A remarkable reversal in the secondary, a revealing defensive stat and a look back at the Eagles’ wide receivers just two years ago.
The Eagles are undefeated, 10 observations are undefeated, we’re all undefeated!
1. One thing about this Eagles team, we know they’re very talented. We know all the star power Howie Roseman brought in this offseason on top of the talent that was already here. But this is also a very physical team, and that’s a formidable combination.
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It starts with Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson, who play the brand of football Eagles fans demand. But there’s definitely a physical, aggressive, imposing style of play all over the field. And the rest of the team follows the lead of the two lines. Whether it’s the linebackers getting numbers to ball carriers, the defensive backs muscling receivers, Miles Sanders plowing up the middle through traffic, Dallas Goedert trampling a safety or A.J. Brown busting out of a tackle for a few extra yards, this team has a mentality of just beating up the other team and takes pride in being more physical than whoever's on the other side of the line of scrimmage.
A lot goes into being a successful team, and talent is only one part of it. You need guys who buy in, guys who play well together and guys who are smart. But you also need guys who love to take it to the other team physically and this group clearly does.
2. This time last year, the Eagles’ secondary featured Darius Slay and Steven Nelson at corner, Avonte Maddox in the slot and Rodney McLeod and Anthony Harris at safety. And after a shaky first half, that group played well enough for the Eagles to make the playoffs.
But one of the most impressive things Roseman did in an offseason loaded with impressive moves was completely rebuild the secondary, keeping only Slay and Maddox from the main group. And with three newcomers – James Bradberry and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson are new to the Eagles and Marcus Epps is new to the starting lineup – they now have one of the best secondaries in football, holding opposing QBs to a 69.2 passer rating – 2nd-lowest in the NFL, behind only the Bills.
NFL
Remember last year? That figure was 95.4. Opposing QBs completed 69 percent of their passes against the Eagles last year – worst in the league. Now that figure is down to 56.4 – best in the league. There’s a lot of football left to play, but the Eagles have gone from one of the worst defensive backfields in football to one of the best almost overnight. That’s incredible.
3. The Cards are the only NFL team that doesn’t have a 40-yard offensive play this year. In fact, they don’t even have a play longer than 30 yards. The Eagles have nine plays over 30 yards and five 40-yarders.
4. One of the most encouraging things to come out of this first month of the season is Sanders responding so positively to a high volume of carries. Sanders has never been a volume runner. Doug Pederson used him sparingly and cautiously, and it made sense because Sanders was injured so much. Pederson was trying to keep him healthy, and Sanders averaged only 12.3 carries per game in two years under Doug. That number dropped to 11.4 last year as Sanders again battled injuries.
But Sanders – so far – has been tough, durable and dependable as he’s handled a career-high number of carries. He’s not only third in the NFL in rushing yards but sixth in carries, and that’s a huge step for him. If he can prove he can be healthy and productive as more than a 12-carry-per-game guy he becomes so much more valuable – both in terms of his next contract and his value to this team.
On Sunday, Shane Steichen kept feeding Sanders as the conditions got worse and worse, and he kept moving the sticks to the tune of career highs with 27 carries for 134 yards. The only backs in Eagles history to open a season with at least 72 carries and a 4.9 average after four games are Wilbert Montgomery in 1980, Ricky Watters in 1996 and LeSean McCoy in 2013. That’s elite company, and that’s where Sanders is right now.
5. Imagine if Donovan McNabb had DeVonta Smith and Brown? My goodness. Five had a terrific career without elite receivers. You see what kind of difference Brown has made for Jalen Hurts.
Think about this: From 1999 through 2003, Eagles wide receivers had a total of 21 games with at least 80 yards and two games with at least 130 yards. That’s a five-year period, 92 games including postseason. This year alone, in four weeks, Eagles receivers have had five games with 80 yards and two with 130 yards.
McNabb had T.O. for 1½ seasons and DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin at the end. But I feel comfortable saying if McNabb had two receivers like Brown and Smith for a good chunk of his career, he’d be a Hall of Famer.
6. Last year, Hurts had 12 completions of at least 30 yards, which ranked 23rd among all quarterbacks. This year, he already has eight, which is 2nd-most in the league behind Russell Wilson (who has 11 but has played one more game). Since 1994 – which is as far back as the Stathead play tracker goes – the most 30-yard completions in a season by an Eagles QB is 25, by McNabb in 2009 – 15 of them to D-Jack.
7. Wonder why nobody’s complained lately that the Eagles don’t practice long enough in training camp.
8. Goedert isn’t a wide receiver, but he has wide receiver numbers. Since opening day last year, Goedert is averaging a ridiculous 11.1 yards per target, and only one WR (minimum 50 catches) is averaging more. That’s Kendrick Bourne of the Patriots, who’s at 11.4. Also since opening day last year, Goedert is averaging 14.9 yards per catch, and only seven WRs have a higher average.
These numbers are nuts. And here’s my favorite Goedert stat: He's averaging 12.8 yards after the catch per reception this year. Nobody else in the league is over 10.8, and the next-highest tight end is at 7.8.
With his speed, power and toughness, he's almost untackle-able.
9. Yards allowed per play is one of my favorite defensive stats because yards allowed and points allowed often depend on field position, what the offense is doing and other circumstances out of the defense’s control. So far this year, the Eagles are allowing 4.53 yards per play, which is 3rd-best in the NFL [behind the Bills and 49ers] and the Eagles’ 2nd-lowest figure through four games since the legendary 1991 defense allowed an absurd 3.92 yards per play.
Interesting that the top three defensive units in the NFL in terms of yards allowed per play are coached by DeMeco Ryans, Leslie Frazier and Jonathan Gannon. Todd Bowles’ Bucs are 6th, and Steve Spagnuolo’s Chiefs are 8th.
10. One more Hurts stat: Hurts in his career is averaging 12.6 yards per completion and an interception every 46.9 pass attempts. No quarterback in NFL history with at least 500 pass attempts has averaged at least 12½ yards per completion and an interception more than every 40 attempts.
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