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How the 2018 Eagles compared to the NFL average

Where do the Eagles rank in comparison to the rest of the league?

NFL: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Now that the Philadelphia Eagles’ season is over, let’s take a look at how the 2018 team performed compared to the NFL average and see where improvement is needed.


OVERVIEW

Category Eagles Rank
Category Eagles Rank
Point Differential +19 t-12th
Turnover Differential -6 25th

The Eagles need to get better in the turnover department next season. Their 17 takeaways ranked tied for 22nd and their 23 giveaways ranked tied for 20th.


OFFENSE

Category Eagles NFL AVG Difference Rank
Category Eagles NFL AVG Difference Rank
Yards/Game 365.3 352.2 13.1 14th
Yards/Play 5.64 5.6 0.04 15th
RushYards/Game 98.1 114.4 -16.3 28th
RushYards/Play 3.94 4.42 -0.48 30th
PassYards/Game 267.2 237.8 29.4 7th
PassYards/Play 7.14 6.89 0.25 10th
Interception Rate 1.84% 2.37% -0.53% 10th
Sacks/Pass Attempt 6.68% 7.25% -0.57% 15th
First Downs/Game 21.6 20.4 1.2 11th
3rd Down Pct 40.98% 39.12% 1.86% 12th
4th Down Pct 60.87% 55.66% 5.21% 10th
RedZone Pct 57.89% 59.06% -1.17% 17th
Goal to Go Pct 74.19% 73.45% 0.74% 20th
Average TOP 32:03 - - 2nd
Points/Game 22.9 23.3 -0.4 18th

The Eagles’ 2018 offense was average-ish, which is just not good enough in today’s NFL. It’s more than a mere coincidence that the top four scoring teams were all playing in the Conference Championship games. Simply put, the Eagles need to score a lot more points in 2019.

Philadelphia’s ineffective ground game also sticks out like a sore thumb here. The Eagles need to upgrade their running back talent this offseason.


DEFENSE

Category Eagles NFL AVG Difference Rank
Category Eagles NFL AVG Difference Rank
Yards/Game 366.2 352.2 14 23rd
Yards/Play 5.85 5.6 0.25 23rd
RushYards/Game 96.9 114.4 -17.5 7th
RushYards/Play 4.67 4.42 0.25 21st
PassYards/Game 269.3 237.8 31.5 30th
PassYards/Play 6.88 6.89 -0.01 13th
Interception Rate 1.60% 2.37% -0.77% 27th
Sacks/Pass Attempt 7.03% 7.25% -0.22% 20th
First Downs/Game 19.3 20.4 -1.1 8th
3rd Down Pct 35.32% 39.12% -3.80% 6th
4th Down Pct 57.89% 55.66% 2.23% 19th
RedZone Pct 44.64% 59.06% -14.42% 1st
Goal to Go Pct 53.85% 73.45% -19.60% 1st
Points/Game 21.8 23.3 -1.5 12th

This is what a “bend but don’t break” defense looks like. The Eagles allowed teams to move the ball on them too easily but Jim Schwartz’s unit performed well in critical areas such as third down (believe it or not!) and the red zone.

The Eagles’ defense has room to improve, especially when it comes to forcing more takeaways and generating more sacks. Overall, though, the 2018 defense was a pretty solid unit, especially when you account for all the injuries they had to deal with. The calls to fire Schwartz are undeserved.


SPECIAL TEAMS (FOR)

Category Eagles NFL AVG Difference Rank
Category Eagles NFL AVG Difference Rank
Punt Return Avg 6.5 8.5 -2 23rd
Kickoff Return Avg 22 22.9 -0.9 19th
Field Goals Made 83.87% 84.69% -0.82% 18th

Corey Clement (13) and DeAndre Carter (10) handled the majority of Eagles kick returns in 2018. Clement (25.6) was better than Carter (20.4) but neither player was particularly threatening to take it to the house. It’d be nice to see the Eagles try to find a returner with a little more juice.

If Darren Sproles isn’t back for 2018, it’s unclear who will even return punts for the Eagles. If he DOES come back, a healthy Sproles might be more effective in this area than he was in 2018.


SPECIAL TEAMS (AGAINST)

Category Eagles NFL AVG Difference Rank
Category Eagles NFL AVG Difference Rank
Punt Return Avg 6.3 8.5 -2.2 6th
Kickoff Return Avg 22.5 22.9 -0.4 13th

Dave Fipp’s special teams coverage units were solid enough in 2018.


FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS

Category Rank
Category Rank
Team DVOA 15th
Offense 16th
Pass Offense 11th
Rush Offense 27th
Defense 15th
Pass Defense 15th
Rush Defense 9th
Special Teams 15th

The 2018 Eagles actually ended up as one of the most overall average teams ever charted by Football Outsiders’ metrics.


PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS

Category Rank
Category Rank
Overall 6th
Offense t-10th
Pass Offense t-10th
Rush Offense 28th
Pass Block t-10th
Run Block t-5th
Defense 5th
Run Defense 10th
Pass Rush 2nd
Pass Coverage 15th
Tackling 20th
Special Teams 19th

PFF’s metrics indicate the Eagles’ run blocking was very much not the problem with the running game being bad. They also have love for Schwartz’s defense.

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