Eagles vs 49ers: Behind the Numbers 2014

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Unfortunately it happened sooner as the Philadelphia Eagles lost for the first time this year, falling to the San Francisco 49ers 26-21. Before the game the Eagles were the best second half team, and the 49ers were the worst second half team. So naturally the Eagles went scoreless after halftime, and the 49ers scored 13 points in their come from behind victory. The Eagles defense played fairly well and special teams accounted for all their points. The offense was anemic, as I'm sure the numbers will support:

Eagles vs Redskins: Behind the Numbers 2014

Well, looks like the Eagles finally decided to show up for a full game! Unfortunately no one informed the defense, which was essentially non-existent the entire game. The offense picked up the slack though, as the Philadelphia Eagles beat their divisional rivals Washington Redskins in exciting fashion 37-34. 3-0 for the first time since 2004! It was certainly an exciting offensive shootout (I think both teams are still scoring touchdowns), so let's see how the numbers support what we saw:

Eagles vs Colts: Behind the Numbers 2014

The kick is up and it's GOOOOOOOD! Eagles win 30-27!!!

The kick is up and it's GOOOOOOOD! Eagles win 30-27!!!

See what I did there? I hate icing the kicker; can someone please do a study on how ineffective it is? I had no doubt that Cody Parkey would drill the kick the second time, and he did just that to give the Philadelphia Eagles a dramatic 30-27 comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts as time expired. Once again the Eagles found themselves in a first half hole before storming back in the last 30 minutes. The game was still fairly close throughout with the Colts and Eagles seemingly evenly matched, so let's see if the numbers support that:

Eagles vs Jaguars: Behind the Numbers 2014

**For those new to BTN, be sure to check out previous installments every week by clicking the tag below each post**

Yesterday marked the opening day of the 2014 NFL season for the Philadelphia Eagles, so today marks the return of Behind the Numbers! The game against the Jaguars was certainly a tale of two halves (how many times have you heard that already?) but in the end the Eagles won in a blowout 34-17. Even though they were down 17-0 at the half, the game never really felt out of reach; what will the numbers say?

2013 Eagles vs. Opponents: Behind the Numbers

Way late, but it's actually relevant again now that we are only a couple days away from the start of the 2014 NFL season. Like I did for the Eagle's miserable 2012 season, I am back again with a "year in review" for the 2013 season. Let's go a bit behind the numbers of the pleasantly surprising NFC East Division champion Philadelphia Eagles, finishing the season at 10-7 after a first round playoff exit.

Eagles vs. Cowboys II: Behind the Numbers 2013

PLAYOFFS BABY! The Eagles did what they had to do, and won the NFC East crown thanks to a 24-22 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Though Kyle Orton was in for Tony Romo, the 'Boys still put up a fight and had a chance until the final drive. It was a close game throughout, but what do the numbers show?

Pretty even stats here, as the final score would indicate. The Eagles actually ran 2 more plays than the Cowboys, but gained about 50 yards less overall, and gained an entire yard less on average. This is unlike most Eagles wins this year, but they did win the turnover battle in this game (only 1 to 3 for Dallas) leading to 10 points. They also performed better on third downs, converting 38% of their chances to only 27 for Dallas. Surprisingly, Dallas gained nearly 100 more yards through the air with Kyle Orton under center, showing they were not afraid to test the Eagles' secondary. LeSean McCoy and the Eagles rushing game answered right back though, outrushing the Cowboys 137-59. And it's not like Dallas shot themselves in the foot with penalties: their only one went for 5 yards and was due to a clock malfunction. In the end, the Eagles were just the better team and they came out on top in the only stat that truly matters. The Philadelphia Eagles will live to play another week, and the Dallas Cowboys will be watching the playoffs from their couches... again.

Eagles vs. Bears: Behind the Numbers 2013

TOTAL DOMINATION! Much like last week, though for the opposite reason, I won't be commenting much on this game. Despite knowing beforehand that the game essentially meant nothing to the Eagles, they came out in full force and completely dominated the Chicago Bears (who actually had something to play for). It wasn't even close, and it was 21-0 before you could blink. And I was lucky enough to be at the game.

As you can see, the dominating game by the Eagles is reflected wonderfully by the numbers. Despite each running 63 offensive plays, the Eagles gained double the yards the Bears did (average gain and total). In fact, the only offensive category that the Birds didn't best the Bears in was passing yards, though that was negated when sacks were factored in. Philadelphia did far better in the penalty department than they did last week, and won the turnover battle again (which resulted in 14 points including a pick 6). And obviously the rushing yards indicate that LeSean McCoy had another monster game, but so did Bryce Brown. Everything speaks for itself here.

Eagles vs. Vikings: Behind the Numbers 2013

Umm, I'm not even going to apologize for posting this 2 weeks late. Everyone know how the game ended up, and I'm really not going to comment much on it. It was an all around awful game by the Eagles, and no twisting or analyzing of the numbers will disprove that. Moving on...

Okay, so the offensive numbers are actually pretty close, with the Eagles coming out on top in total yards, average gain, and passing yards. But I digress: we all know the defense lost the game for them. Penalties were a factor as well, with 9 for 94 yards compared to only 3 for 25 for the Vikings.

Eagles vs. Lions: Behind the Numbers 2013

Last week's game against the Detroit Lions was called "The Snow Bowl" and for good reason. The first half was basically a blizzard, and the second half had to deal with half a foot of snow on the ground (and it was still snowing). After a sloppy start, the Eagles were able to put together a dominant second half and came away with a crucial win. With Dallas losing Monday night, the Eagles are in now in sole possession of first place in the NFC East, and in great position to win the division. Let's check out the numbers, but keep in mind the conditions of the game played a huge role:

Despite the conditions, the numbers look great for the Eagles. They accumulated nearly 500 yards of total offense, which is quite impressive considering they had a whopping 3 in the first quarter and only 92 in the first half. Passing yards were down for both teams, but that was expected. What wasn't expected was the Eagles finishing one lonely yard shy of 300 rushing yards on the day; LeSean McCoy was on fire late in the game and set a new Philadelphia Eagles single game rushing record (217). Detroit only managed 80 for the entire game. And while Philly didn't fare too well on third downs (25 vs 33%) they played a pretty clean game with only 1 penalty for a measly 5 yards and one turnover (Nick Foles' first interception of the year!). The Birds also ran more plays than the Lions, and averaged a tremendous 7 yards per play to their 3.9. Oh, and they had more than double the number of Detroit first downs (23 to 11). At the end of the day, the numbers here support the 34-20 win that the Eagles recorded.

Eagles vs. Cardinals: Behind the Numbers 2013

4 in a row! The Philadelphia Eagles won their 4th consecutive game, with the last two at home. They held on to beat the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 24-21, and once again sit atop the NFC East tied with the Dallas Cowboys. In reality the division will probably come down to that week 17 matchup, so the Eagles do control their own destiny. Enough of that; the Birds actually beat a team with a winning record, and will look to do the same next week. Let's once again dissect the numbers from the game, in which trends, both good and bad, have continued:

Once again the final score was closer than the game actually was. The Eagles may have only won by 3 points, but this game was essentially over after the first drive of the 3rd quarter. Wow, I sound like a broken record, but it's been the case the last few games. And much like the last few games, the numbers were closer than one may think. In fact, Philadelphia was outgained and outpassed, achieved one less first down, and fared worse on third downs. Astonishingly Arizona actually ran less plays than the Eagles, which may be a first for the season. Normally the Birds capitalize on their plays, but in this game they gained about a yard less per play. On the upside they did fare slightly better than the Cardinals in the penalty department (5 for 48 yards vs. 6 for 55) and were able to force 3 turnovers, which resulted in 7 points. (Keep in mind the penalties for both teams came at key moments and cost their respective teams.) Despite the evenness of the numbers the Eagles outscored the Cardinals, which is the most important stat of any game.

Eagles vs. Redskins II: Behind the Numbers 2013

Holy crap, the Eagles won a home game! They did so in dominating fashion (at least for the first 3 quarters, more on that later) by winning 24-16 over the Washington Redskins. Over the last 3 games, the Eagles have recorded 3 wins and the stats have also revealed some interesting trends. Does it matter? The Birds are in first place in the NFC East, but we'll take a gander anyway (bonus graph included!):

Like I mentioned above, fairly even numbers for the third week in a row. Despite winning the game, the Eagles ran 15 fewer plays, gained 25 less yards (including 65 on the ground), had 1 less first down, converted less third downs, and committed more penalties for more yards. However, once again, Philly made the most of their plays and on average gained a whole yard more per play. They also forced an RG3 fumble that led to 3 points, and sealed the game with an interception in the end zone. While they could do better in the penalty department, they managed to play a turnover free game, which usually leads to wins as it did here. Even the score ended up being close, with the Eagles only winning by 8 over the Redskins. In the end, the Eagles had control of this game for 3 quarters, and got a huge division win while essentially putting an end to the Redskin's playoff hopes.

Eagles vs. Packers: Behind the Numbers 2013

Another away game for the Eagles, and another dominating win! The Birds have proven they can win on the road, as they now have a 4-1 record away from the Linc. Despite heading to Lambeau Field, Philadelphia took care of an Aaron Rodgers-less Packers fairly easily, winning 27-13. The game was essentially over before the 3rd quarter for the second week in a row, and the numbers were closer than the score would indicate just like the week before. Let's take a look:

Well, this looks familiar doesn't it? Last week's results looked pretty similar, albeit with a few differences. Despite coming out on top in score (27-13), the Eagles ran fewer plays than the Packers, threw for about 75 less yards, had less first downs, and converted a lower percentage of third downs. The Eagles running fewer plays than their opponents has become a trend this season, but it is usually coupled with a better average gain (7.2 vs 5.3 here) and more total yards. In this game, the Eagles ran for over 100 more yards, since they gave up on the passing game once they built up a lead (also why the Packers out-passed the Eagles). The Birds continue to play fairly clean games, as they only committed 5 penalties and had once turnover (to 2 for Green Bay).

Eagles vs. Giants II: Behind the Numbers 2013

Sorry this is late! Exams suck!

I'm running out of things to say about these losses already: it's only been 5 but the last 2 had very obvious reasons. For the second consecutive week the "potent" Eagles offense has failed to score a touchdown, and have only managed a measly field goal overall. Oh, and that "awful" defense hasn't allowed more than 20 points in any of the last 3 games. I won't be saying much about this week, since we all know exactly what happened. Numbers don't lie, right?

In this case, the numbers absolutely don't lie! I could pretty much copy everything from last week's game vs. the Cowboys for this game against the Giants, just substituting "Nick Foles" with "Matt Barkley". The offense stunk, and the defense only allowed 15 points without a touchdown. Now on to the (lack of) numbers...

Building off of last week's performance, the Eagles posted new season lows in net yards, average gain, passing yards, rushing yards, and first downs. Amazingly they only lost the game by 8, thanks to a defensive touchdown; that's only 3 offensive points the last 2 weeks and only 10 total. More later, but give the defense credit for keeping Eli Manning in check for most of the game, and forcing a turnover and 11 penalties from the Giants. Total first downs were almost even, and NY only gained an extra yard per attempt; third down is really where this game was won (42% to only 25% for the Birds).

Eagles vs. Cowboys: Behind the Numbers 2013

I was both surprised and not surprised by the result of the first highly anticipated matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles lost 17-3; that wasn't the surprise. How they lost however, was a shocker to me. The defense played great (exceptional maybe? No, probably not) and the offense, led by Nick "I don't know how to pass" Foles downright STUNK. I can already tell you that the numbers will agree with me, so let's dive right in!

As I presumed, very few surprises here. Despite running the same number of plays (75), the Eagles fared much worse than the Dallas Cowboys. They totaled about 100 less yards (even with garbage time), and averaged more than a yard less per gain. They were out passed. They had less first downs (but somehow only 3 less). They converted less 3rd downs. And yet they still out ran the Cowboys, even though LeSean McCoy had his worst game of the year. Speaking of worst games of the year, this match-up was the lowest offensive output from the Birds; in score, net yards, average gain, rushing yards, and third down conversions they all had season lows. Unfortunately the Eagles were unable to overcome a fairly clean game (until Matt Barkley went into desperation mode), as they only recorded 5 penalties vs. 12 for Dallas and managed their only 3 points off of 2 turnovers (1 ended the first half). Just a glance at the offensive numbers, and it's clear why the score was 17-3.

Eagles vs. Buccaneers: Behind the Numbers 2013

Sure, they got 2 wins in the last 2 weeks against winless teams, but Nick Foles and the Phildadelphia Eagles took care of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, winning 31-20. Though losing at halftime, the Birds used a dominant second half to come out with the W. It was a game the Eagles were supposed to win, but do the numbers support the result?

To answer that question: yes! The Eagles outplayed the Buccaneers in every facet of the game. They outscored, out gained, out ran, and out passed them. They had more first downs, and converted more third downs. They had a fairly clean game, too; only 1 turnover and only 3 penalties for 31 yards. The Birds were able to force 1 turnover by Tampa Bay, which resulted in a touchdown (capitalizing!). If you want to nitpick, the only area the Eagles failed to match the Bucs in was total plays, which they had 1 less. Key stats for the Eagles: rushing yards (138) was over 100 for the 5th time in the first 6 games, and they are averaging well over 100 per game; after the abysmal Kansas City game, the Eagles have only turned the ball over 1 time while recording 5 takeaways; they have had over 400 net yards in every single game this season, with this week's total (425) being the lowest yet.

Eagles vs. Giants: Behind the Numbers 2013

It may not have been a must-win for the Birds this week, but I'd say it was a must-win for the Birds this week. With a win and a Cowboys loss, the Eagles are tied for first place in the NFC East at 2-3, which is big since they have the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL (as I mentioned in the last BTN). Let's see what the numbers uncover about the Eagles 36-21 win over the New York Giants:

Believe it or not, the Giants were actually winning this game as late as 13:56 into the 3rd quarter after scoring 2 touchdowns. But after the score was 21-19 in their favor, the Eagles took over the game in dominating fashion, scoring 17 unanswered points (thanks to two 4th quarter touchdowns by Nick Foles). The numbers certainly support the Eagles here, as they bested New York in total plays, net yards, average gain, rushing yards, first downs, and third down percent. The only offensive category in which the Giants bettered the Birds was passing yards, which makes sense being down in the 4th quarter couple with their awful rushing game. Philadelphia also committed less penalties: 8 for 88 is still a cause of concern, but the Giants had 12 for an absurd 136 yards. The Eagles did not turn the ball over for the second consecutive game (and third all year) while forcing 4 turnovers (3 Eli Manning INTs). Luckily, they capitalized by scoring 17 points as a result. Clean games will often result in wins, as evidenced here.

Eagles vs. Broncos: Behind the Numbers 2013

First off, sorry this is late! I figured there wasn't much left in question after the shellacking the Eagles endured last Sunday, and I was right. The game went how everyone thought it would, so I won't be saying too much about this game and the numbers. The Broncos are who we thought they were. The Eagles? We'll see. On to the numbers!

Well one glance at this will show you the story of the game, as the score was clearly the most lopsided statistic above. It's hard to believe that the score was 21-13 after the first half, with the final score in mind and the fact that it never felt like the Birds were ever in the game. Everything else is surprisingly similar, with the Broncos gaining only 22 more yards than the Eagles. However, they were superior on third down percent (despite only having 8 opportunities all game) and converting 35 first downs compared to only 21. Both teams played fairly clean games (no turnovers) but Philadelphia committed 8 penalties for 62 yards; Denver had just 2 for 25.

Eagles vs. Chiefs: Behind the Numbers 2013

It was almost a year since Andy Reid won a game at Lincoln Financial Field; too bad this time it was as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs! The Eagles were handed their 8th straight home loss, and their second straight of the 2013 season dropping them to 1-2. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why the Birds lost this game, but let's take a look to see if they numbers confirm or deny. Spoiler alert! They confirm:

Honestly, there aren't too many huge discrepancies here. The Eagles only lost the game by 10, but it felt like much more than that based on how poorly they played. Want proof? Fix your eyes on the final two stats: Turnovers and Points Off Turnovers. While the first two games were played fairly clean (2 turnovers) by the Eagles, they more than made up for that against the Chiefs (and are now even in takeaways/giveaways). Michael Vick looked like he forgot how to make good decisions. Simple things like catching a punt and snapping the ball could not be done. In total, the Eagles turned the ball over to the Chiefs 5 times, who scored (luckily only) 13 points as a result. Philadelphia didn't help their cause early on, as 2 of their turnovers put them in a 10-0 hole before 5 minutes were off the 1st quarter game clock. Hmm, seems like those 10 points really helped out Kansas City, considering THEY WON BY 10 POINTS. Without that help, who knows how this game would have ended. Other stats to take note of: the Eagles are obviously better running more plays on offense, but this was the second game where they lost that battle (77-63); when they do run plays, they have an excellent average gain (6.8) and can clearly run the ball (260 yards vs 147); penalties have been pretty good this year; and third down percent was sub par this game (30%).

Eagles vs. Chargers: Behind the Numbers 2013

Well, last Sunday's home opener against the Chargers was disappointing, to say the least. Fans were riding high after last week's dominant win over Washington, but were severely let down with this loss. Before even delving into the numbers, I'll state the obvious: The Eagles defense lost this game, big time. Let's see if the numbers agree!

I'll start with the stats that stick out the most: offensive plays, average gain, first downs, 3rd down %, penalties/yards, and turnovers. Now some of these were in the Birds favor, but others weren't. The San Diego Chargers ran more plays than Philadelphia (who only ran 5 more plays than in the first half of last week's game), but Philly gained close to the same number of net yards (511 vs. 539) with a average gain of 2 more yards per play. 8.8 yards per play is quite good, but that's a moot point if you give up over 530 yards of total offense to the opposition, let them get 33 first downs, and fail to stop over 2/3 of their 3rd down attempts. Add to that by committing 9 penalties for 77 yards (the Chargers had less than half of that) and even with 2 turnovers it's no surprise that you set yourself up to lose the game. Sure, they didn't turn the ball over (Vick is making good decisions for now, more on that later) but when they forced turnovers by San Diego they were unable to capitalize. 0 points off turnovers, though to be fair both turnovers prevented scores from the Chargers. So basically besides a nearly perfect game by Michael Vick and accumulating over 500 yards of offense and 30 points, the Eagles lost this game by giving up just as much as they had. Plus 3 points, of course.

Eagles vs. Redskins: Behind the Numbers 2013

Well, one way for the Eagles to sucker me in to doing another season of Behind the Numbers is to start the year with a excellent win over the Washington Redskins (even though they started last year 2-0). If you don't know what Behind the Numbers is already, check out last year's installments by clicking the tag below this post. Without further ado, let's start the first entry of the 2013 season:

Right off the bat, I'll let everyone know that I added a new category this year: Points Off Turnovers. I felt like this was an important stat to keep track of; obviously turnovers are a huge indication of the quality of a team, but if the other team can't capitalize on said turnovers then it doesn't matter as much. Right? Right. Let's analyze! 

The first thing that sticks out is obviously the discrepancy in rushing yards. The Eagles amassed a ridiculous 263 yards on the ground, to just 74 for the Redskins (yes, even with RG3 and Alfred Morris). This is partly due to the Eagles building a 26-7 lead by halftime, but mainly due to the absurd running skills displayed by LeSean McCoy. Did you see those cuts and jukes? Holy crap, he made the Redskins defense look like a high school team, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. Moving away from the run game, the Eagles came out on top for offensive plays, net yards, average gain (which matched McCoy's), first downs, third down conversions, and points off turnovers. They even did better than the 'Skins in the "bad" categories: penalties (8 vs 10), penalty yards (75 vs 65), and turnovers (2 vs 3). The only advantage that Washington had? Passing yards, which makes sense given that the Redskins tried to overcome a huge 26 point deficit. I was most impressed with the Birds 3rd down conversions, which at 47% is a huge improvement from last year's average (37%).  More after the jump!