Who's been the most productive quarterback ever at the Linc? What about at the Vet? Where does Brandon Graham rank all-time among Eagles defensive ends? What about JJ Arcega-Whiteside? What about Jay Ajayi? What about Jason Kelce?
It's all here in this weekend's edition of Roob's 10 random Eagles observations!
1. Even if Jordan Howard can’t play Sunday, I love the matchup between the Eagles’ running game and the Patriots’ rush defense. Over the last six weeks, the Eagles are averaging 141 rushing yards per game and the Patriots are allowing an NFL-worst 5.6 rushing yards per carry. The Eagles have actually run the ball over the last six games more than they’ve thrown it. I’m thinking Miles Sanders gets his first 100-yard game, and the Eagles get a little bit of a contribution from whoever else runs the ball, whether it’s Boston Scott, Jay Ajayi or De’Angelo Henderson. With this offensive line, I think the Eagles can control this game with the running attack.
2. I get that Ajayi has a history of knee problems, but as long as Doug Pederson doesn’t get carried away and overuse him, Ajayi can help. Sanders and Howard — when healthy — are going to be the main ball carriers, but give Ajayi six or seven carries and he can produce. The guy’s a 4.5 career runner, which puts him eighth among active running backs (minimum 500 carries). This is a guy who’s been a Pro Bowler, had a 1,200-yard season, made big plays in a Super Bowl. I want him on my team.
3. If it was my call? I’d run Andre Dillard out there at left tackle, even if Jason Peters is healthy. I don’t know how you can count on Peters to play a full game at this point. He’s played all or most of only 21 games over the last three seasons — that’s 20 of 46 games. So he’s more likely to miss snaps than play all of them. A 100 percent Dillard isn’t a 100 percent Peters, but when Dillard plays, I know he’s going to play a full game at a high level. At this point, I’m surprised when Peters does. When Peters has to leave in mid-stream, that doesn’t benefit anybody.
4. Carson Wentz has had a grand total of two games in the last three years with a passer rating of 80 or below. That’s remarkable. That’s 31 of 33 games, or 94 percent, and that’s the highest percentage of any QB who’s made at least 16 starts since opening day 2017. That’s an incredible record of consistency, especially considering he played last year with a worsening back injury and the lack of help he’s gotten this year from his wide receivers. Here’s the top five by percentage:
94 percent: Carson Wentz (31/33)
92 percent: Patrick Mahomes (23/25)
88 percent: Drew Brees (30/34)
87 percent: Aaron Rodgers (27/31)
85 percent: Tom Brady (35/41)
NFL
5. Never take Jason Kelce for granted. The dude is 32, a two-time first-team all-pro and in his ninth season he’s playing at as high a level as he ever has. Since missing four games in 2014 with a sports hernia, he’s started 88 consecutive games, longest current streak among centers. An all-time great Eagle.
6. It blows my mind that there are still fans out there — not a ton of them but enough to drive me crazy — clinging to this belief that the Eagles should have kept Nick Foles instead of Wentz, and they try to justify their misguided beliefs by constantly tearing Wentz down. We’ll all always love Foles for who he is and what he did, but the argument that Foles is somehow superior to Wentz because Foles won a Super Bowl with Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor, and those guys are struggling this year with Wentz is laughable. Have you seen Jeffery? Have you seen Agholor? Do you honestly believe they’re the same players they were in 2017? Come on. Did Jeffery drop all those passes against the Bears because Wentz threw them? Did Agholor drop all those deep balls because Wentz threw them? Foles is a legend here. Always will be. You don’t need to tear down Wentz to prove it.
7. The top-10 career passer ratings at the Linc (minimum 50 attempts):
118.3 — Tom Brady
112.1 — Kirk Cousins
100.0 — Carson Wentz
96.5 — Aaron Rodgers
96.5 — Matt Schaub
96.4 — Cam Newton
96.0 — Jon Kitna
94.1 — Drew Brees
92.8 — Donovan McNabb
92.1 — Tony Romo
8. Which got me wondering about the highest passer ratings ever at the Vet! Here they are, thanks to Pro Football Reference:
95.9 — Boomer Esiason
89.6 — Sonny Jurgensen
89.2 — Kerry Collins
86.6 — Ty Detmer
86.5 — Chris Miller
85.3 — Jeff Hostetler
84.0 — Rich Gannon
80.5 — Donovan McNabb
80.3 — Steve Pelluer
80.1 — Bubby Brister
(For the record, Peyton Manning had a 146.6 rating but only 49 attempts. Joe Montana had a 142.2 with 34 attempts.)
9. Where would you rank Brandon Graham all-time among Eagles defensive ends? For me, the top three are no-brainers … Reggie White, Clyde Simmons and Trent Cole. Then you have Hugh Douglas, Greg Brown and B.G. in a second group, and maybe William Fuller and Dennis Harrison. If you’re not familiar with Brown and Harrison, Harrison had three straight 10-sack seasons in the 1980s and made a Pro Bowl, and Brown had 41 1/2 sacks from 1983 through 1986. For me, the No. 4 spot comes down to Douglas and B.G. In his four full seasons in his first stint here — 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2002, he had 49 1/2 sacks and made three Pro Bowl teams and an all-pro team for some very good teams. Graham is going to give you more against the run, and The Sack in the Super Bowl adds to his legacy. But Douglas had 54 1/2 sacks in 82 games with the Eagles, while B.G. has 48 1/2 in 136 games. I’ll put Douglas in the No. 4 spot and B.G. No. 5, with Brown and Harrison next. But B.G. isn’t done yet. There’s still time for him to move up.
10. I feel like JJ Arcega-Whiteside is going to be OK.
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