After day five, the eagles they remain the only undefeated team in the NFL. Although there were good forecasts, almost no one expected that it would be the only team that does not know defeat after five games. Let’s analyze the keys to your success.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE TECHNICAL STAFF
The previous season, theoretically in pure reconstruction and without any pressure, the eagles they started badly (2-5) but ended up winning 7 of the last 10, for a balance of 9-8, seventh in the National Conference and qualifying for the playoffs. Nick Sirianni It changed from a passing system to being a purely running team, finishing number 1 in the league in rushing attack.
With Hurts’ double threat in passing and running, and an easy schedule, the eagles they crashed in the game of WildCard, in which the Buccaneers of Tampa they had no mercy.
This year Syrianni and his technical team have taken a huge leap in quality, implementing a much more varied and balanced system between passing and running, with complex variations based on the RPO, the play action and the read option. This Twitter thread dissects the layers that have been added to this type of play in order to be successful against teams already prepared for it.
Secondly, Syrianni He has shown himself to be a sensible coach with a lot of common sense. Far from the “coaching pain” attacks that we have often seen, Rubén Ibeas describes it this way, recounting the last winning drive in the game against Arizona: “Playing what has made you the team with the best record in the league. Do what best suits the characteristics of your players. Be fully aware of who you are and what you want to play. That is, put the ball on the ground and Hurts, Sanders and your offensive line eat up the field as the clock ticks down.”
THE ADDITIONS IN THE DRAFT AND THE FREE AGENCY
The additions in the draft of jordan davis (SD), Cam Jurgens (C), and A. J. Brown (which was traded for the 18th pick), plus the signings of hasson reddick (LB), Zach Pascal (WR), Kyzir White (LB), James Bradberry (CB) and Gardner-Johnson (S) have had an immediate impact on the team, plugging holes in all lines, especially defensively. From being the worst team in pass rush of the league have become fourth in bags, with 17. hasson reddick leads the team with 4.5 sacks and 3 tackles for loss.
THE EVOLUTION OF JALEN HURTS
Last season there were many doubts with Jalen Hurts on whether he would be the franchise QB for Eagles. This season, hurts Until now, it has been the weapon needed to break through the rival defense and take the team as a whole to the next level. In five games, he has scored 10 touchdowns totals (4 passing and 6 running) with only 2 interceptions, 1,359 yards; 68% completion rate, averaging 8.5 yards per pass (second behind Tua Tagovailoa, Eagles is the best team in the league in average passing yards) and 266 rushing yards on 68 attempts. hurts scored the touch down rushing number 19 of his career (in 24 games) in the win against Arizona Cardinals, surpassing the mark Cam Newton with 18.
The most impressive thing this year has been his improvement in the passing game, his reading and how he has been able to lead the team. Last year he was rightfully accused of just passing to the right and being a first-read QB and running. This year he has improved a lot in this aspect. We can see in this tweet of Shane Haff the comparison between passing charts of 2021 and the first four games of 2022. The difference is enormous, especially in passes of more than 20 yards to the left:
Jalen Hurts’ passing charts from 2021 and the first 4 games of 2022 show a marked difference in his ability to throw to the left side of the field and to hit the intermediate middle of the field.
2021/2022 statistics:
TT: 3.12 -> 2.8
ADoT: 9 -> 8.1
CPoE: -0.2% -> +2.2% pic.twitter.com/F65PUYsgJO— Shane Haff (@HAFFnHAFF_TPL) October 3, 2022
Marco Álvarez, in a sensational article, analyzes the improvement of Hurts in terms of readings pre snap, pitcher mechanics and decision-making in great detail. On a pass he made to A. J. Brown in the match against commanders we thought it was poorly launched, but Marco points out: “With the cornerback, remember, playing with inside leverage, the slant It is a difficult route to complete. However, in a mature touch for the position, Hurts places the pass on Brown’s back shoulder so he can complete the catch. What looks like an error ball-placement is actually the demonstration that the quarterback he is mastering the finer details of the game.”
Finally, he has shown leadership, a desire to win at all costs, but at the same time maturity in his decision-making and poise in pocket.
His improvement is reflected in the offensive stats of Eagles: second team overall offense behind the Bills in the league with 2,099 yards (419.8 per game); fourth in rushing yards with 800; and seventh in passing yards, with 1,299 (259.8 yards per game).
THE STRENGTH IN THE TRENCHES
Philadelphia has played with great success in 5 formations wide, being practically synonymous with first down every time. To do that, you have to have a lot of confidence in your offensive line. And the Eagles have one of the best, if not the best, in the entire NFL. Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Jason Kelce, Isaac Seumalo Y Lane Johnson they form a unit that has consistently tarred every defensive line it has faced. Jason Kelce Y Lane Johnson they have been since 2020 without allowing a sack not a hit to the QB. In case of injury, Jack Driscoll, Sua Opeta, Cam Jurgens Y Andre Dillardthey are guarantee spare parts.
On the other hand, the defensive line is scoring at a high level. Against Washington they provoked 9 bags, two fumble and 16 hits to the QB. Fletcher Cox, Jordan Davis, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, Milton Williams form a front tremendous, plus the addition of Hasson Reddick, who leads the team with 4.5 sacks. The eagles they are rooms in bags, with 17.
A FAVORABLE TIMETABLE
The eagles have the third easiest schedule, after commanders Y Cowboys, based on 2021 results. Matt McEwan He even says that the simplest calendar is that of the eagles, based on your opponents projected wins. They’re only going to play six teams that made the playoffs the year before. With Dallas (which had the second-easiest schedule last year), both qualified for the postseason, making it the sixth straight season that at least one of the two easiest-schedule teams made it into the title playoffs . The calendar is obviously a factor, but it must also be said that it is not easy to repeat in the playoffs two consecutive years: in 2021 only two teams per conference made it, so the strength of the calendar is somewhat relative, since the difficulty of the teams varies from year to year.
EARN ANY WAY
The five victories of eagles they’ve been quite different from each other, and yet they’ve had a number of things in common: great second-quarter scoring (18.4 points per game, best in the NFL); dominance in time of possession (33 minutes and 52 seconds, second best in the NFL); consequently, many attacking yards (seconds total offense of the NFL, with 419.8 per game), on the one hand. And on the other hand, let the defense and the running game in the attack close the game in the second half (fourth best defense in yards in the NFL, with 294.4 per game); and better turnover differential of the NFL, with +9.
Against detroit the defense conceded 35 points, but the attack was able to score three points more than the rival. Against the Vikings, Eagles they played an absolutely dominant game in attack and defense. Against Washington the defense was the great protagonist, with 9 sacks and 17 hits to the QB. Against Jaguars they did not play a good game, but they knew how to suffer and come from behind, with injuries to key players, wind and rain, and found a way to win. And finally against Arizona they knew how to win a very even game in the State Farm Stadiumwhere they had never won.
The differential is that until now they have been able to overcome the circumstances and win one way or another. That is the hallmark of a team that aspires to everything.
CONCLUSION
The philadelphia eagles So far they have proven to be a resilient team that knows how to overcome circumstances and knows how to win in various ways. Likewise, it is a disciplined, well-trained team that knows what it is playing at, knows what its weapons are and how to use them. The sunday night against Dallas Cowboys, one of the best defenses in the league, will give us a good measure of where this team really is in the medium term.
Fly Eagles Fly!
We would love to thank the author of this short article for this amazing material
Keys to undefeated Eagles: good sense and common sense – Spanish Bowl