The Commanders capitalized on Jalen Hurts' absence, stifling Saquon Barkley's run game in the second half. With Hurts out due to a concussion, the Commanders shifted their defensive strategy, focusing more resources on stopping Barkley. NextGen Stats highlight the stark difference in Barkley's performance before and after Hurts left the game.
LANDOVER, Md. — If you ever wondered what this 2024 Eagles offense would look like without Jalen Hurts , you got a glimpse of it in Sunday’s 36-33 loss to the Commanders at Northwest Stadium.After Hurts exited the game in the first quarter with a concussion, the Commanders were more willing to sell out against the run and were able to stifle Saquon Barkley in the second half. “They were kind of loading the box. We get it each week,” Barkley said. “The dynamic of Jalen definitely helps, though.
In our situation, a lot of things that we do in our run game is designed with Jalen. So it’s kind of hard to continue to run the same stuff when he’s not in there. “We had to adjust. They did a really good job. We just didn’t make the plays that we needed to make.” Here are some telling notes from NextGen Stats to back up what Barkley said about the Commanders’ defense: • Barkley had 109 yards and 2 touchdowns on his first 7 carries against the Commanders but had just 41 on his final 22.Eagles fans cheer on the Birds while giving toys to kids at St. Christopher's Hospital • Of those 109 early yards, 99 came before contact and he wasn’t hit behind the line of scrimmage once on 7 carries. On his last 22 carries, he gained -4 yards before contact and was hit behind the line 13 times (59.1%). • The Commanders used a single-high safety on 3 of their first 12 plays (25%). But after Hurts left, they were in single-high on 40 of 59 plays (67.8%). Barkley had just 28 yards on 18 carries on those plays. When they had a two-high shell, he had 117 yards on 9 carries. Basically, without Hurts in the game, the Commanders allocated way more resources to stop Barkley. Not only is a lot of the Eagles’ run game predicated on Hurts’ ability to run, but it also seemed like the Eagles weren’t willing to let Pickett air it out as much after the Commanders began to load the bo
NFL Eagles Commanders Jalen Hurts Saquon Barkley Concussion Run Game Defense
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