The Eagles need to get back to running the football
25 November 2019 Philadelphia Eagles
Well, it is safe to say this Eagles team is in desperation mode. With the Cowboys losing to the Patriots on Sunday afternoon, the Eagles are still well alive in the race for the NFC East crown. Even with that disastrous showing against the Seahawks, the Eagles pretty much control their own destiny.
However, they need to completely change up their offensive game plan. What the Eagles have been doing the past 2 games on offense is simply not working. The numbers are quite alarming, and I thought I would share a few stats on how atrocious this offense has performed:
-The Eagles offense has only scored 19 points in their last 2 games.
-The Eagles have had 10 drives that have lasted 3 plays or less in their last two games
-In their last two games, the Eagles wide receivers have combined for 175 yards receiving.
-Carson Wentz in his last two games: 53 of 85, 2 TD’s, 2 INT’s and 3 fumbles
That gives you a glimpse of how bad this team has been on offense. If you have watched this team play their last two games, it is clear the offense has become stale. So why have they struggled so much?
Well, injuries is the easy answer. The Eagles offense is badly banged up, from Lane Johnson to Alshon Jeffery, they have been bitten by the injury bug to say the least. The Eagles at one point had 7 of their 11 positions on offense occupied by backups. That is remarkable.
Another reason this offense has stalled is Doug Pederson’s lack of commitment to the running game. In their last two games, which have been close games, Carson Wentz has thrown the ball an average of 42.5 times. In the Eagles 5 wins, Wentz has thrown the ball an average of 31.6 times.
Sometimes, the coach needs to adjust his gameplan to the way the roster is shaped. The Eagles wide receivers have been banged up as of late (even though they weren’t producing in the first place), so Doug needs to be able to transition his game plan to focus on the run.
This team’s strength is at tight end and offensive line. When they get the run game going, it opens up the play action pass, which will give Ertz and Goedert better releases at the line of scrimmage.
Doug Pederson needs to get back to what works, run the football.