What the Eagles' back-breaking drive against the Steelers tell us about the offense

The Philadelphia Eagles extended their season of dominance against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a demoralizing final drive, a possession of prolonged punishment that served both a statement and notice.

Summary of transaction: 21 plays, 88 yards, 10 minutes and 29 seconds.

Status update of account: Game over, 12-2 record, a potent offense that’s proven it can close out games and is now nearly balanced in terms of EPA per play when rushing (0.08) or passing (0.05), according to TruMedia.

The Eagles hadn’t fielded a 10-minute drive since 2018. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has called plays for 1,081 drives in five seasons with the Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys. Sunday’s was Moore’s longest. He literally couldn’t have predicted it. “We’re not projecting out that far,” he said Tuesday. A Steelers punt pinned the Eagles at their 3. Philadelphia led 27-13 with 10:29 left. “Circumstance by circumstance.” Moore said the Eagles blew threw a slew of situational scenarios. They escaped the enclosure of their own end zone. They converted four third-down plays, another on fourth. They were penalized twice, yet overcame three situations of second-and-11 or longer. All the while, the Eagles defense embraced being spectators on the sideline.

“I had my pom-poms out and was cheering ’em on,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “Kept saying, ‘One more first down.’ And they kept gettin’ it.”

The drive was a cathartic microcosm of offensive problems meeting their solutions Sunday. Jalen Hurts, previously inefficient and indecisive, was 5-of-7 passing for 78 yards. A.J. Brown caught two timing throws for 40 yards, demonstrating the franchise quarterback and three-time Pro Bowler were back on the same page. DeVonta Smith secured his first 100-yard game with two catches of 22 and 12 yards. A passing offense that sputtered within six three-and-outs in its previous two games helped strong-arm a Steelers team that entered the weekend leading the league in time of possession margin.

“So that’s what you all wanted to see, huh?” Hurts said afterward.

Play 1 (1-10, PHI 3, 10:29): False start, A.J. Brown.

Analysis: Whelp, if you’re going to start falsely, do it within your own 5. (The Eagles are tied for the NFL’s 12th-most false starts in 2024 with 18).

Play 1A (1-11, PHI 2, 10:29): Hurts incomplete to Brown.

Analysis: The Steelers rushed five defenders from a base 3-4 trying to disrupt an offensive backfield operating in its own end zone. They also deployed three cornerbacks to defend the Eagles receivers tightly. That left safety Minkah Fitzpatrick alone in a single-high look. That also left Brown in a one-on-one matchup with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Hurts relishes such matchups. But he felt the pocket collapsing, and, releasing the ball in 2.44 seconds, placed the pass along the sideline where only Brown might be able to catch it. Hurts was conservative yet decisive. (He’d entered the weekend with the league’s fifth-highest sack percentage, despite a league-high average 3.31 seconds to throw, per TruMedia). The Eagles, leading by two scores, flush to the next down.

Play 2 (2-11, PHI 2, 10:25): Saquon Barkley rush, 5 yards.

Analysis: The Eagles needed yardage to secure a semblance of opportunity on a potential third down. Moore called what appeared to be a zone-read against another base front. Hurts, playing with a broken left ring finger, eyed linebacker Alex Highsmith, handed the ball off to Barkley, who plunged forward behind backup left guard Tyler Steen. Steen steered Steelers defensive tackle Keeanu Benton to create a running lane on this play. Starting left guard Landon Dickerson spent the entire second half sidelined with a knee injury. Still, the Eagles totaled 81 of their 131 rushing yards in the second half. Left tackle Jordan Mailata credited position coach Jeff Stoutland afterward. Mailata said Stoutland prepares them for every scenario by subbing backups in and out in multiple combinations during practice. Mailata had gotten reps with Steen that week. “We’re prepared up front,” Mailata said. “So that’s a big up for the coaching staff, especially Stout, just preparing us throughout the week, getting those guys ready for whatever scenario we face out on the field.”

Play 3 (3-6, PHI 7, 9:47): Hurts complete to Brown, 21 yards.

Analysis: Another single-high look. Another presentation of press man coverage. Brown quickly separated from Porter and darted inside on a slant. Hurts dealt the pass in 2.17 seconds. Any later, and Brown might’ve been clocked by speedy linebacker Patrick Queen, who’d dropped in coverage. Instead, Brown cut up the field and gained 18 yards after the catch. Again, the Eagles are aware their passing game thrives when Brown is in a one-on-one matchup. It’s largely why his 12.3 yards per target rank second in the NFL. “His ability to win one-on-ones is rare,” Moore said. “He does a phenomenal job.”

Play 4 (1-10, PHI 28, 9:05): Barkley rush, 4 yards.

Analysis: The Steelers entered the weekend with the league’s fourth-ranked rush defense (94 yards allowed per game). Their opponents averaged 1.55 yards before contact against them, per TruMedia. The Steelers stopped the Eagles’ top-rated rushing attack for the majority of Sunday’s game. The Eagles averaged a season-low 0.57 yards before contact per rush. The Steelers stuffed their runs a season-high 11 times. Without a restored passing game, it’s not difficult to imagine the Eagles losing. The Steelers eventually tightened up against the run on this drive (more on that later), but the Eagles managed to give Barkley two yards of space before contact. Barkley’s 65 rushing yards were his second-fewest of the season. Moore still stuck with the run throughout the game. Barkley had a 22-yard rush during a touchdown drive in the first quarter. “More often than not, we’ve been able to eventually get those explosive plays,” Moore said.

Play 5 (2-6, PHI 32, 8:22): Hurts complete to Barkley, 4 yards.

Analysis: Hurts staged one of his better improvisational plays of the season. Recently, Hurts had often thrown the ball away or been sacked when ad-libbing. His successes generally involved him scrambling. But here, Hurts was inventive. Smith started out in the backfield for just the 11th time of the season, according to Pro Football Focus. The wideout motioned right and Hurts first looked to hit Smith on a screen. The option covered, Hurts looked up the right seam at tight end Grant Calcaterra. Queen, who had four interceptions in four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, was nearby. Hurts dodged defenders leftward, and, finally cornered, flipped a pass to Barkley along the sideline like a triple-option lateral. Gutsy? Maybe. But Hurts got the ball to Barkley in space. The running back dodged two defenders and created another manageable third-down scenario.

Play 6 (3-2, PHI 36, 7:39): Barkley rush, 7 yards.

Analysis: Moore turned to one of his favored run-oriented concepts to convert a second third-down scenario. On the left hash, the Eagles initially organized the strength of their two-tight end formation to the right. The Steelers matched this. But Calcaterra motioned left upon the snap and was the lead blocker for Barkley in a more favorable numbers game. The first down still likely isn’t gained without Barkley’s two-step juke of Porter — a move many other running backs will study but fail to replicate.

Play 7 (1-10, PHI 43, 7:04): Barkley rush, loss of 4 yards.

Analysis: In a similar run concept, Calcaterra motions toward the strength of the offensive formation. But Steelers nose tackle Montravius Adams shoved his way past center Cam Jurgens, outside linebacker Nick Herbig set the edge against both Calcaterra and tight end C.J. Uzoma, and Barkley, with no running room, slid in the backfield for his largest loss of the game.

Play 8 (2-14, PHI 39, 6:21): Hurts complete to Smith, 22 yards.

Analysis: By this point, 4 minutes and 8 seconds had ticked off the game clock. This drive was then already longer than five of Philadelphia’s previous eight possessions. Pittsburgh’s probability of winning dropped to 1 percent after Brown’s 21-yard catch earlier in the drive, according to NextGenStats. It plummeted below 1 percent after Hurts fired this 22-yard pass to Smith in the middle of the field. Again, the Eagles offensive line afforded Hurts plenty of time against a four-man rush (4.88 seconds, per TruMedia). Smith initially sat on a deep hitch along the left numbers, then shifted laterally behind the Steelers linebackers until Hurts found him atop the Eagles logo. This was the longest pocket-oriented dropback in which Hurts completed a pass on Sunday.

Play 9 (1-10, PIT 39, 5:33): Barkley rush, loss of 3 yards.

Analysis: It’s uncertain whether the Steelers blitzed, or if they simply understood a tight end motioning signaled yet another Barkley run. Fitzpatrick visibly called out tight end E.J. Jenkins as he motioned to the right upon the snap. The Steelers safety, and linebacker Elandon Roberts were both in the backfield before Barkley had the ball.

Play 10 (2-13, PIT 42, 4:50): Hurts incomplete Brown.

Analysis: Again, Brown had a matchup against Porter — this time with nearly 10 yards of space. Brown’s stutter step inside caused Porter to stumble. But Hurts’ pass was batted at the line by inside linebacker Payton Wilson, a 6-4, 242-pound rookie who has an interception and a 22-yard defensive touchdown on a fumble recovery.

Play 11 (3-13, PIT 42, 4:46): Hurts complete to Smith, 12 yards.

Analysis: The Eagles deployed an empty set for the second time on the drive. They weren’t historically efficient in this alignment. Hurts entered the weekend with a -0.23 EPA per dropback in empty sets that ranked 35th among quarterbacks (min. 100 attempts), per TruMedia. He’d completed 22-of-32 passes for 185 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. The Eagles dramatically improved against the Steelers. Hurts had a 0.71 EPA per dropback while completing 7-of-9 passes for 116 yards. The Steelers defense hadn’t been vulnerable against empty sets. They entered the weekend with the league’s 12th-ranked defensive EPA per dropback (0.08) against empty sets, per TruMedia. But Moore said the Eagles “felt like it was a good thing” to use against the Steelers “based on how they were playing empty, so it worked out well.” The Steelers crowded the line with six defenders. Both of the linebackers dropped in coverage. But by then, Smith had already turned on a short hitch. Steelers safety Damontae Kazee gave Smith plenty of cushion, a reasonable decision given the distance to the sticks. But the Eagles go for it on fourth down a 10th-ranked 22.8 percent of the time. Their 13.4 decision EPA ranks first, per TruMedia. So long as the Brotherly Shove remains effective, the Eagles will rank near the top of that category. They know that in plays like this, getting close to the sticks is almost just as good as getting beyond them.

Play 12 (4-1, PIT 30, 4:04): Hurts sneak, 2 yards.

Analysis: The Brotherly Shove remains reliable in the Cam Jurgens era. Jalen Hurts has scored 11 rushing touchdowns within it. The Eagles have converted on 15-of-20 third-and-1 attempts and seven of their eight fourth-and-1 attempts. (The Barkley reverse against the New Orleans Saints was stopped.)

Play 13 (1-10, PIT 28, 3:19): Holding, Jordan Mailata.

Analysis: Mailata has been penalized four times in 2024. He remains the highest-rated offensive lineman through 14 games, per Pro Football Focus.

Play 13A (1-20, PIT 38, 3:15): Barkley rush, no gain.

Analysis: Barkley got an Earl Campbell-esque offensive formation. But Brown’s miss on Highsmith turned it into Barry Sanders-esque blocking. Pittsburgh called their first timeout. The Eagles even deploying this formation on a first-and-20 situation indicates they’re fine with this result.

Play 14 (2-20, PIT 38, 3:11): Hurts complete to Brown, 19 yards.

Analysis: At some point, a future defensive coordinator will decide leaving Brown one-on-one multiple times in a given drive is a bad idea. Brown shook cornerback James Pierre loose to create another short-yardage situation for the…