Brian Johnson Is Doing Way Better Than You Think He Is
Brian Johnson has gotten a lot of heat from Eagles fans this season. People have not loved his playcalling at times, and have been ignored by a couple of bad halves of offensive football. But if we all take a step back, and look at the full picture, this Eagles offense is very good.
In the last 3 weeks, they have played the Bills, Chiefs, and Cowboys. And at different times in all 3 of those games, the offense had some issues. And if you ignored all context, and just looked at their production, you could find some issue in their performances vs those teams. But what is being left out of that conversation, is how good each of those defenses are.
The Cowboys, Chiefs, and Bills are 4th, 3rd, and 6th in the league in terms of points allowed. Going into week 13, the Cowboys defense gives up on average 16.8 points per game, the Chiefs give up 16.5, and the Bills give up 18.9. But the Eagles scored at least 21 on all 3 of them, and 37 on the Bills. Only the Eagles have scored 3 TDs in one game against this Chiefs defense. Only 1 team has scored more than they did against the Cowboys. And they are the only team to put up 30+ points on the Bills.
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Are things perfect? No. Do some of these WR screens drive me crazy? Yes. But Brian Johnson has this offense playing better against these defenses than any other team in the league. 6 of their 11 games have come against defenses in the top half of the league in terms of points allowed. They have outpaced their opponent’s average points allowed in 9 of their 11 games. The only exceptions are the Patriots in week 1, and the Jets.
And while we get frustrated by the questionable play calls, we have to also give him credit when it goes well. That Jalen Hurts walk-off TD was a great play call. The scheme got Jalen Hurts into the End Zone untouched.
Next time you get frustrated by some play call Brian Johnson makes, just keep this context in mind. The Eagles have a tougher schedule than anyone to this point. Despite that, they average the 3rd most points per game in the NFL. And while there have been some hiccups, the Eagles offense is still playing at an elite level. And while a lot of that is attributed to their talent, you can’t just ignore the role Johnson plays when things go well. The stats don’t lie, and he is doing a great job running this offense despite playing some great defenses.
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Philadelphia Eagles Projected 2023 Week 13 Starters
Jalen Hurts
Quarterback, #1
Oklahoma University/University of Alabama
4th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (53rd overall) in 2020D'Andre Swift
Running Back, #0
University of Georgia
4th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Detroit Lions (April 2023)A.J. Brown
Wide Receiver, #11
Ole Miss
5th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Tennessee Titans (April 2022)DeVonta Smith
Wide Receiver, #6
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (10th overall) in 2021Julio Jones
Wide Receiver, #80
University of Alabama
13th NFL Season, Signed in Free Agency (October 2023)Jack Stoll
Tight End, #89
University of Nebraska
3rd NFL Season- Signed as Undrafted Free Agent (May 2021)Jordan Mailata
Left Tackle, #68
Jeff Stoutland University
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 7th Round (233rd overall) in 2018Landon Dickerson
Left Guard, #69
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (37th overall) in 2021Jason Kelce
Center, #62
University of Cincinnati
13th NFL Season- Drafted in 6th Round (191st overall) in 2011Cam Jurgens
Right Guard, #51
University of Nebraska
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (51st overall) in 2022Lane Johnson
Left Tackle, #69
Oklahoma University
11th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (4th overall) in 2013Josh Sweat
Defensive End, #94
Florida State
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 4th Round (130th overall) in 2018Jordan Davis
Defensive Tackle, #90
University of Georgia
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (13th overall) in 2022Jalen Carter
Defensive Tackle, #98
University of Georgia
1st NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (9th overall) in 2023Haason Reddick
Edge Rusher/Linebacker, #7
Temple University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2022)Nicholas Morrow
Linebacker, #41
Greensville University
6th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2023)Christian Elliss
Linebacker, #53
University of Idaho
3rd NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (September 2021)Darius Slay
Cornerback, #2
Mississippi State
11th NFL Season- Acquired in trade from Detroit Lions (March 2020)James Bradberry
Cornerback, #24
University of Arkansas/Samford University
8th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (May 2022)Bradley Roby
Cornerback, #33
Ohio State University
10th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (October 2023)Kevin Byard
Safety, #31
Middle Tennessee State
8th NFL Season, Acquired in trade from Tennessee Titans (October 2023)Reed Blankenship
Safety, #32
Middle Tennessee State
2nd NFL Season- Signed as Undrafted Free Agent (May 2022)
