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The Eagles Ran 13 Under Center Plays Against the Panthers for 11 Yards
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It’s not just about the eye test, nor is it only about numbers.
They are a good complement for one another – for instance, you watched the Eagles do only two things from under center against the Panthers on Sunday: jack and shit. Then Shawn Syed tweeted this out, confirming with hard data the atrocities you witnessed earlier:
Every time they lined up under center I thought to myself, “this is either going to be a run or play action.” It was glaringly obvious. And Carolina blitzed those plays with alarming frequency. There was no 3-step, 5-step drop, then get the ball out. They either had Dameon Pierce running into a wall or Tanner McKee with someone in his face by the time he finished the play fake. It felt like such a goofy way to use a guy who is pretty good at getting the ball out quickly with slants and outs and short routes, you know, West Coast Offense kind of stuff.
On Mondays, we go into the Sportradar database and ask the in-house A.I. to package these stats for us. Poor A.I. It’s been a rough year having to dig up all of these horrific numbers, but this is what it said to expound upon Syed’s tweet:
Against the Panthers on Sunday, the Eagles ran 13 under-center plays, totaling 11 net yards (28 rushing yards on 8 attempts, and -17 net passing yards on 5 dropbacks including 2 sacks and 3 incompletions).
Here’s the full log:
They had a handful of decent runs but only three of their under center plays went for more than five yards in this game.
And it looks like it’s not just a McKee thing. The data says that Jalen Hurts was having the same issues in Weeks 1 through 5, before he went on IR with the blood clot problem. Against Washington, Tennessee, LA, Chicago, and Jacksonville, he dropped back 26 times from under center, completing 10 of 24 passes for 124 yards with 2 sacks.
Compared to this:
“Across Weeks 1 through 5 of the 2026 season, Jalen Hurts dropped back in shotgun 110 times, completing 64 of 90 passes for 663 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions, while being sacked 9 times and scrambling 11 times for 99 yards.”
Feels like we’ve been hoodwinked, bamboozled, and led astray. Weren’t we supposed to get some exciting under center stuff this season? Surely this isn’t Sean Mannion’s grand plan. Feels Sirianni and Patullo-esque. Who’s running the offensive show here? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com