Our opening-weekend 10 Eagles stats usually isn’t this depressing and demoralizing. Because it’s not very often that the Eagles blow a 17-point lead on opening day.
Like twice in 88 years.
And Doug Pederson has been in the middle of both of them.
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The Eagles’ only worse opening-day loss in franchise history came 21 years ago at the Vet, when the Eagles led the Cards, 24-6, in the third quarter before losing, 25-24.
The Eagles were outscored 19-0 in the second half, and Pederson — Andy Reid’s starting quarterback in his first game as head coach — was 2 for 10 for 18 yards in the second half with no TDs and an interception for a perfect 0.00 passer rating.
Now Pederson is the coach, and Carson Wentz was a little better in the second half but not much — 10 for 20 for 88 yards, zero TDs and one INT for a 41.3 passer rating.
Here’s our inaugural 10 Eagles stats and don’t worry, it’s not all negative!!! (just most of it)
NFL
• Jalen Reagor’s 55-yard catch from Wentz was the second-longest ever by an Eagle in his first NFL game. Bryce Treggs of all people caught a 58-yarder from Wentz against the Giants in 2016. Treggs had only seven more career receptions.
• Sunday’s game was the first in 13 years in which the Eagles held a team below 30 percent on third down and allowed fewer than 240 yards and lost. The last time that happened was the 2007 loss at the Meadowlands when the Giants recorded 12 sacks — the Winston Justice game.
• The Eagles have held Washington to 2.2 yards per rushing attempt or worse three times in their last four meetings. Before that, they had held Washington to 2.2 or lower just twice in the previous 86 meetings.
• Wentz became the first NFL QB in 22 years sacked eight or more times on opening day. Eagles QB Bobby Hoying was sacked nine times in the Eagles’ 38-0 loss to the Seahawks at the Vet in the 1998 opener. Jeff George of the Raiders was sacked 10 times by the Chiefs the same day.
• Dallas Goedert is the first Eagles tight end with a 100-yard receiving game on opening day since Pete Retzlaff had 6 for 139 against the Giants at Franklin Field in the 1965 opener.
• Greg Ward caught five passes Sunday, giving him 33 in eight career games. That’s fifth most in Eagles history by a player in his first eight games, behind Keith Jackson (48), Harold Jackson (37), Charle Young (36) and DeSean Jackson (34).
• The Eagles go into Week 2 with the No. 1 defense in the NFL. That’s because the NFL officially ranks teams by yards allowed and not points, and no team allowed fewer yards than the Eagles, who gave up 239. The Colts allowed the second-fewest yards with 241, and they also lost.
• After allowing seven sacks in the playoff loss to the Seahawks and eight sacks Sunday in Washington, the Eagles have allowed seven or more sacks in consecutive games for the first time in 23 years, since they allowed nine against the Ravens at Memorial Stadium and eight against the 49ers at the Vet in 1997.
• The most sacks ever by an Eagles quarterback over the first two games of a season is 11, shared by Hoying in 1998 and Donovan McNabb in 2003. The Eagles would have to allow two or fewer sacks to avoid a share of that dubious mark.
• Including Jake Elliott's 53-yard miss, there were 19 missed field goals in the NFL this weekend. Last time that happened was Week 10 of 2011, when there were also 19. Last time there were more missed FG attempts? That would be Week 13 of 2002, when there were 20. Kickers on opening weekend this year were 48 for 67. That’s 71.6 percent, and the last time NFL kickers were that low over a full season was 1987, when they made 70.3 percent of attempts.