Are the Philadelphia Eagles the NFL’s least selfish team?
The Philadelphia Eagles are the best team in the NFL, yet they’ve only had one player recorded over 100-yards in a game this season. How could that be?
The Philadelphia Eagles are a statistical anomaly.
Over the first 10 games of the 2017 season, the team has only had one player, LeGarrette Blount, record 100 or more yards in a game, yet somehow they’ve kept winning. Whether it be luck, circumstance, or game-planning, that’s simply a remarkable feat.
Of the eight teams currently ranked first in each conference, only one, the Jacksonville Jaguars, has a leading receiver with fewer yards than the Eagles’ leader, Alshon Jeffery, and only two, the New England Patriots and the Minnesota Vikings, have lead backs with fewer yards than the Eagles top rusher Blount. And when you dive into things a bit deeper, the Eagles success becomes even more uncanny.
Related Story: Should the Philadelphia Eagles re-sign Alshon Jeffrey?
Even though the Eagles currently rank third in the league in rushing offense, they don’t have a single player ranked in the top-10 in rushing, and with Blount ranking 14th with 561-yards on 122 carries, and recent transplant Jay Ajayi ranking 20th with 465-yards on 138 carries. While committing to the run has been important for the Eagles to run out the clock in the second half of games, it’s interesting to see that they haven’t been too married to any one player.
And that appears to be the Eagles mantra as of late.
When the Eagles signed Alshon Jeffery to a one year, prove it deal, they obviously assumed that they’d added a top-flight receiver to pair with Carson Wentz, but so far this season, Jeffery ranks 28th in the league in total yards, behind prolific receivers like Julio Jones, and DeAndre Hopkins, but also relatively unknown players like former Temple undrafted-free-agent Robby Anderson and rookie receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Even though his presence on the field has helped to open up the field for other receivers, it’s still an unusual feat to see.
The Eagles defense is obviously one of the best in the league, and a huge reason for their success, their unselfishness on offense may be one of the biggest reasons why they have found so much success in year-two of the Doug Pederson-era.
Related Story: Philadelphia Eagles: Is Jake Elliott over?
While players like Odell Beckham Jr, Martavis Bryant, and Antonio Brown have made headlines for throwing temper tantrums for a lack of touches, the Eagles entire roster appears to have really committed themselves to the next man up mentality, and have put their egos aside for a common goal, bringing the Lombardi Trophy to South Philly.
Even though Jeffery, Blount, Zach Ertz and the like could all take a “me first” mentality and complain that their lack of productions could negatively impact their future paychecks, they’ve instead embraced the success achieved by their teammates, and championed each other, instead of being divisive. When you see the team celebrate in the end zone together after a touchdown, it’s an incredible sight to see, with the genuine love and appreciation felt among the group is truly inspiring.
When other team’s offenses can be virtually shut down by taking away one player, be it Leonard Fournette, Jordan Howard, A.J. Green or Keenan Allen, the Eagles can attack opposing teams with over a dozen, unique offensive weapons. Having players with different skillsets, like Kenjon Barner, Trey Burton and Mack Hollins who’s skillsets can be optimized for specific plays has made the team incredibly hard to cover on any given play. Whereas Chip Kelly would use players interchangeably, Pederson has actually found ways to put players in the right position to be successful, and so far, it’s paid dividends.
Next: The Philadelphia Eagles have a lot to be thankful for
Regardless of how the season ends, be it with a parade down Broad Street, or a heartbreaker in the postseason, the team will have established one of the leagues most impressive cultures. Whereas other lockerrooms will house a collection of players with different ambitions, dreams, and goals, the Eagles locker room firmly houses a team, with only one goal in mind; win.