No Huddle Offense Kills Philadelphia Eagles vs. San Francisco 49ers
Sep 28, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz (86) dives for a few extra yards during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi
Sunday’s Philadelphia Eagles 26-21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers hurts Eagles Nation, mostly because it was a winnable game. With two minutes remaining in the game, Philadelphia had the all at San Francisco’s one-yard line. The Eagles had two shots to get the ball into the end zone, but instead of taking the conservative route and running the 2013 season’s top rusher, head coach Chip Kelly chose to throw the ball. I’m not one of these folks who are claiming no confidence in Chip’s scheme, I’ll leave that to the knee-jerk crowd, but I do have to ask if Kelly’s no huddle offense killed the Philadelphia Eagles vs. San Francisco 49ers?
I wrote this story last week about the Three Ways Iggles Can Win against San Francisco, but apparently the team didn’t read my column because they failed miserably in two out of the three tactics, and I firmly believe the no huddle offense contributed mightily to those failures. Let me explain by dissecting last week’s column.
Winning Eagles Tactic Number One: Pound the rock!
While only Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray has eclipsed 100 yards against the 49ers this young season, San Francisco is allowing 118 rushing yards per game. They are susceptible against the run, and some of that has to do with the absence of arguably the team’s best linebacker Aldon Smith. Surprisingly, the Eagles top running back LeSean McCoy is only averaging 58.3 yards per game, however the team as a whole is rushing 108.7 ypg. McCoy must get back to his old dominant self, slicing through the 49ers defensive line while his fellow running back Darren Sproles also chips in.
The Eagles generated a whopping 21 yards rushing between running backs LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles. In case you forgot, McCoy ran for 1607 yards and had 539 yards receiving during the 2013 season en route to winning the NFL’s rushing title, and Sproles had 824 total yards from scrimmage. That’s almost 3,000 yards from scrimmage for just those two players. As mentioned last week, the 49ers were susceptible to the run giving up over 108 rushing yards per game. I realize the Eagles offensive line was in a difficult spot trotting out the likes of left guard Matt Tobin and center David Molk replacing injured starting LG Evan Mathis and C Jason Kelce, but I sincerely believed the Eagles would be able to run the ball against San Fran.
Sep 28, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy (25) takes a hand off from Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) during the fourth quarter at Levi
But it was not to be, and the lack of running was the core of the problem with Kelly’s no huddle attack last Sunday, in my opinion. In addition to Philadelphia losing the rushing game 22 yards to San Francisco’s 218, the 49ers absolutely dominated the Eagles in time of possession. The 49ers controlled the ball 42:17 minutes to Philadelphia’s 17:43. San Francisco was on the attack over 24 minutes longer than the Eagles, and that time amounts to an eternity in NFL speak. The longest drive Philadelphia could maintain was 4:45 in the fourth quarter, and the second longest was 2:35 in the second quarter. In contrast, San Francisco had two drives of 4+ minutes in the third quarter, a time chewing 8:47 in the first quarter, and the eventual clock draining final field goal drive of 6:05 in the fourth quarter.
Against a great defensive team like San Francisco, the winning recipe calls for heavy rushing yards and winning time of possession. By hurrying up the attack and not executing, I believe Chip Kelly put his team in a position of weakness. The 49ers are a fast defense that plays quick, and they stayed with the Eagles the entire game. What the Eagles needed to do was slow down San Francisco by grinding out long scoring drives. By going no huddle, the Eagles ultimately wore out their own defense and gave the ball back to the 49ers with more time to attack.
Winning Eagles Tactic Number Two: Contain 49ers RDT Justin Smith
In his 14th NFL season, defensive tackle Justin Smith is off to one of the best starts of his career. Smith has amassed 12 combined tackles and he’s tied for third in the league with 3 sacks. Eagles left guard Matt Tobin and center David Molk will replace injured starting LG Evan Mathis and C Jason Kelce against the 49ers. Both Tobin and Molk will have their hands full trying to stop Justin Smith. Smith is a big man who is strong at the point of attack. He plays with a nasty edge and will manhandle offensive linemen at times. While Justin doesn’t really possess elite pass rushing capabilities, he’s gotten to opposing quarterbacks this season.
Check! The Eagles limited Justin Smith to only one tackle and two quarterback hits. The entire 49ers defense generated one sack. While Philadelphia could not open up rushing lanes for their running backs, the offensive line did keep San Francisco’s defense out of their backfield.
Winning Eagles Tactic Number Three: Limit turnovers!
Sep 28, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers cornerback Perrish Cox (20) intercepts the pass intended for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (18) during the fourth quarter at Levi
San Francisco has generated five turnovers and scored 20 points as a result of those turnovers. When the 49ers take the ball away from opponents, they make them pay. Eagles QB Nick Foles must show great discipline by perhaps taking a sack instead of throwing the ball while under duress. San Francisco’s free safety Eric Reid is a ball-hawk and snagged an interception this season against Dallas that he returned 48 yards. Cornerback Perrish Cox also has an interception for the 49ers. Both Reid and Cox have great hands for defensive backs, and the Eagles must eliminate their opportunities to generate turnovers.
As successful as the Eagles were in limiting sacks on Sunday, they struggled with turnovers giving up two interceptions from quarterback Nick Foles and two fumbles. The only positive coming off Philadelphia’s four turnovers is that the 49ers only cashed in on one of them. San Francisco drove 23 yards in 8 plays to score the touchdown after Philadelphia tight end Zach Ertz’s fumble caused by 49ers safety Antoine Bathea and recovered by cornerback Perrish Cox.
I believe firmly that Kelly’s hurry up, spread offense is innovative and one that teams will be copying for years to come. Philadelphia has proven that they can generate substantial points in a short time period game after game, and nothing cures a team’s offensive psyche like playing a St. Louis Rams team giving up 342.3 yards per game and the league’s third worst 28.3 points per game. However, against teams like the 49ers with an outstanding defense and a good rushing attack, it may behoove Chip Kelly to go less no huddle and grind out the clock.
If Philadelphia can get LeSean McCoy back on track running the ball, limit their turnovers, and win the time of possession and overall yards from scrimmage battle, the Eagles will have a great chance to win on Sunday. If, however, the Rams can find a way to stop the Eagles rushing attack while gashing Philadelphia’s defense with quick passes while effectively running the ball, it will be another long week for Eagles Nation.