A Very Good Offense

Posted: November 9th, 2022 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »

The Eagles are second in the NFL in scoring and third in yards. This is a really good offense that can beat you in a variety of ways. They are Top 10 in both running and passing. They have a variety of playmakers. They also have arguably the best OL in football.

Having a good offense is critical to winning the Super Bowl. The last six SB winners all scored 30 or more points in at least two playoff games.

The Eagles have been consistent on offense, scoring at least 20 points in every game. They have 24 or more in all games except the win over the Cardinals. Interestingly though, they have only scored 30 or more points twice. They put up 38 on the Lions in the opener and 35 on the Steelers in Week 8. A missed FG kept them from that threshold last week. Bad weather might have been the key in the Jacksonville game.

Still, it will be interesting to see if this team can start to score more. The biggest issue to date has been the lack of second half scoring. The Eagles put up 14 and 15 points in the second half of the last two games so maybe that problem is going away.

This may seem like an odd thing to bring up. Now that we’re half-way through the season, I’m peaking ahead, and behind. The Eagles look like a legit Super Bowl contender so I started looking at past winners to see if there are any trends and how this team matches up. Being able to put up big points in the postseason is one thing that stood out to me.

Why so important?

I think there are two reasons. First, you want to be able to put the game away if possible. Think back to the NFC Championship game with the Vikings. The Eagles scored a TD with 1:09 left in the first half to go up 21-7. The Vikings punted back to the Eagles with :29 left. The Eagles were aggressive and added another FG to lead 24-7 at halftime.

The Eagles got the ball to open the second half and scored a TD to go up 31-7. Game over.

Those 10 points broke the will of the Vikings. Case Keenum wasn’t going to lead an epic comeback at The Linc against those Eagles. If the score was only 21-7, the Vikings might have made some type of a comeback. I don’t think they were winning regardless, but the points ended any hope they had.

The other key reason points are so critical is that you tend to face realy good QBs in the postseason. In SB LII, the Eagles led 15-3 in the mid-second quarter and then 22-12 at halftime. They were up 29-19 in the mid-third quarter.

Tom Brady ain’t Case Keenum.

The Pats kept firing and eventually took a 33-32 lead. The Eagles added a TD and FG to win by a final score of 41-33.

There are still some defensive battles in the postseason. Those Eagles beat the Falcons 15-10 in the Divisonal Round. Those games aren’t common anymore. Last postseason, only two games were won with fewer than 20 points. There were three games where the losing team scored 24 or more points.

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One of the things I love about the Eagles offense is how it affects defenders. They don’t know who to key on. They don’t know where the ball is going. They don’t know what’s fake and what’s real.

https://twitter.com/SpreadOffense/status/1588491926571220992

This offense is so versatile that it puts tremendous stress on the defense. I’ve seen defenders get upset before. Sometimes they’re frustrated at how talented an offense is. I’ve seen them frustrated with handling unique talents. How do you defend Randall Cunningham or Michael Vick? How do you cover DeSean Jackson?

We see defenders confused this year. They just aren’t sure what they’re dealing with. I remember seeing that when the Wildcat hit in 2008, but that got solved pretty quick. This is different. Teams have plenty of tape on the Eagles and still aren’t sure how to stop them.

This isn’t just about X’s and O’s. The Eagles have the right guys to execute. In a way, Jalen Hurts and Dallas Goedert are the keys. Hurts can run or throw. Last year he was a runner who could sometimes throw. He’s worlds better this season. And Goedert is tough because he’s very good as a blocker and receiver. If you want to run, he gives you six good blockers. That’s tough on a defense. If he goes out on a pass play, he can beat you short or downfield and he’s most dangerous with the ball in his hands.

Versatility is good, but having players who can execute both run and pass at a high level is a whole other story. That’s what helps make the offense so tough to stop. There might be a play where the defense does know what’s coming and still can’t stop it.

Here are some videos that show you just how challenging the offense is.

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If you like numbers and metrics…

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One Comment on “A Very Good Offense”

  1. 1 The Linc - Jalen Hurts “should be the leader in MVP consideration” - Philadelphia News Station said at 10:51 AM on November 10th, 2022:

    […] A Very Good Offense – Iggles BlitzThis isn’t just about X’s and O’s. The Eagles have exactly the right players to execute. Jalen Hurts, Dallas Goedert and in a sense, the keys are Jalen Hurts. Hurts can either run or throw. Last year, he could run and throw. He’s worlds better this season. And Goedert is tough because he’s very good as a blocker and receiver. He has six great blockers if you’re looking to run. That’s tough on a defense. If he goes out on a pass play, he can beat you short or downfield and he’s most dangerous with the ball in his hands. While versatility is great, having players who are able to execute both pass and run at a high level of play is another matter. That’s what helps make the offense so tough to stop. There might be a play where the defense does know what’s coming and still can’t stop it. […]