Coming into the 2015 season, the Eagles’ defense set a lofty goal.
And it’s almost accomplishing it.
Defensive coordinator Bill Davis said forcing turnovers was one of two main focal points — along with tackling — coming into the year.
He wanted his unit to aim for three takeaways per game.
And through six games, the Eagles are darn pretty close, averaging 2.67 per game. That comes out to 16 on the season, good for second in the NFL, behind just the Denver Broncos (17).
Why set the goal at three?
“It's the top of the league,” said Davis, who is in his third year as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator. “We really are setting our goals at what's the best that can happen in the league in all our goals. The turnovers at three, most people are like, 'Hey, let's get one a game, let's get two.' Well, we are going to three and can we get there? And we have almost hit that mark.”
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With the Eagles’ offense struggling and turning the ball over at times this season, the defense has been bailing the team out.
The first-place Eagles are still just 3-3 with all the takeaways so it’s not hard to imagine where the team would be without all of its interceptions and fumbles.
That’s why the defense has been so focused on getting the ball.
“It’s probably the No. 1 thing we wanted to do, was take the ball away at an alarming rate,” safety Malcolm Jenkins said. “Three is really a high bar, talking about per game. But obviously, it’s something that we feel like we can accomplish, especially with how much emphasis we put on it during the week and in training camp in the offseason.
"We feel like if we can accomplish that as a defense, we give our team a really good chance of winning the game.”
How much do takeaways mean?
In the last 10 years, 22 teams (including this year’s Eagles and Broncos) have had 16 takeaways through six games. Of those 22, just one has had a losing record (the 2007 Vikings were 2-4).
And the Eagles’ 16 takeaways are the most they’ve had through six games since 2009.
"Everybody always says the most important stats are points and turnovers," outside linebacker Connor Barwin said. "So whenever you’re getting turnovers and extra possessions, it’s going to give you a huge advantage. It’s something that we constantly talk about. It’s something you can think about while you're playing. We need to keep doing everything we can to get the ball out."
While the Eagles probably don’t care much how the turnovers have come, they have found a balance so far: eight interceptions and eight fumbles recoveries.
Those eight fumble recoveries tie them with Denver for the most in the NFL and it validates some of the Eagles’ coaching methods.
According to Davis, there are multiple parts of forcing and recovering fumbles to practice. There are three pieces the team works on: stripping the ball, attacking the quarterback and falling on the loose ball.
The last one is the facet that probably gets overlooked the most.
“The art of recovering a fumble, and the hardest part is when you're on the bottom of the pile keeping the ball when the scrum is happening, and those guys are doing a great job,” Davis said. “And it matters how you are laying; are you laying on your side or on your back? We teach you how to get in the fetal position on your side that helps protect the ball. So there are a bunch of little things that go into recovering that fumble and holding onto it after the scrum happens.”