In Roob's Eagles Stats: Historic pass defense and Nick Foles loses a record

Nick Foles loses a franchise record, the Eagles continue playing elite pass defense and something that's never happened to Mike Tomlin before.

All that — plus a generous dollop of Jalen Hurts stats and lots more — in this week's edition of Roob's Eagles Stats.

This team is a stat lover's dream, and we're here for it.

1. Let’s talk pass defense

The Eagles have allowed an average of 147.9 net passing yards during their 10-game winning streak. That’s the fewest passing yards they’ve allowed in any 10-game span (within the same season) since Week 6 through Week 16 of the 1991 season, when they allowed 142.3 per game.  The Eagles are the first team since the Super Bowl-champion 1975 Steelers to allow fewer net passing yards during a 10-game winning streak. The Eagles have allowed 225 or fewer net passing yards in 10 consecutive games, their longest streak since an 11-game run in 1974. 

2. Smashing a Nick Foles record

LeSean McCoy isn’t the only Eagle to lose an all-time franchise record lately. Nick Foles lost one on Sunday. Foles finished his Eagles career with a passer rating of 93.2. Jalen Hurts came into the Steelers game with a passer rating of 93.1, but with 25-for-32 for 290 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, he raised his career rating to 93.6 and replaced Foles atop the Eagles’ all-time passer rating leader board. Hurts came into the season at 91.9 and he actually dropped as low as 90.7 going into the bye. But he raised his rating to 91.2 after the Browns game, 91.5 after the Giants, 91.9 after the Bengals, 92.5 after the Jaguars, 92.7 after the Cowboys and Commanders, 92.8 after the Rams, 92.9 after the Ravens, 93.1 after the Panthers and now 93.6 after the Steelers. Hurts ranked 27^th in NFL history coming into the season but is now tied for 21^st with Josh Allen.

3. First time in 307 games for Mike Tomlin

The Eagles outgained the Steelers 401-163, and if you don’t remember a Mike Tomlin-coached Steelers team being outgained by 238 yards in a game that’s because it had never happened. Tomlin has coached 307 games and that 238-yard margin is the largest he’s ever been on the wrong side of. The previous high against Tomlin was 236 yards, when the Ravens outgained the Steelers 457-221 in a 28-24 Steelers win at M&T Bank Stadium in 2020. The Eagles’ 238-yard advantage was the biggest against any Steelers team in 26 years, since the Bengals outgained the Steelers by 272 yards (483-211) in a 25-24 win at Three Rivers Stadium in 1998 (behind 367 passing yards by future Eagle Jeff Blake). 

4. Dual studs

This was the fourth game in which A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith both surpassed 100 yards in the same game. That’s the most games by any Eagles duo in franchise history where both had 100 yards. Two duos did it three times: Tommy McDonald and Pete Retzlaff from 1960 through 1962 and Brent Celek and DeSean Jackson from 2009 through 2012. The only other duos with two are Timmy Brown and Tommy McDonald from 1960 through 1962 and Pete Pihos and Bobby Walston back-to-back weeks in 1953. Of the 36 games in Eagles history where two players had 100 yards, this was the first where neither had a catch of at least 25 yards. Brown’s 100-yard game was the 17^th of his Eagles career. Only Pete Retzlaf (23), Mike Quick (21) and DeSean Jackson (21) have more.

5. The More Jalen Hurts Stats Section

5A. Hurts completed 78 percent of his passes Sunday, his fifth game over 75 percent this year. Only 13 quarterbacks in NFL history have had more 75 percent games in a season, and Hurts has three games left. Hurts has 12 career games where he’s completed 75 percent of his passes, twice as many as any other Eagle. Foles had six.

5B. Hurts has thrown 255 passes in his last 11 games with just one interception, the most passes in franchise history over an 11-game span with one or fewer interception. Only 10 quarterbacks in NFL history have thrown more passes in an 11-game span with one or no interceptions. Hurts is up to 12^th in NFL history in interception ratio at one every 50 attempts. 

5C. With three more touchdowns – two passing, one rushing – Hurts increased his career total to 139 in 65 career starts. That’s the 6^th-most total TDs by any quarterback in NFL history in his first 65 starts, behind only Patrick Mahomes with 166 (158 passing, 8 rushing), Dan Marino with 159 (157, 2), Aaron Rodgers with 150 (134, 16), Joe Burrow with 141 (130, 11) and Josh Allen with 140 (117, 33). 

5D. Hurts is now 46-19 in 65 career starts. The only quarterbacks to win more of their first 65 starts are Mahomes (52), Ken Stabler (51), Tom Brady (50), Daryle Lamonica (49), Roger Staubach (48), Russell Wilson (47) and Lamar Jackson (47).

5E. With his 14^th rushing touchdown, Hurts is one shy of the most ever by a quarterback in a season. Hurts shares the record with Josh Allen with 15 rushing TDs last year.

5F. Hurts' 14 rushing touchdowns lead the NFL, one more than Derrick Henry and James Cook. The last quarterback to lead the league in rushing touchdowns was Johnny Lujack of the Bears with 10 in 1950. 

5G. During the 10-game winning streak, Hurts has a 121.7 passer rating after halftime on 58-for-85 for 851 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. That’s 27 incomplete passes in 10 games after halftime. During that span, only Lamar Jackson (128.6) and Jared Goff (123.2) have higher 2^nd-half passer ratings than Hurts.

6. About to join elite company 

With eight catches for 110 yards, Brown increased his season total to 56 catches for 946 yards with five TDs. He needs just 54 yards to join Mike Quick as only the second Eagle with three straight 1,000-yard seasons. Quick had three in a row from 1983 through 1985. The only other Eagles with three total 1,000-yard seasons are DeSean Jackson (2009, 2010, 2013) and Harold Carmichael (1973, 1978 , 1981). Despite missing three games, Brown is ninth in the NFL in receiving yards. On Sunday, he increased his total with the Eagles from 3,788 yards to 3,898 and passed Brian Westbrook (who was at the game) and Calvin Williams to move into 14^th in Eagles history in just 45 games. 

7. A 1^st-quarter explosion

The Eagles scored 10 points in the first quarter Sunday, ending a streak of 30 consecutive games without double-figure scoring in the first quarter. The last time the Eagles had scored 10 or more points in the first quarter was last year’s season opener in New England, when they scored 16 on Darius Slay’s 70-yard pick-6 off Mac Jones, Jalen Hurts’ 5-yard TD pass to Devonta Smith and a 32-yard Jake Elliott field goal. The 30-game streak was the 3^rd-longest in franchise history, behind a 41-game streak from 1935 through 1938 and a 33-game streak over the 1975 through 1977 seasons. Ironically, by holding the Steelers to three points in the first quarter, they extended Pittsburgh’s streak of games without 10 points in the first quarter to 48.

8. Crazy consistency

The Eagles have gone six straight games scoring at least 20 points and allowing 20 or fewer points. It matches the longest such streak in franchise history. The 1953 team also did it. It’s the 10^th-longest streak ever by an NFL team scoring 20 or more points while allowing 20 or fewer. 

9. Double-barrel 

With Hurts rushing for 14 touchdowns and Saquon Barkley 11, the Eagles are only the fifth team in NFL history with two players with 11 rushing TDs in the same season. But one of three to do it this year. Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor did it for the Packers in 1960 and the Eagles with Hurts and Miles Sanders in 2022, and this year David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs of the Lions and Josh Allen and James Cook of the Bills have achieved it in addition to Barkley and Hurts. So it happened twice in the NFL’s first 104 years and it’s already happened three times this year. With 55 career rushing TDs, Hurts is only 14 behind Hall of Famer Steve Van Buren for the Eagles franchise record.

10. Seventeen games and counting

The Eagles may have the No. 1 defense in the NFL, but they’re one of only two teams that hasn’t gotten an interception yet this year from a cornerback. The Eagles have gone 17 straight games since Kelee Ringo picked off Tyrod Taylor in the Eagles’ win over the Giants in Week 16 last year. The only team with a longer streak is the Bears, who haven’t gotten an INT from a cornerback in their last 33 games – since Kyler Gordon picked off Josh Allen in a loss to the Bills in Week 16 in 2022. The Eagles only had four INTs from cornerbacks last year – two by Darius Slay, one by James Bradberry and Ringo’s. Going back to late in 2022, Eagles corners have four INTs in their last 34 games. 

Subscribe to Eagle Eye anywhere you get your podcasts: 
Apple Podcasts | YouTube Music | Spotify | Stitcher | Simplecast | RSS | Watch on YouTube