Back-to-back winning streaks, winning with a shaky offense and a Nick Foles record going by the wayside.
We’ve got all the numbers you want in this week’s edition of Roob’s Eagles Stats.
1. The Eagles have won 10 consecutive games. And if that doesn’t seem like such a big deal, maybe that’s because it just happened last year. But it is a big deal because those are the only 10-game winning streaks in Eagles history. Every coach in Eagles history won 10 games exactly zero times. Sirianni has done it twice in the last 12 months. So we’ll start this week’s Roob’s Eagles Stats with a look at just exactly how rare these winning streaks are.
1A. After winning 10 straight games last year before the loss to the Commanders, the Eagles have won 10 more games in a row for back-to-back 10-game winning streaks separated by one loss. They are only the third team in NFL history to put together two 10-game winning streaks separated by one game. The first was the Curly Lambeau Packers in the late 1920s and early 1930s. They won their last game in 1928 and their first 10 in 1929 before the winning streak ended at 11 games with a scoreless tie against the Frankford Yellow Jackets in Philadelphia. They won their last two games in 1929 and their first nine in 1930 before a loss to the Chicago Cardinals at Wrigley Field. The only other team to pull off this rarity is the Andy Reid Chiefs from 2019 through 2020. They won their last nine games in 2019, including Super Bowl LIV at Joe Robbie Stadium, then their first four games in 2020 before a 40-32 loss to the Raiders at Arrowhead. They won their next 10 before a 38-21 loss to the Chargers on the final day of the season with the backups playing.
1B. Staying on the topic of winning streaks, Nick Sirianni is only the second head coach in NFL history to lead his teams on multiple winning streaks of 10 or more games within his first five years. The only other coach to do that is legendary Hall of Famer Paul Brown with the original Cleveland Browns in the 1940s. In his first year as a head coach, 1946, the Browns won their last six games, including the AAFL Championship Game over the New York Yankees at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, and they won their first five games in 1947 before a 13-10 loss to the Los Angeles Dons, also at Municipal Stadium. The Browns won their last three games in 1947, including another AAFL Championship Game over the Yankees – this one 14-3 at Yankee Stadium – before going 15-0 in 1948, including a third straight league title, 49-7, over the Bills, again in downtown Cleveland on the banks of Lake Erie. The winning streak ended at 18 when they opened the 1949 season with a 28-28 against the Bills at Civic Stadium in Buffalo.
1C. In all, Sirianni is the 14th NFL head coach to lead his team on multiple 10-game winning streaks. Of the other 13, nine are in the Hall of Fame, two are still coaching (Sean Payton, Andy Reid), one should be in the Hall (George Seifert) and one will be (Bill Belichick). The others? Don Shula (with both the Colts and Dolphins), Mike Ditka, Tony Dungy, Bud Grant, Bill Parcells, Chuck Noll, Joe Gibbs, Lambeau and Brown.
1D. The Eagles are now 20-1 in their last 21 games. The only team in NFL history with a better 21-game stretch was the 2003-04 Patriots, who won 21 in a row before a loss in Pittsburgh in Week 8 of the 2004 season.
2A. The Eagles are 4-0 despite averaging just 251.5 yards of offense per game. Trying to remember the last NFL team to open a season 4-0 despite averaging fewer than 260 yards per game? Well you can stop racking your brain because last time it happened was 84 years ago. The 1941 Giants averaged just 209 yards per game in wins over the Eagles, Washington, Steelers and Eagles again (Although I’m a little suspicious of the numbers, because what are the odds they allowed exactly 210 yards in three of those games? I wonder if back in 1941 there was a little guessing going on? No way to tell!).
2B. The Eagles are only the second team ever to go 4-0 despite getting outgained in each of their first four games. The 2012 Cards were outgained by one, 145, 15 and 183 yards to open the season with wins over the Seahawks, Patriots, Eagles and Dolphins.
2C. The Eagles have been outgained by 327 yards, the 2nd-most ever by an undefeated team through four games. Those same 2012 Cards – with Kevin Kolb as their starting quarterback – went 4-0 despite being outgained by 344 yards.
2D. The Eagles are also the first team to find their way to 4-0 despite averaging just 4.2 yards per play (they’re at 4.17). The previous low by a 4-0 team was 4.25 by the 1964 Boston Patriots.
2E. They’re also only the fourth team since sacks became an official stat in 1982 to get to 4-0 despite five or fewer sacks. The only 4-0 team with fewer sacks through four games was the 1993 Eagles, who lost eight of their next nine games. Those four sacks were recorded by Clyde Simmons (2), Seth Joyner and Keith Millard.
2F. There’s more! The Eagles are the first team ever to average 27 points per game through Week 4 despite averaging fewer than 260 yards per game.
2G. The Eagles are averaging just 5.02 net yards per pass play, the 3rd-lowest in history by a 4-0 team. Those 1964 Patriots averaged 4.84 and the 2003 Panthers averaged 4.58.
2H. You get the idea.
3. Sydney Brown’s 64-yard blocked punt return for a touchdown was only the 10th in Eagles history and their first since Chris Maragos blocked a punt by Ryan Allen of the Patriots and Najee Goode returned it 24 yards for a touchdown in a 35-28 win over the Patriots in 2015. The longest previous Eagles blocked punt return TD was a 27-yarder by Trey Burton – who may be better known for his role in a different touchdown – after James Casey blocked a Steve Weatherford punt in a 34-26 win over the Giants in 2014.
4. The Eagles were outgained by 176 yards Sunday. Their last three games that they’ve been outgained by at least 175 yards have been the loss to the Bucs in the 2021 regular season, the Week 4 loss to the Bucs last year and the Week 4 loss to the Bucs Sunday. The Eagles are now 10-99 in franchise history when they’re outgained by 175 or more yards.
5. Jihaad Campbell – who was 21 years, 216 days old on Sunday – is the 2nd-youngest Eagles in the last 75 years with an interception. Kelee Ringo was 21 years, 181 days, when he picked off Tyrod Taylor on the final play of a 33-25 Eagles win in 2023. Adoree’ Jackson – who Ringo started in place of Sunday – had a 76-yard pick-6 off Jalen Hurts earlier in that game. The only younger Eagle with an INT is Jim Parmer, who was 21 years, 199 days, when he picked off Steelers quarterback Ray Evans in a 34-7 Eagles win at Forbes Field in 1948. Campbell is the second Eagle with both an interception and forced fumble within his first four career games. Jordan Hicks did that in 2015.
6A. The Eagles are only the sixth team in NFL history to open a season with four straight wins by seven or fewer points. The others are the 1922 Bears, 1988 Bengals, 1991 Bears, 1993 Eagles and 2024 Chiefs. The Eagles have outscored their four opponents by just 20 points. The last team to go 4-0 with a smaller margin of victory was the 1999 Patriots, who outscored their opponents by 19 points.
6B. The Eagles have won five straight games decided by seven or fewer points. That ties the 5th-longest streak in NFL history. Since 2022, the Eagles are an incredible 24-6 in games decided by seven or fewer points, an .800 winning percentage. The last team to play .800 football in games decided by seven or fewer points over a four-year span was the 2006 through 2009 Colts, who were 28-7, also .800. The last team with a higher winning percentage in close games over a four-year period was the 2004 through 2007 Patriots, who were 17-4 for an .810 winning percentage.
7A. With a 2.6 average on 18 carries against the Rams and a 2.3 average on 19 carries against the Bucs, Saquon Barkley is the first Eagle to average 2.6 or worse in consecutive games (minimum 15 carries) since Duce Staley did it three weeks in a row in 2001 (Chargers, Washington, 49ers). The only other backs to have consecutive games at 2.6 or worse are Lee Bouggess in 1970, Tom Sullivan twice in 1974, Wilbert Montgomery in 1980 and Michael Haddix in 1987.
7B. Barkley’s 3.1 average is worst of 19 running backs with at least 50 and worst by an Eagles back through four games since LeSean McCoy was at 2.8 in 2014 and 2nd-worst in the last 42 years, since Haddix was at 2.6 four games into the 1983 season. The only other Eagles back with a lower yards-per-carry after four games: Mike Hogan in 1977 (3.0).
8. With a 77-yard touchdown pass to Emeka Egbuka and a 72-yarder to Bucky Irving, both in the third quarter, Baker Mayfield became the fifth quarterback ever to throw two touchdowns of 70 or more yards in the same game against the Eagles. Hall of Famer Sid Luckman of the Bears did it in 1947, Earl Morrall of the Giants in 1965, Carson Palmer of the Bengals in 2014 and Ryan Fitzpatrick of the Bucs in 2018. They are the two-longest TD passes against the Eagles since Nick Sirianni became head coach. The previous long was a 70-yarder from Jordan Love to Jayden Reed in last year’s opener in São Paul. This is the first time in 78 years a quarterback has thrown multiple 70-yard touchdown passes against the Eagles in the same quarter. In 1947, Luckham threw TDs of 70 and 74 yards to Ken Kavanaugh in the second quarter of the Bears’ 40-7 win over the Eagles at Wrigley Field. Kavanaugh later became an assistant coach at Villanova.
9. Jalen Hurts improved to 50-20 in his 70 career starts. Only eight quarterbacks have won more games through 70 starts: Ken Stabler (55), Patrick Mahomes (55), Daryle Lamonica (54), Hall of Famer Roger Staubach (52), Tom Brady (52), Lamar Jackson (52), Danny White (51) and Matt Ryan (51). Hurts has 114 touchdowns in those 70 starts – 68 passing, 46 rushing. Only five quarterbacks have generated more touchdowns in their first 70 starts: Mahomes (141), Dan Marino (126), Josh Allen (125), Aaron Rodgers (123) and Lamonica (115).
10. The Eagles are only the third team in NFL history to get to 4-0 despite averaging below 5.0 yards per play in each of their four games. The other teams are the 2006 Ravens and 2012 Cards. Last time the Eagles averaged below 5.0 yards per play in any four consecutive games was Week 8 through Week 11 of the 2000 season. Last time the Eagles won four games in a row with less than 5.0 yards per play was Week 12 through 15 in 1991. No team has ever opened a season 5-0 without averaging 5.0 yards per play at least once.
THE BONUS JALEN HURTS SECTION
Most of these Jalen Hurts interception stats appeared in my post-game 10 Instant Observations, so since I’m repeating them here I felt like they needed a separate bonus category!
11A. With 24 more passes without an interception, Hurts extended his streak of consecutive regular-season passes without an INT to 241. He broke the franchise record of 233 set by Nick Foles in 2013.
11B. Hurts has now gone 10 straight starts without an interception, tied for the 3rd-longest streak in NFL history. Justin Herbert had an 11-game streak last year and Tom Brady had an 11-game streak over the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Jared Goff in 2022 and 2023 and Derek Carr in 2018 also had 10-game streaks.
11C. Since throwing four interceptions in the Eagles’ first three games last year, Hurts has thrown 360 passes over 16 regular-season games with just one interception. He’s the first quarterback in NFL history to throw at least 300 passes over a 16-game span with one or fewer interceptions.
11D. When the season began earlier this month, Hurts ranked 15th in NFL history in career interception ratio with one every 49.7 pass attempts. With 101 attempts so far this year without an INT, he’s improved to one INT every 52.3 attempts and now ranks tied for 10th.
12. THE RIDICULOUS BRADEN MANN STATS
Braden Mann’s 34-yard loss on the intentional safety on the final play of the game equals the biggest loss on a single play since at least 1960 (as far back as available records go for that sort of thing). Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson took a 34-yard loss on an intentional safety in a 12-10 win over the Bills in 2003 and Jets quarterback Neil O’Donnell had a 34-yard loss on an intentional safety at the end of a win over the Colts in 1997. But they both finished with more than negative-34 yards for the game. Mann’s negative -34 scrimmage yards are the fewest by an Eagle in a game since quarterback Tommy Thompson had negative-43 yards in a 27-10 loss to Washington at Shibe Park in 1946. Sacks didn’t exist yet, but when quarterbacks were tackled for a loss that couldn’t as rushing yards on his ledger. Since 1960, the fewest scrimmage yards in NFL history in a game was Jets punter Louie Aguiar’s negative-32 in a 17-12 win over the Bengals in 1993. Aguiar took an intentional safety with eight seconds left, although it didn’t end the game. Aguiar had to kick off with one second left.
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