Through the first three weeks of the NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles’ vertical passing game has been non-existent. The issue stems from poor play from the offensive line, the running game not being able to get positive yardage, and wide receivers not being able to get open.
But that all changed last Sunday when the Eagles took on Washington in an NFC East matchup. The vertical passing game issues were on full display early as the Eagles offense could not get anything started in the first half.
In the second quarter, quarterback Sam Bradford made a solid throw to rookie wide receiver Nelson Agholor, who had to snag the ball out of the air for an amazing one-handed catch. The pass and catch went for 45 yards, and showed Washington’s defense a new wrinkle.
Then in the third quarter, with the Eagles down 13-0, Bradford found wide receiver Riley Cooper for a 62-yard touchdown pass. The pass was a thing of beauty as Washington’s defense played with a single high safety, and Bradford was able to find Cooper over the top. That pass would get the Eagles on the board, and also gave Bradford confidence.
Bradford’s confidence continued to grow going into the fourth quarter. With the Eagles down 16-13, he found wide receiver Miles Austin for a 39-yard touchdown pass. It was a great throw by Bradford as he made an accurate read, putting the ball where only Austin could get it. Despite those big plays, the Eagles still lost 23-20, but vertical passing game looks like its back.
In comparison to last Sunday’s game and the first three games of the season, the Eagles were able to open up the vertical passing game because the offensive line protected Bradford, and gave him time to make the throws. It was not like that to begin the season starting with week one against the Atlanta Falcons. Against Atlanta, Bradford only completed two passes for over 20 plus yards; a 25-yard pass to Jordan Matthews, and a 21-yard pass to Zach Ertz,
Then in week two against the Dallas Cowboys, the Eagles offense was shut down until the fourth quarter. Bradford was only able to complete one pass for over 20 plus yards, which was a 32-yard pass to Matthews. In that game, the Cowboys’ defense was able to give the Eagles’ offensive line fits.
Lastly, against the New York Jets, the Eagles did not have any big pass plays despite holding on for a 24-17 victory.
For this offense to be successful for the rest of the season, they must continue to take shots deep and often. Philadelphia’s offense has to give defenses something else to think about or it will be hard for them to move the ball.
This Sunday, the Eagles will take on the New Orleans Saints, who are 1-3 and giving up 258.3 yards per game in the air on defense, which ranks 20th in the NFL.
New Orleans’ defense has also given up seven receiving touchdowns, which ranks 23rd in the NFL. The opportunities should be there for the Eagles, they just have to capitalize. If they do that, they should be in line for a win. If not, they are staring at 1-4.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
