The Philadelphia Eagles own the most prolific offense in the red zone this season and they will have to be at their very best in the Super Bowl to win their first Lombardy Trophy, especially if their defense fails to stop or contain Tom Brady.
So, what are the keys to the Eagles red zone offense succeeding against the Patriots?
The Eagles power backs have been running the ball very effectively in the red zone, especially LeGarrette Blount, as they don’t beat themselves down there. The Eagles usually avoid turning the ball over and getting penalized inside the 20-yard line. Also, due to an amazing offensive line, the Eagles superbly execute the run and pass game and frequently end producing red zone touchdowns.
The Eagles, however, face a Patriots defense that this year has excelled in the red zone as it often bended to allow field goals, but rarely broke as it rarely allowed touchdowns. The Pats red zone defense usually loads up against the inside power run, they force the ball back inside and then they take away the best wide receiver on the field.
The Patriots have the weapons to neutralize Philadelphia’s power running game, so the Eagles offensive line will have to play their best game of the year to open holes and lanes for their running on the inside.
The Patriots defense this year proved extremely vulnerable on the outside as they allowed several big runs, so the Eagles should try to exploit that with running back Corey Clement if the New England seals the inside run game. However, it remains to see if that works in the Super Bowl as New England recently signed former Steelers defensive end James Harrison to patch up that issue.
If the Eagles face man coverage in the red zone they will have to use motion and pick plays to prevent the Patriots from neutralizing their receivers. If they want to beat the Patriots coverage on the red zone the Eagles best bet would be for quarterback Nick Foles to go to tight end Zach Ertz often.
Ertz has proven to be one of the Eagles most effective weapons in the red zone to ease off pass pressure. Even if the Patriots double-team Ertz that could mean a newfound freedom to dump short passes to the running backs or find an open wide receiver inside the end zone.
