Eagles’ offense still searching for rhythm
Questions arise about use of condensed sets
From The Reporter: https://tinyurl.com/3tcz2vs3
PHILADELPHIA — Through two weeks, the Eagles’ offense still hasn’t shown that vertical pop many expected it to have from the opening kickoff this season.
“If it comes down to (expletive), ugly football that we’re barely winning, I’ll take it,” veteran right tackle Lane Johnson said. “Would you like it to be that way? No. But we spend a lot of time working on this game to try to win those things.”
Still, eking out victories usually isn’t sustainable over the long haul, as the Eagles found out in 2023, when they lost six of their final seven games after a 10-2 start.
The Birds won 20-17 in Kansas City on Sunday, but the passing game looked more uneven than explosive. Deep shots were limited, intermediate throws were sparse, and the offense leaned heavily on condensed sets and quick-release concepts to counter pressure.
As first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo noted Tuesday at NovaCare Complex, “sometimes in-game, it just doesn’t happen.” But he and the Eagles believe this is early, that an offense often takes a few weeks to settle in, to blend the scheme with personnel and for the line and receivers to get in sync. It can be particularly true when most starters no longer play in the preseason.
The offense took several weeks to gel last year under Kellen Moore, after all, but there was hope heading into this season that top receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith would be involved sooner.
Against Kansas City, Hurts threw for just 101 yards on 15 of 22 passing. Saquon Barkley rushed for 88 hard-fought yards and scored a touchdown on a 13-yard burst. Brown had five receptions for 27 yards, and Smith had four for 53 (including a 28-yarder). But overall, explosive plays were lacking.
“It’s part of the game plan, always,” Patullo said of chunk passing plays. “When you look at when we game plan … that’s obviously always the first thing we do is ask, ‘How do we want to push the ball down the field?’ … But execution doesn’t always cooperate in the moment.”
Patullo actually had a deep strike dialed up on the first play from scrimmage, but Hurts fumbled and the series soon deteriorated.
“Yeah, we had a shot,” he said. “It didn’t happen, unfortunately, and then we were in a second-and-long and we just had to play it out from there. But yeah, we definitely did.”
He acknowledged some breakdowns — protection, perhaps route timing — particularly on plays designed for big gains. It’s not about avoiding the deep game, he said, just that sometimes “it doesn’t appear” depending on defensive structure, pressure, and how plays develop.
Condensed sets and adjustments
A recurring theme for Patullo was the use of condensed sets, which have featured prominently in the first two games against Kansas City and Dallas. With receivers split tighter, backs and tight ends closer in, the goal is to force defenses into more manageable matchups, limit extremes in alignment, and speed up decision-making at the line of scrimmage.
“I think that’s kind of been a trend a little bit around the league,” he said. “You can get some things with coverage, which is nice in some matchups. … It just kind of gives you a little bit of a look at the defense that can help the quarterback.”
But it cuts both ways. A condensed set also condenses the defense, which no longer has to worry as much about lateral movement and open spaces, and receivers can have a more difficult time getting free. Plus, defenders being in closer can make it easier to limit the running game.
“I think it definitely can (create those issues), but what it also can do is create confusion on (the defense’s) part, too, right?” Patullo said. “Because you are able to do things from tighter splits of time. Like I said, (Rams coach) Sean (McVay) does that too, and a lot of guys do, where you’re crossing guys and moving guys when you’re out in time and space. When you’re spread out, sometimes you don’t get that effect.”
The Eagles will see the Rams (2-0) Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
Risk vs. reward, and the run game
Another tension Patullo addressed: balancing aggressive downfield plays with the risk of turnovers. Hurts, despite his paltry numbers and early miscue against the Chiefs, hasn’t turned the ball over this season. Yet there’s been a conservatism to the offense so far, not breaking any usual tendencies.
“There’s a fine line, right? Because you don’t ever want to put the quarterback in harm’s way,” Patullo said. “That was one of those games. … Both offenses — it was a tough game for both of us.”
On the ground, Barkley’s production was steady. Patullo pointed out that the offensive front generated some gritty yardage, and Barkley had “really tough earned yards” and “ran the ball extremely hard.”
“Going against Spags (Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) and kind of what we've done, I thought it was a really good job by them up front to earn those yards.”
Designed QB runs — reads with Barkley, etc. — are still in the playbook, but they haven’t shown up much yet because, situationally, “We didn’t really need them … We felt like we had other stuff.”
What to watch for going forward
• Will the Eagles begin to take more deep shots as protection improves and receivers adjust to timing?
• Can condensed sets translate into more intermediate throws and more explosiveness?
• How often will tendency-breaking plays appear (to surprise defenses)?
• And can Barkley and the O-line generate second-level and beyond runs, especially against condensed fronts?
Patullo seems confident the first two weeks are only part of the process while acknowledging the offensive unit is still working out the kinks.
“I think if you look around the league, everybody’s kind of doing that right now, feeling it out,” he said. “I do think it just takes some time to get that going offensively. I mean if you look at everybody, even the Chiefs, you could feel it a little bit from some teams.”
Tush push defense
Regarding the renewed criticism of the tush push, including mention of the Eagles jumping early and the play being “hard to officiate” during Sunday’s game, Patullo said the following: “I mean, some games they call it close, some games they don’t. Defenses always line up offsides anyway.”
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Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.