Cale Clinton

Breaking down the Eagles' blowout Super Bowl LIX victory by the numbers

Multiple records broken, a shocking lack of blitzes, and an under-the-radar receiver performance:

Breaking down the Eagles’ blowout Super Bowl LIX by the numbers

www.nytimes.com/athletic/612...

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No the logic’s definitely there. A handful of these go to OT, which helps too. I was just surprised that those kinds of historic totals only turn into wins at just better than coin-flip odds

One I was really surprised by: the Dallas Cowboys are 0-6 in their six highest passing games in franchise history.

After last night's record-setting performance by Jameis, teams are currently 18-14 in the games where they set a franchise passing record. Kinda surprised!

Panthers, Browns, Cowboys, Broncos, Lions, Colts, Jaguars, Chiefs, Chargers, Dolphins, Vikings, Saints, Giants, and Buccaneers all with Ls.

The per-month stuff rules. Tougher for albums bc I’ll throw on sets for peloton rides/get-togethers sometimes, but the songs are a nice snapshot of what I got hooked on for a few weeks

Taking a break from Radiohead to participate in cultural moments, then going back for more Radiohead

Before December 2023, I think the only Radiohead song I had ever heard was Creep.

Whoops

If MVPs are equal parts stats and narrative, Saquon Barkley has both. The Hard Knocks clips, the backwards-hurdle, and the Eagles' NFC dominance give you the narrative. The franchise records and once-in-a-decade rushing performance give you the stats.

Tell the story of the 2024 season. Saquon MVP.

The tides are shifting. The pendulum is starting to swing back to more hard-nosed, physical football.

Saquon Barkley strattles the line between the speed/finesse game that dominated the last five years and the physical style that could be cultivated the next five

Philadelphia is a good offense turned great by the single acquisition of Saquon. This is also coming after several years of PHI being an elite, high-scoring rushing attack.

The Eagles had the fifth-most rushing TDs in NFL history just two years ago, but this team is clearing them by EPA totals.

Collectively, the Eagles rushing attack is operating with an efficiency not seen in over a decade. PHI is averaging 5.2 rush EPA added per 100 snaps this season. Only 8 teams have hit 5.0 rush EPA/100 snaps this century, and no team has since 2011.

Just 9 teams have a POSITIVE rush EPA/100 this yr

Then you look at his EPA numbers. Barley is averaging 0.12 offensive rushing EPA/play, eighth-most in the 21st century (min. 225 carries), has not been done since the '00s.

Again, 2 of the 8 players (LT, Alexander) to hit this mark picked up MVP awards. Neither had Barkley's receiving efficiency.

Barkley accounts for 34.2% of all PHI offensive touchdowns, one of only 10 skill players to account for at least 30% of his team's TDs.

Of those 10, only Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Ja'Marr Chase are also playing on offenses ranked top-10 in offensive EPA/Play

Barkley doesn't score as much as other MVPs. He likely won't sniff the lofty totals put up by former MVPs LT (31), Shaun Alexander (28), or Marshall Faulk (26), but Barkley is still an offensive engine.

Barkley gets GL TDs vultured by Hurts, but Barkley still accounts for 13 of the Eagles' 38 TDs.

It's even more impressive on a per-touch basis.

Barkley is averaging 6.1 yards per rush and 6.4 yards per touch. Only seven RBs have averaged at least 6 YPC on 200+ carries, last done in Adrian Peterson's MVP campaign.

Only 5 other seasons have seen at least 6.4 YPT with min. 275 touches

His additional 22.3 rec yds/gm put him up closer to 150 yards from scrimmage per game. Hitting 2,350 yards would put Barkley in elite company -- just six other players have hit that mark in NFL history. Two (Sanders, LT) won MVP.

Saquon Barkley is getting close to hitting those benchmarks. At 124.9 rush yds/gm, Barkley is just the fifth running back to average those totals for a single season. Each went on to rush for 2,000 yards.

While Barkley is projected to fall just shy of that benchmark (given a Week 18 bye)...

The argument looked something like this:

-Averaging about ~100 rushing yards per game, or about ~140 all-purpose yards per game to eventually crack 2,000 APY in a season
-Lots of scoring
-Shining on a contending team

It was the case for CMC, which was clearly derailed by injury

HOWEVER...

Earlier this year, while doing preseason predictions, I laid out the case for what a running back's MVP season would look like. It was a long-shot, and I really didn't think it was all that realistic.

Saquon Barkley's making the case right now.

Think I cracked Miami’s cold-weather problem: just switch colorways after November 1. Can’t wear teal below 50 degrees

Thinking NBA rules, that’s on me

Build the whole defense out of 11 Overshowns

Forgot team leader in TFLs. Sixth-lowest average tackle depth among LBs (min. 50 tackles). Cowboys have to be excited about his development

DeMarvion Overshown can really do it all.
-Cowboys Co-leader in sacks.
-2nd-most tackles on team.
-Most PDs on team outside the secondary

Now, the owner of the team’s only pick six (and only defensive touchdown) of the season.

If Dallas was better, he’d be a DROY dark horse

Osa Odighizua enters today’s game with the fourth-most pressures among DTs and as many pressures as Micah Parsons but only has 2.0 sacks on the year.

He’s already taken a massive leap this year, but when those pressures start converting he’s going to be a PROBLEM

47 RBs qualify for PFR’s rushing leaderboard. Of those RBs, the Chargers had only faced one RB (Chuba Hubbard) who cleared the league-average 4.4 yards per rush art.

With about half a quarter left to play, LAC has already allowed a season-high 194 rushing yards

The Chargers — allowing the third-most yards after contact per carry this season before tonight — finding out they have to tackle Derrick Henry

Bucs beat Giants in N.Y.’s first game without Daniel Jones: Key takeaways The Giants were shut out in the first half and couldn't convert a third down until after halftime in Tommy DeVito's first start of 2024.

Everything looked effortless for the Buccaneers as Tampa Bay picks up a 30-7 win over the Giants and Tommy DeVito.

The first few weeks of the post-Daniel Jones era are not going to be fun.

www.nytimes.com/athletic/594...