WATCH: Eagles shock the world with under-center play-action and a few key notes on the new offensive wrinkle

Steven Conrad Jr.
October 20, 2025
Eagles
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I don’t know who needs to hear this but the Eagles need to stay under center more often. On Sunday, the Eagles did something that quite literally hadn’t happened all season by running play-action from under center and surprise, surprise, it actually worked.

Before Sunday, the Eagles had zero passing yards on under-center play-action in 2025. Zero. Not one completion through six weeks. Suddenly out of nowhere, they busted it out and it shredded one of the NFL’s best pass defenses.

Jalen Hurts lights it up under center in the Eagles offense

pic.twitter.com/w3gjj8clNd
— Brenden Deeg (@BrendenDeeg_) October 20, 2025

The play that set the tone was the 79-yard touchdown strike to DeVonta Smith and yes, it came on under-center play-action.

That was the kind of throw that makes you sit back and say, “Oh, this is what the offense could look like when it’s not stuck in shotgun every snap.”

No kidding…

Hurts turned his back to the defense, sold the fake perfectly, and by the time he came out of it, DeVonta was already flying past the secondary.

Turns out, Smith had a lot to do with that play getting called in the first place.

DeVonta Smith on the significance of the under-center play-action game showing up for the #Eagles today: "Now we may get teams out of this crazy stuff to stop the run. Now that they know there's a possibility that we might do this and they can't sell out out on the run the whole…
— EJ Smith (@EJSmith94) October 19, 2025

Why It Worked and Why It Needs to Stick

There’s an interesting wrinkle behind this shift. Center Cam Jurgens was out, and backup Brett Toth took over. Apparently, Toth isn’t exactly elite at shotgun snaps, which is why the Eagles were forced to go under center more than usual.

Of course it doesn’t matter how the Eagles got to be under-center. It worked, beautifully.

Now, we can’t let this just be a one-game fluke because of a backup center’s snapping issues. This needs to be part of the identity. It’s also worth noting that in this game Jalen Hurts was under center for a career high 40.8% of his snaps. That’s the kind of balance this offense needs.

Jalen Hurts posts a perfect 158.3 passer rating and a deep ball masterclass vs. Vikings

DeVonta Smith Quietly Cooking

Lost in all the talk about the tush push and Hurts’ passing clinic is how quietly dominant DeVonta Smith has been this season.

He’s currently 6th in the NFL in receiving yards (504) and on pace for 1,224 yards and 92 catches. For a guy who’s often labeled as the “other” receiver behind A.J. Brown, that’s absurd production.

He’s not just the smooth route-runner anymore. He’s the tone-setter. The spark. The guy who literally chirped a play into existence that went 79 yards to the house.

The Bottom Line

The Eagles might’ve unlocked a missing piece of their offense.

Going under center gave Jalen Hurts cleaner looks, froze linebackers, and opened up shots downfield that have been missing all season. Whether it happened by design or by necessity because of Brett Toth, it needs to stay.

We’ve seen what the shotgun-heavy, RPO-heavy version of this team looks like. But now we’ve had a taste of what happens when you blend physicality with deception.

Hopefully this wasn’t just a one-week accident. If the Eagles start pairing that ground game with consistent under-center play-action? Good luck, NFL.