Inside Roob’s Eagles Stats: Saquon, AJ and More originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Roob Eagles The Statistics column returns this fall with a weekly collection of trends, numbers and statistics you won’t find anywhere else.
This week, a lot of Saquon Barkley And AJ Brownnaturally, but I found plenty of other fascinating things from the Eagles’ 34-29 season-opening win over the Packers using my high-powered super-electron hyper-charged abacus.
1. Start with Barkley, who became the seventh player in NFL history to score three touchdowns in his first game with a new team (not counting the 1987 strike-down games played with substitutes). 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 finally Kareem Hunt leaders and Mike Gillislee Patriots – in the same game – in 2017. With an 18-yard TD reception 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 victory over the Falcons at the Linc in 2010. D-Jack had a 31-yard rush and a 34-yard reception Kevin Kolbboth in the first quarter. Barkley is the first player to reach 100 rushing yards in his Eagles debut since Charlie Garner had 111 against the 49ers in Week 5 of the 1994 season.
2. Zack Baun became just the third player to record two sacks in his first game as an Eagle. The other two 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 owned by the USFL Memphis Showboats. And on October 16, 2019, Orlando Scandrick of all the people had two bags of Luc Falk in the Eagles’ 31-6 win over the Jets at the Linc. He played in only two more games before the Eagles cut him, and he never played in an NFL game again. Baun did not have a sack in his first 56 NFL games. He had four in his last seven games. Baun is only the fourth Eagles linebacker to have multiple sacks in the last 20 years. Matt McCoy, of course, had two against the Falcons in 2006, Mychal Kendricks had two against the Bear in 2013 and none other than Nicolas Morrow he had three in a win over Washington last October.
3. Jalen is in pain’67 yards to AJ Brown in the third quarter was the 2nd-the longest TD pass of his career, behind only an 81-yard pass to DeSean Jackson in Dallas at the end of the 2020 season after Hurts replaced Carson WentzIt was Jackson’s 42nd and his final touchdown 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 goals in NFL history by a player in his first 35 games with a team, behind only Odell Beckham (3,431 with the Giants from 2014 to 2016) and Justin Jefferson (3,248 with the Vikings from 2020 to 2022). Even though he is only in his third year with the Eagles, Brown already has the 9th-most 100-yard games in Eagles history with 13. One more ties him for 7th with Jeremy Maclin and Pete Pihos. At his current pace of one every 2.7 games, he will have 18 by the end of the year, which would put him behind Pete Retzlaff (23), Harold Carmichael (21), Mike Quick (21) and DeSean Jackson (21).
4. Reed Blankenshipthe interception of Love Jordan 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 interceptions in his first 26 games was Ben Smith, who had five in the 1990 and 1991 seasons. The fifth was his historic interception off Bernie Kosar in Clevelandending Kosar’s 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 interceptions in his first 26 career games was linebacker Jordan Hickswho had seven from the 2015-17 seasons. Blankenship is the first undrafted Eagle to have five INTs in his first 26 games since Brenard Wilson, who had nine in the 1979 and 1980 seasons. The last undrafted player to start his career with the Eagles and have at least five INTs was Quintin Mikell, who had 10 from 2003-10. Herm Edwards has the most INTs by an undrafted Eagle with 33 from 1977-85.
5. It was just the Eagles’ second game in the last 20 years in which they scored 34 offensive points despite allowing three or more turnovers. The last time that happened was in a 45-19 win over the Jets at the Linc in 2011 and before that, a 35-17 win over the Texans at the vets in 2002. Before Friday, the last three times they scored 34 or more points with three turnovers, they had a comeback touchdown – Josh Sweatshirtinterception return in a 40-34 loss at Dallas in 2022, Chris MaragosFletcher Cox’s blocked punt return in a 34-28 win over the Rams at the Linc in 2014 and Fletcher Cox’s fumble return in a 34-17 win over the Jaguars in the 2014 season opener at the Linc. These items do not count toward offensive points.
6. From 1933 to 2007, the Eagles scored 30 or more points on Opening Day 10 times in 75 years. Since 2008, they have scored 30 or more points on Opening Day 10 times in 17 years, including three of the four seasons under Nick Sirianni.
7. Packers receiver Jayden Reed He had four receptions for 138 yards and a 33-yard TD run for 171 yards on five touches. He is only the third player in history to have 170 or more yards from scrimmage against the Eagles on five touches or fewer. Jessie Hester of the Raiders did it in 1986 in a game the Eagles won 33-27 at the LA Coliseum with four receptions 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 yards from scrimmage on five receptions in 1990 in a 30-23 Bills win over the Eagles at Rich Stadium (that was the game Randall Cunningham made that all-time 95-yard TD pass to Fred Barnett). The last player to throw 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. Through 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 victory while committing three turnovers and allowing 400 net yards and 160 rushing yards was that 42-37 victory over Washington at RFK Stadium in 1989, the game Randall Cunningham passed for 447 yards and brought the Eagles back from a 20-point deficit (the day after he signed a contract extension).
9. It may not have been his best performance, but Jalen Hurts scored 34 points and improved 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 — two-time MVPs Patrick Mahomes (41-11) and Lamar Jackson (39-13). Hurts’ 35th The win tied him with Carson Wentz for fourthth-the most in Eagles history, behind Donovan McNabb (92), Ron Jaworski (69) and Randall Cunningham (62).
10. With four catches on Friday, Dallas Goedert increased his career total from 307 to 311, passing Fred Barnett (308) and tying 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 goals 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). Good company, considering he was Ertz’s backup for his first three and a half years. Speaking of Ertz, he caught three passes in his first game with Washington and now has 748 in his career, 8th-most passes in NFL history by a tight end. He needs three to pass Jimmy Graham for the seventh and then another 33 to pass Greg Olsen and rises to sixth place all time.
