The Eagles Must Control The Clock

Against the Saints, the Buccaneers were in pure shootout mode and that’s because they jumped out to a big lead which forced New Orleans to deviate away from their gameplan. This is what the Eagles cannot afford to do especially with Alshon Jeffery sidelined. The Saints, even without power back Mark Ingram, went into the game thinking run, run, and run some more. However, by the time the clock hit all zero’s, the Saints had rushed the ball only 13 times for 43 yards.

Against the Falcons, the Eagles ran the ball 27 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns. With LeGarrette Blount off to Detroit, Jay Ajayi has taken over as the lead back and finished the game with 15 carries for 62 yards. While that’s a far cry from his days with the Miami Dolphins, Ajayi is capable of so much more.

In order to slow down the Buccaneers offense and keep them from scoring another 48 points, the Eagles must use their ground game as their strength. With Foles struggling, Ajayi, Corey Clement, and Darren Sproles must combine for 35+ carries while taking control of the clock. Another thing to factor in for the offense is the short passing that moves the chains. With Jeffery out, that takes away the Eagles deep threat. So, what Doug Pederson must use to his advantage is the sure hands of Zack Ertz, Sproles, Clement, and Nelson Agholor. Eat some minutes off the clock and win the time of possession game.

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