PHLY Philadelphia Eagles Podcast Four Vertz: Will Zach Ertz be Jalen Hurts’ new favorite target on his favorite play?
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Sep 25, 2026 
EJ Smith, a Philadelphia Inquirer Eagles beat reporter, and Brandon Lee Gowton, a Bleeding Green Nation analyst, examine Zach Ertz’s return and potential connection with Jalen Hurts. They explore Hurts’ Steve McNair inspiration, offensive line and running-game struggles, shotgun versus under-center production, and the defensive challenges posed by Chicago’s rushing attack and play-action game.
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Sequencing Gives Mannion’s Offense A New Dimension
- Sean Mannion’s early offense showed valuable sequencing, formation variation, and in-game adjustments despite modest overall production.
- Reusing a formation against the same coverage, then changing the route, created an easy completion on the game-winning drive.
The Eagles Cannot Live On Third Down
- Philadelphia’s poor early-down performance forces too many third downs, while its 80% success rate on third-and-five-or-short is unlikely to last.
- Designing around reaching manageable third down can obscure the bigger goal: avoiding third down altogether.
Under-Center Football Has Not Worked Yet
- Philadelphia has performed far better from shotgun or pistol than under center, ranking near the bottom in both under-center rushing and dropback success.
- Play action has also struggled, producing only a 26% success rate compared with 44% without it.