The reinforcement is constant.
The Philadelphia Eagles host a team meeting Thursday on forcing turnovers and review ball security film after each practice.
On Saturday, coaches show clips of 10 to 15 recent turnovers around the league to learn, head coach Nick Sirianni said.
Sometimes college or high school movies come into the conversation.
Because while the Eagles’ current five-game winning streak has included multiple ingredients, they’re not downplaying how winning the turnover battle has contributed.
Philadelphia lost the turnover battle in the first four games of the season and finished 2-2. Since then, they have beaten him in five games and won them all.
The strong correlation dates back to long before this streak.
“For every team it’s a huge statistic, but even more so for us because we were above the league average up to 23-1 when we won that turnover battle,” Sirianni said. “For us, it’s a huge statistic.”
TruMedia data confirmed that the Eagles are 23-1, with 23 consecutive wins, under Sirianni when posting a better turnover rate than their opponent. Not surprisingly, taking care of the football has led to wins, but his .958 winning percentage far exceeds the league average of .769.
Only the defending conference champions have fared better, the San Francisco 49ers 28-1 and the Kansas City Chiefs 17-0 by turning the ball over less than their opponents since 2021.
Without that advantage? The Eagles are 18-18 (.500) when producing the same or more giveaways as their opponents.
So the emphasis will continue.
“We want them to always keep that in mind,” Sirianni said Monday. “We are constantly thinking of new ways to teach it. We are constantly trying to think of new ways to implement it. … For us, it’s a huge statistic.”
The problem: As the Eagles (7-2) host the Washington Commanders (6-3) on Thursday with first place in the NFC East on the line, Philadelphia will have a tough time overtaking the Commanders.
Only once this season did Washington lose the turnover battle. The Eagles understand why.
Jayden Daniels’ rookie year isn’t just notable for the spectacular plays he made and the deep passes he threw. The second overall pick in the 2024 draft has done a lot more than combine skill and luck for an exciting Hail Mary, and he’s done a lot more than simply extend plays by fighting, although he’s done it well.
Daniels has done more for rising commanders by doing less in one category.
Like Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud the year before, Daniels has made his success possible by not missing opportunities.
Having thrown just two interceptions in 262 pass attempts, Daniels’ 0.8% interception rate ranks fifth in the league among qualifiers and third among the team’s current starters. The two starters with the best results: Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers with 0.4% and Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens with 0.8%.
His only two credited fumbles went out of bounds and neither of them landed in his opponent’s hands.
In all, the Commanders’ four total giveaways tie the Chargers for the best in the league. And while a less opportunistic defense leaves the Commanders’ plus-6 record tied for seventh-best, they are nonetheless better in the category than the 14th-ranked Eagles.
“He’s only thrown two interceptions, which is really unreal,” Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “Congratulations to him for what he has been able to achieve. Congratulations to the coaches who are coaching him, because it is not an easy offense to execute.”
Daniels’ efficiency hasn’t simply been the result of conservative plays and low-risk plays. While offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury helped Daniels for a couple of weeks, he quickly began making deep shots. Only three quarterbacks have averaged more than Daniels’ 8.54 passing yards per attempt, and five more than his 8.2 yards per attempt.
Daniels’ study habits and mental bank of coverages from five years of college appear to be paying off.
“He knows what he can do and what he can’t do,” Kingsbury said. “And then he also knows the protections and knows when he needs to be picked up and when he’s hot. And then you can set guys up knowing, ‘Okay, that’s the free runner.’ I can set a trap and get out this way or that way.
“It’s a combination of his knowledge of the system and then pure athletic ability.”
Commanders’ clean slate won’t stop Eagles from trying
The Eagles can, and have, won without winning the turnover battle.
They will have home-field advantage with a team whose core has been together much longer than the Commanders, who feature a first-year quarterback, a first-year general manager and a first-year head coach. (for this organization). .
The Eagles’ explosive offense should be able to find opportunities against a Commanders defense ranked 20th in passing efficiency and 12th in rushing efficiency, according to Next Gen Stats. As long as Philadelphia can protect itself from the pressure Washington’s defense has been sending, Hurts will have the opportunity to capitalize on a group of weapons that includes Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith.
But Philadelphia should know: Even as its defense has reduced its missed tackles and generated more turnovers, Washington’s offense is much stronger than Philadelphia’s defense in most key categories.
Your surest path to changing the calculus is a change of course.
He’ll be tougher than any of the five Philadelphia faced Sunday against a reeling Dallas Cowboys team that lost quarterback Dak Prescott.
Philadelphia will no doubt believe it has a chance.
And to help that opportunity: Cue the film on the Eagles’ own turnover creation in meetings and the best turnover methodology in the entire league. Cue drills to take into practice and coaches eager to give feedback.
“You put them in drills, you put them into practice, we insist on it,” Sirianni said. “Every time you miss an opportunity in practice, it’s going to be in the team meeting the next day and you’re going to say, ‘Hey, we’ve got this vice tackle right here.’ You’re not shooting the ball or are Shoot the ball. So it’s in our mind.
“I think what happens too is that I’m glad that players talk about it in the sense of ‘Hey, we see this all the time.’ “It’s etched in their mind and that’s what you want.”
Eagles players have texted each other recently when they saw turnovers in other games. They have evaluated the player’s ball handling. And most importantly, for Sirianni, they have put it at the top of their minds.
“That’s what you want,” he said. “That’s when you know your culture is going the way you want it to, when all those things like that are constantly on your mind. It seems that that is the case.”
