Eagles, Week 2 — What Repeats: Five of Six Sacks on Hurts

Two games, six sacks, and the charters have put five of them on Jalen Hurts. A sack charted as the quarterback's fault is one the charters lay on the passer rather than on the protection. Last week it was all three. In Nashville it was two of the three: the one in the second quarter at his own 47 and the one in the fourth at his own 29, both of them plays where he was ruled sacked going out of bounds, for a loss of one and for no gain, and on both he was charted out of the pocket. The third, Jacob Martin's, was not charged to him. Across the whole of last regular season Hurts had nine sacks charted as his own fault. Through two games he has five. That is more than half of last season's total in two afternoons, and it is the clearest thing in this offense's charting that has now moved the same way twice.

And it did not follow the rush. Tennessee sent five or more pass rushers on nine of Philadelphia's 42 dropbacks, 21 percent, 20-seventh of the 32 teams this week, with the median at 33. Last week Washington did it on 39 percent, sixth-highest in the league, and last season opponents did it to this offense on 33 percent. A heavy-rush week and a light-rush week produced the same charting verdict on the sacks. The charting keeps pointing at the quarterback, whatever the defense's plan.

The throws went the other way from last week. 27 of Hurts's 37 were charted catchable, 73 percent, fifteenth of the 32 this week, a whisker above the median. Last week it was 64 percent and 20-third; across last season, 71. For now he is back at his own number. Only two of the 37 were contested, a receiver and a defender arriving together, five percent and 20-fifth this week, against 11 percent for him last season and 16 last week. Both went to DeVonta Smith and he caught both, both in the fourth quarter, the second on the final drive. The charters marked exactly one ball all day as interception-worthy, a ball a defender should have caught, and it was the first interception, Amani Hooker's. The second interception, the deep ball for Smith in the fourth quarter, was charted neither interception-worthy nor catchable. Last season he threw 10 interception-worthy balls on 456 throws. There were three throwaways, and one drop on 27 catchable balls, Dontayvion Wicks on the first snap of the winning drive.

The scheme mostly held its shape, and one piece of it keeps shrinking. Play-action on eight of 42 dropbacks, 19 percent, 20-fifth of the 32 this week, with the median at 24 and a half. Last week 18 percent, last season 22. Below last season twice, and this week the fakes bought almost nothing: Hurts's eight play-action throws produced four completions for 31 yards, and his other 29 produced 22 for 233. Last season his play-action throws produced 708 yards on 102. Tempo is the other constant. No-huddle on 17 percent of snaps, the highest rate of any of the 32 teams this week, after the third-highest last week, and 19 percent last season, so this is who they already were. Motion on 39 of 86 charted plays, 45 percent, twentieth this week with the median at 50, against 37 percent last season; above last year both weeks. The run-pass option on seven of 72 snaps, 10 percent, against six last season and 14 last week.

Now the run game, where the charting repeated and the result did not. Tennessee showed six or fewer in the box on 18 of Philadelphia's 30 designed runs, 60 percent, tied with the Raiders and the Commanders for seventh of the 32 this week, with the median at 44. Last week it was 61 percent. Last season this offense saw a light box on 46 percent of its designed runs. So for two straight weeks defenses have given this backfield a lighter front than it saw all of last year. Last week that paid, five yards per designed run. This week the 30 went for 78 yards, 2.6 a run, 20-fifth of the 32. The 18 runs into a light box gained 48 yards, the 12 into seven or more gained 30.

On defense, the number is a zero, and it is now a two-week zero. Tennessee threw 20 passes and not one was charted interception-worthy, and not one was contested. None contested ties Chicago for the fewest of the 32 defenses this week. Over two games opponents have thrown 54 times at this defense without a single ball a defender should have caught; last season opponents put up 17 of those on 546 throws. The Recap said Philadelphia has not forced a turnover in either game. In the charting, nobody has offered one either. Cam Ward's throws were catchable on 13 of 20, 65 percent, exactly what opponents managed against this defense all last season. The pass rush looks like last year's too: five or more rushers on five of Tennessee's 24 dropbacks, 21 percent, 20-eighth of the 32 this week, against 19 percent last season and 23 last week. Jalen Carter's sack on first and goal came on a play-action dropback and was not charged to Ward; the other sack was.

The run defense is where the box and the fake met. Philadelphia showed six or fewer on 17 of Tennessee's 27 designed runs, 63 percent, fifth-highest of the 32 this week, against 68 percent last season and 66 last week. Tennessee's 27 designed runs went for 117 yards, the seventh-most per designed run allowed this week. All three of its runs of 10 yards or more, Tony Pollard's 13 18 and Tyjae Spears's 27, came against six in the box; the other 14 light-box runs gained 33. And Tennessee faked the run on seven of 24 dropbacks, 29 percent, twelfth this week; Ward's five play-action throws went three for 74, the 41 to Elic Ayomanor and the 25 to Calvin Ridley. Next time out, watch the box count when the other team's back breaks one.

The stat lines have settled, scored half-PPR. Smith led everyone with 22.7, 10 catches for 117 and a touchdown on 13 targets. Hurts 16.2, 26 of 37 for 264, two touchdowns, two interceptions, five carries for 16. Tank Bigsby 13 carries for 33 and the rushing touchdown, 10.8. Wicks five for 74 on six targets, 9.9; Darius Cooper two for 26 and the winning score, 9.6. Barkley four carries for nine. For Tennessee, Ward scored 20, with both rushing touchdowns.

A word on the comparisons, because the show's name asks a question two games cannot answer. Every "last season" here is the 2025 regular season, a roster a year older, some of it in new jobs. Through Week 3 that is the only baseline available, and it tells you what is unusual, not yet what is true. Week 1 is last week, one game, not a season rate. When a figure lands far from last season in the same direction twice, we call it the first sign of a repeat, and nothing more.

The thread, for anyone new. Last season the Eagles went 11 six. They beat Washington by two in Week 1 and Tennessee by four here, and they are two and oh. After last week the notebook had three entries: the quarterback's afternoon, the motion and option rates, and a defense whose box did not move. Updated honestly: the sacks charged to Hurts repeated, against a rush that was nothing like last week's; the accuracy did not repeat, it recovered; the light boxes for the offense repeated and the yards did not; and the defense's box and four-man rush are still last season's, now with 54 straight throws that gave it nothing to catch.

That's your Eagles — every game, by the numbers. This is Muffed: we do the same deep dive for all 32 teams. Follow the Eagles show wherever you're listening, so next week's recap lands the moment it's out. No theater. Just the football.

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_Data via nflverse. Charting: FTN Data via nflverse._