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.

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.

The Philadelphia Eagles pulled off an incredible overtime win in Week 12 of the 2023 NFL season. They own the best record in the NFL at 10-1 after the thriller against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.

They have suffered a few recent injuries to key players, especially along the offensive and defensive lines. Will Lane Johnson, Fletcher Cox, Milton Williams, and Zach Cunningham return for the Eagles as Week 13 starters?

The Bills took a 10-point lead into halftime, and the Eagles were fortunate that the deficit wasn't worse. It looked eerily similar to the Super Bowl LVII rematch on Monday Night Football six days before. However, the result was the same. The Eagles pulled off yet another double-digit comeback.

Jalen Hurts played poorly in the first half. He shook off the struggles and led four touchdown drives after halftime, the last coming in overtime. The Philadelphia defense held Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs scoreless on six second half possessions.

Nick Sirianni has improved to 33-12 as a head coach in NFL regular-season games. The Eagles are 24-2 in games started by Jalen Hurts since the beginning of the 2022 season.

The San Francisco 49ers loom for an NFC Championship Game rematch at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 13.

The Eagles have leaned on strength in the trenches in the most recent era of franchise history. Two of their foundational pieces didn't finish the game against the Bills. Lane Johnson missed the game with groin soreness, and Fletcher Cox also left the game with a groin injury.

Dallas Goedert and Nakobe Dean will likely remain out with injuries in Week 13. Jack Stoll started at tight end in Weeks 11 and 12, and he'll likely fill in against the 49ers once again. Cunningham has been the best linebacker on the team in 2023. He left the game with a hamstring injury and didn't return.

Nicholas Morrow has played an elevated role, and Christian Elliss also stepped into the regular rotation as a linebacker. The Eagles will get an update on Milton Williams, who missed the game against Buffalo with a concussion.

With arguably the toughest opponent on the schedule ahead, Nick Sirianni needs good news about some of his best players heading into Week 13. 

Quarterback, #1
Oklahoma University/University of Alabama
4th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (53rd overall) in 2020

Running Back, #0
University of Georgia
4th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Detroit Lions (April 2023)

Wide Receiver, #11
Ole Miss
5th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Tennessee Titans (April 2022)

Wide Receiver, #6
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (10th overall) in 2021

Wide Receiver, #80
University of Alabama
13th NFL Season, Signed in Free Agency (October 2023)

Tight End, #89
University of Nebraska
3rd NFL Season- Signed as Undrafted Free Agent (May 2021)

Left Tackle, #68
Jeff Stoutland University
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 7th Round (233rd overall) in 2018

Left Guard, #69
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (37th overall) in 2021

Center, #62
University of Cincinnati
13th NFL Season- Drafted in 6th Round (191st overall) in 2011

Right Guard, #51
University of Nebraska
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (51st overall) in 2022

Left Tackle, #69
Oklahoma University
11th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (4th overall) in 2013

Defensive End, #94
Florida State
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 4th Round (130th overall) in 2018

Defensive Tackle, #90
University of Georgia
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (13th overall) in 2022

Defensive Tackle, #98
University of Georgia
1st NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (9th overall) in 2023

Edge Rusher/Linebacker, #7
Temple University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2022)

Linebacker, #41
Greensville University
6th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2023)

Linebacker, #53
University of Idaho
3rd NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (September 2021)

Cornerback, #2
Mississippi State
11th NFL Season- Acquired in trade from Detroit Lions (March 2020)

Cornerback, #24
University of Arkansas/Samford University
8th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (May 2022)

Cornerback, #33
Ohio State University
10th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (October 2023)

Safety, #31
Middle Tennessee State
8th NFL Season, Acquired in trade from Tennessee Titans (October 2023)

Safety, #32
Middle Tennessee State
2nd NFL Season- Signed as Undrafted Free Agent (May 2022)

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