Eagles Offense Missing Opportunities with Mark Sanchez at Quarterback
The fact that Philadelphia Eagles backup signal-caller Mark Sanchez struggled mightily against the Seattle Seahawks wasnโt altogether surprising. Better passers than Sanchez have tried and failed to crack the vaunted Legion of Boom secondary.
The problem is itโs not as if Sanchez didnโt have anybody open in Sundayโs 24-14 loss to the defending world champions. As it turns out, there were a number of plays where receivers were running free through Seattleโs secondary. The quarterback simply missed them.
Sanchez had as much trouble going against the NFLโs No. 1 defense as one would expect. Going into the contest, I thought he would have trouble throwing for 100 yards against the likes of Pro Bowl defensive backs Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor.
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It was every bit as bad as expected. Sanchez completed 10 of 20 passes for 96 yardsโa 4.8 averageโwith two touchdowns and one interception, while Philadelphiaโs offense as a whole racked up 139 yards total.
The game wasnโt even as close as the final score would indicate, because the Eagles simply couldnโt move the ball.
But the opportunities were there, and in bunches I might add. Itโs one thing when a quarterback misses an open receiver or two, and as a disclaimer, we donโt necessarily know what the progressions are on a given play.
That being said, not seeing the field was an epidemic for Sanchez on Sunday, and to make matters worse, some of the reads shouldโve been quite obvious.
Part of the issue was Sanchezโs seeming lack of interest of throwing downfield early in the game. Itโs admirable from a ball-security standpoint against one the most aggressive secondaries in the league, but itโs not doing a whole lot of good on 3rd-and-long.
Here we are at 3rd-and-9 in the second quarter with the score tied at seven. Slot receiver Jordan Matthews comes in motion to the top of the screen, where heโs going to run a little move underneath wideout Jeremy Maclin and tight end Zach Ertz.
You can plainly see the coverage is tight hereโthe defensive back still has his hands on Matthews, legally, within five yards. Sanchez is locked on to his first read, though, and zips the ball in there anyway. The pass is batted away.
Now letโs pause the play a moment later. This is just man coverage across the board, and Maclin has a step on the corner. Meanwhile, the safety is reacting to the throw, so he wouldnโt necessarily be spinning the wrong way, but at least he canโt put his hands all over Ertz when he breaks for the sideline.
In Sanchezโs defense, the pocket is closing in around him. Also, at midfield in a close game against this opponent especially, playing it safe and pinning the Seahawks in their own end with a punt isnโt exactly the worst-case scenario.
Unfortunately, this would play out throughout the day, in various situations.
This is a much more manageable 3rd-and-6 on the next series. The defense sends an extra rusher here, something it didnโt do a lot of, but the protection picks him up.
Riley Cooper is going to come in motion from the outside and run a shallow cross underneath Ertz, whoโs going to cut off his route once he gets to the sticks.
Cooper catches the ball for a four-yard gain, but he isnโt able to escape tight coverage and falls short of the marker. Meanwhile, Ertz is sitting in the middle of the field with a nice cushion on his man, whoโs obviously watched tape of the Eagles running verticals down the middle of the field all season. This couldโve been an easy first down.
This isnโt even a complicated read. Both targets are running their route in the same window. Cooper barely has a step on the corner. Ertz is about to shake his defender. Sanchezโs eye level stays low, and the Eagles fail to convert.
There are little examples like those two, and then there is the backbreaker in the fourth quarter.
Philadelphia has just taken over possession trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter, and by this point, Sanchez is looking downfield more often. Every receiver and tight end is running a route past the sticks on this play, including Cooperโverticalโand Matthewsโwheel.
Itโs a busted coverage. The Seahawks forget about Matthews, and thereโs no one within 10 yards. Apparently, Sanchez doesnโt see him, either. Instead, he goes deep to Cooper, whoโs in the same general area but well-covered, with a safety over the top for good measure.
Sanchez throws on the run, and the ball winds up woefully short behind Cooper. Matthews can only watch as Philadelphiaโs hopes are dashed.
Again, we donโt know what Sanchezโs progressions are on any given play. However, this took a long time to develop, and he clearly never looked Matthewsโ way, because heโs wide open the entire time. And itโs not as if the quarterback isnโt reading that part of the fieldโhe threw the ball to the same side.
Sanchez simply wasnโt seeing things develop clearly on Sunday, which happens from time to time. Itโs not as if Nick Foles didnโt miss open receivers this season. Hereโs a quick clip from our film review following a Week 1 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The problem is Sanchezโs vision is one of the reasons why heโs thrown only two more touchdowns than interceptions over his six-year NFL career.
Heโs been better in Philly, surrounded by far more talent and a top-notch coaching staff, but his problems clearly werenโt solved overnight.
Sanchez was only part of the problem for the Eagles in the loss to the Seahawks, but itโs difficult to argue he gave his team a legitimate shot to win. Itโs not as if the opportunities werenโt thereโhe just missed them.
.jpg?w=2560 "Jaguars Camp Football")
.jpg?w=2560 "Players with Shocking Career Earnings ๐ณ")
