Biggest Reasons for Philadelphia Eagles' Offensive Success This Season
An aggressive approach to restructuring the offense last offseason indicated the Philadelphia Eagles would improve from 2016, but the machine-like effect of their offense has defied even the most optimistic expectations.
In Carson Wentz's rookie season, the Philly offense struggled to be even average and suffered from a severe lack of playmaking on the perimeter and in the backfield. Infusing a savvy mix of veteran leaders and young, emerging talent has taken the Eagles offense from mediocre to elite, amplifying the development made by the quarterback heading into his sophomore campaign.
The numbers tell everything about the Eagles' dominance on offense: They lead the league in points and are third in yards per game. That's not happening by accident, though.
A perfect blend of contributions from people at every level of the organization has fueled the resurgence that has helped to carry the Eagles to a 10-1 start.
While the defense has been even better than expected and dominated games, it's the offense that has propelled the Eagles toward the status of NFC favorites and serious Super Bowl contenders.
Let's identify the biggest reasons why.
Carson Wentz
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It's a travesty Wentz only gets one slide dedicated to him. His ascension into the elite company of the NFL's best quarterbacks is reaching a level almost no quarterbacking greats have reached in their second season starting.
A year removed from a 16-touchdown, 14-interception rookie campaign in which he provided glimpses of stardom along with serious areas for improvement, Wentz has taken gigantic steps forward.
He's thrown a league-leading 28 touchdowns and just five picks in 2017, with a rating of 104.0 that ranks fourth in the league.
Wentz has been so good this season that he's even earned the prize of being LeBron James' favorite NFL player, according to Tim McManus of ESPN. And LeBron is a Cowboys fan.
More appropriately, Wentz's inclusion in the NFL MVP race is a better indicator of just how dominant he's been this season. As of November 14, the 24-year-old owned the best odds (even) to be named 2017 MVP, per OddsShark, emerging from 100-1 preseason odds. He's since posted two more incredible performances with a combined five TDs.
There's no doubt the restocking of offensive talent has made a huge difference for Wentz and his progression. But plays still break down regularly, and he finds ways to make things happen in genius fashion.
Not only is he the biggest reason for the Eagles' offensive prowess this season, he also has them in position to contend for championships over the next decade or more.
Overhaul of Playmakers
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After Wentz, general manager Howie Roseman deserves the most credit for the heights reached by this Eagles offense in 2017.
Entering the offseason up against the salary-cap wall, Roseman orchestrated the best navigation of the free-agent market among all teams this summer.
He landed Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith without tying up long-term cash, signed LeGarrette Blount for cheap and infused NFL-ready rookies from draft selections to undrafted free agents.
Smith is perhaps the only acquisition who hasn't excelled, but even his presence has opened things up for targets such as Nelson Agholor.
Jeffery's 619 yards and seven touchdowns have given Philly everything it needed from the No. 1 wideout position, and rookie draft pick Mack Hollins has even carved out a role.
The signing of Blount, however, may go down as the most underrated offseason move in the league. His 658 yards gives him nearly 400 more than any other Eagles rusher and puts him 10th in the league among all running backs.
Plenty of potential appeared to be there for the Eagles offense entering 2017 after landing so many skill-position players, but it's rare to see almost every single newcomer exceed expectations. That's a huge testament to Roseman and his vision.
Committee Rushing Attack
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If anything, fans expected the Eagles pass attack to carry the load offensively going into 2017. But despite Wentz's heroics, that hasn't been the case at all.
The fact Blount has almost 400 yards more than the team's second-leading rusher would indicate he's shouldering the load, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
The Eagles running game has been nothing short of dominant through 12 weeks of the season, ranking second in the league in team rushing with 1,622 yards and nearly 150 per game.
Including Wentz, five Eagles players have more than 100 rushing yards on the season. Corey Clement has been a revelation with 58 carries for 259 yards and four rushing scores, while Wendell Smallwood's early impact has recently made way for trade acquisition Jay Ajayi.
The fact this team lost Darren Sproles early in the season and have only improved their rushing prowess since is the biggest proof of the committee's effectiveness.
Considering Ajayi is still being slowly integrated into the rushing attack, it's scary what this Eagles running game could look like heading into the playoffs when he is fully acclimated.
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Doug Pederson's Play-Calling
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You can't hand the keys to a Corvette to just anybody and expect them to drive it at high speeds without crashing. Head coach Doug Pederson has his offense flying down the fast lane with no intention of hitting the brakes.
A rocky first season in Philly had fans and media types questioning Pederson as both a leader and a play-caller, but those doubts have disappeared in record time. He's successfully maximizing the impact of his offense, putting his bevy of playmakers in the right spots to do what they do best and slicing up great defenses with precision.
After two games, the Eagles' running game appeared to be in serious trouble. With no apparent game-changers in the backfield and a talented quarterback, most coaches would have shifted their approach. Instead, Pederson devoted his play-calling to the run even more, and now they have one of the best rushing attacks.
The fact that anyone connected to the Eagles once begged Pederson to hand off the play-calling duties is laughable in retrospect. He's effectively put a lot of feet in mouths over the last dozen weeks.
Zach Ertz
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Eagles tight end Zach Ertz began his NFL career with promise and led the team in receiving yards last season, begging the question: Just how great could he be within an elite offense? Now we know.
Ertz has taken that elusive next step to joining the shortlist of the NFL's most elite tight ends in 2017. He leads the team and is third among NFL tight ends with 639 receiving yards, and his seven touchdowns are tied with Rob Gronkowski for the most among tight ends, even after missing a game with an injury.
The Wentz-to-Ertz connection has been one of the best of any quarterback and pass-catcher in the league this season, and it's not like he came out of nowhere. He came into the season as by far the team's most dangerous returning receiver, and a bevy of big-time performances early in the season made him a focal point of opposing scouting reports. However, he continues to thrive.
The ever-present danger of Ertz not only gives Wentz a reliable option in the middle, it's had a ripple effect through the rest of the offense.
Defenses aren't capable of stacking the box with him in the fold, and they can't load extra defensive backs on the perimeter. Simply put, he's making everyone around him on the offense better.
Nelson Agholor
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Jeffery has been every bit as good as Eagles fans had hoped, and Ertz is dazzling every week as expected. But Nelson Agholor's renaissance season is the one truly shocking development from this offense in 2017.
Agholor made his arrival apparent with a huge 58-yard touchdown on the team's first score of the season, but that was only the beginning.
The third-year wideout has become a consistent threat in the passing game, taking the consensus of him from Eagles fans and folks around the NFL that he's a drop-happy disappointment and turning it upside down.
The former first-round pick is third on the team in receiving with 458 yards, six touchdowns and 53 targets, and that's despite his failure to surpass 50 yards receiving over the last five games. He's taken a stranglehold over the team's No. 2 receiver position, and given Wentz a steady deep-ball target while Smith and Hollins fail to be consistent in that department.
He may not be one of the first names mentioned when assessing the Eagles' most valuable offensive players, but Agholor has made his importance obvious to the coaching staff.
Without his emergence in 2017, the Eagles offense wouldn't have quite the flair that it does.
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