The Philadelphia Eagles lose when JJ Arcega-Whiteside catches a pass

Fun fact: The Philadelphia Eagles are 0-4 in games where JJ Arcega-Whiteside catches a pass. Fortunately, that should change against the Miami Dolphins.

Stats can be a lot of fun.

Without context, an astute statistician can pretty much manipulate any set of numbers to fit whatever narrative they please, all the while glossing over those that are less than flattering.

However, sometimes you’ll find a stat that’s just improbable enough to be of note – this is one of those stats.

More from Philadelphia Eagles

You see the Philadelphia Eagles‘ offense is bad so far this season, like really bad. After putting up 32 points in Week 1, the Eagles’ offense averaged 27.5 points per game in September, 23 points in October, and all the way down to 13.67 points per game in November en route to a 5-6 record.

But how could this be? Has Carson Wentz regressed that far after earning a massive payday? Are the receivers really that bad? Is Mike Groh a secret Cowboys double agent?

Maybe so, but if you look at the numbers, there is one stat that was directly correlated with the team getting a win or loss each week: Did JJ Arcega-Whiteside catch a pass?

Seriously, in games where JJAW catches a pass, the Eagles are 0-4 with a -22 points differential.

But why? Is JJ the Cowboys double agent? Do we have a ‘The Departed’ situation on our hands?

Easy: JJ doesn’t play when the Eagles are at full strength.

For whatever reason, the Eagles have been incredibly hesitant to get Arcega-Whiteside involved on the offensive side of the ball when the team is at full strength. Call it a rookie wall, an exaggerated learning curve, or some near-instant buyer’s remorse, but JJAW was consistently behind Mack Hollins on the depth chart for 12 weeks, and the UNC product hasn’t caught a pass since September.

So logically speaking, it’s safe to assume (and the numbers back up) that if Arcega-Whiteside is on the field and getting involved in the offense, it is because a player like Alshon Jeffery or Nelson Agholor isn’t.

That is not a winning strategy.

And yet, JJAW’s ugly unlucky streak has remained frustratingly persistent – at least for now.

Not to jinx anything, but the Eagles are facing off against the Miami Dolphins in Week 13. For those who don’t keep up with the AFC, the NFL Draft, or any team outside of the 215, the Miami Dolphins are bad – like ‘Process’-level bad. They can’t score, their defense is undermanned, and despite having nothing to play for, the team remains committed to playing Ryan Fitzpatrick over Josh Rosen.

Could you imagine a better team to rebound against? This could be Week 5 all over again.

Now granted, the potential returns of Lane Johnson, Jordan Howard, Jeffery, and Agholor could limit JJAW’s touches once more, but if his recent comments are of any indication, it would appear Doug Pederson is committed to carving out a role for his rookie second-round pick down the stretch.

Next. Week 13 just became ultimate trap game for Eagles when facing Dolphins. dark

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves and solely focus on a pivotal Week 16 contest against the Dallas Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles need to recalibrate their offense and beat the Dolphins, Giants, and Redskins. Breaking JJ Arcega-Whiteside’s unlucky streak could play a big part in accomplishing that mission.

Home/Philadelphia Eagles