Eagles vs. Texans: Breaking Down Philadelphia's Game Plan

No NFL head coach likes to push the ball downfield more than Chip Kelly, but his Philadelphia Eagles offense hasn’t been nearly as efficient on deep passes in 2014 as it was last season. That being said, the opportunity for big plays should be there against the Houston Texans on Sunday—it’s simply a matter of converting.

No team has allowed more completions of 40 yards or more than the Texans with 10. Literally not a week has gone by without Houston’s defense getting gashed for a huge gain in the passing game. Now, the most aggressive offense in the league is heading into Reliant Stadium.

Better leave the roof open, because there might be fireworks.

CMP%	YDS/GM	YDS/ATT	TD	INT
59.2	291.3	6.8	12	9

True, Nick Foles has not been sharp under center for the Eagles this season, deep ball or otherwise. That hasn’t stopped Kelly from trying to pick up chunks of yardage. Despite Foles’ struggles with accuracy and turnovers, no quarterback has attempted more passes of 20 yards or more—and there isn’t a close second—according to signature stats by Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

The strategy has not been without its share of success, either. Foles may rank 25th out of 34 qualifiers with a 35.1 completion percentage and second with five interceptions on attempts of 20-plus, yet he’s also third with 18 completions, first with eight touchdowns.

This isn’t the same Philadelphia offense that finished No. 1 in the NFL with 18 completions of 40 yards or more in 2013, but it is close.

Of course, in order to push the ball downfield, the quarterback needs time and space to throw, which has been something of an issue for the Eagles this season.

The offensive line receives some help this week in the form of Jason Kelce, the dynamic center likely returning from injury based on Geoff Mosher’s report for CSNPhilly.com. However, backup left guard Matt Tobin and right guard Todd Herremans—reportedly playing with a torn biceps, according to Jeff McLane for The Philadelphia Inquirer—have an enormous challenge on their hands in All-Pro defensive end J.J. Watt.

	YDS/GM	CMP%	40+	RATING
Stats	271.4	65.0	10	93.1
Rank	28th	23rd	t-31st	19th

Despite Watt’s impact up front, the Texans secondary is vulnerable. Houston’s defense is ranked 28th through the air in total yards per game.

Kelly should probably devise a more balanced approach than the Eagles took in their Week 8 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, where Foles dropped back to pass a whopping 62 times. That being said, throwing the football can and should still be the focal point of the offensive game plan, because if the Texans’ previous games serve as any indication, the throws are there to be made.

Stop Foster, Stop the Texans

Michael Perez/Associated Press

Arian Foster is back and in a big way. Coming off a 2013 campaign that was cut in half by injuries, Foster is on pace to post new career highs. The three-time Pro Bowler's second in the NFL in rushing yards (766), third in rushing average (5.2), fourth in yards from scrimmage (932) and first in rushing (seven) and total touchdowns (nine).

What’s slightly befuddling about Foster’s breakout is he’s doing it with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center. You would think defenses would load up the box to stop the ground attack, then dare the journeyman signal-caller to beat them.

At least, that’s what the Eagles should do.

	CMP%	AVG	RATING	RECORD
2014	63.4	7.7	87.6	4-4
Career	60.1	6.6	78.3	27-49-1

Fitzpatrick is actually experiencing something of a career renaissance himself in his first season with the Texans. A 63.4 completion percentage, 7.7 yards per attempt and an 87.6 passer rating would all be personal bests for the 10th-year veteran if the season ended today. Credit Foster’s dominance and credit the offensive mind of new head coach Bill O’Brien, but Fitzpatrick has been a respectable starter for Houston.

That being said, he’s still prone to mistakes. Despite the fact that Houston’s offense ranks second in the league in rushing attempts, Fitzpatrick has managed to toss seven interceptions nonetheless. Of the other 12 signal-callers with at least six picks, only two have thrown fewer passes.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Sacks and fumbles aren’t out of the question, either. Fitzpatrick will spend a healthy amount of time running for his life when under pressure. He’s been caught in the backfield for a loss 16 times this season, escaped for shots, often meaningless gains too many times to count. He’s also fumbled four times, but he's been fortunate to lose just one.

It stands to reason the more the ball is in Fitzpatrick’s hands, the more opportunities there are for the Eagles to create negative plays. Of course, if it were that easy, more teams would probably be doing it.

GM	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
Wk 5 @ DAL	23	157	6.8	2
Wk 6 vs. IND	20	109	5.5	2
Wk 7 @ PIT	20	102	5.1	0
Wk 8 @ TEN	20	151	7.6	2

In the six games Foster has started and finished, he’s eclipsed 100 yards on the ground in every one—nothing less than we’ve come to expect from the three-time 1,000-yard rusher.

Also Philadelphia has not been quite as good at defending the run this year. In 2013, the Eagles ranked 10th against the run and fourth in yards per carry. Seven games into ’14, the Birds are 21st against the run and ninth in yards per carry.

Defensive coordinator Bill Davis also risks putting his much-maligned defensive backs out on islands against some very good wideouts by devoting resources to stopping the run. Seven-time Pro Bowler Andre Johnson and 22-year-old DeAndre Hopkins are both over 500 yards receiving already. They could eat Nate Allen, Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher alive.

If somebody can get them the ball, that is. Against a Philadelphia pass rush that has terrorized opposing signal-callers at times this season, Fitzpatrick could be exposed for what he is—a transitional quarterback. A placeholder.

The key is forcing the Texans to air it out more than they normally would, and that means containing Foster and the Houston running game first.