Roob's Eagles Observations: Jordan Davis has done something we've never seen
Roob's Eagles Observations: Jordan Davis has done something we've never seen originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Jordan Davis becoming a star in front of our eyes, LeSean McCoy and his Hall of Fame credentials and Vic Fangio's hilarious opinion on flying to Tampa a day early to acclimate to the heat.
Big week for the Eagles! Big week for Roob's Random Eagles Observations!
1. I don't know if I've ever seen a player reinvent himself the way Jordan Davis has, and it's been incredible to watch. Davis's first three seasons were largely disappointing, and you'd see occasional flashes of the player the Eagles hoped he could be when they picked him 13th overall in 2022, but back in April there was very real doubt over whether the Eagles would even exercise their 5th-year option on Davis because of his inconsistency and his inability physically to play even 40 percent of the Eagles' defensive snaps. But now that $12.9 million for 2026 looks like a bargain. Through three games, Davis has nearly doubled his snap count from last year and played like a top-10 interior lineman. While Jalen Carter has been very good but not as spectacular as last year, his best friend and college teammate has taken his place as the Eagles' elite interior lineman. And that could mean somewhere in the $20 million per year range on a long-term deal. With Carter's contract coming up this offseason, Howie Roseman is facing quite a challenge and one he probably didn't expect but doesn't mind. How do you keep both these guys? It's only three games, but if Davis keeps it up his value is just going to continue skyrocketing. Carter and Davis are the top interior line duo in the NFL, and if anyone can sign both of them it's Howie.
2. The Eagles are an NFL-best 27-7 in one-possession games since 2022, a .794 winning percentage. The only other teams over .600 during that same span are the Chiefs (31-10, .756), Vikings (27-10, .730), Steelers (24-11, .686) and Lions (19-11, .633). That's 7-2 in 2022, 8-3 in 2023, 9-2 last year and 3-0 so far this year. If they finish over .500 in one-possession games this year it will be the first time in the franchise's 93-year history they've had four straight winning seasons in one-possession games.
3. The Eagles are 20-3 since Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox retired.
4. It was so cool watching the video the Eagles released of the sideline before the Jordan Davis block and then the celebration after it. Two things stuck out to me. First of all, watching the guys on the sideline, they seemed to really sense that someone was going to block that kick. Maybe I'm projecting here, but I don't think so. The whole sideline looked so confident before the kick, like they knew someone was going to block it. Maybe that was partly due to Jalen Carter's block earlier in the fourth quarter. Maybe it was just the faith they have in the field goal block team or the way Rams kicker Joshua Karty has a tendency to kick low. But there just seemed to be an expectation that something special was about to happen. And then after the play you just see this mass sprint to the end zone, with Reed Blankenship leading the way. Fastest I've ever run in my life," he said. And the one thing that was really cool was Landon Dickerson amid all the chaos helping Davis take his helmet off so he could breathe easier after the 61-yard return. Offensive lineman looking out for a defensive lineman. The whole sequence really showed just how close this team is.
5. Nick Sirianni is 1-4 as a head coach vs. the Buccaneers and 50-16 against every other team. His teams have lost seven meaningful games by at least 16 points - three vs. the Bucs, four vs. everybody else.
6. Now that the Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced its initial list of nominees for the Class of 2026, five quick reasons why LeSean McCoy will be a Hall of Famer: 1) Only player in NFL history with 11,000 rushing yards and 500 receptions who's not already in the Hall of Fame, 2) One of only seven players in history with 11,000 rushing yards and a 4.5 average (along with Barry Sanders, Adrian Peterson, Jim Brown, Fred Taylor, Derrick Henry and O.J. Simpson), 3) During decade of 2010-2019 had 648 more yards and 1,680 more scrimmage yards than anybody else in football, 4) Along with Marshall Faulk and Thurman Thomas, one of only three players with three seasons with 1,200 rushing yards, a 4.8 rushing average and 40 catches, 5) Along with Barry Sanders, Jim Brown and O.J. Simpson, one of only four players with 11,000 rushing yards and a 4.5 average, 5) Only player in NFL history with eight 4th-quarter touchdowns of 40 or more yards, and 6) (I lied) Along with Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith and Lenny Moore, one of only three running backs to make six Pro Bowls and two 1st-team all-pros and win two Super Bowl rings. See ya in Canton.
7. I know Howie always says you don't draft for need, but the Eagles really need to land a big-time edge in next year's draft. The Nolan Smith injury illustrates just how big a need it is. When your best pass rusher goes down and your best option to replace him is a 33-year-old who wasn't in an NFL training camp and your next option is a guy who's had five sacks over the last two years and your next option is a guy who's played in just 29 games over the last four seasons and your next option is a guy who's averaged fewer than 3.0 sacks in six NFL seasons and is with his fourth team in five years and your next option is a guy who has no career sacks in four seasons ... that's not ideal. The Eagles are carrying seven edge rushers, and they've combined for half a sack so far - Za'Darius Smith split one with rookie safety Andrew Mukuba in the Chiefs game - and it's a position where the Eagles have to get younger and have to get better. I still think Smith is going to be a stud, although the injuries are concerning. And I still think Jalyx Hunt is going to be a force this year, and he's been fine so far, although the sacks haven't come. But they need more, and piling up middle-of-the-pack veterans isn't working. I get why he's no longer here, but the Eagles really miss Josh Sweat (who has 3.0 sacks for the Cards) and they really miss B.G. (whose 0.0 sacks in retirement is the same amount as Nolan Smith, Hunt, Azeez Ojulari, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Patrick Johnson and Uche combined). It's hard to say they miss Bryce Huff, but he's got 2.0 sacks for the 49ers. The Eagles have pressured well at times, but right now there's one glaring need on this team, and it's something Howie Roseman is going to have to address.
Jalen Hurts Stat(s) of the Week:
8A. In the last 17 games he's started and finished, Hurts has completed 70.5 percent of his passes with 22 touchdown passes, two interceptions, 803 rushing yards with a 5.5 average (removing kneel downs) and 21 rushing TDs. And the Eagles are 17-0.
8B. Hurts goes into Tampa having thrown 217 consecutive passes without an interception since Trevon Diggs got him in Dallas last November. He's only 16 passes shy of the franchise record of 233 set by Nick Foles in 2013. Foles' streak ended at the Linc in a loss to the Lions when Chris Houston picked off a pass intended for Riley Cooper. That was Houston's final NFL game.
8C. Since Week 4 of last year and including the postseason, Hurts has thrown 369 passes with two interceptions. He's thrown one INT in his last 369 regular-season pass attempts, the 2nd-longest stretch of passes in NFL history with one or fewer interceptions.
9A. Vic Fangio cracks me up every time he talks to the media, which this time of year is only every Tuesday morning. He just doesn't care about hurting anybody's feelings or straying from the party line. He's honest, open, blunt and funny. He was asked this week about the Eagles planning to fly to Tampa a day early to acclimate," in Nick Sirianni's words, to the weather. Vic? What do you think about that? Well, it is too late to do anything right now as far as prepping for it. You don't practice in heat one day and say you're acclimated or take a pill and say you're acclimated." He's right, of course. Love Vic and hope he never retires.
9B. So similar to the Andy Reid-Jim Johnson dynamic. Andy wouldn't tell you anything. Jim would tell you everything.
10A. Maybe the most impressive thing about Fangio is his ability to make in-game adjustments and take away whatever a team is having success with early. The Cowboys scored 20 points in the first half, none in the second half. Patrick Mahomes scrambled for 60 yards in the first half, six in the second half. The Rams scored 26 points on their first seven drives, none the rest of the game. The Eagles are allowing 42 yards and 3 points per drive in the first half and 29 yards and 1.0 point per drive in the second half. Fangio is a genius.
10B. The Eagles are only the fourth team in NFL history to allow 49 or more points in the first half in their first three games and still go 3-0. The last team to do that was the 2014 Eagles. They're the 10th team ever to allow at least 49 points before halftime and 14 or fewer after halftime through three games. Last time the Eagles did that was 1943, when they allowed 49 before halftime and 13 after halftime. The Eagles have allowed the 5th-most 1st-half points in the NFL so far this year and the 2nd-fewest in the second half.
10C. The Eagles have allowed the 5th-most points in the first half this year and the 2nd-fewest in the second half.