The Eagles’ 2nd-quarter magic, Jalen Hurts’ ridiculous rushing touchdown numbers and a unique achievement by Kenny Gainwell.
It’s all here in this week’s edition of Roob’s Eagles Stats!
1. This is definitely one of the strangest stats ever, but with 85 second-quarter points so far, the Eagles have the most points in any quarter by any team in NFL history through four games, according to the Stathead database. And it’s not even close. The Eagles have scored 24, 17, 24 and 20 points in the second quarter this year, and that’s 14 more points than any team has ever scored in any quarter in its first four games. The Sid Luchman Bears held the previous mark – also in a second quarter – with 71 back in 1941. And get this: With four games of at least 17 points, the Eagles already have the sixth-most games in any season with 17 or more points in a second quarter. The Eagles have scored 17 second-quarter points in four straight games after scoring 17 only 16 games previously in franchise history. So they scored 17 second-quarter points 16 times in their first 1,256 games and four times in their last four games. The Eagles have scored more second-quarter points this year [85] than 16 teams have scored all year. They’ve already scored more 2Q points than in 42 entire seasons in franchise history.
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2. With A.J. Brown [404 yards] and Miles Sanders [356 yards], the Eagles are the first NFL team with a 350-yard receiver and a 350-yard running back after four games since the 2017 Vikings, who had Dalvin Cook [354] rushing and both Stefon Diggs [391] and Adam Thielen [358] receiving. This is only the fifth time in franchise history the Eagles have had a receiver and a running back with at least 350 yards after four games. In 1980, Harold Carmichael [397] and Wilbert Montgomery [400], 1992 it was Fred Barnett [421] and Herschel Walker [366], in 2004 Terrell Owens [364] and Brian Westbrook [351] and in 2013 DeSean Jackson [393] and LeSean McCoy [468].
3. By outgaining the Vikings 486-264, the Commanders 400-240 and the Jaguars 401-219, the Eagles are the 6th team in NFL history to win three straight games while gaining 400 or more yards and allowing 265 or fewer yards in all three. The others are the 1953 Eagles, who had an NFL-record five straight such games, and the 1973 Rams, 1973 Cowboys, 2007 Patriots and 2007 Jaguars. They are the 12th team since 1978 to outgain their first four opponents by at least 633 yards.
4. When Miles Sanders, Jalen Hurts and Kenny Gainwell rushed for TDs in the second quarter against the Jags, this became the first time in franchise history the Eagles have had three rushing touchdowns in a second quarter. It was only the fifth time they’ve had three rushing TDs in any quarter – but only the second time since 1950. In November 1945, had 4th-quarter TDs in a 35-7 win over the combined Yanks/Tigers franchise at Shibe Park and a month later Van Buren, Jack Banta, Mel Bleeker and Abe Karnofsky ran for TDs in the 4thquarter of a 45-3 win over the Steelers at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, and a month later Steve Van Buren (2) and Johnny Butler had 4th-quarter TDs in a 35-7 win over the combined Yanks/Tigers franchise at Shibe Park. In October 1948, Tommy Thompson, Ben Kish and Jim Parmer scored rushing TDs in the fourth quarter of a 45-0 win over the Giants at Shibe Park, and late in the 2013 season, LeSean McCoy, Nick Foles and Chris Polk ran for TDs in the fourth quarter in a 34-20 win over the Lions at the Linc.
5. The Eagles have had four rushing touchdowns in a game three times in 21 games under Nick Sirianni. The 31 other NFL teams have eight four-rushing TD games combined during the same span. From 1966 through 2020 – a span of 848 games over 55 years – the Eagles had four rushing TDs in a game six times. They’ve now done it three times in the span of 14 games.
NFL
5. Gainwell has scored nine touchdowns in 20 career games. He ranks 55th among NFL running backs with 120 touches since opening day 2021 but 24th in touchdowns. The only Eagles running back to score more touchdowns in his first 20 career games is Sanders, who had nine. The only other Eagles with more TDs than Gainwell in their first 20 games are Mike Quick and Fred Barnett [10] and Keith Jackson, Jordan Matthews and Calvin Williams [9]. Gainwell is the only active running back who has eight or more touchdowns on 120 or fewer touches.
6. The Eagles on Sunday were +4 in turnover ratio for the first time since a 37-9 win at Dallas in 2017. They’re 64-2-1 in franchise history when they’re +4 with losses to Washington at the Vet in 1977 and 1986. Last time they had five takeaways in a game was in a 19-10 win over the Raiders at the Linc in 2017. This was only the second time since 1982 – when sacks became an official stat – that the Eagles had five takeaways and four sacks and held a team to fewer than 220 yards. They had five sacks and seven takeaways and allowed 169 yards in a 38-10 win over the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., in 2009.
7. The Eagles have gained 1,742 yards and allowed 1,109 yards. Only two teams in NFL history have gained that many yards and allowed so few yards in their first four games. The 1951 Rams – who won the NFL Championship – gained 1,952 and allowed 1,065 in their first four games, and the 2010 Chargers – gained 1,803 and allowed 952. They finished 9-7 and didn’t reach the playoffs.
8. Jalen Hurts’ second-quarter rushing touchdown gave him 17 in his career and tied him with Cam Newton for most by a QB in his first 23 career starts. Next on that list are Josh Allen [16], Steve Grogan [15], Jack Kemp [14] and Daunte Culpepper, Rodney Peete and Kordell Stewart [12 each]. Hurts’ 17 career rushing TDs are already 15th-most in Eagles history [tied with Keith Byars, Tom Sullivan and Charlie Garner]. Four more get him into the all-time Eagles top-10. He’s only 5 behind Duce for 9th place. He’s started 23 games. His 17 touchdowns are the most in Eagles history by any player in his first 33 career games. LeSean McCoy had 15. But that’s a little deceiving because Hurts only had 12 carries in 10 games before replacing Carson Wentz in Green Bay.
9. The Eagles not only lead the NFL with a plus-eight turnover margin – 10 takeaways, two turnovers – that matches their highest turnover margin after four games in 63 years, since they were plus-10 four games into the 1959 season. They were also plus-eight in 1988. This is only the third time in franchise history the Eagles have had at least 10 takeaways and 16 sacks after four games. In 1991, they had 12 and 19, and in 2000 they also had 10 and 16. Last year, the Eagles didn’t record their 16th sack until their eighth game and their 10th takeaway until their 11th game. They reached both milestones this year in just four games.
10. The Eagles have four players with at least 2 ½ sacks: Haason Reddick [3 ½], Fletcher Cox [3.0], Brandon Graham [3.0] and Josh Sweat [2 ½]. They had only three players who had 2 ½ sacks the entire 2021 season: Javon Hargrave [7 ½], Sweat [7 ½] and Cox [3 ½]. And T.J. Edwards is the first Eagles off-ball linebacker with sacks in consecutive games since Mychal Kendricks had sacks in three straight games – against the Panthers, Cowboys and Dolphins - in 2015. His 5.0 career sacks are most ever by an undrafted Eagles linebacker. Joel Williams had 4.0 from 1983 through 1985.
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