Bowen: Early offense fueling Eagles' wins

IT WAS barely a footnote by the end of the amazing onslaught, but the Eagles notched a 29-yard Caleb Sturgis field goal on their first possession Sunday, giving them points on each of their three intial drives so far this season.

Against the Steelers, the second drive produced a touchdown, and three of the first four drives resulted in scoring.

Every coach tries to script some early plays. It's indicative of the job Doug Pederson and his assistants are doing that their ideas on how to open games have worked so well. It's also yet another contrast with 2015 and Chip Kelly; last year's Eagles garnered points on just one opening drive in the first eight games of the season, a field goal vs. the Jets.

In fact, in three of their first four games last season, Kelly's Eagles couldn't manage an opening-drive first down, and they lost each of those games.

Pederson was asked Monday how he goes about scripting the early going.

"The biggest thing for me is, obviously, how does our opponent begin games (defensively)? And really, a couple of things: You want to mix the run with the dropback. We threw a screen (Sunday). Somewhere in there, you want to take a shot," Pederson said. "It's all based on tendency. It's all based on conversations during the week with the quarterbacks - what they like, what they don't like. And really, a lot of times it's just going off feel, how I feel they are going to attack us.

"Listen, they're only first- and second-down thoughts. They are not anything other than that" - meaning, there is flexibility. "It's also a way to help your quarterback and, I think, your offense (by easing them in with something they spent a lot of time on during the week). I'm playing the game during the week in my mind. I'm scripting, I'm going, 'OK, here's first down and second down and third down. OK, here's first down again, second down.' I'm constantly scripting that in my head and kind of laying the openers out that way. And the execution has been great."

Sunday, the first play was a Ryan Mathews run that lost 2 yards. Then Carson Wentz hit Brent Celek for 22 yards. The next play was the first of a few screens in which the Eagles faked a pass one way, then threw the other way - what Pederson called using the Steelers defense's "fast-flow" aggressiveness against it. Darren Sproles' catch-and-run went for 40 yards.

Nothing called after that on the drive worked - Wentz threw over Celek, who was covered, in the end zone, then a couple of dumpoffs to Josh Huff netted a total of 3 yards, before Sturgis came on to kick the field goal.

It's also worth noting that no Eagles opponent has scored on its first drive this season, though luck had a bit to do with that Sunday - Markus Weaton dropped a Ben Roethlisberger pass in the back of the end zone, then Bennie Logan blocked a 36-yard field goal attempt.

* Mike Tomlin felt the Steelers were "highly penalized." Actually, their seven for 77 total was less than the Eagles' 10 for 99. But it did seem Pittsburgh took more dumb, egregious penalties, such as Lawrence Timmons' late hit on Trey Burton, which helped propel the Birds toward a touchdown on their second series.

* On the play after a Dorial Green-Beckham drop, Carson Wentz went right back to DGB, connecting on a 19-yard slant, the final play of the first quarter. Green-Beckham's three catches for 33 yards represented his best output as an Eagle. Again, though, just as in the Chicago game, Green-Beckham wasn't targeted in the second half.

* Nine defensive snaps for Mychal Kendricks, who doesn't play in nickel, as the Steelers ran the ball only 10 times, and fell behind by double digits in the first half. Was there any reason to keep Kendricks in and take Jordan Hicks or Nigel Bradham out in passing situations Sunday? Nope. Both played really well.

* Jason Peters, delighted to find an opponent who was actually older than him, really jacked 38-year-old James Harrison on a 14-yard Kenjon Barner run in the second quarter.

* Clutch blitz pickup by Darren Sproles, who cut down William Gay so Carson Wentz could hit Brent Celek for 24 yards.

That long snapper Jon Dorenbos, magical though he might be in the reality show world, could be whistled for running into the punter? That was what referee Brad Allen announced. The offender actually was No. 42, Chris Maragos, not No. 46. Dorenbos was minding his own business on the bench . . . or WAS he???

The last time the Steelers lost at Lincoln Financial Field, 15-6 on Sept. 21, 2008, they went on to win the Super Bowl.

Maybe the most surprising thing about Sunday's Eagles blowout was how dominant the Birds' defensive line was against what is considered an excellent Pittsburgh offensive line. Ben Roethlisberger had a clean pocket on the first series, but that was about it. Somebody was grabbing him or lunging at him or waving an arm in his face the rest of the afternoon.

Eagles icon Brian Dawkins, visiting the locker room afterward, said he thought constant pass-rush pressure was the key to the Birds' ability to limit the damage done by Pittsburgh's dangerous receivers.

Doug Pederson noted Monday that both his lines pressed an advantage as the game wore on - the Eagles gained 93 of their 125 rushing yards after halftime, against a team that's always hard to run against.

"I just felt yesterday our guys really took control offensively and defensively up front. Our d-line and our offensive line, to be able to control the game that way, conditioning was good. I felt like our guys were in good shape in the fourth quarter," Pederson said.

@LesBowen

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