Owners of the best record in the NFL with an 8-1 mark, the Philadelphia Eagles were off last week. And they watched the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and New York Giants all lose last Sunday. The ‘Boys were routed at Atlanta, the ‘Skins fell short at home to the Minnesota Vikings and Big Blue became the San Francisco 49ers’ first victim of 2017. That means entering Week 11, Doug Pederson’s club owns a three-game lead in the Nfc East over Dallas. The two teams square off Sunday night at AT&T Stadium and the Cowboys need a win big-time to keep the Birds from running away with a division title.

Of course, the Eagles have stayed aggressive all year and were not idle during the off-week. But let’s take a look at what Pederson’s team has done so far to put themselves in this position.

The season to date

Entering Week 11, only three teams in the NFL were averaging more total yards per game than the Philadelphia Eagles. The Birds also rank fourth in the league in rushing. Defensively, coordinator Jim Schwartz’s unit was 10th in fewest yards allowed per game. Pederson’s club is allowing a league-low 66.4 rushing yards per contest. Second-year quarterback Carson Wentz has thrown 23 TD passes and turned over the ball just seven times during the team’s 8-1 start. Those miscues include five interceptions and only two lost fumbles.

In 16 games a year ago, the then-rookie signal-caller threw for 16 scores, was picked off 14 times and lost three of his 14 fumbles. The Eagles have already scored 30 offensive touchdowns in nine games one season after the Philadelphia offense managed only 32 visits to the end zone in 16 contests.

Looking for more positives?

The Eagles have outscored opponents a combined 64-12 in the first quarter this season. They have not allowed a touchdown in the first 15 minutes of play in ’17. The Birds are not only 3-1 on the road this year (1-7 in 2016) and a perfect 3-0 vs. NFC East rivals this season. Wow!

Key returns and additions

As mentioned, the Dallas Cowboys will host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night.

And general manager Howie Roseman used the Birds’ off week to sign free-agent reinforcements such as left tackle Will Beatty and inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe to offset the season-ending losses for Jason Peters and Jordan Hicks, respectively. It also looks like the Eagles’ secondary will be getting healthier this week as cornerback Ronald Darby will finally be back after injuring his ankle roughly a month ago. It’s too early to crown the Eagles anything just yet. But Roseman and the organization are preparing to handle what could be a tough stretch Run.
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