The Day After – Overrated?

The Eagles are 8-0. They’ve had a lead of at least 12 points in every game. They’ve won on Sunday, Sunday night, Monday night and Thursday night. But that isn’t enough to make some people embrace the record.

Twitter can be great for things like this.

The Eagles are off to an 8-0 start, and I've noticed a lot of Cowboys fans are be skeptical that Philly is truly in the upper echelon of NFL teams.

Which of the following records do you think would have been most representative of how the Eagles have played so far?

— Cowboys Stats & Graphics (@CowboysStats) November 4, 2022

I also think a 5-3 start wouldn't have been completely out of the question, especially if they had a different schedule and a more normal turnover differential. Was mostly interested to see how many were arguing the team was mediocre-to-subpar, and that number is very small

— Cowboys Stats & Graphics (@CowboysStats) November 4, 2022

If the Eagles played a different schedule…

If the Eagles had a more normal turnover differential…

You have to love Cowboys fans spinning things to this extent. The Eagles don’t look like the ’85 Bears or ’99 Rams, but this is a legit team. CJ Gardner-Johnson has 5 INTs, not some UDFA that is playing way over his head. Javon Hargrave and Haason Reddick are the leading sackers. Those guys are stud pass rushers and have been for years. AJ Brown is having a huge year. The Eagles traded for him because he was a proven star.

The Eagles are really talented. They have a great OL and playmakers all over the offense. The secondary is the best in the league and the DL is deep and talented.

There is only one huge surprise…Jalen Hurts. If people don’t believe in him, I could get that. He was a solid QB last year, but nothing close to special. This season Hurts is playing lights out. He is the most improved player in the league. He’s the maestro and the Eagles offense is making beautiful music.

To those doubting him, do look at the resume. He went to Alabama and Oklahoma. He put up huge numbers in college. The Eagles spent a second round pick on him. Hurts didn’t go to the Colorado School of Mines. This isn’t some kid who came out of nowhere.

One responder on Twitter said the Eagles only impressive wins came against Dallas and Minnesota. Nice way to be dismissive about the fact the Eagles beat the second and third best teams in the NFC. They haven’t played a brutal schedule. That has more to do with the NFC being down this year than anything else. The Eagles played two teams with good records and beat both of them.

8-0 is legit.

https://twitter.com/JClarkNBCS/status/1588529419651805185

Eagles are 2nd in point differential and 1st in TO differential. Jalen Hurts is 6th in COMP%, 2nd in Y/A, and 2nd in INT%. A.J. Brown is 4th in Y/target (50+ targets). Eagles’ defense is 1st in TO% and 1st in score%.

Do not waste time arguing with people. The Eagles are great.

— Adam Hermann (@adamwhermann) November 4, 2022

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About that turnover differential…

https://twitter.com/JClarkNBCS/status/1588541378304147456

It is crazy because the Eagles lead the league in most takeaways and fewest turnovers. That is rare. But it is the message that Nick Sirianni preaches and teaches. We get frustrated with Jonathan Gannon playing soft on defense, but having DBs back is part of the reason for all the INTs.

All teams talk about turnovers. The Eagles put actions behind those words and you can see that in the results this year.

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One thing I won’t argue about is that the Eagles have been lucky. I’m actually talking about the offseason. The Saints traded CJ Gardner-Johnson for almost nothing. There were issues about his contract and they didn’t like the way he responded to the situation so they shipped him out. Thank you, Saints. CGJ had been terrific for the Eagles. He had to make the transition from nickelback to safety, a spot he hadn’t played regularly since college. CGJ has settled in nicely and is making plays on a regular basis.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson in his first three NFL seasons with the Saints: Five interceptions.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson in his first eight NFL games with the Eagles: Five interceptions.

— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) November 4, 2022

The Eagles were also lucky to get CB James Bradberry. The Giants cut him after most free agent money had been spent so the Eagles were able to swoop in and get him for a reasonable cost. Bradberry has a legit chance to make the Pro Bowl with the way he’s been playing. He’s got 3 INTs and leads the team with 11 passes defensed. Thank you, Giants.

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Dallas Goedert has been a good TE for a while. He’s been a good receiver and blocker. He’s posted solid numbers and made plays. His two best years up to now were:

2019 – 58-607-5
2021 – 56-830-4

With nine games still to play, DG is 40-521-2. He’s on pace for his first 1,000 yard season. Goedert is critical to the Eagles offense because he is so good on the RPOs. He can block or go out. He can catch the ball in the flat or down the field. And once he’s got the ball in his hands, he can make plays.

https://twitter.com/Eaglesfans9/status/1588358015190962178

It was great to see him play so well last night in a prime time game. Hopefully everyone is starting to see how good he is.

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The Eagles defense can be frustrating at times because they are vulnerable to the run and don’t attack as much as we like. Still, the results are better than most realize.

They have held the last four opponents to 17 points or less.

They have held the last seven opponents to 21 points or less (and the game where they gave up 21 included a defensive TD).

The Cowboys and their vaunted pass rush gave up 26 points to the Eagles and 29 to the Bears. The Giants run the most aggressive defense in the league and they’ve given up 20 or more points in 5 of 8 games. Buffalo has the top scoring defense in the league and they’ve given up 20 or more points in 3 of the last 5 games.

The Eagles are not giving up points and they are taking the ball away. Gannon frustrates me at times, but he’s getting good results.

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One of the things that makes the Eagles offense so tough is that they have a lot of playmakers. Last night there were five different players who had a play of 20 or more yards.

Miles Sanders – 25 yard run
AJ Brown – 31 yard catch
DeVonta Smith – 22 yard catch
Quez Watkins – 23 yard catch
Dallas Goedert – 21 yard catch

Jack Stoll was actually wide open for a long TD and Hurts didn’t see him or there could have been another name on this list. And last week we saw Zach Pascal have a 34-yard TD catch.

One of the reasons Hurts is playing so well is that he’s got so many weapons.

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