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As they enter Week 6 of their unfinished business tour, the Philadelphia Eagles boast a 5-0 record and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the San Francisco 49ers as the only undefeated teams in the NFL.
Through five weeks, the Super Bowl LVII runners-up have displayed depth, versatility and resilience few can rival. Poll any of the five teams the Eagles have defeated, and they’d be hard-pressed to find much fault with the victors.
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But there is one glaring weakness: Philadelphia’s lack of production in the red zone.
One season after thriving in this area, the Eagles now are struggling. Last year, they scored touchdowns on 68 percent of their trips inside the 20-yard line, which was third-best in the NFL. Yet they rank 27th in the same category through five games this season, finding the end zone while in the red zone only 42.1 percent of the time.
Eagles players and coaches dismissed concerns about the deficiencies after the first few games. It always takes a little time for an offense to find its footing in a new season. However, now five weeks in, and with a breakthrough still elusive, some players say exasperation is mounting.
“The red zone has been frustrating, I think, for everybody,” center Jason Kelce said after a 23-14 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, when the Eagles scored touchdowns on just two of six trips inside the 20. “We’ve lost a lot of points on the board. And I think I let myself get too frustrated, too animated, and it wasn’t productive.”
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, never one to show much emotion regardless of any struggles or frustrations around him, expressed confidence the problems would work themselves out.
“I think we have to be better in the red zone in general,” Hurts said Sunday. “But I think we’re taking steps in a positive direction.”
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Hurts views his team as capable of a turnaround because of its success on third downs. The Eagles have converted 50.7 percent for first downs, which ranks second in success rate to only to the Kansas City Chiefs (51.5 percent). Sunday, Philadelphia was an astounding 13-for-18 on third down.
So why is success in the red zone proving so difficult?
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said his team has done a great job of staying in manageable situations on third down everywhere but within the 20.
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“We’re getting ourselves into third-and-longs and, you know, that’s tough,” he said. “The field shrinks the deeper you get in third down. I mean, anytime you’re in third down it’s harder, but especially down there. We’ve got to put them in better positions to succeed.”
Sirianni has a point. The Eagles have reached the red zone 19 times in five games, per TruMedia. Eight of those drives have resulted in touchdowns, with Philadelphia reaching the end zone five of the six times it needed 5 or fewer yards to score. However, the Eagles were unsuccessful anytime they faced third or fourth down with 6 or more yards to reach the end zone or earn another red-zone first down.
There’s also another element at play.
Hurts and his offensive linemen have proven virtually unstoppable when they can reach the goal line and plow across on their signature sneak — or “tush push,” “brotherly shove” or whatever you want to call it. However, the quarterback could be the key to the Eagles’ most significant growth opportunity in the red zone. If he can improve as a passer in this area of the field, Hurts would become an even greater difference-maker for his team.
This season, the fourth-year pro is completing a career-best 67.3 percent of his passes, up from 66.5 percent last season and 61.3 percent in 2021, his first season as a full-time starter. However, his red-zone effectiveness numbers have dipped. After completing 52.2 percent of his red-zone throws last year, Hurts this season has completed just 42.9 percent (9-for-21), which ranks 28th among full-time starters. He has two red-zone touchdown passes and one interception.
His passing completion rate in the red zone trails Patrick Mahomes (51.4 percent, 18-of-35), Josh Allen (69.2 percent, 18-of-26) and Lamar Jackson (70 percent, 14-of-20).
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It should be noted that Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown dropped a would-be touchdown pass in the end zone at Tampa Bay, so Hurts’ numbers could be slightly higher. An opposing NFL defensive coordinator also suggested Hurts’ and the Eagles’ red-zone passing numbers be taken with a grain of salt because Sirianni leans into the run game far more heavily in this area of the field than some coaches.
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“They run the ball down there like no one else does,” said the defensive coordinator, who was granted anonymity so he could speak honestly about another team. “They run with the back. They run with the quarterback. They play a completely different brand of ball than anyone else.”
The stats bear this out: Only six of those 21 red-zone pass attempts were shots to the end zone. Two resulted in touchdowns, one was dropped, one was overthrown, one drew a pass interference call and the other was intercepted.
Could more shots to the end zone have led to an increase in touchdowns? Perhaps. And is a dissection of the Eagles’ red-zone struggles splitting hairs? Again, perhaps.
As the defensive coordinator also noted: “They’re undefeated. Hurts has lost one (regular-season) game in the last two years. It’s just a matter of them all executing a little bit better. They’ll be hard to stop down there again.”
Although frustrated over the lack of red-zone production, no one on the Eagles is panicking. They understand that leaving points on the board eventually could prove costly. But they continue to strive for growth in this department, and believe a breakthrough is coming through improved play selection and execution.
“The growth mindset is a real thing here, and it starts from the top down and every individual truly has that,” Hurts said. “Every individual on this team is truly hungry to be their best self and be the best they can be for the team for the sake of everyone around them. So, it’s a constant maturation process there.”
(Photo: Harry How / Getty Images)
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