The talk surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles throughout most of the season has centered on the team’s inconsistent offense. Despite the Eagles being ranked 16th in scoring this season (23.4 points per game), the passing game has not looked explosive, and the ground attack has been stuck in neutral.
And not to mention, they’ve scored a total of 26 points in their last two games coming off the Week 9 bye.
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown has seen his production take a notable dip this season, making him a huge target of conversation on why Philadelphia offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo hasn’t found ways to scheme him open.
When meeting with reporters on Thursday, Brown was asked if the Eagles calling more crossing routes would help beat zone defense and why they haven’t been called. The star wideout gave a simple but concise answer that should put Patullo under the microscope.
A.J. Brown Gives His 2 Cents on Eagles’ Puzzling Passing Game
“Yes, I think so. It's really a timing and space thing. I think the second half of the question is a question for K.P.,” Brown said via Zach Berman of The Athletic.
As you can imagine, Eagles fans were pleased to see the attention be directed towards Patullo and head coach Nick Sirianni, as they believe that the team’s passing concepts are too simplistic. It's also far from the first time that Brown has called out his OC this season, so it's clear they still aren't fully on the same page.
The fact that the Eagles don’t utilize the middle of the field with crossing routes is doing a major disservice to the WRs that they have on their roster. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Jahan Dotson could all feast on crossers with their speed and or yards after the catch ability.
Brown also told reporters that he believes this offense is close to clicking, but they have to clean up those mistakes and finish drives (h/t @ZBerm).
"I think we are (close to clicking). I think that's the mindset to have. It's really just cleaning up those mistakes. It's not about being close. It's us finishing up drives. Defense has been incredible. And we're just trying to do our part and that starts with things that take no talent, as Nick says all the time.""Eagles WR A.J. Brown
The finishing drive part has been a consistent problem this season. According to Ian Hartitz of Fantasy Life, the Eagles are ranked 28th in offense 3-and-out percentage, which means they have one of the highest percentages of drives on offense ending in 3-and-outs.
With the talent that the Eagles have on offense, there’s no reason why they should be ranked with teams like the Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Tennessee Titans.
Therefore, it goes without saying that Patullo and Sirianni need to find a way to get this offense rolling in the right direction. They will have a chance to change the narrative against a revamped Cowboys’ defense that has made additions at all three levels over the last couple of weeks, but has been notoriously bad this season.
If we still see the same old mistakes and issues show up against Dallas on Sunday, Eagles fans will not be happy.