This was a disappointing offensive performance, especially coming off a bye week. This was a conservative, predictable outing that lacked any rhythm, aggression, and creativity. The passing attack started
with some promise but faded into the same frustrating patterns that have haunted this team all year. I found this a tough watch.
Offense
The run game set the tone early, as the team had some success from under center, just like before the bye week. Saquon Barkley ran hard and had moments of brilliance, but the blocking and design once again limited him. This play was one of the rare bright spots. From under center with jumbo personnel (6 OL), Barkley showed exceptional vision and decisiveness, spotting the cutback lane immediately. He continues to play at a high individual level, but the offense still doesn’t marry its run and pass game enough. I thought we were over this! They didn’t run play-action once from jumbo (11 total snaps), which is borderline inexcusable. Surely, if you are going to use jumbo personnel quite a lot, you have to pass occasionally to keep the defense honest!
Jalen Hurts started well, and this 3rd down was a nice example. He recognized the safety rotation, spotted Tampa 2 early (which the Packers love to run), and hit the short hitch over the middle. The processing has clearly improved this year. However, as we will get into, he didn’t have a good game. As always, some of it was down to the design, but he didn’t play well regardless. I think we are past the point where we have to analyze every single game to a micro level, and just say he’s a great QB who didn’t play great.
There was something badly wrong with the Eagles’ play-action in this game. Green Bay’s linebackers barely reacted to the fakes. I’m convinced this is a clear sign that they’d identified a tell. Look at the eyes of the second-level defenders; they don’t react at all. When defenses know what’s coming, play-action loses all of its effectiveness. The design didn’t help either. Barkley is doing nothing after the fake, and Goedert’s route goes the wrong direction relative to Hurts’ drop. Hurts ends up running around because nothing is open.
I don’t know how many times we have to see empty formations work before the coaches embrace it and use it more. This fumble isn’t a good play for Hurts, although it’s a fantastic play by the defender; the design is awesome. Empty simplifies the picture and allows Hurts to be a threat with his legs, without really taking a major hit (he could slide earlier here), as the box is usually quite light. For whatever reason, they refuse to go back to it even though Hurts always performs well from empty. It’s one of the strangest ongoing decisions in this offense. The fumble is bad, but I’m surprised we didn’t see this one again after it clearly worked.
Hurts’ accuracy wasn’t quite as sharp as usual either. Normally, his ball placement is excellent, but this was a rough miss to Calcaterra. The fake toss worked beautifully and opened a seam, and all Hurts had to do was hit Calcaterra down the middle. Instead, it sailed high. In a game where every good drive seemed to stall on one mistake, moments like this mattered.
Hurts also bailed a few times when he didn’t need to. This deep drop for a drag route to A.J. Brown never made sense (I still have an issue with the timing of the Eagles’ pass concepts, but that’s a discussion for another day), but Hurts still had time to stay in the pocket. Instead, he climbed and scrambled for six yards. It’s not a disaster; he’s reading space and taking what’s available, but it’s another missed chance for a big gain to Brown. Hurts has been much more disciplined in the pocket overall this season, which makes plays like this stand out even more.
I don’t want to get into the AJ Brown discussion once again, but I genuinely felt sad for him this week. It feels like the coaching staff is treating him like just another player. He’s one of the most talented receivers I have ever studied, and I have no clue why the coaching staff isn’t making it a priority to get him the ball more. This should be an emphasis. It doesn’t feel like it. I don’t blame him for being mad.
Nothing summed up the conservative mindset better than those 3rd-and-long runs with Will Shipley. My goodness, I was frustrated when watching live. It’s maddening. Hurts rarely puts the ball in harm’s way, and you have elite receivers on the outside, yet you’re calling draw plays to your 3rd choice running back. If you’re scared to attack vertically on 3rd-and-long because of the risk of an interception, fine (I still disagree), but run a screen, a short route with a chance for YAC. Anything else! This is the kind of play-calling that kills confidence and is far too conservative for my liking, given how talented the offense is.
The run game regressed badly as the night went on. Green Bay keyed on tendencies and shot downhill fast. By the second half, there was zero threat of play-action, and defenders were constantly living in the backfield. The field conditions didn’t help, but the design predictability did the Eagles no favors. There’s genuine reason to wonder if this offense has a tell (something in the formation or motion that’s tipping runs early), because defenders aren’t even pretending to hesitate anymore. Look at number 7 here. If this is play-action, he wouldn’t have a shot at getting back into coverage.
This was the play of the night. Hurts stayed patient, worked through his reads, and found Barkley underneath. This is the kind of play I’m not sure Hurts would make 2 years ago. He would likely scramble when his initial read was not open. What followed was pure brilliance. This is a ridiculous spin move, acceleration, and balance for a 41-yard gain by Barkley. He is playing at such a high level. Even A.J. Brown, who barely saw a target, threw a great downfield block to help spring it.
On the very next play, the Eagles finally took the shot they’d been missing all night. A deep post-cross combo against quarters, with beautiful protection upfront. Hurts used a subtle pump fake to hold the safety and delivered a solid ball to DeVonta Smith for the touchdown. It’s not his best throw of the year, but I loved the intent for once. I love taking the shot right after an explosive play. Smith continues to be outstanding in contested situations despite his size.
Later in the game, we finally saw a proper third-and-long call! Who knew the Eagles could actually throw on those downs? I thought we were not allowed?! Smith’s route was perfect, and Hurts hit him perfectly. It’s such a simple reminder of how good this offense can be when it’s not being ultra-conservative. Hurts doesn’t need to be looked after and protected on 3rd downs; sometimes, he just needs a chance to make a play.
I’ve got little to say about this one without getting mad. What a terrible decision by the coaching staff. I don’t care about throwing it deep to AJ Brown, but they should have punted instead of going for it. The Eagles dialed up (or Hurts checked into, whatever) a deep go-ball to A.J. Brown. Brown had barely been targeted all night, so asking him to save the game with a contested sideline shot just feels like asking someone you’ve ignored for 60 minutes to save you. The Eagles supposedly embrace analytics, which makes this decision even more absurd.
Final thoughts
By the numbers, this was one of the least inspiring offensive efforts of the season. The Eagles were ultra-conservative throughout. It felt as if the Eagles leaned heavily on runs the Packers clearly anticipated, and there was no counterpunch when it stopped working. I’m bored of talking about AJ Brown. He’s too good to be a decoy and too talented to be frozen out. Great offenses find ways to scheme their best players open. Not just hope they get single-high man coverage every week. I’ll leave the AJ Brown discussion with this.
After a bye week, this was the kind of performance that makes me worry. The Eagles won, and they always win despite my complaining, but I still question just how sustainable this is. The Eagles are lucky that Vic Fangio is leading a fantastic defense this year. This is the most expensive offense in the NFL, and it’s not playing like it now.
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