Washington Commanders' Jack Del Rio Explains What Makes Philadelphia Eagles Offense Dangerous
The Philadelphia Eagles offense is still a work in progress as Brian Johnson presides over that side of the ball after former coordinator Shane Steichen left to become the coach of the Indianapolis Colts.
But even without having completely hit their stride yet, the Eagles are 6-1 and, according to Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, one of the most respected offenses in the sport.
Ahead of the second matchup of the season between the Eagles and Commanders, Del Rio explained what makes the Eagles offense so difficult to gameplan for.
“It starts up front. They've got a really strong, talented offensive line, well coached. They do a lot of things well," Del Rio said of the Eagles. "That's kind of where it all starts, up front in the trenches. That's what allows them to run it, throw it, do all the things they do. That's where it begins."
A.J. Brown and the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Washington Commanders earlier this season.
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While Del Rio's desire for the controversial "Tush Push" play to be banned received headlines when the two teams met in September, the long-time NFL coach did admit that the Eagles "do run it better than anybody." That starts with an offensive line that includes All-Pros Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson.
And from there, general manager Howie Roseman has surrounded quarterback Jalen Hurts with an excellent group of skill-position players.
"Over the last couple years, they add [Eagles WR] A.J. Brown, they go out and they get the [Eagles RB D’Andre Swift] running back. You're talking about special players," Del Rio said of the Eagles. "They've done a really good job putting together playmakers around [Eagles QB] Jalen [Hurts] and Jalen's gotten better and better. They're a very good offense.”
Trying to slow down Brown will likely be priority No. 1 for the Commanders. Brown had nine catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-31 Eagles overtime win over the Commanders in Week 4. Brown is playing at an All-Pro level of late, as he has posted five consecutive games of 125 receiving yards or more.
The problem is, even if you hold Brown to, say, 75 receiving yards, Hurts still has Swift, receiver DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert at his disposal. The Commanders did give everything they could handle in the first meeting between the first two teams, but you just wonder if that was their best chance to steal a win against a clearly more talented group.
