Eagles vs Rams: Behind the Numbers 2014

So the bad news is that the Philadelphia Eagles almost blew a 27 point lead to the St. Louis Rams. The good news is that they hung on to win 34-28. The game was much closer than it needed to be, but the Eagles offense seemed to shut down towards the end of the 3rd quarter. It's as if they said "we have a 27 point lead, that's good enough. Shut 'er down boys!". Instead of scoring again to ice the game, the Eagles let the Rams score 21 straight points and gave them a chance to win at the end. Let's take a look at the numbers behind the game; I'll try to keep it shorter this week:

*Note: switched avg gain stat. Will be fixed shortly.

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. Raiders: Behind the Numbers 2013

I'm at a loss for words after this game, but for a different, better reason than last week. The Philadelphia Eagles destroyed (not dominated - more on that later) the Oakland Raiders on their home turf, 49-20. And it wasn't even as close as the 29 point margin, either. Nick Foles clearly bounced back in a big way, throwing for over 400 yards and an NFL record-tying 7 touchdown performance. Peyton who? Nah, he's not on that level, but Eagles fans have to be at least somewhat excited to have him start at QB for the foreseeable future (with Michael Vick's status being unknown). Before we look at the numbers, keep in mind that a blowout in score may not be a blowout in stats:

Like I said, just because the Eagles dominated the scoreboard doesn't mean they dominated the game. I'll talk more about garbage time, which clearly played a part in the seemingly even (or even skewed towards the Raiders) statistics between Oakland and Philadelphia. However, let's look at them as is for now.

Aside from the massive difference in score, the first thing that stands out is the discrepancy between offensive plays, and average gain. "Holy shit" is the phrase that comes to mind: The Raiders ran a whopping 92 plays, a ridiculous 35 more than the Eagles, but Philadelphia gained an excellent 9.5 yards per gain to a very good 6.1 by Oakland. Despite outscoring their opponent by 29, the Eagles gained less net yards, somehow less rushing yards, and less first downs. Basically, they capitalized much better than Oakland on the chances they had, while also fairing better on third downs (40% to 33%), committing less penalties for less yards, and managing 2 takeaways. Enough numbers, let's get to the commentary...

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.