The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Pittsburgh Steelers convincingly Sunday 27-13. This was a pivotal game going into it because of the way things were trending over the past week. The team hung on to beat the Carolina Panthers in a potential trap game. Afterward, there was a bit of a media firestorm after. It started in the team’s post-game press conference. receiver A.J. Brown was asked what the team’s biggest issue is right now and he responded “passing,” according to Last Word on Sports‘ David Latham. The article goes on to say that Brandon Graham added fuel to the fire by saying quarterback Jalen Hurts and Brown were friends but “things have changed.” While the organization back-peddled the claims, all eyes were on the Eagles passing game this week. In response to the drama, Hurts silenced the critics and proved further why the Birds are a Super Bowl contender.
The Eagles High Flying Passing Attack
Going into this week, Last Word on Sports put out an article emphasizing that this game was better than ever to use the passing game primarily. While it was tempting to continue to lean on MVP candidate Saquon Barkley, there was a significant drop-off between the Steelers rush and pass defenses.
The team took this sentiment to heart and put on a clinic in the passing game. Hurts completed 25 of 32 passes for 290 yards. That was his second-highest completion percentage of the season with a 78.1% for the game. He also had two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.
Brown posted his third-best receiving effort Sunday with 110 yards on eight catches and a touchdown. DeVonta Smith had his best receiving effort of the season with 11 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. It was especially imperative to get Brown his targets since it was his comments that sparked the drama with the passing game.
What Does This Mean Going Forward?
While the Eagles have been a force in the run game all season, opening up the passing game adds another dimension for this team. If they stayed solely reliant on Barkley’s legs then it would only have been a matter of time until the team ran into an opponent who matched up well. Pittsburgh to their credit, did a solid job containing Barkley today.
What would happen if they ran into that kind of matchup in the playoffs? They’ve always had firepower with their passing attack and it’s pivotal in these late weeks that they establish themselves in that realm again.
However, they don’t want to tank Barkley’s production either. They will need to find a balance between both units or perhaps strategically pick which unit would be better suited for the opponent.
It will be fascinating to see how the team gears up for the postseason with just about a month of regular season football left.
Main Image: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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