The Eagles are 4-0, the best record in the NFC, and yet they are underachieving. The Eagles have been outgained in every game this season, and with the exception of the season opener, it hasn’t been by a little, being outgained by 78, 68, and 176 yards. Every game has been a one score game.
Since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, there have been 148 times a team has started 4-0. Two of them are the Bills and Eagles this season. Only one team, the 2012 Arizona Cardinals–who won one game the rest of the season–had a worse yardage differential than the Eagles mark of -327. Only 13 4-0 teams had a negative yardage differential. 10 of those teams made the playoffs, which the Eagles will do unless they are completely decimated by injuries. But those teams were 8-10 in the playoffs.
Among those 148 teams, the Eagles are:
- 148th in yards gained
- 148th in yards per play
- 148th in yards per completion
- 147th in yard differential
- 146th in yards per passing attempt
- 144th in sack rate
- 143rd in point differential
- 143rd in yards per completion allowed
- 133rd in points against
- 129th in sacked rate
- 127th in yards per rushing attempt against
- 126th in plays run
- 126th in halftime point differential
- 112th in yards allowed
- 97th in yards per attempt allowed
- 83rd in points scored
Yuck. Certainly there are worse situations than being one of the worst 4-0 teams in the history of the league. And yes, the team just wins. And yes, they have done so against strong teams and pesky division foe, so the going should get easier as the schedule gets easier.
But so did the 2023 Eagles, who also won four straight games by one score and were outgained in all of them, with two of those wins also being against the Cowboys and Chiefs; to take their record to a league best 10-1. They went 1-6 the rest of the way. That team finished with a negative yardage differential and were embarrassed in the playoffs.
We know that this team is capable of better. They are after all the defending Super Bowl champions. It’s time to start playing like them.
See More:
