Jay Ajayi: Week 11 Film Breakdown

I loved the trade for Jay Ajayi. Whereas some people thought he was a little overrated and just a one-year wonder, I saw a really good talent that was stuck on a bad team. My expectations for him are pretty high, not only for this season but for the next few as well.

Each week I will be examining each of his snaps and will break down all of the ones I find significant. I’ll be looking at not only his runs but how he does in the passing game as a receiver and a blocker as well.

Week 11 @ Dallas Cowboys

Ajayi again only saw limited touches and snaps, but we started to see him take on other assignments and roles that he wasn’t asked to do 2 weeks prior against the Broncos.

1st Quarter, 12:18 mark, 2nd & 3 from Phi 42

For Ajayi’s first run of the game Doug Pederson called an inside power run concept. Lane Johnson pulls from his Right Tackle spot to the left side B-gap where he takes on Cowboys Linebacker Justin Durant. Jason Kelce and Stefan Wisniewski do a great job of sealing off the right side, creating a really good hole for Ajayi. Ajayi takes it, immediately getting upfield. However, in an ironic twist from his 14 yard run last week, this 6 yard run could have been an even bigger gain as well had Ajayi cut to the outside after getting past Durant. Instead, he continues to run straight ahead and gets tackled by Demarcus Lawrence. Not a bad job by Ajayi, but we’re starting to see some inconsistencies here and there with his instincts where a better running lane was available.

 

1st quarter, 11:39 mark, 1st & 10 from Phi 48

On the very next play, Ajayi gets his first reception as an Eagle, and it comes off of a play action screen. Wisniewski and Kelce set up the blocks in front of him on the left side of the field and Ajayi takes what’s blocked before getting brought down by Anthony Hitchens. There’s not too much to take away from the play, but Ajayi did show good hands by catching the ball smoothly and away from his body and he used his blockers correctly. Pederson hasn’t called an abundance of screen plays to his RBs, unlike Andy Reid when he had Duce Staley and Brian Westbrook, but I wonder if that’ll change now that Ajayi is here and even Corey Clement has shown to do well on screens.

2nd Quarter, 13:27 mark, 3rd & 5 from Phi 27

I wanted to show this because it’s the first instance of a pass blocking assignment we’ve seen for Ajayi so far. It’s just a quick chip block on Defensive End Benson Mayowa to prevent him from getting wide on Hal Vaitai. Easy enough play for him to make.

3rd Quarter, 15:00 mark, 1st & 10 from Phi 25

The Eagles needed to come out in the 2nd half strong and make a statement, and it all started with this run. It’s another power run concept, this time to the outside with Brandon Brooks pulling to the right. The Eagles used an unbalanced package with Vaitai lining up on the right side of Johnson. After the snap, Defensive End Taco Charlton makes a good inside move and beats Vaitai’s block, but Ajayi’s acceleration allows him to run past his pursuit. He then sees Brooks get inside leverage on his block on Justin Durant, allowing him to make a sudden cut upfield and leave Charlton behind him grasping at air. Ajayi makes a good juke on Cornerback Byron Jones, but Jones is just able to get him by the shoestrings to keep the run to an 8 yard gain. Had Jones missed there was still plenty of room up the right sideline for Ajayi to potentially break one for a huge gain, so it was unfortunate that it was that close. But nonetheless it was still a really good display of burst, agility, and vision.

3rd quarter, 7:27 mark, 2nd & 6 from Phi 14

Here’s Ajayi’s big run from the game, and his 2nd one in 2 consecutive games. There are few things here that are similar to his big run against the Broncos: burst through the hole and into the 2nd and 3rd levels, as well as a lack of top end speed which causes a defender to track him down. What I liked more about this run though is that Ajayi shows patience as he waits for Vaitai to pull and take on Jaylon Smith before he gets skinny through the running lane. It’s a good example of a RB using speed not to the hole but through the hole, which is a key thing that coaches teach to Running Backs. You can tell that Ajayi was mad that he didn’t score a touchdown on the play, especially considering that it was Byron Jones that prevented the big run last time. But getting chased down by Byron Jones, who is a heck of an athlete, isn’t anything to be embarrassed about, and 71 yards is still 71 yards.

Stats: 7 carries, 91 yards rushing, 1 catch, 10 yards receiving

Overall Grade: A-

All 3 Running Backs on the team are playing at a high level right now so it’s hard to complain about anything. That being said, it’s difficult for me to believe that the Eagles would trade a 4th round pick for Ajayi and not plan for him to be a huge part of the running game at some point down the line. It’s very possible, maybe even probable, that they’re planning to slowly and steadily increase his touches each week, keeping him fresh and ready for the playoffs. But to anyone saying that it would be best to have all 3 guys split the carries evenly I say look at the film. You’ll see a distinguishable difference with Ajayi compared to Blount and Clement. As good as those 2 have been they’re just not on the same level as him, which is why I still expect Ajayi to be the lead back in this rotation come playoff time.