Eagles notebook: How huge play in early season came together

Eagles notebook: How huge play in early season came together originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Jahan Dotson hasn’t become a big-time pass catcher in the Eagles’ offense just yet.

But he did make a huge play on Sunday in New Orleans.

It was Dotson who helped create separation on Dallas Goedert’s 61-yard catch late in the fourth quarter to set up the game-winning touchdown. Dotson ran a rub route but wisely avoided contact and an offensive pass interference call.

“The critical aspect is it’s still a route, we’re not going to truly create a rub,” offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said. “You’re going to run a route and create a little bit of traffic the best you can and ultimately it’s about trying to stress the defenders in so many ways and force those guys to communicate at a really high level. And ultimately that’s the challenge, when those guys are man-to-man, they have to play it perfectly.

“By Jahan running his route and creating movement and force those guys to be in the same lane and create traffic and run into each other, it’s a great example of the time he put into it through the week to prepare and run that play.”

The Eagles entering last Sunday’s game knew the Saints were going to play a ton of man coverage and they wanted to take advantage of it. Dotson estimated the Eagles ran that exact play about 10 times during the week.

And then on a crucial 3rd-and-16 with just 1:16 left in the game, Jalen Hurts checked to the play that was beautifully designed. And then Dotson played his role so perfectly that three Saints collided in the middle of the field.

“I was really just trying to get in the way of Dallas’s guy,” Dotson said. “I didn’t know all three of the guys were going to run into each other but it was pretty cool. It sprung a big play for us and helped us, overall, get a win.”

That wasn’t the only time Dotson helped create some space for Goedert either. Earlier in the fourth quarter, Dotson had another rub route…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-notebook-huge-play-early-110000894.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-09-28 11:00:00

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