Lots of ridiculous Jalen Hurts stats, the rarity of a scoreless second half, big-time offensive numbers and lots more in this week’s edition of Roob’s Eagles Stats.
1. There’ve been a lot of gifted dual-threat quarterbacks in recent years, but nobody has ever done what Jalen Hurts did Monday night. In the Eagles’ win over the Vikings, Hurts became the first quarterback in NFL history to complete 84 percent of his passes and rush for two touchdowns. The previous most accurate performance by a quarterback in a game he rushed for two TDs was Jake Plummer’s 82 percent game for the Broncos against the Colts in 2003. Hurts also became only the 16th QB in history to complete 84 percent of his passes and throw for 330 yards in a game. Among the others who’ve done it are Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner, Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Johnny Unitas. Finally this: Hurts has 5,842 combined passing and rushing yards in 21 starts. That’s the 12th-most in NFL history by a quarterback through 21 starts.
2. The Eagles netted 455 yards against the Lions and 486 against the Vikings, only the second time in franchise history they’ve gained 450 yards in each of their first two games. It also happened, oddly enough, in 2012, when they opened the season almost identically with 456 yards in a win over the Browns and 486 in a win over the Ravens. They went 2-12 the rest of the year. The Eagles are also only the second team in NFL history to net over 900 yards the first two weeks of the season with just one TD pass. The 1980 Lions did it as well.
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MORE: Can anybody really still doubt Hurts after this masterpiece?
3. Dalvin Cook and Justin Jefferson have played 29 games together since the start of 2020, Jefferson’s rookie year, and their combined total of 65 yards Monday night – 48 for Jefferson, 17 for Cook – is the fewest they’ve ever had. The previous low was 71 in a 37-10 loss to the Packers last year at Lambeau Field (Jefferson 58, Cook 13). Cook, a three-time Pro Bowler, has played 58 games and only had fewer yards twice – he was 9-for-12 in Chicago in 2018 and 9-for-13 at Green Bay last year.
4. This was the first scoreless second half in an Eagles game in 20 years. Last time the Eagles didn’t score or allow a point after halftime was Dec. 1, 2002, in a 10-3 win over the Rams at the Vet. It was only the seventh scoreless second half of an Eagles game since 1977. The Eagles have only played one scoreless first half in the last 25 years, and that was the meaningless season-ending game against the Cowboys in 2017, which they eventually lost 6-0.
5. The Eagles’ 379 rushing yards are their most through two games in 41 years. In 1981, they began the season with 398 rushing yards in wins over the Giants and Patriots. They’re only the sixth team in NFL history with at least 375 rushing yards and 550 passing yards after two weeks.
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6. With TD drives of 82, 82 and 85 yards, this was the first time in nine years the Eagles had three touchdown drives longer than 80 yards in the same game. Last time it happened was in the 49-20 win over the Raiders in Oakland in 2013, the Nick Foles seven-touchdown game. They had TD drives of 82, 85 and 94 yards against the Raiders.
7. Dallas Goedert has picked up where he left off last year when it comes to yards per target. He leads the entire NFL with 14.2 yards per target – he’s caught eight of 10 targets for 142 yards. Goedert last year was 5th in the league – and first among tight ends – with 10.9 yards per target. Since opening day of last year, his 11.3 yards per target are more than a yard and a half more than any other tight end. George Kittle is second at 9.7, followed by Rob Gronkowski [9.0], Mark Andrews [8.9], Kyle Pitts [8.9] and Travis Kelce [8.6].
8. This was Hurts’ third career game with 300 passing yards and 50 rushing yards. Only four quarterbacks in NFL history have more – Steve Young (8), Josh Allen (5), Russell Wilson (4) and Michael Vick (4). All four of Vick’s 300-50 games were with the Eagles. Other Eagles QBs with 300-50 games are Donovan McNabb and Randall Cunningham (2 each) and Carson Wentz and Bobby Hoying (1 apiece).
9. One more Hurts: His 26-yard TD run was the longest by an Eagles quarterback since Donovan McNabb had a 40-yarder against the Giants at the Vet in 2002. It’s 4th-longest ever by an Eagles QB. Randall Cunningham had a 52-yarder against the Patriots in 1990 at the Vet and a 33-yarder against the Oilers in 1988. Surprisingly, Michael Vick’s longest TD run as an Eagle was only 17 yards. I lied – one final Hurts stat: He’s already got six games with 10 carries and a 5.0 average. Only eight QBs in NFL history have had more.
10. The Eagles’ three-interception second half made this the Eagles’ first home game with three INTs in six years. In a win over the Giants in 2016, Malcolm Jenkins had two INTs and Terrence Brooks had one off Eli Manning. Last time the Eagles picked off three passes in the second half of a home game was in 2004, when they actually picked off Jake Delhomme four times in the second half of a 30-8 win over the Panthers at the Linc. Lito Sheppard had two, Dhani Jones one and Rod Hood one. It had been three years since the Eagles had two INTs in a quarter. That was the 2019 opener in Atlanta, when Ronald Darby and Nate Gerry picked off Matt Ryan in the third quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.