Here are details galore about the NFC Champs.
Profiling the Eagles
(rankings are 2017 regular-season only)
Total offense: Seventh (365.8 yards per game)
Rush offense: Third (132.2 yards per game)
Pass offense: 13th (233.6 yards per game)
Scoring offense: Third (28.6 points per game, 457 points)
Total defense: Fourth (306.5 yards per game allowed)
Rush defense: First (79.2 yards per game allowed)
Pass defense: 17th (227.3 yards per game allowed)
Scoring defense: Fourth (18.4 points per game allowed, 295 points)
Penalties: 116 penalties (seventh-most), 962 yards (tied for tenth-most)
Turnover ratio: Plus-11 (fourth-best)
–The Eagles began their existence as a 1933 expansion team. Their predecessors, the Frankford Yellow Jackets, had folded two years previously. A pair of former University of Pennsylvania teammates, one of which was future NFL commissioner Bert Bell, headed the syndicate that acquired the franchise and became its first owners. Since then, the Eagles have made 25 postseason appearances in their 85-year history–with 14 division titles (ten in the modern-day NFC East) and 11 wild-card berths.
–The Eagles have won three NFL championships (1948, 1949, 1960), but all of those came before the Super Bowl was established after the 1966 season. Philadelphia has played in two Super Bowls, losing both–XV (to Oakland) and XXXIX (to New England). The franchise is 3-4 in NFC Championship Game appearances, having lost three straight after the 2001, 2002 and 2003 seasons.
–The NFC champion is the designated visiting team for an odd-numbered Super Bowl, so the Eagles will occupy the near-side bench (as viewed from the main TV camera), and the team logo will be painted in the left-side end zone. As the visitors, the Eagles did not have jersey choice for this game, but they will wear their midnight-green home tops. New England chose to wear white as the designated home team.
–This season, the Eagles tied the best record in franchise history, matching the 2004 team that advanced to the Super Bowl. Philadelphia won nine straight games after a 1-1 start and didn’t play many close games. They won four of six games that were decided by one score or less. The Eagles scored 26 or more points in 12 of their 16 games and allowed 20 or fewer points on seven occasions.
–Philadelphia’s gaudy turnover ratio was helped by 19 interceptions, tied with Detroit for the fourth-most in the league, and 31 total takeaways, also the fourth-most. The team’s 12 fumble recoveries were tied for the third-most. Eagles quarterbacks threw only nine interceptions on the year, one of only seven teams to have fewer than ten passes picked off. The team’s aggressive nature cost it at times. The Eagles’ 22 offensive holding penalties were the league’s second-most (Dallas, 23); and its 13 encroachment penalties tied Seattle for the NFL lead.
–The Eagles had the league’s best red-zone offense in 2017 by scoring touchdowns on 65 percent of their trips inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. They were eighth in third-down conversions as well–moving the chains 41 percent of the time. Defensively, Philadelphia had the league’s third-best third-down defense, allowing conversions on just 32 percent of such plays, and it had the 20th-best red-zone defense, yielding touchdowns 55 percent of the time. The Eagles led the NFL in average possession time per game (32:41).
–Philadelphia outscored its opposition in each of the four quarters, getting off to hot starts in the first quarter (106-48) and keeping it up in the second (118-81) and third (107-63). They put points on the board mostly through the air, notching 38 passing touchdowns and getting at least one receiving score from ten different players. Conversely, the Eagles scored only nine rushing touchdowns.
–Doug Pederson (20-12 regular season record) has been the Eagles’ head coach for two seasons and he is the 23rd head coach in franchise history. Before coming to the Eagles, Pederson was the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator for three seasons (working under head coach Andy Reid). As a player, Pederson was a backup quarterback for four different teams and won a Super Bowl ring in 1997 as a third-stringer at Green Bay behind Brett Favre and Jim McMahon.
–-Notable assistants on Pederson’s staff include Prince Georges County native Eugene Chung (assistant offensive line, tight ends) and ex-Maryland and Buffalo Bills backup quarterback Frank Reich (offensive coordinator). Others include Baltimore native and Mount Saint Joseph’s High alumnus and ex-Maryland and Ravens assistant Jim Schwartz (defensive coordinator), and ex-Eagles running back and return specialist Duce Staley (running backs).
–After starting quarterback Carson Wentz was lost for the season with a knee injury, backup Nick Foles assumed the reins. Foles played in the last four regular-season games, starting the final three contests. With the Eagles’ playoff position all but assured, he wasn’t asked to do much. He completed 56 percent of his passes for five touchdowns with two interceptions, playing to a passer rating of 79.5. But in the postseason, he completed over 75 percent of his passes in two straight games–something that only one other quarterback (Joe Montana, 1989) has ever done.
–-The Eagles take a running back-by-committee approach. It’s headed by former New England back LeGarrette Blount–who won a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots last season–and ex-Miami Dolphins starter Jay Ajayi, who was acquired in a trade-deadline deal in late October. Blount leads the Eagles with 766 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Ajayi chipped in with 408 and one regular-season score. Rookie running back Corey Clement led the team with four rushing touchdowns.
–Through the air, tight end Zach Ertz led the Eagles with 74 catches, an 11-yard average, and eight touchdowns. Slot receiver Nelson Agholor also scored eight times as part of his 62-catch effort, Former Chicago Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery led the team with nine receiving touchdowns while averaging nearly 14 yards per reception. Former Ravens receiver Torrey Smith was fourth on the team with 36 catches, and backup tight end Trey Burton has five touchdowns.
–The penalty-riddled offensive line allowed 36 sacks, but it was just effective enough to pace a timely running game and an explosive passing attack. Left tackle Jason Peters is one of many key players injured and out for the year; replacement Halapoulivaati has been called for six penalties and tackle Lane Johnson leads the team with ten (five false starts, five holds). Center Jason Kelce has been flagged five times as well. Left guard Stefen Wisniewski’s father, Leo, played for the Baltimore Colts in the 1970s.
–Along the 4-3 defensive front, tackle Fletcher Cox is one of the most aggressive, highly-touted interior linemen in the league. He put together another Pro Bowl season, his third straight, with 5.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries, one which he ran back for a touchdown. He has 34 career sacks and nine fumble recoveries. Ends Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry lead the front with a respective 47 and 42 tackles. Former Ravens defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan starts next to Cox and played in 15 games, notching 2.5 sacks, and backup defensive ends Derek Barnett and Chris Long – who won a ring with New England last year – each got five quarterback takedowns.
–Middle linebacker Nigel Bradham led the Eagles with 88 tackles, but outside man Mychal Kendricks wasn’t far behind, taking third place on the stop chart with 73. Cornerbacks Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby notched three interceptions each, and backup Patrick Robinson led the team with four. He ran a pick-off back for a touchdown in the NFC Championship Game. Safety Rodney McLeod has three pickoffs and converted corner Malcolm Jenkins had a pair. Ex-Ravens safety Corey Graham backs up at both safety spots.
–Former San Francisco return specialist Kenjon Barner performs the same runback duties for the Eagles. But he hasn’t been spectacular, averaging only 19 yards per kickoff return and just under nine yards per punt runback. The coverage teams have been pretty good, allowing 21 yards per kickoff return and 6.8 yards on punts. The Eagles had the league’s top special-teams units in 2016, according to the yearly Gosselin rankings, but they fell to 13th this year.
—Placekicker Jake Elliott hit a 61-yard game-winning field goal early this season, but he has missed three extra points on the year and was 26-for-31 on field goals. Three of his misses were between 30 and 39 yards. Punter Donnie Jones struggled, putting only 21 of 67 punts inside the coffin corner with five touchbacks and one punt blocked. His net average was barely over 40 yards per punt.
