behind pulling linemen, and I just do not understand. Why doesn’t this staff lean on gap runs more when the line is struggling to zone block so badly? It was one of the few times the run game felt like it had juice. They block this really well! Can we do it more? We will get into the struggles of the run game more later.
We can all be critical of the coaching staff, but we have to admit that the red zone plan was outstanding. Everyone knew Bowles would sell out to stop the QB sneak, so the Eagles countered with a little quick toss to Dallas Goedert. It was clever, creative, and executed perfectly. For all the gripes about this offense, their red zone sequencing has been flawless this season — they are now 11-for-11 in the red zone, and in this game they went 3-for-3. What stands out is that they become creative when they enter the red zone. I would love to see more creativity overall, but it seems to come out when in the red zone!
The last couple of weeks, Hurts’ throwing over the middle has stood out. This is a dime. He rifled a seam ball to Goedert between defenders, which was easily one of the best throws of the night. He could have released it a tick earlier to spare Goedert a big hit, but it was still an awesome pass. He throws with really good touch here, and this is an area he struggled with early on in his career.
I don’t want to get into this too much, because I hate discussing character and body language. But, I can only say what I see. The body language of the Eagles’ receivers (mainly AJ Brown, but even DeVonta Smith at times) is not great. Too often, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith jogged routes when they weren’t the first read. It feels like they are not happy with the design of the offense. There are quite a few lazy reps this week, and it’s something the coaching staff needs to call out.
Well, I moaned about the Eagles’ play out of structure last week, and then this week we get this! It’s not perfect, ask Jahan Dotson and DeVonta Smith end up close to each other (which results in a big hit), but it’s progress! Hurts did a good job of escaping the pocket, keeping his eyes downfield, and throwing a strike to Smith. The scramble drill still isn’t coached well, but Hurts and Smith did a great job here. I want to see more of this because this team should be significantly better out of structure than they are.
This was by far my favorite play of the game. I love this. It’s like a disguised shovel pass to Goedert, where it looks like a counter run. Seeing as the Eagles ran counter a few times earlier, this is good sequencing! It looked like a counter run with Steen and Goedert pulling, but at the last second, Hurts flipped it inside to Goedert. It’s exactly the sort of misdirection this offense needs more of. This is what I call an “easy button” for the quarterback. The first half was full of these designs in the red zone, and this kind of play takes pressure off Hurts and the offense.
The Eagles even had some cool designs with.. John Metchie! He was first used as a blocker behind the tight ends, as shown here, and then leaked out as a receiver later. It wasn’t always perfectly executed, but the intention to try something new was cool to see. There was a failed run play later on where he was in the game but it wasn’t his fault and he blocked pretty well. The staff clearly added some wrinkles for this matchup, and in the first half, they worked. By halftime, Hurts was 15-of-16 passing. The offense was balanced, creative, and exceptional in the red zone. It looked like the best performance of the season. And then, the second half happened…
Let’s be real, the second half was a complete disaster. Zero completions. Zero! Hurts went from 15-of-16 before halftime to 0-for-8 after it. You can’t expect to win a lot of football games without completing a single pass in the second half. The offense had seven drives, five of which ended in three-and-outs. It was pathetic at times. Some of that was Hurts. Absolutely. He missed a couple of deep shots he usually hits, and after hitting his head on the turf in the first half, I do wonder if he wasn’t feeling right. He didn’t play well in the second half. Blame the coaches all you want (as you should), but we have to be fair and admit that the quarterback didn’t have a great second half. However..
The scheme let him down, too. The easy buttons were gone. There was nothing creative in the pass game. I’ve been talking about sweating the small stuff and finer details lately, and here’s a good example. I think AJ Brown needs to come towards the ball to create an angle for Mailata. But he doesn’t, and the play has no chance. Look at Hurts’ reaction. He knows this isn’t run correctly. This stuff matters!
I mean, what are we doing here, guys? Someone explain this one to me. This play was brutal to watch because it exposed numerous flaws simultaneously. I get the idea of getting Saquon Barkley the ball in space on the perimeter and letting him work. The execution is awful through. Barkley is far too deep. A.J. Brown barely even attempted to block, jogging toward his man and then standing still. DeVonta Smith and Jahan Dotson both go half-speed on their routes and end up almost standing next to each other. The result was Barkley catching the ball with two defenders converging immediately. Plays like this show the lack of detail in the Eagles’ passing game. It’s not just about the quarterback or the line; it’s the skill players, too. If your three receivers all jog or miss assignments, it ends up looking like a broken play before it even starts.
As I mentioned earlier, Bowles adjusted and figured out the Eagles’ passing game quickly. He blitzed heavily in the first half and Hurts handled it. In the second half, he sat back, played zone and rushed four. The Eagles’ dropback game collapsed. The receivers didn’t separate, the line didn’t hold up, and Hurts was left holding the ball. The Eagles did have the odd chance to hit a strike down the field, but Hurts didn’t throw well. Which is very unusual!
This snap summed up just how predictable the Eagles’ passing game has become. The Buccaneers’ cornerbacks looked like they knew the concept from the moment the ball was snapped and every route was covered before Hurts even hit the top of his drop. There was no deception, no motion to shift leverage, no surprises. Hurts held onto the ball, not because he was hesitant, but because there was literally nowhere to go with it. That’s on design, not the quarterback. Todd Bowles clearly had his defense ready for the Eagles’ core passing concepts, and the fact that his corners could sit on routes this comfortably speaks volumes. When an entire secondary can anticipate where the ball is going, it’s no wonder the passing attack collapsed in the second half.
This was one of the rare times in the second half where the offense looked alive, and it came from an empty formation. By spreading the field, the Eagles forced the Bucs to declare coverage, creating space for Hurts to run early. Why don’t the Eagles use empty more often, especially when Hurts is so comfortable diagnosing blitzes now? Empty also naturally opens lanes for him as a runner, which is something the offense desperately needs with the run game struggling so badly. Hurts only carried nine times in this game, but his legs are still the cheat code. When the conventional ground game is producing 2–3 yards a carry, leaning into Hurts as a runner, especially out of empty, where the box is light, feels like the obvious adjustment.
OK, I’ve been saving up for this rant. Let’s talk Eagles’ run game, shall we? It’s not just underperforming right now. It feels broken at times. And it’s not one player’s fault. We already know this, but the tight ends are liabilities. They consistently lose blocks and are pushed into the backfield. The heavier personnel sets are a disaster.
The offensive line isn’t blameless. Jordan Mailata had a flat-out whiff on one snap, and Tyler Steen isn’t moving defenders. Cam Jurgens got stood up too often. Landon Dickerson is clearly not healthy. Occasionally, Barkley makes a bad read, but I don’t think the run game is on him.
Then there is the design. Too often, the Eagles ran into loaded boxes or called runs where pre-snap motion dragged a linebacker right into the gap. There are too many zone run concepts and barely any gap scheme. QB Counter Bash has gone. They don’t counter aggressive fronts by running Wham or Trap. It’s so basic. The numbers tell the story. Last year, Saquon Barkley averaged 2.64 yards before contact per carry — best in the league. This year, it’s 0.95, 28th out of 42 qualifying backs. His average has dropped from 5.8 to 3.1 yards per carry. Barkley hasn’t changed on film. The blocking and design have.
This play highlighted the issues with execution. The run design itself was basic, a simple zone look that the Bucs were ready for. The execution up front was dreadful. Jordan Mailata completely lost his block. It’s not one player, it’s on the whole team.
Right, I’m sad after that, so I don’t have the mental capacity to discuss every issue with the passing game towards the end. Let’s say it was rough. Really rough. It isn’t enough to just isolate A.J. Brown against good corners and hope he wins every time. That might work against average secondaries, but against a Todd Bowles defense, you need more creativity. Where are the motions, stacks, and route combinations that stress defenders vertically and horizontally and create space against zone coverage? Simply lining Brown up one-on-one three times in a row at the end of the game was predictable, easy to defend, and summed up the lack of imagination in the passing game. Ugh.
Overall, there were flashes of real quality in the first half as Hurts looked sharp and the red zone creativity was awesome. We must not forget that the Eagles still found a way to win. But the second half collapse, the broken run game, and the lack of imagination in the passing attack show there’s a lot wrong right now. At 4–0, the talent is clearly there to be so much better, but the coaching staff needs to make adjustments quickly before these flaws start costing games. I don’t see how an offense that can’t complete a pass in the second half can compete at the highest level all season long!
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