Inside The Eagles Tremendous 10 Minute Drive Vs The Steelers
The most impressive part of Sunday’s was easily that final drive that ended the game. The Eagles got the ball with 10:29 left on the clock and never gave it back. It was pure dominance by the Eagles. But how did they pull it off? Let’s break it down by the numbers.
21
The Eagles ran 21 plays. 7 passes, 3 Qb kneels, and 11 runs. 2 of those runs were Tush Pushes, including 1 on a 4th down when they were in FG range. Saquon carried it 7 times and gained only 10 yards surprisingly. Kenny Gainwell carried it 3 times for 10 yards.
They were not running it very effectively. Which is shocking for a drive that took up so much time. You usually think about long drives relying on the run. But they gained only 23 yards on the ground on 11 runs. 4 of those runs did go for a first down though, including the 2 Tush Pushes.
Yet it was still a great drive. We have wondered all season how the Eagles would handle it if someone stopped the run. The Steelers stopped the run, even on this drive, but they still were able to dominate a great Steelers defense that has baffled other QBs. Jalen Hurts handled it though.
2
Hurts threw only two incompletions. One was on the first play of the drive. But by the time he threw his 2nd incompletion, the clock had already wound down to 4:50.
His 5 completions went for 78 yards. They were picking up yards in large chunks through the air. Again not exactly what you think of when you think of long sustained drives. But the important thing was the clock kept moving.
It stopped because of something they did twice in the 21 plays. It stopped 3 more times because the Steelers used their timeouts. But pretty much every play resulted in 40+ seconds running off the clock.
6
They picked up 6 first downs. 4 on the ground, 2 through the air. They actually had two throws of over 10 yards that did not go for a 1st down, but then Jalen Hurts got the 1st on a Tush push the following play.
Simply put, they kept the sticks moving. They had some long conversions to. They had a 3rd and 13 that turned into a 4th and 1, and a tush push. They had a 2nd and 14 where Hurts hit Smith for 22 yards. They had a 2nd and 20 where AJ Brown picked up 19 yards, setting up another Tush Push.
It is important to note how great Hurts was on that drive. He was their best player on that drive. He kept getting the ball to Brown and Smith for chunks of yardage. This was not the run game taking over, it was Hurts and the 2 Star WRs taking over.
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6 Impressive Numbers From Eagles Big Win Over The Steelers
1
The Eagles are very close to sealing the NFC East, and at least the 2 seed. This week they guaranteed they will have a better seed then the winner of the NFC West or South. The only thing left to do is seal their spot over the Commanders, and it will guarantee they have the 2 seed at worst.
To do that, all they need is 1 more win or 1 more Commander’s loss. They play the Commanders this weekend, so a win would really seal the deal. But even if they lose this week, beating either the Cowboys or Giants at home, or the Commanders losing to the Falcons or Cowboys, would seal the deal for the Eagles.
Getting the 1 seed is a bit tougher. They will need to win out, and they will need both the Lions and the Vikings to lose. The Lions get the Bears, Niners, and the Vikings. The Vikings have the Bears, the Seahawks, the Packers, and The Lions. So 1 of them is guaranteed a loss, barring a tie. But they will need the team that goes on to win that game, to lose before the Final Week. It is possible though, mostly because the Eagles continue to handle their own business.
