Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Where does the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense rank through five weeks of the 2021 NFL season?
The Eagles are just hours away from a significant Thursday night matchup against the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Philadelphia will match up with one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses and as we prepare for battle, it’s never too early to check the Eagles’ offensive rankings through five weeks.
Eagles franchise history: Jalen Hurts joins elite company with 2 TD performance against the Carolina Panthers joining Randall Cunningham
With 2 Rush TD today, Jalen Hurts becomes the first Eagles QB with multiple such games since Randall Cunningham (3) pic.twitter.com/APzf4idcmc
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 10, 2021
Jalen Hurts is as steady as they come and as long as the Eagles surround him with talent and scheme to his strengths, he’ll be a successful quarterback for years to come.
Hurts helped the Eagles snap a three-game skid on Sunday, and in doing so, he made franchise history, joining Randall Cunnigham as the only other Philadelphia signal-caller to have multiple two-touchdown performances as a runner.
In all, Hurts was 22 of 37 passing, for 198 yards and one interception. As a runner, the second-year star carried the ball 9 times for 30-yards and the two touchdowns.
Hurts and the Eagles will now quickly start preparing for a matchup on Thursday night against the Buccaneers.
[listicle id=655187]
[lawrence-related id=655182,655183]
Jalen Hurts: Eagles second-year QB on a historic pace after first 8 starts
I know it seems like Jalen Hurts has been a starting quarterback in the NFL for a long time but he's 8 games in as a starter and his stats from his first 8 games rival any quarterback we've ever seens first 8 games.
— quincy_avery (@Quincy_Avery) October 3, 2021
Jalen Hurts play through the first four weeks of the 2021 season have eliminated any talk of the Eagles looking to upgrade at quarterback in the future.
Hurts has completed 66 percent of his passes, thrown seven touchdowns and two interceptions, with a passer rating of 101.1.
The second-year quarterback is essentially still a rookie at this pace, and Hurts is on a historic pace after his first eight starts.
[pickup_prop id=”11737″]
Eagles vs. Chiefs: 10 takeaways from the first half as Philadelphia trails 21-13
The Eagles had to play flawless football to hang with the Chiefs and through one half of football, Philadelphia has played improved football as they trail 21-13 to Kansas City.
Here are 10-takeaways from the first half of action at Lincoln Financial Field.
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave on a historic pace to start the 2021 season
https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=gUJrzCn59w-1534142-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on
Javon Hargrave is the first @NFL defensive tackle to record 15+ tackles and 4.0+ sacks in the first 3 games of the season since Warren Sapp in 1999. #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/3aCfuL8GkG
— John Gonoude (@john_gonoude) October 1, 2021
Javon Hargrave has found his groove through three weeks of his second season with the Eagles, and as the Birds start preparation to face the Chiefs, the game-wrecking defensive tackle is on a historic pace.
According to Eagles public relations guru, John Gonoude, Hargrave is the first NFL defensive tackle since Warren Sapp in 1999, to log 15+ tackles and 4.0+ sacks in the first 3 games of the season.
That season, Sapp logged 4 passes defended, 4 forced fumbles, 12.5 sacks, 41 total tackles, and 13 tackles for loss on the way to being named All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year.
We’ve previously predicted that Hargrave would smash the 23 tackles for loss that T.J. Watt recorded in 2020 to lead the league, and through three games, Hargrave is on pace for 27.5 tackles for loss, and almost 21 sacks.
[listicle id=654335]
[lawrence-related id=654546,654523,654539,654443]
Eagles made history with the inept running game in Monday night loss to the Cowboys
The Eagles ran just three running plays for RBs yesterday. That's the fewest carries by a team's RBs in any game in our database
— ProFootballReference (@pfref) September 28, 2021
The Eagles were embarrassed on Monday night football by the Cowboys and lost in the 41 point Dallas explosion, was a historic feat by Philadelphia’s offense.
Per Pro Football Reference, the Eagles’ three total carries by running backs was the fewest in Eagles history and the fewest by any team in NFL over the last two decades.
Philadelphia’s game plan somehow only included two carries for Miles Sanders and one carry for Kenneth Gainwell, five less than the 8 total carries from quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni attempted to explain Sanders’s lack of usage.
“The first half, just with how that went — those numbers get skewed at times,” Sirianni said after the loss. “I know they are what they are, but when you don’t have that many plays in the first half, whether that’s because you have penalties that stop drives, defense was on the field quite a bit, and then you’re in position in the second half where you’re down two scores the whole time. That’s where that kind of comes into play.”
Philadelphia went nine plays to start the game before they were credited with a formal rushing attempt and after Sanders logged a 24-yard carry, he never received another rushing attempt.
One of the NFL’s top young talents, Sanders is averaging just 12.7 touches per game through three weeks.
[listicle id=654331]
[lawrence-related id=654390,654349]
Should the Eagles regret not blitzing 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo more in their 17-11 loss?
Jimmy Garoppolo has been one of the most pressured quarterbacks in the NFL over the past three seasons and he’s performed slightly above-average when pressured.
During Sunday’s 17-11 loss in their home opener, any pressure put on Garoppolo came organically, as Jonathan Gannon refused to blitz the 49ers quarterback and leave his secondary one on one with Deebo Samuel or George Kittle.
Per Next Gen Stats, the Eagles defense blitzed on just 3 of 30 San Francisco dropbacks (10.0%) and Garoppolo was 0-3 when Philadelphia did blitz.
Per PFF, Garoppolo finished with a 3.6-yard average depth of the target, with only 28.6% of his yards coming through the air. His two turnover-worthy plays came while pressured by the Eagles defensive line, so the question has to be asked, why didn’t Gannon blitz more, allowing Darius Slay and Steven Nelson to play on an Island?
Likely wanting to play it safe with George Kittle fully capable of exposing Philadelphia’s linebackers and safeties, the Eagles played two safeties over the top, choosing to play zone, while also relying on the defensive line to pressure the quarterback from within.
Kittle’s four receptions all came behind the line of scrimmage and his longest play went for eight yards. Kittle was also targeted on only 13.3% of his routes, his lowest target rate in a regular-season game since 2018.
Gannon chose a tight game over-pressuring Garoppolo with the extra defender and he should be applauded for almost pulling it off without his top defensive leader.
[listicle id=654051]
[lawrence-related id=654030,654014]
Eagles PFF grades: Highest graded players on offense and defense from Week 2 vs. 49ers
Jalen Hurts completed just 12 of 23 passes for 190 yards, while also rushing for 82 yards, including a 1-yard TD in the fourth quarter, as the Eagles fell to 1-1 after a frustrating home loss to San Francisco.
Here are PFF’s highest graded Eagles players on offense and defense for Week 2.
Jalen Hurts lands in the top-5 of PFF’s NFL Week 1 Quarterback Rankings
The national narrative around Jalen Hurts is changing and nothing shows that the Eagles signal-caller has arrived more than Pro Football Focus showing some respect.
Hurts started the preseason out as a bottom thirty quarterback in late August rankings, but after his Week 1 performance against the Falcons, the second-year star is trending in the top five, landing at No. 4.
You might be wondering why Winston, who had the highest per-play grades and EPA in Week 1, isn’t located at the top of the rankings. The answer is as simple as his lack of sample size. Winston only played 24 passing snaps, versus 41 plays for Teddy Bridgewater, who occupies the top spot. Bridgewater is in a new location but looks ripe for regression going forward, given that he has the 26th-best career Bayesian ranking in the group.
Brady, Hurts, and Patrick Mahomes round out the top five, with Brady having the biggest divergence between grades and EPA. Brady’s Bayesian grade estimate is higher than anyone else after finishing with the second-highest number on a per-play basis and being involved in a substantial 50 plays in Week 1. Mahomes and Brady have the top two career rankings, so it isn’t a fluke that they’re already near the top of the board.
The next closest NFC East quarterback on the list was Dak Prescott landing at No. 14 in the Week 1 ranking after an impressive return against the defending champion Buccaneers.
Hurts was efficient on first downs, late downs, and while also making the necessary plays from a clean pocket and under pressure.
[vertical-gallery id=653328]
[listicle id=653839]
[lawrence-related id=653862,653862,653856,653683,653649,653360]
Here are the top PFF grades for Eagles players on offense and defense after Sunday’s season opener at Atlanta
Sunday was everything you could want in a debut, as Jalen Hurts had a career day and rookie receiver Devonta Smith caught his first career touchdown pass as the Eagles thumped the Falcons, 32-6, during a Week 1 route to open the season.
PFF has the grades and here are the highest graded players on both sides of the ball for Philadelphia.
