Three Simple Words To The Eagles Coaching Staff: Run The Ball
Disaster struck on Monday night for the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles hosted their home opener against the Atlanta Falcons on a night where legend Nick Foles was honored as he retired as an Eagle, and legend Jason Kelce returned as a member of ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown show. Eagles fans have been begging the coaching staff to listen to three simple words: run the ball.
A Monday Night Football Recap
The Eagles took a 7-6 lead into halftime over the Falcons. Both teams traded field goals to open up the second half and then traded touchdowns on the next two drives. The Eagles stopped Falcons running back Bijan Robinson on 4th & 1 thanks to an incredible stuff at the line by safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to give the Eagles the ball back with under six minutes to go in the game and an 18-15 lead.
Philadelphia orchestrated an 11-play drive that resulted in a field goal, putting them up 21-15 with 1:39 remaining in the game. The Falcons would have one more unlikely chance to drive down the field and score a touchdown with no timeouts to win the game.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins led a six-play, 70-yard touchdown drive in just over a minute to give the Falcons a 22-21 lead after a successful Younghoe Koo extra point. The Eagles’ defense allowed two completions over 20 yards to provide the Falcons with excellent field position. Cousins found wide receiver Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown pass with cornerback Darius Slay in coverage.
The Eagles’ offense had 34 seconds to get into field goal range with two timeouts. After starting the drive at their 30-yard line, the Eagles needed about 25-30 yards to be in Jake Elliott’s range. With two timeouts, that was doable. Jalen Hurts found tight end Dallas Goedert for 13 yards on the drive's first play, which led to an Eagles timeout.
The Eagles had plenty of time to go a short distance to give Elliott a chance to win the game with his leg. Coming out of the timeout, Hurts threw up a ball in the direction of wide receiver DeVonta Smith, which resulted in an interception by safety Jessie Bates III. It was a poor decision by Hurts that ultimately ended the game. The Eagles were stunned by what transpired in the game's final moments.
A lot of blame can go around for the Eagles’ ugly loss on primetime television. The pass rush couldn’t get any pressure on Cousins all game, the run defense couldn’t slow down the Falcons’ pair of running backs, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni decided to go for it on 4th & 4 on the Falcons’ 9-yard line in a 0-0 game late in the first quarter instead of attempting a chip shot field goal, and the Eagles coaching staff decided to pass instead of run the ball on multiple occasions throughout the game.
Deciding Not To Run The Ball Cost The Eagles The Game
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley started the game rushing for big gains against the Falcons’ defense. Instead of continuing to feed the hot hand, Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore utilized the passing game more often. Barkley did finish with 22 carries for 95 yards, but the Eagles should’ve stuck with the run game when he was hot.
When it mattered most with the game on the line, the Eagles decided not to run the ball. On 3rd & 3 at the Falcons’ 10-yard line, the Eagles decided to call a pass play with 1:46 remaining in the game. The Eagles were up by three points at the time, and the Falcons had no more timeouts remaining. Barkley wound up dropping a perfect pass from Hurts that would’ve given the Eagles a first down and essentially ended the game. Instead, the clock was stopped, and the Eagles had to kick a field goal to give them a six-point lead. Everyone knows what happened next.
"I dropped the ball, let my team down today,” Barkley said on his crucial drop, per Dave Spadaro. “Shouldn't have put the defense in that position, make that catch, and the game's over."
If Barkley had caught the pass, the Eagles would’ve had a first down and been able to run the clock down to zeros. That pass play should’ve never happened to begin with. The Eagles should’ve run the ball to keep the clock moving.
There’s no excuse not to run the ball in that situation. The Eagles have one of the league's most dynamic running backs ever seen in Barkley. Using him there should’ve been a no-brainer, even if he ended up getting stopped short of the line to gain.
Philladelphia has a dominant play in their pockets with the tush push they could’ve attempted if Barkley was stopped short. At the very least, it would’ve wasted the clock before attempting the field goal to make it a 21-15 game. It was a poor coach’s decision that resulted in the Eagles losing that game.
The road ahead doesn’t get any easier for the Eagles. They’ll head to New Orleans to take on the Saints in the Superdome who are coming off a 44-19 route over the Dallas Cowboys. The Saints are outscoring opponents 91-29 through the first two weeks of the new NFL season.
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