Eagles-Lions preview: Key stats ahead of the Week 3 matchup | Paul Domowitch

Sunday’s Eagles-Lions games by the numbers:

--DeSean Jackson’s early exit last week didn’t have any impact on the distance of Carson Wentz’s throws. He averaged 9.8 throwing yards per attempt against the Falcons. The week before, when Jackson caught eight passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns, Wentz averaged 9.2 throwing yards per attempt. What did change without Jackson was the accuracy of Wentz’s longer throws. He was just 1-for-5 with two interceptions on throws of 20 or more yards. Against Washington, he was 2-for-5 with two touchdowns. He also was 4-for-6 for 62 yards against Washington on throws of 11-to-19 yards. Last week, he was 3-for-11 for 49 yards.

--Wentz’s one-yard touchdown plunge in the fourth quarter against the Falcons was only the third rushing touchdown of his career and his first since Week 15 of his rookie season in 2016.

--He had two of the Eagles’ five rushing first downs against Atlanta. That gives him five in the first two games. He had nine rushing first downs all last season.

--Wentz has attempted just nine passes from under center in the first two games, completing six for 41 yards. He’s 47 for 73 for 503 yards, four TDs, two interceptions and four sacks out of shotgun.

--He completed just one pass longer than 17 yards against the Falcons. That was the 43-yarder to Nelson Agholor late in the game. Wentz completed three 20-plus-yard passes in Week 1 – the 51- and 53-yard touchdowns to DeSean Jackson and a 26-yard completion to Zach Ertz.

--The Eagles ran the ball only 21 times and averaged just 2.3 yards per carry against a Falcons defense that had given up 172 rushing yards to the Vikings the week before. Through two games, they’re 28th in the league in rush average (3.3).

--The Eagles have had six runs negated by holding calls, including a 21-yard touchdown run by Miles Sanders that the league later admitted was a bogus call, and an eight-yard run by Sanders.

--Sanders has averaged just 2.5 yards per carry in his first two games. Five of his 21 carries have resulted in negative yards. He has just two rushing first downs and one run of 10-yards or more. As a team, the Eagles have just three 10-plus-yard runs in the first two games – one by Sanders (19 yards), one by Jordan Howard (17) and one by Darren Sproles (17). All three of those runs came in the second half of their Week 1 win over Washington.

--The Lions have not been very good against the run in their first two games. They’ve given up 5.2 yards per carry and 5.4 per carry on first down.

--Playing with just three healthy wide receivers and one healthy tight end, the Eagles used “11’’ personnel (1RB, 1TE, 3WR) on 69 of 72 offensive plays against Atlanta. They used “12’’ personnel (1RB, 2TE, 2WR) on the other three plays, inserting offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai as the second tight end with Zack Ertz. They ran the ball on two of those three plays with Vaitai, including Wentz’s one-yard touchdown. On the one pass play out of 12 personnel, Wentz hit Ertz for a six-yard gain.

--The Eagles have given up 700 passing yards in their first two games. That’s the most they’ve allowed in the first two games of the season since 2013 when they gave up 748 to Washington (329) and the Chargers (419).

--They’re tied for 31st in touchdown passes allowed (6). The only team that’s given up more is the godawful Dolphins (8).

--They have just two sacks in the first two games. They had five at this point last season. They actually have more total quarterback pressures (sacks-hits-hurries) than they did a year ago, however. According to Pro Football Focus, they had 42 pressures in the first two games last season (5 sacks, 14 hits, 23 hurries). Through two games this season, they have 44 (2 sacks, 12 hits, 30 pressures).

--Derek Barnett has played more snaps in the first two games than Fletcher Cox. Barnett, who is coming off shoulder surgery, has played 102 of 130 snaps. Cox, who is coming off of foot surgery, has played 91 snaps (70 percent). Last year, Cox played 111 of 128 snaps in the first two games (86.7).

--Cox had two hits and four hurries in the Eagles’ Week 1 win over Washington. He had just one hit and one hurry in the loss to Atlanta.

--A statistical look at the Eagles’ four corners in the first two games: Ronald Darby (17 targets, 10 receptions, 154 yards, 2 TDs, 15.4 yards allowed per catch), Rasul Douglas (9/6/99/2/16.5), Sidney Jones (11/7/55/0/7.9) and Avonte Maddox (16/13/135/1/10.4).

--Jim Schwartz blitzed 10 times on 44 pass plays against the Falcons (22.7 percent). That wasn’t a particularly high number. But the number of zero blitzes (6 or more rushers) was. He called six zero blitzes. It was just the seventh time in 50 regular-season games as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator that he’s called six or more zero blitzes. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was just 2-for-6 when the Eagles blitzed six or more rushers. Unfortunately, one of those was the late 54-yard screen to Julio Jones for the game-winning touchdown.

--In their first two games, the Eagles have blitzed 19 times on 89 pass plays (21.3 percent). Opponents have a 103.2 passer rating when Schwartz has sent more than four rushers. Three of the six TD passes the Eagles have given up have come on blitzes. So have one of their two sacks and one of their three interceptions. They’ve allowed 9.2 yards per attempt when they’ve blitzed.

--The Eagles defense is fifth in yards allowed per carry through the first two games (2.8). It has given up just three rushing first downs and one run of 10 yards or more.

--It is third in first-down rush average. Opponents are averaging just 2.5 yards per carry against them on first down. Only the Ravens (2.1) and the Patriots (2.2) have been better.

--The Eagles’ first two opponents have run the ball a combined 30 times against them. The only two teams that have been run on less have been the Ravens (23) and the Patriots (28). Sunday’s opponent, the Lions, have run the ball 60 times in their first two games, the ninth most in the league.

--The Eagles have the league’s third best third-down percentage on offense (57.1). They’ve converted 20 of 35 third-down opportunities. They converted 11 of 17 third downs in Week 1 v. Washington and nine of 18 last week against Atlanta. Carson Wentz completed 12 of 13 third-down pass attempts against Washington for 199 yards and three touchdowns. He wasn’t nearly as sharp in the loss to the Falcons: 7-for-12 for 76 yards, one interception and all three of his sacks.

--Wentz is sixth in third-down passing with a 133.8 rating, behind Lamar Jackson (158.3), Drew Brees (149.1), Russell Wilson (148.2), Derek Carr (147.7) and Patrick Mahomes (145.3). The Lions’ Matthew Stafford has a 90.5 third-down passer rating. He’s completed just 56.5 percent of his third down attempts and has averaged only 6.3 yards per attempt on third down. Just nine of his 23 third-down pass attempts (39.1 percent) have produced first downs. Wentz has 15 passing first downs on 25 third-down pass attempts.

--The Eagles are 12th in third-down defense (34.8 percent). The Falcons converted just three of 10 third downs against them last week. Matt Ryan was 5-for-9 for 83 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT and 1 sack on third down. Just three of his nine third-down pass attempts resulted in first downs, but one of them was his 34-yard third-and-six touchdown pass to Calvin Ridley.

--The Eagles ran just five of their 72 plays against the Falcons from under center. The week before against Washington, 22 of their 71 plays were from under center. All five of the under-center plays the Eagles ran against the Falcons were runs – two by Jordan Howard (for seven yards), one by Miles Sanders (for five yards) and two by Carson Wentz (two yards on a quarterback sneak and his one-yard touchdown plunge).

--In their first two games, the Eagles have run 116 of 143 plays (81.1 percent) out of shotgun. They have averaged 3.8 yards per carry in shotgun (34-131), and 2.3 from under center (18-42).

--Washington and Atlanta both scored on their first possessions against the Eagles. They averaged 6.8 yards per play on their first possession. The Eagles have yet to score on their first or second possession. They have averaged just 2.9 yards per play on their first two possessions.

--Five of the Eagles’ 12 possessions against the Falcons started at their own 40 yard line or better. In two games, the Eagles’ average starting field position is the 33.3-yard line. Their opponents’ is just the 23.4. That’s an plus-10.1-yard difference.