5 Stats Philadelphia Eagles fans should know ahead of Week 12’s game

Philadelphia Eagles fans love numbers just like everyone else.

It isn’t your grandmother and grandfather’s NFL anymore. It’s a passing league. We’re numbers-obsessed, and Philadelphia Eagles fans aren’t any different than the rest of the 31 fan bases in that regard. NFL Next Gen Stats are as addictive as junk food, most of us play Fantasy football, and whether they make us angry, confuse us, or make us feel like they’ve lost their mind at times, we can’t stop looking at those Pro Football Focus rankings.

Each week, we get stuck in conversations about numbers. We use them to prove our point. We use them to refute others. Heading into Week 12’s Monday Night Football Game, Philly’s final primetime tilt of 2020, it was hard not to look at a few.

Here are three of about thirty or so stats that were pretty interesting as we count down the final hours to a game in which Jason Kelce will be making his 100th-consecutive start (and believe it or not, a game that puts the Eagles back in the NFC East’s driver seat if they win it).

1. The Philadelphia Eagles face a team that makes every QB’s arm look good.

If there was ever a game where Carson Wentz could finally get on track and build some momentum, this is it. Philly’s star signal-caller hasn’t regressed. He’s fallen off of a cliff.

QB1 posted a 75.3 passer rating in Week 11. He’s the only starting quarterback in the NFL with at least a month’s worth of starts that hasn’t produced a passer rating of over 100, but he may get some help. The Seattle Seahawks aren’t stopping anyone with any regularity.

They give up over 340 yards per game, and a quarterback rating of over 98.4 to opposing signal-callers. Both of those totals made them dead last in the league in both categories as Week 12’s slate of games got underway.

2. Unfortunately, the Philadelphia Eagles may also see QB1 on the turf.

A stingy secondary and an aggressive pass rush go hand in hand in football, and it appears that Seattle’s defense is picking up some steam. As sick as Birds fans are of seeing Carson Wentz on the turf, it might happen a few more times in Week 12.

Last week versus the Arizona Cardinals, the Hawks produced three sacks and an additional seven hits on the quarterback, and that was against a very mobile Kyler Murray. Wentz had better have his head on a swivel.

3. The goal is simple for the Philadelphia Eagles.

It’s a question that has been asked all week. How can an anemic Eagles offense keep pace with the high-powered Seahawks? One of the goals is clear. Win time of possession. Russell Wilson and the Seattle offense can’t beat you if they don’t have the ball, but this won’t be a walkthrough for the Eagles offense.

Here are two things to keep in mind on that front. As easy as it is to say ‘Philly needs to run the ball’, the Seahawks aren’t allowing a ton of yardage on the ground these days. Heading into Week 12, their run defense was fourth in the league in both yards per game (91.2) and yards per rush (3.6). It’s intriguing, but Doug Pederson probably won’t stick with the run anyway, especially if his team gets behind early.

Either way, the ball has to get out of Carson Wentz’s hands quickly. Seattle’s steadily-improving pass rush has to be licking its chops after the Eagles offensive line gave up five sacks and an additional ten quarterback hits versus a Cleveland Browns team that didn’t even have Myles Garrett in the lineup. In all, Philly has given up 40 sacks on the season. That makes them the worst team in the league in that category. Buckle up. This game should be very interesting.