When we think of 11 personnel — three receivers, one tight end, and one running back — we generally think of teams that roll heavy on the passing side of things. Makes sense given the personnel, but right now, the NFL’s best team by record are throwing all kinds of wrenches at enemy defenses by deploying a complete, versatile, and devastating offense out of that specific personnel grouping.
The teams throwing most out of 11 this season — the Bengals, Buccaneers, Chargers — tend to lead with the pass, and the run game is an ancillary construct. Although, as our Laurie Fitzpatrick recently revealed, the Bengals are finding a dangerous balance these days.
That said, if you want dominant offensive balance out of 11 personnel, look no further than the 11-1 Philadelphia Eagles, who are killing opposing defenses with it, run or pass.
In Week 12 against the Packers, the Eagles had the 20th-most rushing yards in a single game in pro football history with 363. Green Bay came into that game ranked 30th in run defense DVOA, so it made sense that head coach Nick Sirianni, offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, and run game coordinator/offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland went that way.
But what was really interesting? How often they ran the ball out of that lighter package. The Eagles ran the ball 36 times out of 11 personnel against the Packers for 252 yards, 131 yards after contact, and two of their three rushing touchdowns. Hurts ran 15 times out of 11 for 116 yards, which made him the NFL’s most productive runner out of 11, regardless of position.
Then, in Week 13 against a Tennessee Titans defense that ranked first in run defense DVOA through Week 12, the Eagles completely flipped the script. But they did so almost entirely out 11 personnel. 34 of Hurts’ 39 passing attempts, 27 of his 29 completions, and all three of his passing touchdowns came out of 11.
Hurts won NFC Offensive Player of the Week after each of those games.
So, whatever you have to offer on defense, the Eagles have ways to nuke it, and it’s going to look very similar before the snap. This speaks to modern offensive trends, and it’s a huge problem for the defenses that have to deal with it.
(All advanced metrics courtesy of Sports Info Solutions, Pro Football Focus, and Football Outsiders unless otherwise indicated).