NEW ORLEANS — The Philadelphia Eagles are an incredibly balanced team. Not just between offense and defense, but also within their offensive structure itself. They were one of six teams that ranked in the top 10 in both expected points added per rush (third) and expected points added per pass (seventh). They were also one of five teams that ranked inside the top 10 in avoiding negative plays (sixth) and in creating explosive gains (seventh).
“You can’t focus on one thing,” linebacker Drue Tranquill said of stopping the Eagles’ attack. “You’ve got to take away Jalen’s [Hurts] ability to throw it downfield, his ability to check it down. [And] you’ve got to take away the run game.”
Taking away the run game, of course, is easier said than done.
Philadelphia finished second in the NFL in rushing yards and fifth in yards per carry. The Eagles jumped to second in yards per carry when removing quarterback sneaks, which adds over 0.5 yards per carry to their average. The offensive line cleared the way for Saquon Barkley in a way we have rarely ever seen: Barkley’s 2.64 yards before contact per carry average checked in fourth … among the 460 running backs who have toted the rock at least 100 times in a season since 2015.
And taking down Barkley himself once he breaks into the second level isn’t some easy feat.
“He’s just a total running back,” Tranquill said. “He can make you miss in tight spaces. He can also run you over. He’s got a good stiff arm. He’s got a good spin move. He’s got a good jump cut. And he can go the distance. He’s got the speed to take it.”
Barkley forced 62 missed tackles during the regular season, according to Pro Football Focus, which ranked seventh in the NFL. He led the NFL in runs of 10 yards or more (46), and he also ripped off 25 rushes of at least 15 yards, tying him with Derrick Henry and Jahmyr Gibbs for the league lead.
Barkley’s also not the only one you need to worry about.
“When you have a quarterback that can do it all, coupled with a great running back and a great O-line, that presents some challenges,” edge rusher George Karlaftis said. “Sometimes you don’t have to really defend the quarterback from a running perspective. But when you do have to, that presents its own challenges.”
What most people think of when it comes to Hurts and the run game these days is the “Tush Push.” And obviously, that is one of the most successful plays in the entire league. But he gets plenty of designed runs that aren’t sneaks, and he’s also a great scrambler.
He has 62 designed rush attempts for 322 yards so far this season, good for an average of 5.2 per carry. He’s topped 20 yards on designed, non-sneak runs in eight of his 19 games played, including two of the three playoff games. He’s also scrambled for at least 20 yards in 11 of those 19 games, including once in the playoffs.
The Chiefs were one of the league’s least-effective teams defending against scrambles this season, allowing quarterbacks to escape downfield a league-high 50 times, according to TruMedia. Even on a percentage basis, they saw quarterbacks take off downfield on 20.9% of pressured dropbacks, which ranked sixth-worst.
They were one of only nine teams that saw pressures result in scrambles at a higher rate than sacks, with the fourth-largest negative margin. Against a quarterback like Hurts who can and will take off down the field but also has a tendency to hold the ball and take sacks, Kansas City needs that balance to tip in the opposite direction on Sunday night.
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Author: Jared Dubin
February 5, 2025 | 2:00 pm
