'An Art to Knowing': Are Philadelphia Eagles Pressing for Explosive Plays?

The Philadelphia Eagles have not been patient enough when opposing defenses have tried to eliminate the big play.

PHILADELPHIA - Other than the actual scoreboard, Philadelphia Eagles’ coach Nick Sirianni values two numbers above all others – turnovers and explosive plays.

Win both of those categories on a given game day and an act of God has to occur for you to lose the football game.

Philadelphia currently has a minus-6 turnover differential, 23rd in the NFL in the former. As a comparison last season, the Eagles were a plus-8, third in the NFL en route to an NFC title and a berth in Super Bowl LVII. Back in 2017 when they won the Super Bowl the Birds were plus-11.

That part of the equation has to get better.

Eagles star WR A.J. Brown / USA TODAY

The X-play part, though, has been OK for most of the season, not as good as 2022 when the Eagles were a gaudy plus-49 in the category. But Philadelphia has generated 45 pass plays of 20 yards or more and eight runs over 20 yards so the offense is still capable of gashing people significantly at times.

During Monday’s 20-17 loss at Seattle, the Eagles generated only one 20-plus play, a 20-yard scramble by quarterback Jalen Hurts. The longest pass play was 18 yards to Dallas Goedert on a short pass over the middle.

With the Seahawks playing their safeties deep most of the night, the splash play wasn’t there down the field and Hurts’ two interceptions in the game were poor shot-play attempts to Quez Watkins and A.J. Brown.

Sirianni admitted Tuesday that perhaps the offense needs to be a little more disciplined when the big play isn’t there.

“I think starting with myself, we have to do a better job of trying to scheme some things open against some of that cover four,” Sirianni told SI.com’s Eagles Today. “That doesn't mean you're always going to get it.

“There is an art to knowing when. Then once we talk about it, once we go over it with the players, Jalen has to feel comfortable with it, and then there's an art to Jalen's case of, all right, here's when they're giving it to me, and here's when they're not, and take it when they give it to you, and check it down or go underneath when it's not.

“That's the tough part about playing quarterback.”

Right now it’s looking tougher for Hurts than at any time since 2021, his first season as a starter.

The deep shot to Brown in the waning seconds of the game was made with a corner starting with a 12-yard cushion and Hurts failing to look off deep safety Julian Love, who raced over to make the pick and secure the game for Seattle.

“It’s not about anyone else,” Hurts insisted. “It’s never been about anyone else. It’s about how we execute. Finding ways to do that, finding ways to be efficient in different ways, that’s what it comes down to, and that starts with me.”

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Sirianni, though, seems to believe there is some pressing.

“That is a good question because some of those defenses are designed to take away [the explosive play], but in each and every coverage there's opportunities in plays to attack underneath,” the coach explained. “There are opportunities in plays to attack on the outside. There are opportunities in plays to attack inside the numbers and at an intermediate level, and there's opportunities and plays to attack the ball deep as well.

“Some easier than others to get that going.”

The Eagles' two most impressive drives in Seattle were of the grind-it-out variety and had the offense stayed that course it probably escapes the Pacific Northwest with a win.