The Philadelphia Eagles had one of their most embarrassing performances in a long time on Thursday night against the New York Giants, losing 34-17. It was a long night for a Philadelphia defense that was without defensive tackle Jalen Carter due to injury, while cornerback Quinyon Mitchell left the game due to a hamstring injury.
The offense didn't have the same excuses, yet they continued to struggle like they have all season. Following the game, some of the Eagles' offensive players spoke about the struggles they faced once again, including veteran right tackle Lane Johnson.
"Last two weeks, you kind of know what it is: You know when the pass is coming, you know when the run is coming," Johnson said, via The Athletic's Zach Berman. "Moving forward, we've got to do a better job of that."
The Eagles' offensive tackle added (h/t @Jeff_McLane), "You can game plan all you want, but when you get in the game, a lot of it’s about making those adjustments on the sidelines."
Lane Johnson Calls Out Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo
Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has been called out by Eagles fans all season, and now Johnson has joined in. Unfortunately, it seems like everyone knows how shallow Patullo's play-calling has been.
On Wednesday, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky detailed how predictable Philadelphia's offense was on Thursday morning's Episode of Get Up, saying that the Eagles "are in the shotgun basically every snap. Orlovsky then explained how running back Saquon Barkley's alignment in the backfield is a tell of what the team will be running.
When Barkley is on quarterback Jalen Hurts' side and is about two yards behind him, it's either a run or an RPO ball fake slip pass. Moreover, when Barkley's toes are at Hurts' back heel, they run the same RPO play or a downhill run. Finally, when he is a little bit more attached to Hurts' hip, it's typically a pass.
Even though the Eagles don't always run those plays from those formations, it is more often than not what they run. Anyone who watched Thursday's loss saw exactly what Orlovsky was talking about. If fans are able to see the predictability, then the opposing defenders and defensive coordinators can too.
Therefore, Johnson's comments about the Eagles' offense being predictable are backed up. For Philadelphia to change the narrative, Patullo needs to get out of the shotgun every once and a while, or else opposing defenses will always be ready. Although the Eagles' offensive line hasn't played well this season, lining up under center could help get Barkley going.
If they can become less predictable, it will give Hurts and the Eagles' passing game a better chance of success, which is needed to prevent the season from spinning out of control.
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