Heading into their Sunday Night Football showdown with the Green Bay Packers, the Philadelphia Eagles are riding high atop the NFC. They’ve got a 9-1 record, and their performance level has for the most part backed up the idea that they are one of, if not the best team in the conference.
Their point differential suggests a 7-3 squad, but they’re the only team in the league ranked inside the top five in Football Outsiders’ DVOA on both offense and defense, and they’re the only team in the league ranked inside the top six in EPA per play on both offense and defense, according to Tru Media. In other words, even if they aren’t necessarily 9-1 good, they’re still really good.
A lot of the credit for this quality of play can be laid at the feet of general manager Howie Roseman, who made significant upgrades to his team on both sides of the ball this past offseason. The Eagles traded a first-round pick for A.J. Brown, who is an outright superstar. They landed James Bradberry late in free agency, and he’s been one of the best cornerbacks in the league this season. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson was a mid-training camp acquisition and has helped solidify the back end of the defense. Jordan Davis upgraded the run defense before his injury, and the twin acquisitions of Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph in recent weeks should help alleviate his absence.
The coaching staff surely deserves its share of the credit as well. Jonathan Gannon got the right type of bodies up front to play the defense he wants to play, and he’s put players in position to succeed. Nick Sirianni and Shane Steichen designed an offense that fits their personnel, and it works like gangbusters a lot of the time. Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland has his group once again playing at an elite level.
None of this would have mattered all that much, though, if Jalen Hurts didn’t take a step forward, which he certainly has. Hurts is third in MVP odds at the moment, on the strength of his 198 of 290 (68.3%) for 2,407 yards (8.3 per attempt), 15 touchdowns, and three interceptions passing lane, as well as his 110 carries for 448 yards and eight additional scores. He has the Eagles ranked third in both offensive DVOA and EPA per play, metrics which more than back up their yards and points per game marks that rank fifth and fourth in the NFL, respectively. (You can watch Hurts and the Eagles take on the Packers at 8:20 p.m….
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