The Philadelphia Eagles have yet to score in the first quarter this season. They are the only team in the NFL that has “accomplished” this feat. While the Eagles have been able to overcome slow starts against inferior opponents, they will need to start faster against the Bengals. The Bengals have a dynamic offense, and the Eagles can’t afford to play from behind. To start faster, Kellen Moore is going to have to find an effective opening script.
The Philadelphia Eagles Need to Clean up First Quarter Woes
Disjointed Starts
The Eagles’ opening drives on offense have been consistently ugly. In their first game of the season, Jalen Hurts threw an interception on the opening drive. Against Atlanta, the Eagles had to punt after four plays. In their games against the Saints. Buccaneers, and Browns, went three and out on their opening drives. Last week against the Giants, the opening drive stalled out after one first down. This is not conducive to future success.
Many offensive coordinators spend a lot of time scripting the first 15 plays of a game, which should mean that those are great plays. However, the script has been far from Oscar-worthy so far this season for the Eagles. New play-caller Kellen Moore is still getting used to the personnel around him, so the script should improve over time. However, improving the first-quarter offense needs to be a priority in practice. The results have been historically bad this season. Other aspects of the Eagles’ offense have improved over the past couple of weeks, so there is still time to turn this around.
Run The Ball
The term “establish the run” is a bit of a meme in football circles, but it is something that might help the Eagles. They spent big money to acquire one of the best running backs in football in Saquon Barkley, and have a good offensive line. However, the Eagles opening scripts have tended to be pass happy. The Eagles are designed to be a run first team, with an explosive down field passing game. However, Kellen Moore is still adjusting to that. In the past, Moore has worked with pocket passers, such as Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert. Moore needs to alter his system to suit Hurts’ strengths. He has been doing that in glimpses, but it is not happening early in the game.
Saquon Barkley needs to be featured heavily in the opening script, both in the run game and in the screen game. Giving him early touches is a good way to get him in a rhythm and move the chains. It also sets up the play action passing game, which would give AJ Brown more single coverage. This will be critical in their game against the Bengals this Sunday. In what is a bit of a crossroads game, the Eagles will need to start fast. If they let the Bengals take an early lead, it makes their offense more predictable. It is harder to run the ball when you are behind. While the Eagles have been able to get away with their slow starts lately, it is still critical to get points on the board in the first quarter.
