In Roob's Eagles Stats, nightmarish facts and figures to close out regular season

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In Roob's Eagles Stats, nightmarish facts and figures to close out regular season

By Reuben Frank • Published January 10, 2024

 

Are you a glutton for punishment? You’ve come to the right place!

Our final regular-season installment of Roob’s Eagles Stats focuses not only on the wretched season finale against the Giants but the horrifying finish to the regular season.

But don’t worry. We’ve got a handful of positive stands at the end. And trust me … they were not easy to scrounge up.

Please make sure you’re sitting down and then continue.

1. The Eagles are the fifth team in NFL history to lose five of its last six games but still reach the playoffs. And get this – three of the first four actually won a playoff game. The 1986 Jets and 1999 Dolphins both won a playoff game after their late-season collapse. The 1986 Jets were 10-1 and lost their last five games before beating the Chiefs 35-15 in a wild-card game in East Rutherford, the 1997 Vikings were 8-2 and lost five of their last six games to finish 9-7 but beat the Giants 23-22 in a wild-card game in East Rutherford and the 1999 Dolphins were 8-2 before losing five of six to finish 9-7 and beat the Seahawks 20-17 in a wild-card game in Seattle (the Seahawks had also lost five of their last six to finish 9-7). The only team to reach the playoffs after losing five of its last six games to not win a playoff game was just last year. The Dolphins were 8-3 before losing five of six to finish 9-8. They lost to the Bills 34-31 in a wild-card game in Orchard Park.

2. The Eagles this year faced the most pass attempts in NFL history by a team without recording at least 10 interceptions. Opposing quarterbacks threw 652 passes against the Eagles this year – 8^th-most in NFL history - but got picked off only nine times. The Eagles’ nine INTs are just one off the fewest in franchise history. The 1983, 2012 and 2020 teams had eight. 

3. The Eagles finished the season without a sack from an edge rusher in their last four games. It’s the first time in 18 years the Eagles have gone four straight games without getting a sack from an edge. Late in 2005, they had one sack against the Packers and it was from defensive tackle Mike Patterson, then no sacks vs. the Seahawks, then one sack vs. the Giants from safety Brian Dawkins, then no sacks vs. the Rams.

4. The Eagles had just 13 sacks in their last eight games after recording 30 in their first nine games and 100 in 26 games from opening day last year through the first Dallas game. So they averaged 3.8 sacks per game in 26 games including last year and the first nine games of this year, then averaged 1.6 the last eight games of this year. During the 26-week period, they led the NFL in sacks. Over the last eight weeks, they had the 3^rd-fewest sacks in the NFL, ahead of only the Panthers (10) and Cards (8). 

5. The last seven games of the season, the Eagles allowed 216 points, the most points they’ve allowed in any seven-game span since they gave up 246 in seven games at the end of the 2015 season – Chip Kelly’s last six games and one under interim coach Pat Shurmur. Since 1968, the only other time they allowed more points in a seven-game span was in 2012, Andy Reid’s final year as head coach. The Eagles are only the fifth playoff team in NFL history to allow at least 216 points in its final seven games. 

6. The Eagles’ 24-point halftime deficit was their largest since they trailed the Packers 30-6 at Lambeau in 2014 on the way to a 53-20 loss, Aaron Rodgers over Mark Sanchez. The last time they trailed by more than 24 points at halftime was late in the 2012 season, when the Giants led 35-7 on the way to a 42-7 win at MetLife, Eli Manning over Michael Vick. Last time the Eagles failed to score in a first half and trailed by at least 24 points was on a Monday night at the Linc late in 2005, when the Seahawks led 35-0 at halftime on the way to a 42-0 win the day the Eagles retired Reggie White’s No. 92. This was only the fifth time in franchise history the Eagles trailed by 24 points at halftime vs. a team with a losing record and the first time since they trailed the Cards 24-0 at halftime in 2012. The last time the Eagles had a winning record and trailed by 24 at halftime vs. a team with a losing record was in 1960, when they trailed 27-0 at halftime to the Steelers at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh before losing 27-21. Two weeks later the Eagles beat the Packers at Franklin Field to win the NFL Championship. The Steelers finished 5-6-1.

7. The Eagles’ defense allowed the most first downs in the NFL this year over the last 11 weeks of the season – 237, or about 24 per game. The only times they’ve ever allowed more first downs in a 10-game span are – of course – 2015 under Chip and 2012 under Big Red.

8. The Eagles failed to record a pass play of at least 40 yards in their last seven games of a season for the first time since 1995. Their longest pass play the last seven weeks was a Jalen Hurts 38-yard completion to A.J. Brown vs. the 49ers. Their longest pass play all year in 1995 was a 37-yard pass from Rodney Peete to Calvin Williams in Week 15 vs. the Cards (although Peete did have completions of 43 yards to Rob Carpenter and 45 yards to Ricky Watters in the wild-card win over the Lions). Through Week 11, the Eagles had seven pass plays of at least 40 yards, trailing only the Saints (9), Titans (9) and Dolphins (8). From Week 12 on they were one of only three teams that didn’t have a 40-yard pass play. The others were the Jets and Cards.

9. The Eagles outscored their opponents this year by only five points, the 5^th-lowest total in history by a team that won at least 11 games. They were outscored by 59 points over the last six weeks of the season, the most points any 11-win team has ever been outscored by in its last six games and the 5^th-most points any playoff team has ever been outscored by in its last six games. The last team to reach the playoffs after being outscored by 59 points the last six weeks of a season was the 2008 Cards, who reached the Super Bowl after beating the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. Before that it was the 1989 Oilers.

10. MISCELLANEOUS POSITIVE STATS: The Eagles haven’t allowed a 1^st-quarter touchdown in their last four games … Kenny Gainwell’s 6.4 rushing average over the last 10 weeks was 2^nd-highest in the league over the last 10 weeks (minimum 25 attempts) behind only Ravens rookie Keaton Mitchell (8.4). Gainwell raised his average from 3.0 yards per carry through Week 8 to 4.3 with his strong finish. Gainwell is the first player in NFL history drafted in the 5^th round with 200 rushing yards and 150 receiving yards and at least a 4.3 rushing average in each of his first three seasons … Jalen Hurts was only sacked four times in the last five games. That’s the fewest sacks an Eagles QB has taken in any five-game span since Nick Foles was sacked twice in a five-game span in 2014 … Braden Mann finished the season with a 49.8 punting average and a 43.9 net average, both the highest in Eagles history. He broke the gross punting record of 48.1 set in 2018 by Cameron Johnston and the net average record of 42.7, also set by Johnson in 2018 … Jake Elliott made 93.8 percent of his field goal attempts on 30-for-32, breaking his own franchise record of 90.9 percent from 2021. Elliott is now up to 86.2 percent in his career, 14^th-highest in NFL history (minimum 100 attempts) … Britain Covey’s 14.4 punt return average is 3^rd-highest in Eagles history, behind Brian Westbrook’s 15.3 in 2003 and DeSean Jackson’s 15.2 in 2009. He ranked 3^rd in the NFL this year and led the NFC … A.J. Brown became the 10^th player in NFL history with consecutive 1,450-yard seasons. Justin Jefferson, Davante Adams, Marvin Harrison, Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson, current Eagle Julio Jones, Tyreek Hill, Antonio Brown and Jerry Rice have also done it … Jalen Carter’s 6.0 sacks are 2^nd-most ever by an Eagles rookie behind Corey Simon’s 9 ½ in 2000. Carter and the Rams’ Kobie Turner (9.0) had the most sacks by rookie interior linemen since Aaron Donald had 9.0 in 2014 … Kelee Ringo is the first Eagles cornerback with a sack and an interception as a rookie since Sheldon Brown in 2002. Ringo, at 21 years, 194 days, is the 5^th-youngest cornerback in NFL history to record a sack. 

https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/roobs-eagles-stats-nightmarish-facts-figures-to-close-out-regular-season/557529/