The Philadelphia Eagles have been one of the hottest teams in the league since their week five bye. They’ve won nine straight games and have really found their identity in the run game. Saquon Barkley has emerged as a legit MVP candidate behind the teams’ offensive line, and the Birds look like they could make a push for the Super Bowl. However, things weren’t all sunny in Philadelphia this week. A lot of drama surfaced from both inside and outside the locker room about the state of the offense. In particular, between A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts. It’s been speculated that Brown is unhappy with his role in the offense and how the passing attack has changed with Barkley’s emergence. With this new wrinkle, what should the Eagles offensive strategy be going forward? Should they keep feeding Barkley primarily or look to diversify the passing attack?
A Recap Of This Week’s Dilemm
Last Word on Sports has covered this week’s drama closely. David Latham reported on Tuesday that several comments were creeping their way out of the Birds’ inner circle leading to the turmoil. It all started with Brown saying that the number one issue with the Eagles’ offense was passing. Latham also talked about how this has led to tension between Hurts and Brown which could potentially lead to an offseason trade.
Furthermore, Daniel Johnson reported that Eagles legend Brandon Graham added fuel to “an unintentional fire in the media,” by saying that Brown and Hurts used to be friends but “things have changed.”
The team quickly walked back these claims, like Graham correcting himself in the media and head coach Nick Sirianni denying them altogether, according to Johnson. Even with damage control, this does put a bit of a blemish on the state of the team and now they have some thinking to do.
Going up against a top defense like Pittsburgh, is it wise to change the tune of the Eagles offensive strategy so late in the season?
A Breakdown Of The Numbers?
There’s no doubt that Barkley has been a force this year with the Eagles. He’s second in the league in carries with 266, 1st in rushing yards with 1,623, and tied for 5th in rushing touchdowns with 11. Barkley is also on pace to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing yards record. One might think diverting from the team’s bread and butter would be unwise this week, but is it?
According to FOX Sports, there is a significant discrepancy between the Steelers’ rush and pass defense. They are 4th in rushing defense but just 18th in passing defense. They’ve also held running backs like Derrick Henry to one of his worst rushing performances of the season with just 65 yards on 13 carries.
While Barkley will always be a factor in the offense, if there was ever a game to try and get Brown going it would be this one. After all, Brown is one of the best receivers in football and has still shown flashes of his magic this year, like his week 1 effort against the Green Bay Packers.
