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Roob's Eagles Stats: Some crazy Carter, Brown and Covey numbers

Reuben Frank
·6 min read

Roob's Eagles Stats: Some crazy Carter, Brown and Covey numbers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

We’ve got an overstuffed Roob’s Eagles Stats piece this week, with some eye-popping Jalen Carter numbers, crazy A.J. Brown facts and figures and historic Eagles 3rd-down stats.

But we have to start with Carter, who’s off to one of the best starts ever by an Eagles rookie.

CARTER THE UNSTOPPABLE SACK MACHINE: Carter had two sacks Sunday, becoming the first Eagles rookie defensive tackle with two sacks in a game since Corey Simon had two against the Saints at the Superdome in 2000. The only other Eagles rookie interior lineman with two sacks in a game (not counting the 1987 strike replacement games) is Jerome Brown, who had two against the Cards at Busch Stadium in 1987. Carter now has 3 ½ sacks, most by an Eagle in his first five games since Simon had 4.0 in 2000. Carter also has four tackles for loss and four quarterback hits and is the first interior lineman with 3 ½ sacks, four TfL and four QB hits in his first five games since Chris Jones of the Patriots in 2013.

MORE MAGIC FROM A.J.: Let’s move on to A.J. Brown, who’s had a historic three-game stretch the last three weeks. Brown followed his 130-yard game in Tampa and 175-yard game vs. Washington with 127 yards Sunday against the Rams. He’s the first Eagle in franchise history with 125 or more receiving yards three straight weeks. Harold Jackson had 125 or more yards in three consecutive games but it was over two seasons in 1971 and 1972. Brown’s 432 yards the last three weeks are the most by an Eagles receiver in a three-game span in 71 years, since Bud Grant had 445 the last three weeks of 1952. Grant had 186 yards vs. the Cards at Comiskey Park, 203 vs. the Dallas Texans at Shibe Park and 56 vs. Washington at Griffith Stadium. They were the last three games of his NFL career.Grant went on to play in the CFL and then coached the Vikings for 19 years, reaching four Super Bowls (and losing all four). Brown’s 545 yards are 3rd-most in Eagles history through five games, behind only Mike Quick’s 556 in 1983 and T.O.’s 541 in 2005. Brown surpassed 5,000 career yards with his last reception Sunday and reached 5,000 yards in his 65th career game. That makes him 10th-fastest in history to 5,000 yards.

UNSTOPPABLE ON 3RD DOWN: Let’s talk 3rd-down conversions because Sunday was a historic day for the Eagles. They converted 13 of 18 third downs against the Rams, and those 13 third-down conversions are their most in 29 years - since they had 14 in a 21-17 win over Washington at the Vet in 1994. Their 72 percent conversion percentage is their highest since they converted 77 percent (10 of 13) in a 35-30 win over the Giants in East Rutherford in 2016. Their only other game over 72 percent on record (going back to 1991) came in 1994, when they converted 73 percent (11 of 15) in a 40-8 win over the 49ers at Candlestick.

DYNAMIC DUO: Through five games, D’Andre Swift and A.J. Brown are both over 500 scrimmage yards, Swift with 509 and Brown 541. The Eagles didn’t have anybody over 500 yards through five games the last nine seasons. Swift and Brown are only the fifth Eagles duo ever over 500 yards through five games and the first since DeSean Jackson (525) and LeSean McCoy (700) in 2013. Their only other 500-yard duos through five games: Tommy McDonald (543) and Timmy Brown (510) in 1962, Herschel Walker (520) and Fred Barnett (507) in 1992 and Brian Westbrook (523) and T.O. (556) in 2005. The only other NFL team with two guys with 500 scrimmage yards is the Dolphins, with Tyreek Hill [665] and De’Von Achane [527].

ANOTHER GEM FROM HURTS: A few Jalen Hurts stats: Hurts now has a 28-11 career record. The only QBs to win more games in their first 39 starts: Daryle Lamonica (33-6), Dan Marino (31-8), Kurt Warner (31-8], Patrick Mahomes [31-8], Lamar Jackson [31-8], Ken Stabler [30-9] and Danny White [29-10]. Hurts scored his 30th career rushing touchdown and that’s more than any other quarterback has had in his first 39 starts. Cam Newton had 25, Josh Allen 23 and Jack Kemp 22. Hurts passed Timmy Brown and moved into seventh place on the all-time Eagles rushing TD list. He trails only Steve Van Buren (69), Wilbert Montgomery (45), LeSean McCoy (44), Brian Westbrook (37), Randall Cunningham (32) and Ricky Watters (31).

GOEDERT TAKES OFF: Dallas Goedert’s 49-yard catch was the longest of his career and the longest by an Eagles tight end since Zach Ertz had a 60-yarder from Sam Bradford against the Giants on the last day of the 2015 season. A few weeks earlier, Brent Celek had a 60-yarder from Bradford against the Dolphins. Ertz had a 57-yarder against the Seahawks in 2017 wiped out because of an illegal formation penalty.

PICK YOUR POISON: The Eagles on Sunday outgained the Rams by 105 yards running the ball and by 100 yards throwing the ball. It’s only the eighth time since 1995 they’ve outgained a team by 100 yards both on the ground and in the air in the same game. But the second time in the last month. They outran the Bucs by 160 yards and outgained them passing by 138. The Eagles are 27-1 in franchise history when they outgain a team by at least 100 yards both passing and throwing. The only loss was to the Steelers in 1965 at Franklin Field. The Eagles outgained the Steelers 199-60 running and 189-72 throwing but the Steelers had two return touchdowns to win 20-14.

HE'S GOOD … REALLY: With a 52-yard return in Tampa, a 20-yarder against Washington and a 20-yarder Sunday vs. the Rams, Britain Covey became the first Eagle with a punt return of 20 yards or more in three straight games since Darren Sproles in 2014. Sproles had an 82-yard TD in San Francisco, a 23-yarder against the Rams and a 43-yarder against the Giants. Covey now leads the NFL with a 16.9 average (minimum 10 returns).

THE OBLIGATORY RUSHING MARGIN STATS: If you can run the ball and stop the run, you’re going to be hard to beat, and the Eagles have out-rushed their five opponents 820-306. That 514-yard rushing margin is 5th-largest by any NFL team in the last 25 years and the Eagles’ largest since 1950 [620-yard margin, 1163-543]. The Eagles have recorded 55 rushing first downs while allowing just 17. They’re only the third team since the NFL began tracking first downs in 1999 to record 50 or more rushing first downs and allow fewer than 20. The 2009 Dolphins (57, 16) and 2012 49ers (53, 16) also did it.

BOUNCING BACK: Finally this: The Eagles are only the sixth team ever and the first in more than three decades to open a season 5-0 after losing the previous year in the Super Bowl. The 1991 Bills won their first five games after losing to the Giants 20-19 the previous year in Super Bowl XXV in Tampa on the 47-yard Scott Norwood missed field goal with eight seconds left. The last team to start 6-0 after losing a Super Bowl was the 1981 Eagles.