In Roob’s Eagles stats: Some Saquon, some A.J. and tons more originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Roob’s Eagles Stats column returns this fall with a weekly collection of trends, numbers and stats you won’t find anywhere else.
This week, lots of Saquon Barkley and A.J. Brown, naturally, but plenty of other fascinating stuff I came up with from the Eagles’ season-opening 34-29 win over the Packers with using my high-powered super-electron hyper-charged abacus.
1. We have to start with Barkley, who became the seventh player in NFL history to score three touchdowns in his first game with a new team (not including 1987 strike games played with replacement players). Bobby Mitchell was the first to do it, in 1962 with Washington, then Billy Sims (Lions, 1980), Marshall Faulk (Colts 1994), Terrell Owens (Eagles 2004) and then Kareem Hunt of the Chiefs and Mike Gillislee of the Patriots – in the same game – in 2017. With an 18-yard TD catch and an 11-yard TD run, he became the first Eagle with double-digit rushing and receiving TDs in the same game since DeSean Jackson in a 31-17 win over the Falcons at the Linc in 2010. D-Jack had a 31-yard run and 34-yard catch from Kevin Kolb, both in the first quarter. Barkley is the first player with 100 rushing yards in his Eagles debut since Charlie Garner had 111 vs. the 49ers in Week 5 of the 1994 season.
2. Zack Baun became only the third player to record two sacks in his first game as an Eagle. The two others are an unlikely pair. Reggie White had 2 ½ of Phil Simms against the Giants in an overtime loss in Week 4 of the 1985 season – remember, he didn’t play the first three games in 1985 because he was still property of the USFL Memphis Showboats. And on Oct. 16, 2019, Orlando Scandrick of all people had two sacks of Luke Falk in the Eagles’ 31-6 win over the Jets at the Linc. He only played in two more games before the Eagles cut him and he never played another NFL game. Baun didn’t have a sack in his first 56 NFL games. He has four in his last seven games. Baun is only the fourth Eagles linebacker with a multiple-sack game in the last 20 years. Matt McCoy of course had two vs. the Falcons in 2006, Mychal Kendricks had two vs. the Bears in 2013 and none other than Nicholas Morrow had three in a win over Washington last October.
3. Jalen Hurts’ 67-yarder to A.J. Brown in the third quarter was the 2nd-longest TD pass of his career, behind only an 81-yarder to DeSean Jackson in Dallas late in the 2020 season after Hurts replaced Carson Wentz. It was Jackson’s 42nd and final touchdown catch as an Eagle and it was the only pass he ever caught from Hurts. Brown increased his receiving total as an Eagle to 3,071 yards, 3rd-most in NFL history by a player in his first 35 games with a team, trailing only Odell Beckham (3,431 with the Giants from 2014 through 2016) and Justin Jefferson (3,248 with the Vikings from 2020 through 2022). Even though he’s only starting his third year with the Eagles, Brown already has the 9th-most 100-yard games in Eagles history with 13. One more moves him into a tie for 7th with Jeremy Maclin and Pete Pihos. At his current pace of one every 2.7 games, he’ll have 18 at the end of the year, which would trail only Pete Retzlaff (23), Harold Carmichael (21), Mike Quick (21) and DeSean Jackson (21).
4. Reed Blankenship’s interception off Jordan Love was his fifth in just 26 career games, including four in which he played two or fewer defensive snaps. The last Eagles defensive back with five INTs in their first 26 games is Ben Smith, who had five over the 1990 and 1991 seasons. The fifth one was his historic INT of Bernie Kosar in Cleveland, ending Kosar’s NFL-record streak of 308 consecutive passes without an interception. Smith tore his ACL later in that game. The last Eagle at any position with five INTs in their first 26 career games was linebacker Jordan Hicks, who had seven over the 2015 through 2017 seasons. Blankenship is the first undrafted Eagle with five INTs in his first 26 games since Brenard Wilson, who had nine over the 1979 and 1980 seasons. The last undrafted player who began his career with the Eagles and had at least five INTs was Quintin Mikell, who had 10 from 2003 through 2010. Herm Edwards has the most INTs by an undrafted Eagle with 33 from 1977 through 1985.
5. This was only the Eagles’ second game in the last 20 years in which they’ve scored 34 offensive points despite three or more turnovers. Last time it happened was a 45-19 win over the Jets at the Linc in 2011 and before that a 35-17 win over the Texans at the Vet in 2002. Before Friday, the last three times they scored 34 or more points with three turnovers they had a return touchdown – Josh Sweat’s interception return in a 40-34 loss in Dallas in 2022, Chris Maragos’s blocked punt return in a 34-28 win over the Rams at the Linc in 2014 and Fletcher Cox’s fumble return in the 34-17 win over the Jaguars in the 2014 opener at the Linc. Those don’t count when tallying up offensive points.
6. From 1933 through 2007, the Eagles scored 30 or more points on opening day 10 times in 75 years. Since 2008, they’ve scored 30 or more points on opening day 10 times in 17 years, including three of four seasons under Nick Sirianni.
7. Packers receiver Jayden Reed had four catches for 138 yards and a 33-yard TD run for 171 yards on five touches. He’s only the third player in history with 170 or more scrimmage yards against the Eagles on five or fewer touches. Jessie Hester of the Raiders did it in 1986 in a game the Eagles won 33-27 at L.A. Coliseum with four catches for 193 yards (including touchdowns of 49 and 81 yards) and James Lofton – three years before he became an Eagle – had a game with 174 scrimmage yards on five catches in 1990 in a 30-23 Bills win over the Eagles at Rich Stadium (that was the game Randall Cunningham had that all-time scrambling 95-yard TD to Fred Barnett). The last player with touchdowns of 30 or more yards both rushing and receiving in the same game against the Eagles was Herschel Walker of the Cowboys in a game the Eagles won 23-21 at Texas Stadium in 1986.
8. Until Friday, the Eagles hadn’t won a game in 35 years when they committed three turnovers and allowed 400 net yards and 160 rushing yards. They had lost 13 straight and were 4-38-2 in franchise history in such games. Their last win when committing three turnovers and allowing 400 net yards and 160 rushing yards was that 42-37 win over Washington at RFK Stadium in 1989, the game Randall Cunningham passed for 447 yards and led the Eagles back after trailing by 20 points (the day after he signed a contract extension).
9. It may not have been his best performance, but Jalen Hurts did put up 34 points and improve his career record to 35-17. Only 14 quarterbacks in NFL history have won more games in their first 52 starts, including only two current starters – double MVPs Patrick Mahomes (41-11) and Lamar Jackson (39-13). Hurts’ 35th win tied him with Carson Wentz for the 4th-most in Eagles history, behind Donovan McNabb (92), Ron Jaworski (69) and Randall Cunningham (62).
10. With four catches Friday, Dallas Goedert increased his career total from 307 to 311, passing Fred Barnett (308) and moving into a tie with Bobby Walston for 11th place in Eagles history. He needs 32 more catches to tie Jeremy Maclin (343) and move into the top-10 in Eagles history. Goedert’s 311 catches are 5th-most in Eagles history by a player in his first 84 career games, behind Zach Ertz (396), Brian Westbrook (343), DeSean Jackson (339) and Mike Quick (321). Pretty good company, considering he was Ertz’s backup his first 3 ½ years. Speaking of Ertz, he caught three passes in his first game with Washington and now has 748 in his career, 8th-most in NFL history by a tight end. He needs three to pass Jimmy Graham for seventh and then another 33 to pass Greg Olsen and move into sixth all-time.
