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Dallas Goedert has caught a touchdown on all seven of his catches inside the 10-yard line this season.
The Philadelphia Eagles offense appears to be coming back, thanks in part to Kevin Patullo’s willingness to get tight end Dallas Goedert involved, especially near the end zone.
The much-maligned Eagles offensive coordinator opened up about Goedert’s value specifically in the red zone and how the Eagles have benefited from that.
Goedert leads the Eagles in both receiving touchdowns and all TDs (9), which is the most he has had over his eight-season NFL career. He is coming off a two-touchdown game in the Eagles’ 31-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday that put Philadelphia’s magic number to clinch the NFC East to one.
Philadelphia can clinch the division, and become the first team in more than 20 years to win the East in consecutive years, when it takes on the Washington Commanders on Saturday at Northwest Stadium.
Kevin Patullo: Dallas Goedert Is ‘Really Dynamic With The Ball In His Hands’
Of course, the Eagles rushing attack has taken a step back in Patullo’s first year as offensive coordinator. Plus, A.J. Brown, who was a second-team All-Pro last year, has been a relative non-factor in the red zone this year, even despite the fact he has four receiving TDs in Philadelphia’s past four games.
“I think when I get the ball down there, I’m tough to tackle,” Goedert said. “I can get in [the end zone] and fight my way in.”
Goedert can’t complain about Patullo’s offense and red-zone calling of his number. The 30-year-old tight end is having a career year, and Patullo explained what makes him integral to the Eagles offense, especially near the end zone.
“He’s such a physical guy and his determination to get yards and have an impact on anything, whether that’s in the pass game or gadget [plays],” Patullo said. “He’s really dynamic with the ball in his hands, so any time you can get the ball in his hands that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
Plus, Eagles fans, and their sideline, feeds off Goedert’s contributions.
“You can see his energy,” Patullo said. “When he makes a play, everybody gets excited.”
Dallas Goedert Has Been One Of The Most Productive Red-Zone Tight Ends This Season
Goedert has been the beneficiary of Eagles’ red-zone adjustments.
“Our red zone philosophy has changed,” Goedert said. “We used to run the ball a lot, a lot of quarterback sneaks. We’ve tried to get me the ball, which is really cool, and I keep trying to make it work.”
So far it has worked. Goedert is tied for ninth in the NFL in red-zone receptions this season (10) and is tied for New England’s Hunter Henry for fourth among tight ends. Seven of those catches have come inside the 10-yard line, and they have all gone for touchdowns.
That’s why Patullo intends to keep going back to the tight end, especially since the Eagles get excited to see what he is drawing up for the tight end.
“I think as much as you can use a guy like that in critical moments, it’s gonna pay off, and he’s done a great job at finding the end zone. It’s been fun. It’s one of those things each week, I think everybody gets excited to see what we have each week.”
Pat Pickens is an experienced sports writer and media personality who has written for outlets like NHL.com, the Associated Press, the New York Times and USA Today. He covers the NFL, NBA, NHL and NBA as a breaking news contributor at Heavy. More about Pat Pickens
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