Every week, I dive into the movie of the Eagles’ upcoming opponent to get a really feel for who they are surely. Consider it much less as a stats preview and extra as an summary of what exhibits up repeatedly on movie, and what the Eagles shall be dealing with.
Few defenses within the NFL mirror the identification of the trendy recreation as clearly because the Chargers do. They not often play base protection, dwell closely in dime, deploy a number of three-safety seems to be, and barely blitz. Their complete philosophy is constructed round taking away explosives, complicated quarterbacks post-snap, and counting on a disciplined entrance to generate sufficient stress with out sacrificing our bodies. It’s an excellent protection.
They’re overwhelmingly a zone-based unit (Cowl 3, Cowl 4, and match variations) designed to erase the vertical recreation and drive quarterbacks to be affected person. They don’t wish to get into remoted man-matchups in opposition to elite receivers and do job defending their corners. I’m anxious in regards to the Eagles’ offense this week except they alter one thing. They may present stress with 6 on the road of scrimmage after which bail into protection. The Eagles have struggled badly in opposition to groups that do that to date this season.
Derwin James is the centerpiece of the operation. His versatility provides the protection its disguise capabilities. He can rotate late, buzz beneath home windows, align within the slot, play deep, or blitz from depth.
He creates uncertainty within the quarterback’s post-snap image. Whereas he has struggled with missed tackles, his affect on construction is gigantic. The corners thrive in zones the place they’ll learn the quarterback reasonably than carry routes vertically. They take the ball away effectively and are aggressive on the catch level.
The Chargers don’t have to blitz as a result of their entrance can generate stress with 4. Odafe Oweh, Tuli Tuipulotu, and, if obtainable, Khalil Mack give them sufficient one-on-one wins to keep up their philosophy.
The go rush isn’t overwhelming, however it doesn’t have to be. The protection construction forces quarterbacks to carry the ball, and the frenzy closes naturally.
Towards an Eagles offense that has struggled in opposition to zone-heavy groups, it is a regarding matchup. If Philadelphia once more depends on primary 2×2 ideas, mirrored hitches, and easy spacing concepts, it’s going to run straight into the Chargers’ strengths. To succeed, the Eagles should change. They should run extra flood ideas, extra zone beaters, extra intermediate stressors, and extra RPO sequencing designed to loosen the construction. Publish routes will be profitable in opposition to cowl 4, and we’ve seen the Eagles run ideas like post-cross and double put up this season.
The opposite means you beat a zone protection is by flooding areas of the sphere, which the Eagles haven’t accomplished this yr, therefore why each group performs zone in opposition to us!
If I needed to decide a weak hyperlink within the secondary, I believe Cam Hart is somebody the Eagles can goal vertically. I’d run 4×1 and attempt to get AJ Brown remoted in opposition to him the place potential.
The Chargers’ run protection has stabilized after an unsightly begin to the season. Early on, accidents, alignment points, and light-box constructions have been exploited by groups keen to run straight at them. However final week in opposition to the Raiders, they allowed simply 31 yards on 18 carries, exhibiting improved matches, physicality, and communication. Nonetheless, that was simply the Raiders…
Their run protection nonetheless varies based mostly on personnel. As a result of they main in dime and split-safety shells, they naturally invite light-box runs. The problem for opponents is creating displacement on the first stage. Nonetheless, gaps nonetheless seem when linebackers hesitate or when safeties are late to set off downhill, which is why the Chargers stay weak.
For the Eagles, the chance is there. This may be a incredible recreation to run QB draw from empty as a result of the Chargers will play two deep safeties nearly all of the time. Nonetheless, the Eagles haven’t persistently exploited poor run defenses this season, and the Chargers’ construction isn’t as dangerous because the Bears! I believe the Eagles’ working recreation should carry the offense this week. I do not know if they’ll.
From the Eagles’ perspective, it is a difficult defensive matchup. The Chargers do virtually every part Philadelphia has struggled with. They play a ton of zone, they disguise rotations, they not often blitz, and so they generate simply sufficient stress with 4 to maintain their construction intact. They wish to drive quarterbacks into tight-window throws and punish impatience. This isn’t a protection that breaks simply. I believe the working recreation goes to need to get going this week.
For Philadelphia to succeed, the offense should evolve. They can not enter this matchup with the identical shallow, predictable passing menu. They might want to flood zones, combine RPOs, and use misdirection to create timing and leverage benefits. In the event that they go 2×2 and run primary ideas, it might get ugly.
The Eagles’ protection could play effectively, however anticipating them to close down the Chargers’ offense fully is unrealistic. Philadelphia’s offense must be higher.
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