Eagles

Eagles

Eagles

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 20: A.J. Brown #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates a touchdown with Jalen Hurts #1 during the second quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on October 20, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The Eagles badly needed a convincing win. It felt like for the past 365+ days, every Sunday, or sometimes Monday, Thursday, and 1 Friday, had been stressful, even when they won. They haven’t beaten up on any team in a long time. So for them to go up to North New Jersey, and beatdown the Giants, felt good.

Related: Saquon Barkley and The Eagles Run All Over The Giants

Yes, it is the Giants. But the Eagles haven’t beaten up a bad team in a while. They got the Giants twice last year, and only eked out 1 win, and lost the other. The Cardinals and Jets beat them last year. Just a week ago they snuck away with a win over the Browns. This was a new thing for this Eagles team. They faced down a bad opponent and crushed them the way they should.

A convincing 28-3 win was just what we all needed. The fact they could pull the starters in the 4th quarter was even better. For a week, everyone gets to feel good about the Eagles. It is a week with next to no negative storylines and only good vibes.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 20: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs with the ball against the New York Giants during the first half at MetLife Stadium on October 20, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

But what can we take away from it? Even if the opponent was poor, can we still take away good things? Are there things about the Giants that may be more impressive than you would think just looking at their record? Did Nick Sirianni redeem himself with some of his decision-making on Sunday?

Let’s break down some of the numbers. You might think this was “Just The Giants,” but that is not giving the Eagles enough credit. The Giants’ offense might stink, but their defense has ranked in the top 10 this season in most stats, and the Eagles’ offense scoring on them should not be discounted.

Here Are 6 Numbers That Tell The Story of The Eagles Impressive Win Over The Giants

  • 15

    Let’s start with the guy who spent the last week getting roasted by everyone around the NFL, Nick Sirianni. He more than anyone needed a good week. He got it. On 3 separate occasions, he made the bold choice to go for it on 4th down. Not only did they convert all 3, but all 3 led to TDs. His tendency to go for it on 4th down has been a sticking point for fans. Many scream, take the points, or punt it, every time he gets to 4th down. But thankfully, Nick stayed true to being aggressive, and it paid off.

    If he didn’t go for those 4th downs, they would have kicked 2 FGs, and punted 1 more time. The 28-3 win, would have been 13-3. 15 fewer points than they ended up with. Instead of everyone pulling their starters, the game may have come down to the wire. Instead of a convincing win, we would be talking about another unimpressive offensive performance. Give Nick credit. His aggressiveness made a massive difference on Sunday.

    NFL on X (formerly Twitter): "JALEN HURTS TO AJ BROWN ON 4TH DOWN. 41-YARD TD.📺: #PHIvsNYG on FOX📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/H2S70NsOda / X"

    JALEN HURTS TO AJ BROWN ON 4TH DOWN. 41-YARD TD.📺: #PHIvsNYG on FOX📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/H2S70NsOda

  • 7.9

    Sticking with the offense, dont discount the fact they scored 28 points on this team. Their defense is good. Coming into the week, they gave up just 20.1 pts per game, the 10th-lowest number in the league. They scored 7.9 points more than the average NFL team.

    If that doesn’t seem like a big difference, consider this. 20.1 points per game as we said is 10th in the league. 28 points would be the 2nd worst number in the league. And it is not like they have played bad offenses. Vikings, Commanders, Bengals, and Seahawks are all top 10 offenses so far this year. Only the Vikings of that group scored more than 21 points.

    NFL on X (formerly Twitter): "Saquon Barkley is at it again.📺: #PHIvsNYG on FOX📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/iGCd9x3WWo / X"

    Saquon Barkley is at it again.📺: #PHIvsNYG on FOX📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/iGCd9x3WWo

  • 5

    We gave Nick credit where it is due, so let’s do the same for another embattled Eagles. bryce Huff has gotten a ton of heat for how unproductive he has been this season. But maybe being back in his old stomping grounds reminded him he is supposed to be an elite pass rusher. He was all over Daniel Jones on Sunday. 5 pressures and a sack. 

    Not only was it his 1st week with the Eagles with multiple pressures, but he only had 2 total pressures before this week. If they get that guy, the guy who was near the top of the league in pass Rush Win rate last year with the Jets, this defense can be great.

    It was not just him either. Nolan Smith is suddenly all over the place. In just 15 pass rush snaps he had a sack and 3 pressures. Jalen Carter got 2 sacks. Nakobe Dean had 2 sacks. Josh Sweat now has a sack in 3 straight weeks. They played 2 bad O-Lines in the last 2 weeks. But they played some bad O-Lines earlier in the season and didn’t show up. So seeing the D-line dominate bad O-lines certainly feels good.

    Jeff Kerr on X (formerly Twitter): "Bryce Huff had a 21.1% pressure rate against the #Giants. Nolan Smith had a 21.4% pressure rate. Both combined for 2 sacks and 7 pressures. Smith has recorded a 23.8% pressure rate over the last 2 games. Huff 16.7%. #Eagles / X"

    Bryce Huff had a 21.1% pressure rate against the #Giants. Nolan Smith had a 21.4% pressure rate. Both combined for 2 sacks and 7 pressures. Smith has recorded a 23.8% pressure rate over the last 2 games. Huff 16.7%. #Eagles

  • 18

    After years of ignoring Cornerback in the draft, the Eagles went heavy there this year. So far, it is paying off. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean both started on Sunday, Mitchell outside and DeJean in the slot. They allowed a combined 18 yards on 7 targets. Keep in mind, that Mitchell was covering Malik Nabers a decent amount.

    Both have been nothing short of fantastic early in their career. Mitchell has drawn several tough matchups and didn’t blink. Dejean has only played 2 weeks, and vs two bad offenses, but watching him play makes you think he is going to hold up against tougher competition. Those 2 currently look like a dangerous combo, who they could have out there for a while to come. Slay by the way has also been fantastic. He might be getting up there for a corner, but he is still playing at a very high level, and like Mitchell went up against Nabers and mostly shut him down.

    Jeff Kerr on X (formerly Twitter): "Darius Slay and Quinyon Mitchell vs. #Giants When targeted:Slay -- 2-of-5, 25 yards, 47.9 ratingMitchell -- 2-of-5, 15 yards, 47.9 rating#Eagles / X"

    Darius Slay and Quinyon Mitchell vs. #Giants When targeted:Slay -- 2-of-5, 25 yards, 47.9 ratingMitchell -- 2-of-5, 15 yards, 47.9 rating#Eagles

  • 10.25

    We will give you 1 negative stat. As impressive as the offense was overall, they still struggled with the scripted plays at the start of the game. They have now played 6 games, and have 0 points in the 1st quarter. The first two drives of any game should be your best stuff. But for the Eagles, it has been their worst stuff. It is not until they get into the game and adjust to the defense that they start scoring. They average just 10.25 yards per drive in the first 2 drives of the game this season. Barely a first down per drive. They have 4 turnovers and 8 punts in those 12 drives.

    The maddening part is, in quarters 2, 3, and 4, they are elite. They average 22.3 pts per game in those 3 quarters. If they scored in the 1st quarter the way they do in the final 3, they would average 29.7 points per game, the 2nd most in the NFL. Even if they played half as well as they did in those other quarters, they would improve to 8th. Instead, they are 17th in the league in pts per game, despite playing better than nearly every other offense in the final 3 quarters.

    Jeff Skversky on X (formerly Twitter): "Eagles STILL 0️⃣ Points in 1st Quarter0 - Green Bay Packers0 - Atlanta Falcons0 - New Orleans Saints0 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers0 - Cleveland Browns0 - New York Giants✳️ 1st time in #Eagles history they've failed to score in 1st quarter thru the 1st 6 games of a season pic.twitter.com/ujs7lcP2K3 / X"

    Eagles STILL 0️⃣ Points in 1st Quarter0 - Green Bay Packers0 - Atlanta Falcons0 - New Orleans Saints0 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers0 - Cleveland Browns0 - New York Giants✳️ 1st time in #Eagles history they've failed to score in 1st quarter thru the 1st 6 games of a season pic.twitter.com/ujs7lcP2K3

    They need to figure that out. vs good teams with good offenses, they might dig themselves into holes by starting this slow. You saw it play out like that in the Bucs game,

  • 10

    After knocking the Eagles offense, let’s praise it. No offense has been as explosive as them. Despite already having the bye week, they lead the NFL with 10 plays of at least 40 yards. 3 of those came on Sunday, 2 by Saquon Barkley, and 1 by AJ Brown.

    It was Brown’s 3rd such catch. Despite playing in just 3 games. The most any player has is 5, and everyone ahead of him has 3 or 4 more games played than him. Saquon now has 4 carries of at least 40 yards. Dallas Goedert has 2 40+ yard catches, tied for the league lead for TEs, despite playing in only 5 games. Devonta Smith has 1. This offense, despite some struggles, is explosive. They have 4 players who can take it the distance at any moment. That is something worth being excited about.

     

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