Quez Watkins caught heat for his miscue, but the Eagles know they need his speed on the field

On the Eagles’ red-zone trips, third-and-manageables have been hard to come by.

They’ve scored just eight red-zone touchdowns on 19 trips (42.1%), ranking 27th in the league partially because of the third-and-long situations they set up for themselves on first and second down. But on Sunday, with roughly three minutes remaining in the first half, the Eagles created a desirable third-and-2 situation on the Los Angeles Rams’ 15-yard line, looking to snap the 7-7 tie.

The Eagles broke that tie, but not in the way that they had hoped.

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Slot receiver Quez Watkins caught a screen pass from Jalen Hurts. Instead of cutting inside and taking advantage of a lane created by DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, Watkins bounced outside toward the left sideline. Rams cornerback Derion Kendrick shed his block and swallowed up Watkins for a loss of a yard, bringing Jake Elliott and the field-goal unit on for a successful 34-yard try. A Fox Sports camera caught coach Nick Sirianni in a moment of frustration following Watkins’ negative-yard play.

“We’re going to have great relationships and still be highly, highly demanding,” Sirianni said after the game. “I just told Quez the coaching point on that play. I think I’ll just keep that between him and I. I don’t know, maybe y’all can read my lips on that one.”

Watkins made his return to game action on Sunday after spending the last two weeks sidelined by a hamstring injury. While Watkins was out, receiver Olamide Zaccheaus took over in the slot and made an impact, collecting 69 yards on three receptions, including a 34-yard touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the absence of Watkins, Zaccheaus played 44 offensive snaps against the Bucs (55%) and 61 against the Washington Commanders (86%).

When Watkins came back to the lineup, he was on the field for 52 offensive snaps (66%) compared with Zaccheaus’ nine (11%). Sirianni said the snap distribution was part of the Eagles’ plan going into Sunday’s game.

While that may change on a week-to-week basis, and even though Zaccheaus “does some things really well,” Sirianni said that Watkins brings an element to the offense that can’t be quantified.

“What is unknown about Quez, what can’t ever show up on a stat sheet with Quez, is his ability to stretch the field,” Sirianni said Monday. “His speed is real. So there’s a lot of things that happen, or maybe it’s a slant that A.J. catches where Quez clears the middle to make it a cleaner throw. So Quez’s speed brings a real factor.”

Watkins finished the game with two receptions for 4 yards, including the first play of the Eagles’ opening drive — an RPO screen pass for a gain of 5 yards.

He was also open on a handful of plays in which he didn’t end up with the ball in his hands. On third-and-10 from the 50 in the second quarter, Hurts had plenty of time in the pocket to hit a wide-open Watkins at the Rams’ 35, but he sailed the ball over his head. Watkins was also open in the back of the end zone on third-and-7 from the Rams’ 8, but a scrambling Hurts threw the ball incomplete for Smith.

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Despite the highs and lows of Watkins’ first game back from injury, Sirianni emphasized his confidence in the fourth-year receiver and his importance to the offense. Even though the Eagles offense boasts a number of talented pass catchers, including running back D’Andre Swift and tight end Dallas Goedert, Sirianni said that Watkins plays a critical role even if he isn’t the intended target on any given play.

“Quez’s speed is something that the defenses have to account for and I’m sure glad we have him back playing football,” Sirianni said.