Eagles News: Philadelphia leads the NFL in EPA per play over the last two weeks

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Post-Snap Read: How the rushing attack has fueled the offense – PE.com
Now, you may ask yourself, “What took so long? How come we are just seeing this now?” What I would point to as an answer to that question is just how much more efficient the offense has been. When you have a lot of three-and-outs on offense, it really prevents you from getting into any kind of rhythm as a playcaller. In the last two weeks, the Eagles rank fourth in the NFL in average plays per drive (7.6), compared to the previous seven games, when they ranked 23rd in the league. That spike has resulted in them staying on the field longer, and everyone gets into more of a rhythm when that happens. Many analysts will point to EPA (Expected Points Added) as a significant metric for quantifying efficiency in football. Offensively, the Eagles were 18th in the NFL in EPA per play (per Pro Football Focus) through the first seven weeks. In Weeks 8 and 9? The Eagles lead the NFL. This is the most efficient offense in football on a per-play basis. We’re now nine games into the Nick Sirianni era here in Philadelphia, and I’m excited to see what the next eight look like as the offense continues to take shape.

Eagles vs. Chargers: 4 winners, 9 losers, 2 IDKs – BGN
Hurts isn’t without his merits. But he’s not erasing all doubt that he should be the franchise cornerstone moving forward. And that’s likely the standard the Eagles are going to hold him to. They’re not an organization that seems keen to settle for “good enough” at the quarterback position.

Babes On Broad #70: It’s not fair to blame Hurts, be angry with the defense, lessons learned from Broncos Week 9 win – BGN Radio
Jessica Towne Taylor and Sam Wilson talk about the not terribly depressing loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and breakdown the matchup with the Denver Broncos who are showing they’re no chump team after a beat down of Dallas!

What we learned from Eagles-Chargers: When it comes to Jalen Hurts, patience is a virtue – Inquirer
Nick Sirianni has found the sauce on offense. I was going to precede sauce with secret, but many, including yours truly, had been pleading since before the start of the season for the Eagles coach to implement a run-based system that accounts for Jalen Hurts and the quarterback’s strengths and weaknesses. Is it a long-term, sustainable system that will lead to perennial playoff appearances and Super Bowl contention? Probably not. Sirianni and his staff understandably didn’t enter the season lowering their aspirations. But it took far too long for them to embrace their reality. Still, they get credit for finally coming around the last three games. I include the Raiders game because that was how Sirianni approached game planning before Miles Sanders went down and the team fell behind. The Eagles’ first two drives Sunday produced just one first down, but the offense got into a groove thereafter with balanced play-calling.

Midseason reset! Ranking NFL offenses from 1 to 32 for the second half in Sheil Kapadia’s Week 9 reality check – The Athletic
20. Philadelphia Eagles. The fact that they’re 11th in EPA per drive is probably stunning to Eagles fans. Even if we account for garbage time, they still rank 14th. Would you believe that they’ve had as many great games (three) statistically as the Cardinals, Ravens, and Chiefs? The Eagles’ run game has been very good. Their 37 runs of 10-plus yards are second to only the Browns. And their offensive line has played well, despite injuries. It’s an offense whose identity has become running the ball, play-action, and Jalen Hurts scrambles. Hurts has the highest EPA on scrambles of any quarterback. And the Eagles have done a good job of protecting the ball. Just 7.7 percent of their drives have ended in turnovers, which is third-best. The passing game is all over the place. Hurts’ expected completion percentage is 61.9, which ranks 36th out of 37 quarterbacks. Part of the blame falls on the coaching/scheme, but Hurts has not seen the field well and has failed to cut it loose when he’s had guys open. This group has a low ceiling and could take a dip in the second half of the season with worse turnover luck.

Philadelphia Eagles, Jalen Hurts more dangerous with new run-heavy offensive identity – ESPN
The caveat to all of this is Philadelphia went run-heavy against two of the worst rush defenses in the NFL in the Chargers and Lions. Expecting the Eagles to rush 40 times a game from here on out would be foolish. But there’s more to it than just the opponents they’ve faced of late. The coaching staff recognized that it was putting too much on the shoulders of Hurts, and that to become a more efficient offense, they needed to lean on their sturdy offensive front and allow the likes of running backs Miles Sanders, Jordan Howard, Boston Scott and Kenny Gainwell to get to work. There will be more of that going forward, which should spell good things for Hurts and the offense over the last eight games.

NFC Hierarchy/Obituary: Week 10 – PhillyVoice
Jonathan Gannon has had a rough first year as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, but he’s far from the only problem, or even the biggest problem, in my opinion. We all realize that this season is unfolding in a way that Gannon can be made the scapegoat when the reality is that the roster just isn’t good, right?

Has DeVonta Smith Topped Ja’Marr Chase as Top Rookie WR? – Football Outsiders
Smith is flying under the radar somewhat because his best games have come in losses. He had seven catches for 122 yards in defeat against the Chiefs and five for 116 in Sunday’s loss to the Chargers. Unfortunately that’s nearly 45% of his output on the season—he has averaged just 42.7 yards in his other seven games. Put it all together, however, and Smith has performed like a quality veteran starter. In the DYAR rankings, he’s a little below Deebo Samuel and Mike Williams, and a little above Stefon Diggs and Julio Jones—not bad company, even if some of those vets aren’t having their best years. Smith is on pace to finish with 164 DYAR and a 5.3% DVOA. Those almost exactly match the numbers Andre Johnson (169 DYAR, 5.4% DVOA) had as a rookie in 2003. Otherwise, as we discussed with Chase, it’s difficult to find historical comparisons to this year’s rookies. Again, it’s the workload that sets them apart. Smith is on pace for 117 targets. That’s less than the 125 that Justin Jefferson had last year, but more than any other rookie since 2016.

MAQB: What the Raiders Can Learn From the Dolphins About Las Vegas – SI
Odell Beckham Jr. is on the waiver wire, and teams need to put claims in by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, then he’ll either be awarded to the team claiming him with the highest priority or he’ll clear waivers and become a free agent. If a team lands Beckham via waivers, it’ll pick up the remaining $7.25 million left on his deal. There are 10 team with enough cap room to do it without engaging in further gymnastics. Those 10 are: 1. Jaguars: $28.0 million. 2. Eagles: $26.1 million. 3. Broncos: $14.4 million. 4. Seahawks: $12.0 million. 5. Panthers: $10.9 million. 6. Chargers: $10.4 million. 7. Steelers: $10.4 million. 8. Washington: $10.0 million. 9. Browns: $8.6 million. 10. Bengals: $8.0 million.

10 thoughts on the Cowboys vs Broncos Week 9 game, an agonizing 30-16 defeat for Dallas – Blogging The Boys
Three weeks off, no game reps, and coming off a calf injury looks to be the only thing that has slowed Dak Prescott and this Cowboys offense so far this season. From the jump it looked like Prescott was just a hair off, whether it was his throws or his decision-making, it did not look like Dak was firing on all cylinders like we are accustom to seeing. Give credit where it is due, the Broncos came out ready to play, but, there were opportunities out there and Dak and the offense simply did not take advantage of them when presented.

Giants 26, Raiders 16: 5 things we learned – Big Blue View
The Giants’ blueprint for victory seems to be pretty well established after the first nine games of the season: Win ugly. When the Giants come up against the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, and now the Raiders, they didn’t play pretty games. The Giants fought and hung around, capitalizing on mistakes, miscues, and turnovers. This isn’t a team that can go out and win a game against a team that wins against teams playing complete games. The Giants still need help from an opposing team. Whether its Sean Payton making inexplicably bad play calls, or Derek Carr not seeing (or over-throwing) an open Darren Waller and a kicker missing a chip-shot field goal, the Giants needed mistakes upon which to capitalize. Credit to them for capitalizing on those mistakes and doing enough to win games against the Saints and Raiders. We’ve seen the Giants get blown out against the Broncos, Cowboys, and Rams. Those teams played complete games and the Giants just couldn’t keep up.

18 things I think I think after the Broncos’ statement 30-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys – Mile High Report
It’s wild how much a game can change perceptions. Like many in Broncos Country, there’s no denying the fact I was dubious when George Paton decided to hold onto all the Broncos’ key veterans outside of Von Miller at the NFL trade deadline. Barely 4-4 after one of the easiest schedules in the league, the Von-less Broncos looked dead in the water. After a 30-16 victory that never looked that close against arguably the best team on the 2021 schedule, the Broncos control their destiny.

Eli Manning’s double bird triggered three FCC complaints – PFT
Peyton and Eli Manning are off this week. But the Manningcast is still making news. Via TMZ, Eli Manning’s double-barreled middle finger from earlier in the season, which he used to display the messages he’d get from Eagles fans, resulted in a trio of FCC complaints. One of the complainants asked that Eli be banned from TV.

4 winners and 3 losers from Week 9 in the NFL – SB Nation
Winner: Fans of chaos. I am absolutely done with trying to predict this season. That absolutely rules. If you are a fan of lighting things on fire and watching them burn, then boy is 2021 the year for you. This week alone we had: The Giants beat the Raiders. The Browns blow out the Bengals. The Jaguars beat the Bils. The Falcons beat the Saints. The Titans, minus Derrick Henry, obliterate the Rams. I know people will probably clap back with the Vegas odds, which I know are of critical importance to a lot of people, but in the football world devoid of betting — none of this makes any damn sense. It’s a pretty predictable trait of the season at this point that if you believe in a team, they’re going to let you down. I’m tempted to try and extrapolate this into some over-arching playoff prediction, but instead I’ll just enjoy this dumpster ride.

Monday Football Monday #61: Kyle Shanahan has got to go, Manning Cast Curse + Are Titans legit? – The SB Nation NFL Show
Pete Sweeney and RJ Ochoa recap all of the Week 9 NFL action including Kyle Shanahan who at this point needs to be fired, Josh Allen falls victim to the Manning Cast Curse and debate if the Titans are a legit contender after defeating the Rams.