2022 NFL season, week 10: What head coaches learned Monday night about the Eagles

2022 NFL season, week 10: What head coaches learned Monday night about the Eagles

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Washington's game plans perfectly. The Commanders came up with the perfect strategy to keep up with the towering Eagles, and it all revolved around one fundamental principle: keeping the ball out of Philadelphia's hands. Washington set their pace as they dominated time of possession, building a staggering lead of 40:24-19:36 as the game ended. At one point in the third quarter, the Commanders had more than quadrupled the Eagles' possession time, and it showed in the final score. Philadelphia scored two quick touchdowns, but without the ball, the powerful Eagles offense was forced to methodically watch the commanders move down the field. Brian Robinson averaged just 3.3 yards per carry, but it didn't matter, because he often gained the 2-3 yards needed to convert third downs (Washington was 12 of 21 on third down) and keep drives alive. Nothing came easy for Washington, who scored just two touchdowns by conventional methods in runs of 13 and 16 plays. But coupled with a stingy defense, it proved to be a winning formula that produced a shocking upheaval on the national stage. Philadelphia's defensive hesitation burns the Eagles. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon will want to use this tape as a teaching tool for himself. The Eagles avoided setting up rallies in the first half, relying on their front four to generate pressure organically, allowing both sides of Washington's offense to find enough hits to keep the offenses moving. Rather than getting aggressive with the intention of forcing Taylor Heinicke into mistakes, the Eagles chose to play coverage, giving Washington just enough room to pick up rushing yards and allowing Heinicke to find open targets downstream. During the first two quarters, the Washington receivers seemed consistently open to key opportunities, as demonstrated by the 20-14 commanders advantage. Gannon eventually got more aggressive, increasing the Eagles blitz rate from 22.7% in the first half to 50% in the second, but timing didn't help the Eagles and their comeback hopes. Rather than operating on a murderous instinct, Philadelphia gave Washington too much room to operate, and commanders took full advantage of it.

Taylor Heinicke presented Ron Rivera with a difficult decision. Anyone who has followed the commanders this season will probably agree: Heinicke's return to the starting line-up gave birth to this team. Washington has gone from a team that trudges every game to a group that plays with passion and the belief that they can win every week. The Commanders nearly made it against Minnesota in their most recent game before collapsing late, and this time they seemed to be learning from that loss, holding on to win on the road. It wouldn't have happened without some key completions by Heinicke, including a deep pass to Terry McLaurin that set up a field goal to increase Washington's lead to nine. While not the most talented of passersby, Heinicke made the most of the steps required to surprise the Eagles at home. The final line of 17 passes over 29 for 211 yards and an interception will surprise no one, but his tape tells us otherwise. And when Rivera reviews last month with Heinicke instead of Wentz, he may not rush back to the regular starter.

The usual calm of the eagles sinks them. Philly is notoriously outstanding in the first half of games (19.4 points and 234 yards for the first half in 2022) and almost as bad in the second half (7.9 points and 142.8 yards). The Eagles usually do enough in the first two quarters to clinch the win, but when they got to half-time under six, it was easy to worry about their chances. Add in the possession time difference and the result was a team handcuffed by their inability to get consistent saves and convert them into points. Philly nearly overcame those woes on Monday night, scoring a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to get around ably.