Dissecting the Eagles’ Passing Game Dilemma

The Philadelphia Eagles have won a playoff game and will take on the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round. The Eagles were able to beat the Packers 22-10, despite the offense not playing their best game. If the Eagles want to take this season all the way to the Super Bowl, the offense has to kick it into high gear.

There is absolutely no question that Jalen Hurts was rusty in last week’s win. It was the first full game Hurts had played since December 15th against the Steelers, which ironically was the best the passing game has looked all season. Hurts was not cleared from concussion protocol until the Friday before the game, so having limited practice sessions before a playoff game definitely contributed to him being rusty. I do believe that the rust excuse will be gone, and he should be better this week.

While he should be better this week, it may not be the case. In Hurts’ playoff career, he is 119/186 for 1,218 yards and 7 touchdowns. That is a 64% completion percentage for 203 yards per game. While those numbers are not horrible, he has not played his best football in the playoffs. Hurts did play great in the Super Bowl, but that is just 1/6 of his playoff career at this point. Playing his best in the biggest game of his life is definitely encouraging, but the larger sample size says he doesn’t play his best in the playoffs. I do think that he will be better next week, but if he is not we need to start to take a deeper look at his playoff play.

The Eagles’ passing offense as a whole has been called into question this season, with usually two answers to that question. The first is that they continue to win, so who cares how they win? The second is that eventually there will come a time where the passing game has to win us a game, and they are not sure it can happen. It reminds me a lot of the questions about the Phillies last season. Half the fanbase was worried that the offensive struggles would get us clipped in the playoffs, and the other half said that they were winning games so who cares? We all know that their playoff season ended quickly with the bats being the biggest reason why. I really hope that the people who believe that everything will be fine are correct, but I can’t help but feel like there will be a time when the passing game has to be dominant, and I’m not confident that they can do it.

While I am skeptical that the passing game can carry them to a win, they may never have to. The truth is the Eagles have made it this far on defense and running the football. The Eagles have proven that they can run on the best of the best defenses in the league, and I expect that they will ride Saquon Barkley until they reach the pinnacle. Saquon has added such a dynamic element to this offense that he transformed this team in just one short season, and I believe he is a player who can take them to the promised land. Saquon is not the only dynamic player in the running game, because Hurts makes so many special plays with his legs. My favorite thing Jalen does is extend late drives with his legs. He has a fantastic ability to get first downs with his legs when it matters most, and with him and Saquon running they have the most dynamic attack in the league.

Another reason why the passing game may never have to carry them is because the defense is phenomenal. The Packers came into last week’s game with the 5th ranked defense in the NFL, and the Eagles were able to shut them down. The defense picked Jordan Love off three times and held them to only 10 points. The Eagles finished the regular season with the number one ranked defense, and I believe that they can hold up against the best of the best offenses in the NFL. The Eagles have found a formula with running and defense, and it can carry them to a Super Bowl.

It is a true dilemma because everyone can agree that the passing game has not been good enough, but even so, the team is playing well enough to win a Super Bowl. At the end of the day, all that matters is that the Eagles keep on winning, no matter how it looks.

Use code PHILLYSPORTSREPORT for $20 off your first SeatGeek order

Click here to save 10% on any order at FOCO

Sam Heine

Sam has been with Philly Sports Reports since 2022. He is a contributor for both the Eagles and the 76ers. Sam is hoping to pursue a full-time job in sports in the future.

Twitter