Eagles vs. Cowboys: Behind the Numbers

Game 1 with the Dallas Cowboys this season, loss number 6 (5th in a row) for the Philadelphia Eagles. Let's get this over with, ok?

Right off the bat, let me say that the score is NOT a good indication of how this game went, other than the fact that the Cowboys deserved to win the game. That being said, the numbers don't exactly agree with the score. Once again the Eagles offense played better than their opposition, but had little to show for it. They ran more plays, and had a better average gain; obviously they ended up with more total yards of offense. The Eagles were able to move the ball decently, as they had 23 first downs to only 14 for Dallas. However, a lot of drives ended prematurely due to an abysmal 10% conversion rate (1 for 10) on third downs. Ouch. They threw for more yards, and weren't far off from Dallas in the rushing game (they basically abandoned the run late in the game, as they had to play catch up). Dallas seemed to be called for a penalty nearly every other play, but only had 75 penalty yards from 13 penalties. The Eagles fared better in both regards, but had some costly ones as usual. The most telling stat (again)? The Eagles had 2 turnovers, while Dallas had none.

Eagles vs. Giants: Behind the Numbers

Welcome to another installment of Behind the Numbers, the new series I put a lot of work into but nobody reads! Regardless, I enjoy analyzing the stats and writing about the games each week, so deal with it. Before I begin, I gotta throw a shout out to Brian Dawkins, whose #20 was officially retired last night.

Right off the bat I have to mention the most alarming stat of the game. NO EAGLES TURNOVERS!!! After racking up 12 through the first 3 weeks, the Eagles managed to protect the ball for all 4 quarters against the Giants.  This proved to be key, as nobody scored until after the 2 minute warning in the first half. The game ended with a low score, so any Eagles turnovers would have been amplified. The lone turnover of the game -another red zone interception by Eli Manning- resulted in an Eagles field goal. Winning the game by only 2 points, this proved to be the difference. Winning 19-17, the Birds are in sole possession of first place in the NFC East, at 3-1. Let's take a look at the stats: