New England’s pressure packages repeatedly disrupted Jalen Hurts and Philadelphia’s new offense during joint practices
The Philadelphia Eagles received their first extended look at the starting offense against an unfamiliar defense during two joint practices with the New England Patriots.
Their biggest concern was the offense’s response to pressure.
New England’s blitz packages repeatedly disrupted Jalen Hurts and prevented Philadelphia from consistently finishing drives. During Wednesday’s closing two-minute period, the Patriots generated pressure on three consecutive Hurts dropbacks, including one play in which a rusher came through the middle untouched.
The Eagles failed to cross midfield during that possession.
Similar problems appeared Thursday. Milton Williams generated immediate interior pressure on one play, forcing Hurts to continue after what would have been a sack. His eventual pass was deflected and intercepted. Hurts rushed another throw even after Philadelphia successfully picked up the blitz. The Eagles produced positive moments during both practices. Hurts connected with Hollywood Brown and Darius Cooper for touchdowns during Thursday’s closing period, while the running game created several productive plays Wednesday.
Still, handling pressure involves more than blocking individual defenders. The quarterback must identify where the blitz is coming from, the offensive line must communicate, and the running backs, tight ends and receivers must provide immediate answers. Philadelphia is installing a new offense under coordinator Sean Mannion, making occasional communication problems understandable. The Eagles cannot allow those issues to become a recurring weakness.
The roster contains an accomplished offensive line and an experienced quarterback. That should give Mannion the personnel needed to correct the problem. The concern is not Philadelphia’s talent. It is whether the entire offense can consistently operate with the same understanding when defenses force it to make decisions quickly.
