The 5 Numbers That Tell The Story of The Eagles Win Over The Texans
The Eagles are out to their best start in franchise history. They are now 8-0 after beating the Texans on Thursday Night. Even if many in the Philadelphia area did not see the win since we were busy watching the Phillies fall behind 3-2 instead. But what you missed was a win, even if it was not a pretty one. So how did the Eagles beat the Texans, and get to 8-0? Here are 5 numbers that help tell that story.
68
For the first time in a while, we can say this Eagles Secondary is elite. To start, they lead the league with 12 interceptions. Darius Slay, James Bradberry, and CJ Gardner Johnson all have at least 3 interceptions. They are the only team with at least two players with 3 interceptions. And CGJ leads all NFL players with 5 total, including 4 in the last 4 games. But they do more than just take the ball away. They also shut down the pass. Opposing QBS have a passer rating against them of just 68, the lowest in the league. They are allowing just 177.6 yards in the air per game. That is the third-best number in the league. This secondary is elite.
As long as Slay, Bradberry, and Gardner-Johnson stay healthy, they will have by far the best defensive backfield in the league. A nice turn of events, given that we are used to them having one of the worst in the league.
5.2
On the other hand, their rush defense so far leaves something to be desired. Opposing running backs average 5.2 yards per carry against them. They gave up 168 yards on the ground to the Texans and 5.1 yards per carry to Dameon Pierce. A big factor in the run defense is rookie Jordan Davis. When the big guy is in there, things are different. But he is out for at least 3 more games with an ankle sprain. And the run defense can be tested when he is not in there. It obviously hasn’t cost them a win. And the Eagles play with a lead so much that they can keep teams from being able to run it. But it is something to keep an eye on.
16
And on the other other hand, the Eagles are an elite running team on offense. Especially in the red zone. The Eagles lead the league with 16 rushing touchdowns, including 2 more last night. Jalen Hurts and Miles Sanders each have 6. They are 6th in rushing yards per game. They are 3rd with 9.5 rushing firsts downs per game. In 3rd and short, or in the red zone, you could argue no one runs the ball better than they do. It is just hard to defend. Because you have to defend the RB and the QB, and you are going up against the best run-blocking o line.
6
Jalen Hurts is playing like an MVP, and 8 games in, it is harder and harder to call it a fluke. He is top 5 in yards, completion rate, yards per attempt, QB rating, and top 10 in touchdowns, with 6 in the last two games. But perhaps most impressive is his TD to Int ratio. For every interception he throws, he gets 6 TDs. That is 2nd in the league with only Tom Brady ahead of him. Just .8% of his passes have been intercepted, again only worse than Brady. One of his picks was in horrible weather, and the other was a tip off the hands of Kenny Gainwell.
Hurts protects the ball at an elite level. He had one fumble against the Texans, and it was just the third turnover all year by him or the Eagles. It feels like I repeat myself every week, but this is so key to this team being undefeated.
10.4
Dallas Goedert is an elite tight end. Goedert had a big night vs the Texans, with over 100 yards and a TD. He is 3rd in yards among TEs, 3rd in big plays (20+ yard plays), and as of now, and 1st in yards per target. Dallas Goedert averages 10.6 yards per target. Per target, not per catch. That means when they throw it Goedert’s way, it is going for a first down on average. He is the only tight end who can claim that. Goedert is well on pace for a 1000-yard season. When he was behind Zach Ertz, the claim was always that Goedert had the potential to be a top TE, but he was blocked. But now that he is getting the chance to prove it as the guy at TE, he is passing with flying colors.
Bonus Stat: 53.6%
28 Teams have started 8-0 in the Super Bowl era. All of them have made the playoffs. And 15 of them have made the Super Bowl (53.6%). 8 of them have won it (28.6%). At this point, anything less than a run to the Super Bowl would be disappointing. They are more than good enough to beat any NFC team. Once they are there and playing the Bills or Chiefs, we can revisit what is and is not a disappointing season. But the Eagles’ hot start has set a standard. And history says with how well they have started, they should be playing in Arizona come Super Bowl time.
