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Updated at 9:41 a.m. EDT Monday, Oct. 13
When the Redskins reviewed the tape of their 23-17 win over the Eagles in Week Five, they marveled at how impressive the Eagles’ offense looked on the first drive and even into their second possession. Most teams script their first 15 plays every week, as the Eagles do, and head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg are about as good a pair in this regard as there is in the NFL.
The Eagles gained 102 yards (including nine penalty yards on a pass interference) on the first 15 offensive snaps. But the team had only 152 yards of offense on the next 32 plays and scored only three more points.
In their Week Six victory over the 49ers, the Eagles racked up 66 yards and a touchdown in their first 15 offensive snaps, but they also made a conscious effort to keep some bread-and-butter plays to use later in the game.
Still, the second-half offense remains somewhat of a problem of late. In the past five games, the team has scored only two offensive touchdowns after the first half.
Another problem has been red-zone conversions, which was an issue last season. The team has only 12 touchdowns in 26 trips inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, and since Week Three that touchdown rate has been 5-of-15.
The good news is that the team is 3-3 with the softer part of their schedule plus the Week Seven bye ahead. It still has four divisional games left, including two against the unbeaten Giants, and has some manageable road games. Plus, the team has done this before, coming back from a 5-6 record in 2006 to win the division.
There are several reasons for the inconsistency. Not having ORG Shawn Andrews — despite Reid saying Max Jean-Gilles is “doing a fine job” — has hurt the run game, which is gaining only 3.7 yards per carry and has accounted for only 32 first downs. Also, RB Brian Westbrook has missed parts of three games (including being declared inactive in Week Six) with ankle and rib injuries.
The short-yardage and goal-line troubles against the Bears and Redskins have led the Eagles to use Dan Klecko, listed as a defensive tackle on the depth chart, more at fullback over first-stringer Tony Hunt, who is more of a tailback in a fullback’s role.
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