Eagles-Commanders Film Review: Jalen Hurts played better as the offense’s design improved

I’ve complained a lot about the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense recently. I will not be doing so today. This was an excellent performance! The design of the passing game against the Washington Commanders was SO much better and many of my wishes from last week came true!

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Offense

Well, is there a better way to start a game? What can I even say about Saquon Barkley anymore? He’s the best player on the field every single week. He’s having the best running back season I have ever witnessed. He’s possibly having the best season any running back has ever had. He’s a total superstar. The Eagles came up with an under center crack toss (and never ran it again... weirdly) with jet motion stressing the defense, which works perfectly. Most running backs pick up a first down on this play due to how well it is executed upfront. Saquon Barkley scores a touchdown because he is not just a typical running back. Running backs matter!

Eagles Offense All22 vs. Washington. 1) Not a bad start, aye? It looks like Hurts audibles into under center crack toss which is something we haven't seen often! AJ Brown & Mailata take out 3 defenders. Goedert does a good job and Saquon Barkley just does what he does best. He's… pic.twitter.com/Qmg3vwHjKE — Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 27, 2025

I can’t express how much I enjoyed the Eagles’ second drive. Saquon Barkley ran it in from 4 yards in, but every play before that was a pass. Every throw was on time. Jalen Hurts knew exactly where to go with the football. Every play was well-designed. The passing game was clearly connected to the run game. After the first incompletion to AJ Brown on the quick slant, the rest of the drive went like this...

RPO Hurts rollout throw to flat 10 yards.

DeVonta Smith deep comeback shot on time 20 yards.

RPO (Counter Action) rollout to AJB 11 yards.

So simple. Yet, so effective! The run game and pass game were linked! This was my favorite RPO because it’s linked to a Counter run action up front. This takes advantage of the Eagles’ dominant run game. NFL defenses are terrified of the Eagles’ Counter runs, so taking advantage of this is smart. I’ve been calling for this for a while! I said this a few weeks back...

So, why not build on that success and start running some Counter RPOs?! I’ll be watching the Eagles’ passing game this week to see if they start making things easier for Hurts and linking the passing game to the run game’s success. It should be an easy way of improving the efficiency of the passing game.

This was not the only Counter RPO that the Eagles ran.

2) The Eagles second drive was fantastic. The Eagles ran a lot of RPOs & got Hurts on the move, like this. Washington was terrified of Barkley and the Eagles took advantage of it. The run/pass game was not disconnected like it has been in previous weeks. This is a Counter RPO… pic.twitter.com/teVNDsE2CJ — Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 27, 2025

Once again, what more do you want me to say about Barkley? He’s a superstar. The acceleration and burst here to ease past Frankie Luvu are exceptional.

3) Man, Barkley makes this stuff look so easy. The acceleration/burst is off the charts. Frankie Luvu is a top athlete and Barkley beats him with ease. I've never seen a season like this. He's playing with an unbelievably high level. pic.twitter.com/zQmth1unJJ — Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 27, 2025

This type of play is exactly what I called for last week. Let’s revisit why I was so unhappy with the design of the pass game last week...

The Eagles run far too many passing concepts that expect Hurts to read his initial read and then get backside. Some analysts will refer to this as a ‘full field read’. I want to see concepts where all the receivers’ routes are in Hurts’ vision without him having to get all the way to the backside.

The Eagles barely ran any 2x2 concepts where Hurts had to get to his backside this week. The design of the offense was completely different. Look how much better this is. All of these routes are within Hurts’ line of vision. He doesn’t need to get backside. He can get through his progressions without the need to get back to the other side of the field. And guess what happened?! Hurts looked decisive and threw the ball in rhythm consistently. It was one of the best Hurts games of the season. It is no coincidence that Hurts played better as the offense's design improved. This is precisely what I wanted to see from the passing game this week. I would have loved to have seen this all season long, but at least we got there in the end!

4) This is EXACTLY what I've been calling for. I'm so happy with this! The Eagles flood one side of the field rather than running 2x2 with 2 different concepts. The Eagles have multiple routes that come into Hurts vision. This is perfect. Hurts was decisive and played really… pic.twitter.com/J968Xvm80z — Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 27, 2025

When I analyzed Kellen Moore in the offseason, I mentioned his use of jet sweeps a lot. He had wide receivers run a lot to stretch the defense horizontally. I’ve been surprised that we haven’t seen more jet sweeps this year. This week, we saw Dallas Goedert keep it twice, and DeVonta Smith keep it twice as well. These are simple, effective plays you can build on later in the game. I’ve no idea why we haven’t seen this more.

5) Where has this been all year?! The Eagles used Goedert on jet sweeps twice and DeVonta Smith had two catches on jet motion. This stuff has always been a big part of Kellen Moore's offense and I've been surprised how little we have seen WR runs this year. Better late than… pic.twitter.com/kS89pf5QJi — Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 27, 2025

The entire Eagles’ passing game was simplified this week. The Eagles’ offense has so much talent that everything does not need to be complicated. This is just simple. Use a pre-snap shift to identify man coverage. Throw it to AJ Brown, who wins his one-on-one matchup. It’s not hard! It may not be the most schematically brilliant play but Hurts throws these outside-the-numbers vertical shots well, and AJ Brown is a superstar! This is an absolute dime from Hurts. He played really well.

6) 4th and 5. When you have an elite WR and a QB who throws an outstanding deep shot, you don't need to overcomplicate it. Pre-snap shift to ID man coverage. No deep safety. Let it fly. We take for granted how well Hurts throws this ball. Not many QBs are as consistent down the… pic.twitter.com/2HY3u6sPJW — Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 27, 2025

Once again, there is nothing complicated here. Isolate AJ Brown again. Line him up inside with the space to go either way. Then throw a dime! Simple! Hurts’ ball placement is always good, and it’s the coach's job to provide him with well-defined reads where he can get the ball out quickly. Hurts is a top quarterback when he gets the ball out on time. The design of the offense made it a lot easier for him to get the ball out on time this week. It’s no surprise that he played well!

7) Again, don't overcomplicate things. Isolate your elite superstar WR one-on-one in the red zone. Line him up inside to give him the ability to go either way. Then throw a dart to the outside. The ball placement is perfect. Hurts and AJ Brown were locked in. Easy money!! pic.twitter.com/3V9uNrBcJr — Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 27, 2025

Oh yes. This is my favorite call of the game. When I spoke about providing multiple routes within Hurts' line of vision, I had this exact play in mind. This is perfect. This is a Post-Wheel-Flat route combination that stresses Washington’s zone defense. As well as this, the Eagles use a shallow crossing route from AJ Brown, which ends up on the same side of the field, creating a 4-strong look. If Hurts did need to get to his 4th read here, he could do it without turning his head all the way to his backside. This is so much better than last week. The issue with concepts like this is that you don’t stretch a defense vertically, and they can play tight coverage. However, by using Jahan Dotson in motion, you stretch the defense horizontally, too. Look at the gap between Dotson, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert on this play. That is a huge area for the defense to cover. This is precisely what I meant when discussing stretching a defense horizontally and vertically and eliminating full-field progressions. I love this!

8) Oh, baby. Now we are cooking. I wrote at length about providing Hurts with multiple options in his line of vision. This is perfect. Use Dotson to stretch horizontally. Flood Washington's zones with 4 strong. This looks like Post-Wheel-Flat with AJ Brown creating a 4 strong… pic.twitter.com/ec3skxl2kK — Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 27, 2025

Jalen Hurts looked mobile, but he wasn’t even a factor in the run game this week. That’s a scary thought for opposing defenses! This was a great call, and I’m a big fan of QB runs in the red zone. This is QB Draw with Barkley as a lead blocker. This is perfectly executed. Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson deserve vast amounts of credit for playing hurt this week. They were clearly injured, but they gave it their all.

You may have noticed I haven’t spoken about the obvious errors in pass protection this week. There were a few. It wasn’t perfect. But what do you expect when you have a new center who hasn’t played all season long? I assume Cam Jurgens will play in the Super Bowl, so I don’t want to waste my time breaking down the issues in pass protection because I expect Jurgens to be back. Let’s focus on the positives. We scored 55 points!

9) Good luck stopping this offense when the passing game is in rhythm. We didn't even see Hurts keep it very often. However, we did see this beautiful QB Draw with Barkley as a lead blocker. Shout-out to Steen for a great block. And to Jurgens - what a warrior! I was glad to see… pic.twitter.com/GcE5bR3sGk — Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 27, 2025

It felt like the Eagles were calling Mesh or Shallow Crossing routes about 5 times a game a couple of months ago. We haven’t seen it in recent weeks, which is weird. I wonder if this offense has too many ideas and tries to do too much rather than focus on a few specific concepts that work well. The Eagles ran more shallow routes in this game, and it worked well. This is another easy completion and an important 3rd down conversion. The pre-snap shift at the top of the screen also causes a bit of confusion among Washington’s defensive backs. The Eagles used a lot of shifts and motion in this game to make it more difficult on Washington’s defense. In all honesty, the Washington defense looked awful in this game. They didn’t have a clue how to stop this offense.

10) Remember when the Eagles had loads of success with Mesh and Shallow Crossing routes a couple months ago, then just stopped calling it? That was fun. Well, good news. It's back! This was a big 3rd down conversion. I love the little pre-snap shift to make it more difficult on… pic.twitter.com/vnlbXTu6Ky — Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 27, 2025

Remember when I spoke about the jet sweeps earlier on? This is why they can be useful. The Eagles use jet motion here, and look at how it distracts the linebackers and the safety coming from deep. Jet motion is great, but it is even more effective if the defense thinks there is a real chance that the receiver may keep the football. This is simple sequencing. Simple can be good. This is good!

11) Why was all that jet sweep stuff I mentioned early on important? Because you can use jet motion to distract opposing defenders! Look at the impact the motion has. Teams haven't been able to stop Barkley as it is. Now they have to deal with jet motion too?! Good luck! AJ Brown… pic.twitter.com/DP0P1gCxhT — Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 27, 2025

Barkley makes this look incredibly easy. But it’s actually an impressive rep. Barkley is aiming to target the B-gap, but he sees the safety coming downhill quickly into the B-gap. Instead of slowing down and stopping his feet, he immediately changes his path and bounces it outside. His vision, processing, and elite athleticism are off the charts. I feel so blessed that I get to watch him every single week. Running backs often slow down toward the end of the season, but Barkley just keeps getting better. What a special athlete.

12) Barkley reads the safety coming into the B-gap and bounces it outside for a TD instead. He's a physical freak. But he's also playing the game at a ridiculously high mental level. He's one step ahead of the defense all of the time. He's seeing things before they happen.… pic.twitter.com/iqSPOC1AF6 — Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 27, 2025

I could end this one with Barkley. But let’s end with Will Shipley. Because, why not! The Eagles’ Counter run game is basically unstoppable. It doesn’t matter who the running back is. This is why I have been calling for the Eagles to run to Counter RPO’s, as they did in this game!

13) We have to end with some GH Counter. No one can stop the Eagles Counter game. Even without Saquon Barkley! It was cool to see Will Shipley end with some reps. Even if it did just remind me just how fast Barkley is!

What an incredible offensive performance. I enjoyed that,… pic.twitter.com/tvtRWL3y4E — Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 27, 2025

Overall, I could not be happier with the offensive performance. I am obviously not arrogant or stupid enough to believe that Kellen Moore read a single word I have ever written (I did appreciate the comments that suggested he should, though!), but this week’s game plan was exactly what I wanted to see. The Eagles eliminated these full-field progressions and simplified things for Hurts, who played exceptionally well. The ball came out on time. The passing game was linked to the running game. I don’t know what Jalen Hurts meant when he said that Nick Sirianni ‘finally let him out of his straitjacket,’ but it is clear that the design of the offense was different this week.

I take a lot of confidence from this performance and expect to see something similar heading into the Super Bowl. However, the Chiefs’ defense will be much better than Washington’s defense, as they did not play very well.

Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions. If you enjoyed this piece, you can find more of my work and podcast here.

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