How big of a concern are the Eagles' red-zone struggles?
How big of a concern are the Eagles' red-zone struggles? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
They’re fifth in scoring, second in yards per game, second in rushing yards, 10th in passing offense, third in first downs, second in third-down percentage, eighth in fewest turnovers.
This offense is unstoppable.
Except in the red zone.
The Eagles have experienced baffling issues inside the opposing 20-yard line, and despite being one of the most explosive, productive, efficient and varied offenses in the league, they’re one of the worst in the red zone.
“Just a lack of execution, and I think that's something that's developing in itself,” Jalen Hurts said. “But that's purely on us and us controlling the things that we can and ultimately finding an identity in that area. I have no doubt that’s coming here soon. It's just a matter of being diligent with it.”
The Eagles rank 27th in the NFL with touchdowns on just 38 percent of their 21 red-zone drives, and they rank 28th in points per red-zone drive at 3.95.
Of those 21 drives, eight have been touchdowns, nine field goals, two failed fourth downs, one turnover and one end of game.
What’s the issue?
The Eagles are 20th in the NFL on first down in the red zone, averaging just 2.3 yards per play, 27th on second down in the red zone with 1.8 yards per play and 28th on third down averaging half a yard per play.
Overall, they’re 29th running the offense inside the 20, averaging 1.7 yards per play.
“It's first and second down, that's what's going on,” Sirianni said. “We're getting ourselves in third-and-long and that's tough. As the field shrinks, the deeper you get in third down, anytime you get deeper in third down, it's going to be harder to convert, but especially down there. And so we’ve got to put them in better positions to succeed.”
Whether it’s execution or play calling or a combination of both, some of the Eagles’ red-zone numbers are scary.
Hurts is 9-for-21 for 29 yards with two TDs, one INT, two sacks for 14 yards and just 15 net passing yards inside the 20.
According to Stathead, out of 32 quarterbacks who’ve thrown at least 10 passes in the red zone, his 62.2 passer rating ranks 30th, ahead of only the Vikings’ Kirk Cousins (57.4) and Raiders backup Aidan O’Connell (25.0). He has rushed for four touchdowns.
The Eagles’ running backs are 26-for-76 (2.9 yards per carry) in the red zone but with five TDs. And A.J. Brown, so dominating all year, has just two catches for five yards and no TDs on six red-zone targets. DeVonta Smith has a TD on two red-zone targets and Dallas Goedert a TD and two first downs on four targets.
“There hasn't been one thing that's prevented us from scoring the touchdowns that we need to score down there, which we all know we're capable of doing,” offensive coordinator Brian Johnson said.
“For us, it's really just a balancing act of A) We have to do a great job of putting the plan together and putting those guys in the position to make plays, and B) We’ve got to do a great job of executing and then we have to be great in our operation. …
“Ultimately for us, we know that's an area that we have to continue to improve. You see us kind of moving the ball in between the 20s and doing a nice job in some areas, but that's definitely an area of focus for us to continue to fix.”
Between the 20s, the Eagles are averaging 6.3 yards per play. Only the Dolphins (9.2) and 49ers (6.6) are higher.
But when they get close to the end zone, they just stall.
Now, one thing to keep in mind: In Tampa, the Eagles were officially 1-for-5 in the red zone, but they drove down to the Bucs’ 11-yard line in the final seconds and ran out the clock instead of trying to score. Similarly, they were officially 2-for-6 in L.A. this past weekend but at the end of the game they drove inside the 10 and there was more of a premium on running clock than trying to score.
Take out those two drives and the Eagles go from 28th in points per red-zone drive to 19th.
Not ideal but certainly not as bad as 28th.
The Eagles have bright offensive coaches, they have a Super Bowl quarterback, they have an elite offensive line, they have immensely talented skill guys all over the field.
They’re good at everything else. You just kind of figure they’ll figure this out, too.
“We've been really highly efficient in two-minute situations,” Sirianni said. “We've been highly efficient in four-minute, third down. It's just red zone right now, we are struggling a little bit.
“When you're struggling a little bit, there's always reasons why, and it's never just one thing. And so our job is to get it fixed and we're working like crazy to do that.”
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