The Philadelphia Eagles‘ offense is not only unproductive but also actively harming their chances of winning games. And it’s not just the turnovers or the lack of offensive output, but it’s the scheme and the overall predictability that is harming the Eagles in games.
If NFL analysts and even casual observers can pick out exactly where Hurts is throwing the ball, then opposing defenses can certainly pick that up through film study and much more. Here is what the cast of “Inside The NFL” had to say about the Eagles’ predictable offense.
Eagles ‘Aren’t Good Enough To Win A Playoff Game’
According to former NFL safety Ryan Clark, “the Philadelphia Eagles aren’t good enough to win a playoff game against a good football team, let alone defend the Super Bowl title.”
Clark talked to Chargers‘ cornerback Donte Jackson following their Monday night win over Philadelphia, and Jackson said, “When Smitty, as soon as he released, I sat on it because I knew exactly what was coming.”
He was referring to DeVonta Smith stopping his route as he waited for the football. Jackson knew that Hurts would throw the ball to him then and there, so he made the interception.
Clark continued, “These are what defensive players are seeing and studying of the Philadelphia Eagles. And if you know it, Chris, and you know it, Chad, and I know it, with all that we have to do in real life, you think the team that’s been preparing for you all week won’t figure it out?”
Former Eagles defensive end Chris Long added, “Dude, my wife knows it. We’re watching the games and she’s like, yeah, they’re throwing that he’s going to stop running, and they’re going to throw him the ball right there. Dude, you don’t even know what the route is. You called it out.”
If an ex-player’s wife, who does not know the route and does not have NFL experience, can figure that out, imagine just how much an NFL defense that studies film for hours can pick up on. It’s a scary reality for the Philadelphia Eagles that could haunt them when they play January football.
Philadelphia’s Offense Relying Heavily on Splash Plays
The Eagles used to use simple concepts like throwing in the flat to tight end Dallas Goedert to move the chains and score touchdowns. This season, the team has gotten away from that, with a heavy reliance on “splash plays” to move the ball downfield.
Referring to the passing play in the flat to Goedert, Clark said, “We used to see that on a consistent basis from this offense. You don’t see that anymore. And they’ve gotten away from some of the things that allowed them to get easy plays. And now everything is so difficult. Like you said, you’re relying on if we don’t get a splash play, we normally don’t score.”
Long agreed with his sentiment, although he complimented Jalen Hurts’ ability to throw the deep ball, saying that he is a better deep thrower than Chiefs‘ star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“To Jalen’s credit, he’s as good a thrower of the football outside the numbers and deep as there is in the football. He throws that ball better than Patrick Mahomes. He really does. I’m not saying he’s Patrick Mahomes, but my point is, I got to see the other stuff.”
However, he continued, “And it’s like the Eagles’s offense is on Nyquil, man. And it’s just slow, man. And there’s a bunch of sit routes. And I need the quarterback to take more chances. I need the route trees to look different. I need the offensive line to play better. So it’s a ton of issues.”
Long’s second statement lines up with the reported frustrations around Jalen Hurts, the conservative route designs of embattled offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, and the injuries surrounding the offensive line.
In short, there are a lot of issues surrounding the Eagles’ offense, but the fact that the Birds are heavily relying on splash plays to generate any offense, and that Jalen Hurts’ decisions are getting telegraphed by casual football viewers, is particularly troubling. If Long’s wife can tell where Hurts is throwing the ball from her couch, NFL defenses will continue to be all over his throws.
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