Eagles-Commanders Film Review: Jalen Hurts played better as the offense’s design improved

I’ve complained so much in regards to the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense lately. I can’t be doing so at this time. This was a superb efficiency! The design of the passing recreation in opposition to the Washington Commanders was SO a lot better and plenty of of my needs from final week got here true!

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Offense

Effectively, is there a greater strategy to begin a recreation? What can I even say about Saquon Barkley anymore? He’s one of the best participant on the sector each single week. He’s having one of the best operating again season I’ve ever witnessed. He’s probably having one of the best season any operating again has ever had. He’s a complete famous person. The Eagles got here up with an below middle crack toss (and by no means ran it once more… weirdly) with jet movement stressing the protection, which works completely. Most operating backs choose up a primary down on this play attributable to how nicely it’s executed upfront. Saquon Barkley scores a landing as a result of he is not only a typical operating again. Working backs matter!

I can’t specific how a lot I loved the Eagles’ second drive. Saquon Barkley ran it in from 4 yards in, however each play earlier than that was a move. Each throw was on time. Jalen Hurts knew precisely the place to go together with the soccer. Each play was well-designed. The passing recreation was clearly related to the run recreation. After the primary incompletion to AJ Brown on the short slant, the remainder of the drive went like this…

RPO Hurts rollout throw to flat 10 yards.
DeVonta Smith deep comeback shot on time 20 yards.
RPO (Counter Motion) rollout to AJB 11 yards.
So easy. But, so efficient! The run recreation and move recreation had been linked! This was my favourite RPO as a result of it’s linked to a Counter run motion up entrance. This takes benefit of the Eagles’ dominant run recreation. NFL defenses are petrified of the Eagles’ Counter runs, so profiting from that is good. I’ve been calling for this for some time! I mentioned this a couple of weeks again…

So, why not construct on that success and begin operating some Counter RPOs?! I’ll be watching the Eagles’ passing recreation this week to see if they begin making issues simpler for Hurts and linking the passing recreation to the run recreation’s success. It needs to be a simple approach of bettering the effectivity of the passing recreation.

This was not the one Counter RPO that the Eagles ran.

As soon as once more, what extra would you like me to say about Barkley? He’s a famous person. The acceleration and burst right here to ease previous Frankie Luvu are distinctive.

This sort of play is precisely what I referred to as for final week. Let’s revisit why I used to be so sad with the design of the move recreation final week…

The Eagles run far too many passing ideas that anticipate Hurts to learn his preliminary learn after which get bottom. Some analysts will confer with this as a ‘full discipline learn’. I need to see ideas the place all of the receivers’ routes are in Hurts’ imaginative and prescient with out him having to get all the best way to the bottom.

The Eagles barely ran any 2×2 ideas the place Hurts needed to get to his bottom this week. The design of the offense was fully totally different. Look how a lot better that is. All of those routes are inside Hurts’ line of imaginative and prescient. He doesn’t must get bottom. He can get via his progressions with out the necessity to get again to the opposite aspect of the sector. And guess what occurred?! Hurts appeared decisive and threw the ball in rhythm constantly. It was among the best Hurts video games of the season. It’s no coincidence that Hurts performed higher because the offense’s design improved. That is exactly what I wished to see from the passing recreation this week. I’d have liked to have seen this all season lengthy, however a minimum of we bought there in the long run!

After I analyzed Kellen Moore within the offseason, I discussed his use of jet sweeps so much. He had huge receivers run so much to stretch the protection horizontally. I’ve been shocked that we haven’t seen extra jet sweeps this yr. This week, we noticed Dallas Goedert hold it twice, and DeVonta Smith hold it twice as nicely. These are easy, efficient performs you’ll be able to construct on later within the recreation. I’ve no thought why we haven’t seen this extra.

The whole Eagles’ passing recreation was simplified this week. The Eagles’ offense has a lot expertise that all the pieces doesn’t have to be sophisticated. That is simply easy. Use a pre-snap shift to establish man protection. Throw it to AJ Brown, who wins his one-on-one matchup. It’s not exhausting! It will not be probably the most schematically good play however Hurts throws these outside-the-numbers vertical photographs nicely, and AJ Brown is a famous person! That is an absolute dime from Hurts. He performed very well.

As soon as once more, there’s nothing sophisticated right here. Isolate AJ Brown once more. Line him up inside with the house to go both approach. Then throw a dime! Easy! Hurts’ ball placement is at all times good, and it’s the coach’s job to supply him with well-defined reads the place he can get the ball out rapidly. Hurts is a prime quarterback when he will get the ball out on time. The design of the offense made it so much simpler for him to get the ball out on time this week. It’s no shock that he performed nicely!

Oh sure. That is my favourite name of the sport. After I spoke about offering a number of routes inside Hurts’ line of imaginative and prescient, I had this actual play in thoughts. That is good. It is a Submit-Wheel-Flat route mixture that stresses Washington’s zone protection. In addition to this, the Eagles use a shallow crossing route from AJ Brown, which finally ends up on the identical aspect of the sector, making a 4-strong look. If Hurts did must get to his 4th learn right here, he may do it with out turning his head all the best way to his bottom. That is so a lot better than final week. The problem with ideas like that is that you just don’t stretch a protection vertically, and so they can play tight protection. Nevertheless, through the use of Jahan Dotson in movement, you stretch the protection horizontally, too. Have a look at the hole between Dotson, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert on this play. That could be a large space for the protection to cowl. That is exactly what I meant when discussing stretching a protection horizontally and vertically and eliminating full-field progressions. I like this!

Jalen Hurts appeared cell, however he wasn’t even an element within the run recreation this week. That’s a scary thought for opposing defenses! This was an ideal name, and I’m an enormous fan of QB runs within the crimson zone. That is QB Draw with Barkley as a lead blocker. That is completely executed. Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson deserve huge quantities of credit score for taking part in damage this week. They had been clearly injured, however they gave it their all.

You might have seen I haven’t spoken in regards to the apparent errors in move safety this week. There have been a couple of. It wasn’t good. However what do you anticipate when you may have a brand new middle who hasn’t performed all season lengthy? I assume Cam Jurgens will play within the Tremendous Bowl, so I don’t need to waste my time breaking down the problems in move safety as a result of I anticipate Jurgens to be again. Let’s deal with the positives. We scored 55 factors!

It felt just like the Eagles had been calling Mesh or Shallow Crossing routes about 5 occasions a recreation a few months in the past. We haven’t seen it in current weeks, which is bizarre. I’m wondering if this offense has too many concepts and tries to do an excessive amount of moderately than deal with a couple of particular ideas that work nicely. The Eagles ran extra shallow routes on this recreation, and it labored nicely. That is one other straightforward completion and an necessary third down conversion. The pre-snap shift on the prime of the display screen additionally causes a little bit of confusion amongst Washington’s defensive backs. The Eagles used a whole lot of shifts and movement on this recreation to make it harder on Washington’s protection. In all honesty, the Washington protection appeared terrible on this recreation. They didn’t have a clue learn how to cease this offense.

Bear in mind after I spoke in regards to the jet sweeps earlier on? Because of this they are often helpful. The Eagles use jet movement right here, and have a look at the way it distracts the linebackers and the protection coming from deep. Jet movement is nice, however it’s much more efficient if the protection thinks there’s a actual likelihood that the receiver could hold the soccer. That is easy sequencing. Easy will be good. That is good!

Barkley makes this look extremely straightforward. However it’s truly a formidable rep. Barkley is aiming to focus on the B-gap, however he sees the protection coming downhill rapidly into the B-gap. As an alternative of slowing down and stopping his toes, he instantly adjustments his path and bounces it outdoors. His imaginative and prescient, processing, and elite athleticism are off the charts. I really feel so blessed that I get to look at him each single week. Working backs typically decelerate towards the tip of the season, however Barkley simply retains getting higher. What a particular athlete.

I may finish this one with Barkley. However let’s finish with Will Shipley. As a result of, why not! The Eagles’ Counter run recreation is principally unstoppable. It doesn’t matter who the operating again is. Because of this I’ve been calling for the Eagles to run to Counter RPO’s, as they did on this recreation!

Total, I couldn’t be happier with the offensive efficiency. I’m clearly not smug or silly sufficient to imagine that Kellen Moore learn a single phrase I’ve ever written (I did respect the feedback that advised he ought to, although!), however this week’s recreation plan was precisely what I wished to see. The Eagles eradicated these full-field progressions and simplified issues for Hurts, who performed exceptionally nicely. The ball got here out on time. The passing recreation was linked to the operating recreation. I don’t know what Jalen Hurts meant when he mentioned that Nick Sirianni ‘lastly let him out of his straitjacket,’ however it’s clear that the design of the offense was totally different this week.

I take a whole lot of confidence from this efficiency and anticipate to see one thing comparable heading into the Tremendous Bowl. Nevertheless, the Chiefs’ protection will probably be a lot better than Washington’s protection, as they didn’t play very nicely.

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