The Eagles have been a very effective run-first offense all season. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has gotten back to his ways as a power runner. Also, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has been an MVP and Offensive Player of the Year Candidate with his performance on the ground. Could he further cement his case going forward? Perhaps, if he got more scoring chances at the goal line. Should the Eagles veer away from their one-yard tush push strategy?
Argument Against Using The Eagles Running Back More At The Goal Line
The biggest reason why the Birds could benefit from using Saquon Barkley more at the goal line is he already has a knack for getting down there. NFL.com counts that Barkley has been tackled “at the 1- or 2-yard line 11 times this season.” The article goes on to say most of those drives ended in a tush push touch down.
Head Coach Nick Sirianni said fear of losing yardage is part of why the tush push is so emphasized.
“The worst thing you can do in red zone football is move backwards,” Sirianni said. “You always want to stay ahead of the sticks because things get harder and tighter down there as you move in there.”
It’s hard to argue about the tush push’s success on short yardage situations over the years. An ESPN article from September cited that the Eagles have an 86% success rate with the play. That stat has been recorded since they first started running the play in 2022.
It also seems like the team has done a nice job transitioning away from Jason Kelce since his retirement. However, could the team benefit from more versatility in the back field.
Argument For Using Saquon Barkley More At The Goal Line
Its not secret that Barkley has been an absolute force for the birds since joining the team. He has made his claims for OPOY and MVP in just his first season; however, he could cement that dominance with more rushing touchdowns. One could argue he’d be leading the leading in that category, alongside rushing yards and attempts, if the team wasn’t so reliant on the tush push.
Of course, they could utilize more standard handoffs mixed in with the tush push in those short-yardage situations. However, they could also possibly revisit a concept that failed earlier in the year but could be redesigned.
Back in the matchup against the Saints, the team tried a fake tush push handoff to Barkley in the closing seconds of the first half. Perhaps this play could be repurposed for future success. When it was called against New Orleans, it didn’t make a lot of sense. There was only seconds left in the half and it was fourth down. The team probably should have just kicked a field goal being they were at around the 30.
However, on maybe and second or third and goal, it could be more useful. Perhaps this could be a play you save for a big game situation. The birds already dipped into the bag of tricks once with the Philly special in the Super Bowl. Could they maybe do it again in another big spot?
Main Image: Eric Hartline – USA Today Sports
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