The Eagles’ magical transformation after the first quarter originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
In the first 13 minutes Sunday, the Eagles committed six penalties. They committed two the rest of the game.
In the first 11 minutes, the Eagles allowed five plays of 14 or more yards. They allowed three the rest of the game, one against the backups in the final seconds.
In the first 11 minutes, the Eagles were outgained by the Ravens 133-2 and outscored 9-0. The rest of the game? Until their meaningless final drive, the Eagles outgained the Ravens 236-166 and outscored them 24-3.
In the first 10 minutes, Derek Henry ran six times for 38 yards – 6.3 yards per carry. In the final 50 minutes? Henry was 13-for-44 – 3.4 yards per carry.
And that’s how it’s been all year. Slow starts and strong finishes have become a hallmark of the 2024 Eagles. And while nobody likes the slow starts, you have to love the way they adjust and respond.
Week after week, this team figures it out along the way. The coaches make adjustments, the players get a feel for the guys they’re working against and you see the same thing happen week after week: The Eagles gradually turn the tables on their opponent and by the end of the game they’re destroying them.
Through Week 13, the Eagles are averaging an NFL-low 1.4 points in the first quarter but 25.3 points after the first quarter – 2nd-highest in the league behind the Lions.
They’ve been outscored 56-17 in the first quarter and outscored their 12 opponents 303-162 over the last three quarters.
Their 17 1st-quarter points are 3rd-fewest in franchise history after 12 games.
What’s crazy is that the Eagles have trailed after the first quarter seven times this year, including each of the last three weeks. But they’re an NFL-best 6-1 in those games – with the six wins coming by an average of 9 ½ points.
“It’s definitely something we’ve had a lot of discussions about,” Kellen Moore said. “Different ways that we can attack the defense play to our strengths, focus on us, make the adjustments as the game goes that we need to make. Obviously … we’ve started slow unfortunately for too many games. Something we’ve got to do a better job of.
“Certainly feel like we build as we go. We’ve had a lot of success as the game has progressed. I think our guys do an excellent job of hanging in there.
“I think the cool thing is in these first quarters, as frustrating as it can be, I think our guys handle the adversity really well. We don’t want to face that adversity every single week.
“I think our guys, one big strength of our guys, has been the finish aspect of this thing. They’re doing an excellent job in the second halves.”
Jalen Hurts has an 82.0 passer rating in the first quarter but 107.5 the rest of the game.
Saquon Barkley is averaging 4.3 yards per carry in the first quarter but 6.6 the reset of the game.
The Eagles are averaging 4.4 yards per play in the first quarter – 28th-best in the league – and 5.9 the second through fourth quarters – 5th-best.
Every way you break it down, they’re one of the worst offensive teams in the NFL early and among the best the rest of the way.
The same holds true on defense, although the difference isn’t quite as pronounced. The Eagles are allowing points on 40 percent of 1st-quarter drives and 30 percent of 2nd-through-4th-quarter drives.
“A lot of it is we just play better,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “Are there some adjustments? Yeah. Not adjustments to where we change something schematically. Adjustments in what we call.”
The Commanders, Rams and Ravens games are only the third set of three consecutive games that the Eagles have won after trailing at the end of the first quarter. They also won three in a row in 1960 and 2014.
Their six wins after trailing at the end of the first quarter are tied for 4th-most in NFL history. Incredibly, the Eagles are now 4-4 in their last eight games when trailing by nine or more points after the first quarter.
“We’re a resilient team,” Nick Sirianni said. “But nine in the first quarter? There’s a lot of football left to play.”
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