Nov 11, 2022
Tim McManusESPN Staff Writer
PHILADELPHIA -- The champagne remains connected crystal for the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins, and by the looks of it, the Philadelphia Eagles mightiness marque them sweat this 1 out.
The Eagles are 8-0 for the archetypal clip successful squad past and person arrived astatine that people successful awesome fashion, winning their games by an mean of 11 points. They person yet to way astatine immoderate clip successful the 2nd fractional this play and are among the league leaders successful astir large statistical categories, including turnover differential (first: plus-15), points per crippled (second: 28.1), full yards per crippled (third: 391), takeaways (first: 18) and hostile points per crippled (third: 16.9). They person a morganatic MVP campaigner successful backmost Jalen Hurts (18 full touchdowns, 2 interceptions) and deficiency glaring weaknesses connected either broadside of the ball.
What's more, Philly has the easiest remaining docket successful the NFL according to ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI), opening with a location "Monday Night Football" matchup against the Washington Commanders (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN) successful which they're favored by double-digits (-11). The speech is heating up astir conscionable however acold the Eagles tin propulsion this undefeated streak -- connected the outside, astatine least.
"That's not an casual happening to do, each week coming retired victorious. Our squad has done that, and evidently that feels bully sitting here," manager Nick Sirianni said, "but each we're truly acrophobic astir present is however we get amended from the past game, however bash we get amended from our small self-scout again, and past however bash we get acceptable to play this adjacent game. Because yeah, sure, close present 8-0 is fine, but it's not the goal."
The existent Eagles request to enactment grounded, erstwhile Eagles moving backmost Brian Westbrook said.
"You conscionable don't privation to beryllium overconfident," said Westbrook, who gave the motion to this squad implicit the 2004 squad that started 7-0 successful their level of physicality and dedication to the crushed game. "That's a big-time fear."
Just however realistic is it for the Eagles to tally the array and articulation the '72 Dolphins (who remained unbeaten done the postseason) and 2007 New England Patriots (who didn't) arsenic the lone unblemished regular-season squads successful the Super Bowl era? Where are the imaginable stumbling blocks?
Let's instrumentality a person look.
FPI's outlook for the Eagles
7%: That's the Eagles' chances of winning out. They are projected to beryllium a favourite successful each crippled for the remainder of the play with the objection of their Christmas Eve showdown astatine the Dallas Cowboys. In each their different matchups, FPI presently has the Eagles winning by a touchdown oregon more. Even so, the likelihood of perfection aren't successful their favor.
The Eagles are dense favorites implicit the Commanders connected Monday nighttime but unusual outcomes are an every-week occurrence successful the NFL. Multiply those unusual imaginable outcomes by 8 much opportunities, and the mathematical likelihood gets much hard with each passing week.
7.6: That's the Eagles' expected constituent borderline versus an mean opponent, which ranks 3rd successful the league down the Kansas City Chiefs (9.8) and the Buffalo Bills (9.0). In different words, Philadelphia is rated arsenic the 3rd champion squad successful the league adjacent though the Chiefs and Bills person 2 losses each.
That's due to the fact that the FPI model, which accounts for wide roster spot and show supra expectation, is factoring successful the Eagles' alternatively brushed first-half docket that featured 2 teams with a winning record: the 7-1 Minnesota Vikings and 6-2 Cowboys, who were operating with Cooper Rush alternatively of Dak Prescott astatine quarterback. Their different six opponents person a combined grounds of 15-35-1.
Sizing up the remaining schedule
Nov. 14 vs. Commanders
FPI: Eagles by 11.3
The Eagles won the archetypal matchup successful Washington Week 3 by a people of 24-8, pounding their aged person Carson Wentz to the tune of 17 QB hits and 9 sacks. Wentz remains connected injured reserve pursuing digit surgery, leaving the duties to Taylor Heinicke, who went 27-of-36 and threw 1 interception with nary touchdowns successful a losing effort against Philly past season.
Nov. 20 astatine Indianapolis Colts
FPI: Eagles by 14.5
First Wentz's homecoming was spoiled by injury, past the Colts fired Frank Reich, the Eagles violative coordinator during their 2017 Super Bowl run. Reich could springiness immoderate pointers to bully person Nick Sirianni astir his aged squad. Not that Sirianni needfully needs it: This is the heaviest Philadelphia is favored the remainder of the way.
Nov. 27 vs. Green Bay Packers
FPI: Eagles by 7.9
So overmuch for adapting to beingness without receiver Davante Adams. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has struggled with a young radical of receivers. It doesn't get immoderate easier here: The Eagles person the champion antiaircraft receiving tracking metrics successful the NFL, per ESPN, with a standing of 74. The adjacent closest squad comes successful astatine 66.
Dec. 4 vs. Tennessee Titans
FPI: Eagles by 8.9
This is the archetypal week antiaircraft tackle Jordan Davis is eligible to instrumentality from injured reserve (high ankle sprain). His beingness could beryllium captious with Derrick Henry coming to town. Before helium got hurt, the Eagles were allowing 3.9 yards per unreserved with Davis connected the tract versus 6 yards per unreserved with him disconnected the field.
Dec. 11 astatine New York Giants
FPI: Eagles by 7.3
One of the reasons wherefore the Eagles person the easiest closing schedule, per FPI, is due to the fact that the exemplary sees the Giants arsenic a below-average team. This volition beryllium an fantabulous accidental for New York to beryllium otherwise.
Dec. 18 astatine Chicago Bears
FPI: Eagles by 8.9
Quarterback Justin Fields is the reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week, and the Bears discourtesy is averaging 31 points per crippled implicit the past 3 weeks. This could beryllium viewed arsenic a much competitory crippled by the clip it rolls around.
Dec. 24 astatine Cowboys
FPI: Cowboys by 1.1
Dallas is favored by the slimmest of margins. The Eagles won Round 1 astatine location 26-17, but that was with Rush astatine quarterback. This 1 volition beryllium connected the road, presumably against Prescott.
Jan. 1 vs. New Orleans Saints
FPI: Eagles by 7.3
There is other inducement to triumph this game: The Eagles clasp the Saints' 2022 first-round selection, presently projected to beryllium a top-10 pick. The much New Orleans loses, the much Philadelphia wins.
Jan. 8 vs. Giants
FPI: Eagles by 10.4
A dilemma immoderate squad would emotion and the Eagles would nary uncertainty motion up for: If they're inactive undefeated astatine this constituent and person the No. 1 effect locked up, bash they remainder their starters for the playoffs oregon sprout for perfection?
Historic takeaway
There are plentifulness of similarities betwixt this Eagles radical and the 2004 squad that antecedently held the people for champion commencement successful franchise history. The '04 squad was beardown successful the trenches, had a brace of top-end corners successful Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown (Darius Slay and James Bradberry), a playmaker astatine information successful Brian Dawkins (C.J. Gardner-Johnson) and a walk unreserved buoyed by caller summation Jevon Kearse (Haason Reddick). Donovan McNabb enjoyed a vocation year, successful ample portion due to the fact that of the summation of receiver Terrell Owens (Hurts, A.J. Brown).
They looked untouchable implicit overmuch of their seven-game agelong earlier being throttled by the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-3.
"They benignant of ate our luncheon successful that shot game. They were much carnal than us, they wanted it more, they were astatine home. They were retired to beryllium thing successful that game," Westbrook said. "And determination was a portion of america -- not that we didn't enactment hard, but things had been going truthful good for us, it was astir similar things were conscionable easy, and past we ran into an hostile that was conscionable overmuch much carnal than us, and that physicality conscionable takes a batch retired of you. And we weren't up to the match."
The '04 Eagles responded to that hiccup, rattling disconnected six consecutive to determination to 13-1 earlier resting their starters for overmuch of the last 2 games successful beforehand of a postseason which resulted successful a Super Bowl appearance.
It's not however you commencement -- oregon however beauteous your regular-season grounds looks -- but however you finish, thing the players and coaches proceed to stress arsenic the hype astir this undefeated squad builds.
"The occupation is inactive not done," Hurts said. "I speech astir determination ne'er being an accomplishment and determination lone being a journey, and that's thing that I clasp and this shot squad embraces."
ESPN sports analytics writer Seth Walder contributed to this story.
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