Despite being 2-0 to start the regular season, the Philadelphia Eagles’ passing game has not been clicking on all cylinders (119 yards per game -- second-fewest in the NFL). Through two games, QB Jalen Hurts hasn’t thrown one passing touchdown, while wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith haven’t been able to produce explosive plays in the passing game.
To that point, Eagles fans haven’t been impressed with new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo and his playcalling, as they don’t feel like he’s doing enough to get a guy like Brown going in the passing game.
This week, Brown offered his thoughts on the Eagles' offense. He said that they need to be better against zone defense. According to Zach Berman of The Athletic, the star wide receiver said, “I don’t know. I can’t tell the future. But probably so – until we do better with it. Absolutely.”
Eagles’ Offense Must Make Adjustments to Combat More Zone Defense Looks
Berman pointed out on Twitter/X on Wednesday that the Eagles aren’t seeing a lot of man defense from opposing teams, with an interesting stat from TruMedia Sports. Philly has faced man-to-man coverage on 10% of dropbacks through two games this season, which is down from 27% last season.
This change by the defense has consequently affected Brown, who thrives on man coverage, as he usually has the advantage with one-on-one matchups due to his size and speed. In the eight routes Brown has run against man coverage, he’s been targeted four times.
However, the discrepancy is wider against zone coverage, as he’s only been targeted five times on the 47 routes run against zone.
If you’re Patullo, you must find a way to dial up some plays to get Brown and Smith open in the softer parts of these zones because teams won’t stop playing zone defense. That means more underneath routes or crossers against Cover 3 defense, which is designed to take away plays over the top.
Or taking those shots when they are available against a Cover 2 defense, which leaves the CB in the underneath zone and forces the safety to play the deep zone. The Eagles should look to utilize motion more, which forces the opposing team to show whether they are in zone or man defense.
Teams are determined not to let Saquon Barkley wreck the game, so it's up to Hurts and Co. to make them pay through the air and let it rip.
It’s not a hard fix, as we see teams weekly have zone beaters, but it's something the Eagles’ offense has to show that they can do consistently. Teams understand the damage Brown and Smith can do when matched up one-on-one, hence the change in scheme.
However, when they are open in the zone, Hurts has to trust those guys to make a play, whether it's for a gain of 5 yards or 15-plus. If they want to make another deep playoff run and return to the Super Bowl, this is one challenge they must face and conquer starting this weekend against the Los Angeles Rams.