When the Eagles acquired receiver DeSean Jackson it was obvious that he was going to be able to correct one issue they had last season — the lack of a true deep threat.
He also might end up fixing a far bigger issue the team had.
While the lack of a deep threat was an issue, one of the biggest reasons the Eagles weren’t the same team in 2018 that they were in 2017 was how poorly they played on offense to start games. In 2017, when the Eagles dominated teams, they averaged 6.4 points in the first quarter. That was good for 2nd in the NFL that season, behind only the Los Angeles Rams.
Last season that average took a major hit, as they averaged half as many points in the first quarter at just 3.2 points, which was good 31st in NFL. By comparison, the Kansas City Chiefs averaged 8.9. It wasn’t that the Eagles didn’t have the ball or an issue with the defense. The Eagles held onto the ball 49.1% of the time last season in the first quarter, which was 19th in the NFL. The Chiefs had the ball an average of 44% of the time, good for 31st.
Simply put, the Eagles had the ball on offense — they just couldn’t do anything with it.
The team’s poor play on offense to start games doesn’t fall solely on the shoulders of quarterback Carson Wentz, but the difference in his numbers in the first quarter in 2018 compared to 2017 are drastic and highlight how poor the offense played. Last season, Wentz was 46/74 for 481 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in the first 11 quarters he played last season, according to Sports Info Solutions. By comparison, in 2017, Wentz was 68/102 for 885 yards with 10 touchdowns to two interceptions in the 13 first quarters he played in 2018.
The Eagles’ inability to get off to a quick start, or to get anything going on offense, is an area Jackson should be able to help.
Last season, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, three of Jackson’s four longest catches came in the first quarter. Jackson striking quickly is not exclusive to his time in Tampa Bay, as 20 of his 53 career touchdowns have come in the 1st quarter. Of those 20 touchdowns, 17 gave his team the lead.
The speedy wide receiver striking early shouldn’t be surprising. While it is no secret Jackson is fast, defenses have discussed how his speed is different in person and can’t be duplicated in practice.
With Jackson, the Eagles will likely look to find him down the field early, jumpstarting the offense and getting the lead this team is built to play with.