In this week's Roob's Eagles Stats: The arduous search for something positive
In this week's Roob's Eagles Stats: The arduous search for something positive originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Have you ever tried coming up with 10 positive stats off a 42-19 loss?
Can’t be done.
But I didn’t want to make this week’s Roob’s Eagles Stats piece all about how badly the Eagles got blown out by the 49ers Sunday, so we’ll start out with a bunch of stats that won’t make you sick – and trust me, they weren’t easy to find. And then we’ll finish up with a few maybe not so positive.
Seem fair? OK, here we go.
1. With five games to go, A.J. Brown tied a franchise record with his seventh 100-yard game this year. The only other Eagle with seven 100-yard games in a season was Terrell Owens in 2004. Tyreek Hill, with eight, is the only receiver with more 100-yard games this year. Brown now has 12 100-yard performances as an Eagle. That’s already 11th-most in Eagles history in just 28 games. Brown’s 1,164 yards so far are most in franchise history through 12 games. T.O. had 1,130 in 2004. Brown’s 81 catches are 2nd-most by an Eagle through 12 games. Zach Ertz had 93 in 2018.
2. Brown is on pace for 114 catches, 1,649 yards and nine TDs, and DeVonta Smith is on pace for 90 catches, 1,181 yards and eight TDs. Only eight teams in NFL history have had two receivers the same season with at least 90 catches, 1,150 yards and eight TDs, most recently both the Packers and Broncos in 2014 – Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas for Denver and Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson with the Packers.
3. With one rushing touchdown and one passing touchdown, Jalen Hurts reached 100 total touchdowns as a starter in his 46th career start. Only six quarterbacks in NFL history have gotten to 100 total TDs – rushing and passing combined – in fewer starts:
39 starts … Patrick Mahomes [97 passing, 6 rushing]
43 starts … Dan Marino [99 passing, 2 rushing]
44 starts … Deshaun Watson [85 passing, 15 rushing]
45 games … Kurt Warner [99 passing, 1 rushing]
45 games … Daryle Lamonica [92 passing, 8 rushing]
45 games … Lamar Jackson [80 passing, 20 rushing]
46 starts … Jalen Hurts [62 passing, 39 rushing]
46 starts … Johnny Unitas [94 passing, 7 rushing]
46 starts … Josh Allen [74 passing, 26 rushing]
48 starts … Justin Herbert [92 passing, 8 rushing]
48 starts … Aaron Rodgers [89 passing, 13 rushing]
49 starts … Joe Burrow [92 passing, 10 rushing]
49 starts … Andrew Luck [88 passing, 12 rushing]
49 starts … Daunte Culpepper [76 passing, 25 rushing]
50 starts … Len Dawson [92 passing, 8 rushing]
4. The rushing touchdown Sunday was the 38th of Hurts’ career, moving him from a tie for ninth with Steve McNair and Tobin Rote into a tie for seventh with Kordell Stewart among quarterbacks. Next on the list are Y.A. Tittle in sixth with 39 and Jack Kemp in fifth with four. So Hurts needs two more rushing TDs to move into the all-time QB top five in just his fourth season. Hurts also moved past Brian Westbrook and into fourth place in Eagles history, behind only Steve Van Buren (69), Wilbert Montgomery (45) and LeSean McCoy (44).
5. With two more touchdowns against the 49ers, Jalen Hurts moved within five touchdowns of breaking the Eagles’ single-season record for combined TDs that he shares with Randall Cunningham. Hurts now has 31 combined TDs this year with five games to go. Here’s where he ranks in Eagles history:
35 … Randall Cunningham, 1990 [30 passing, 5 rushing]
35 … Jalen Hurts, 2022 [22 passing, 13 rushing]
34 … Donovan McNabb, 2004 [31 passing, 3 rushing]
33 … Carson Wentz, 2017 [33 passing, 0 rushing]
32 … Sonny Jurgensen, 1961 [32 passing, 0 rushing]
31 … Norm Snead, 1967 [29 passing, 2 rushing]
31 … Jalen Hurts, 2023 [19 passing, 12 rushing]
30 … Nick Foles, 2013 [27 passing, 3 rushing]
30 … Randall Cunningham, 1988 [24 passing, 6 rushing]
6. Ten games into his Eagles career, Braden Mann now has the highest punting average in franchise history (minimum 30 attempts). Mann’s 49.2 average is more than two yards higher than previous record holder Cam Johnston, who averaged 47.0 yards per punt from 2018 through 2020. In his first four games, Mann averaged 41.3 yards per punt, which was 2nd-worst in the NFL (ahead of only one-time Eagle Ty Zentner). In his last six games, he’s averaging 51.7, 2nd-best in the NFL (behind only Ryan Stonehouse). Mann is also on pace to break the Eagles’ single-season record of 48.1 set in 2018 by Johnston.
OK, that’s the positive stuff. Hope you enjoyed it. Now, hang on tight because here are a few wild Eagles stats that aren’t quite so rosy:
7. Sunday’s game was only the seventh ever and third in the last 50 years that the Eagles allowed six offensive touchdowns in a home game. Last time it happened was the loss to the Chiefs in 2021. But before that the 1997 win over the Bengals at the Vet – the Bobby Hoying-Boomer Esiason battle. Before that? Happened against the Browns in 1952, the Packers in 1962 and vs. the Cowboys and Cards in 1968.
8. Deebo Samuel on Sunday became only the seventh player to score three touchdowns in a second half against the Eagles and the first to do it in Philadelphia since running back Roy Shivers of the Cards in a 45-17 win at Franklin Field in 1968. The last player with two offensive touchdowns of 45 yards against the Eagles in Philly was the Steelers’ John “Frenchy” Fuqua, who had rushing TDs of 72 and 85 yards in a game the Eagles won 30-20 at Franklin Field in 1970. The Eagles had only allowed two 45-yard touchdown passes in 49 games under Nick Sirianni – Jordan Love’s 63-yard TD to Christian Watson last year and Kirk Cousins’ 62-yarder to Jordan Addison back in Week 2 this year. Then they allowed two in a half to the same guy.
9. Five quarterbacks have passed for 300 yards with at least three touchdowns against the Eagles this year (Mac Jones, Kirk Cousins, Sam Howell, Dak Prescott, Brock Purdy). The only team in NFL history to allow more quarterbacks to throw for 300 yards and three TDs in a season was the 2015 Saints (Marcus Mariota, Blake Bortles, Eli Manning, Andrew Luck, Cam Newton, Cousins, Carson Palmer, Cousins). The Eagles allowed 34 points and 505 points vs. the Bills and 42 points and 456 yards against the 49ers. It’s the first time in franchise history they’ve allowed at least 34 points and 450 yards in consecutive games.
10. The 49ers outgained the Eagles by 123 yards (456-333), becoming the fifth straight team to outgain the Eagles by at least 98 yards. Last time the Eagles were outgained by 98 or more yards in five straight games was in 1937. The Eagles are the only team in NFL history to be outgained by at least 98 yards in five straight games and have a winning record during that span.
Week 5: Giants 329 yards, Eagles 72 yards [16-7 loss at Municipal Stadium]
Week 6: Washington 255 yards, Eagles 76 yards [14-0 win at Griffith Stadium]
Week 7: Giants 255 yards, Eagles 99 [21-0 loss at Polo Grounds]
Week 8: Washington 298 yards, Eagles 87 [10-7 loss at Municipal Stadium]
Week 9: Pirates 312 yards, Eagles 183 yards [16-7 loss at Forbes Field]
Overall, the Eagles have been outgained by 560 yards in their last five games, the most yards they’ve been outgained by in any five-game stretch since late in the 2015 season and the second-most since 1999.
