The Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 11 run-pass ratio was a mess
Despite inclement weather and poor quarterback plan, the Philadelphia Eagles posted one of their most lopsided run-pass ratios of the season in Week 11.
In Week 11, the Philadelphia Eagles ran the ball 21 times.
21.
In a game where excessive winds made it hard to complete a pass over 15 yards, Doug Pederson and company put together a game plan that required his quarterback to drop back for 40 passes versus only 21 rushing attempts – 18 if you exclude three attempts for 17-yards by Carson Wentz.
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But how could this be? How could the Birds throw the ball twice as often as they ran it in a game with poor conditions AND a lead for the entire first half?
Jordan Howard‘s agent just got a serious bargaining chip when contract negotiations open up in March.
In a game with just three running backs active, Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, and Jay Ajayi – who didn’t earn a single snap despite having more experience in Pederson’s scheme than any active rusher – just couldn’t get anything going in the second half, but not for a lack of trying.
In the first half, Sanders and Scott combined for 46 yards on 10 attempts, versus only 18 yards on eight carries in the second half.
Now those numbers don’t appear all that impressive to the naked eye, but typically, teams want to shoot for about a four yards per carry average on the ground, so 4.6 yards per attempt in the first half is pretty good. 2.25 yards per carry isn’t nearly as impressive in the second half, but running the ball isn’t meant to be impressive.
Sure, there’s nothing more exciting than a 75-yard rushing touchdown, but when a team can run the ball and run with authority, it keeps the clock ticking, the ball moving, and overall morale at an all-time high. There’s nothing more demoralizing than knowing that a team is going to run the ball and watching them pick up 10, 15, or even 5 yards – just ask the Buffalo Bills.
Situationally speaking, it makes sense that the Eagles shifted their attention to making plays through the air with the clock running down and all of the momentum in Bill Belichick‘s court, but attempting only two runs versus 21 passes is borderline unconscionable.
Think about that for a second: the Eagles threw the ball as many times in the fourth quarter alone than they ran the ball in the entire game, despite having a depleted receiving corp that combined for 50 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns.
It’s not like Wentz was having a landmark afternoon either.
Finishing out the game with a 74.4 passer rating – his second-worst mark of the season behind a horrible showing in Week 2 – Wentz completed a season-low 50 percent of his passes and was sacked a season-high five-times – all in all, a very inopportune showing for Philly’s $128 million man.
Next. Nelson Agholor has cost himself millions. dark
Call me old fashion, but isn’t it the coaching staff’s job to make sure a team – and their 27-year-old starting quarterback – is in the best position to succeed? Shouldn’t throw affecting winds, when coupled with a well below average receiving, inspire a newfound commitment to running the ball, as opposed to an all-out pass party in a game that the team never trailed by more than seven. Despite facing off against the best team in the NFL and an off day by Carson Wentz, the Philadelphia Eagles lost in Week 11 because of Doug Pederson’s unwillingness to run the ball with authority. Period.