The Snow Bowl is a game that will be remembered forever not just because of the winter storm, but because of LeSean McCoy's 217-yard rushing output which set the new single-game franchise record. Here's more news and notes from McCoy's historic day and a lot more than just the weather ...
Shady's Snow Show ... Running back LeSean McCoy rushed for an Eagles record 217 yards, surpassing Steve Van Buren's mark of 205 set on November 27, 1949 vs. Pittsburgh ... McCoy also scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns of 40 and 53 yards, extending his NFL record to seven career fourth-quarter touchdowns of 40-plus yards ... McCoy became the fourth player with two fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns of 40-plus in the same game (Cleveland's Marion Motley in 1946, Arizona's LeShon Johnson in 1996 and Cincinnati's Corey Dillon in 2000) ... McCoy's 1,305 yards this season ranks as the sixth-highest single season total in team history and is 4 yards shy of his career high.
McCoy now has 5,171 career rushing yards in just 71 games, becoming the 18th player in NFL history to surpass 5,000 career rushing yards before his 26th birthday ... With 7,198 career scrimmage yards, McCoy moved past Timmy Brown and into sixth on the team's all-time list. His 1,744 scrimmage yards this season are a career high and the sixth-best single-season total in team history ... The Eagles are 14-3 in McCoy's 17 career 100-yard games ... McCoy's 37 career rushing touchdowns are tied with Brian Westbrook for third place in team history and his 46 total touchdowns are tied with Bobby Walston for 10th.
The Lion King ... McCoy has 359 rushing yards and six total touchdowns (five rushing, one receiving) in three career games against the Lions, including two 100-yard efforts.
Rush Hour ... The Eagles' 299 rushing yards were their fourth-highest total since 1950 and the most since amassing 306 on September 3, 2000 at Dallas ... The Lions came into the game allowing just 82.7 yards per game on the ground, which was the third-lowest average in the NFL ... The Eagles also scored four times on the ground against a Lions team that had not allowed a rushing touchdown since Week 4.
Fourth Quarter Explosion ... The Eagles scored 28 fourth-quarter points, tying a team record which was set during the Miracle at the New Meadowlands in 2010 ... All four scores were rushing touchdowns, capped off by running back Chris Polk's 38-yard scamper ... Coming into the final stanza, the Eagles had rushed 25 times for 76 yards, but reeled off 223 yards on 21 carries in the fourth quarter. According to Stats, Inc., that's the most rushing yards by any team in a quarter since 1991 when quarterly stats were kept.
Forcing the Issue ... The Eagles recovered three fumbles on the afternoon, including one from linebacker Mychal Kendricks who leads the NFL with four this season ... Defensive end Cedric Thornton forced a fumble which was recovered by linebacker Connor Barwin, the first of the year for both players ... Barwin also forced a fumble which was recovered by safety Patrick Chung.
Jaccpot ... WR DeSean Jackson set a career high in receptions this season with 65, eclipsing his previous career high of 62 set in 2008 and 2009. His 1,080 receiving yards rank as the 16th-highest single-season total in team history ... Jackson scored his 31st career touchdown, tying Jack Ferrante for ninth on the Eagles all-time list. The Eagles are now 25-5 when Jackson catches a touchdown ... With 6,226 career yards from scrimmage, Jackson surpassed Keith Byars (6,204) for 10th place in team history.
Taming the Lions ... Detroit came into the game ranked second in the NFL in terms of total offense (424.5 yards per game) and the Eagles were able to hold them to just 228 total net yards ... The Lions threw for just 148 yards, despite coming into the game averaging 309.3 yards per game ... Both totals were the lowest of the season for the Lions.
We're Going Streaking ... The Eagles' current five-game winning streak is their first since a six-game stretch in 2009, and the second-longest streak in the NFL behind Carolina (8), who plays Sunday night.
Saint Nick ... During the Eagles' current five-game winning streak, quarterback Nick Foles is 83-of-128 (64.8 percent) for 1,348 yards with 14 touchdowns and one interception. His 136.3 passer rating over that span is the seventh highest by an NFL quarterback during a five-game stretch since 1960 ... Foles' quarterback rating of 120.0 this season ranks as the third-highest in NFL history behind Aaron Rodgers (122.5 in 2011) and Peyton Manning (121.1 in 2004) ... Foles snapped his team record of 237 passes without an interception, dating back to December 23, 2012 vs. Washington.
The Longest Yard ... The Eagles became the 14th team in NFL history this week to record 10 games of 400+ yards of offense in a single season. The NFL record is 13 by the 2011 New Orleans Saints. The Eagles also became the fourth team in NFL history to post 10 games of 400+ yards in their first 13 contests, joining the 2011 Saints (10), the 2007 Patriots (11) and the 2013 Broncos (11 in first 12 games) ... The Eagles have compiled 5,321 total net yards this season which is a team record through 13 games.
Turning the Tables ... The Eagles have committed just 16 turnovers this season, compared to 29 through 13 games last season ... In the Eagles' eight wins, they are plus-15 in turnover margin and minus-six in their five losses ... During the current five-game winning streak, the Eagles are plus-10 and have committed just two giveaways ... The Eagles have notched at least one takeaway in nine straight games, their first time doing so since a 10-game stretch in 2010.
Forever 21 ... The Eagles have held opponents to 21 points or less in each of the last nine games, which is the longest streak in the NFL and the longest by an Eagles team since an 18-game stretch in 2001 (including playoffs) ... Additionally, the Eagles defense has held opposing offenses to 21 points or less in 11 of 13 games this year, which is tied with the Carolina Panthers for the most in the NFL (Carolina plays on Sunday night).
Dominant Defense ... The Eagles defense has vastly improved over the last nine games in many of the major categories, holding opponents to just 18.1 points per game, compared to 27.5 over the first four games.
The Turnaround On Defense Continues | ||
---|---|---|
Stat | First Four Games | Last Nine Games |
Touchdowns Allowed | 4.0 per game | 1.8 per game |
Interceptions | 0.5 per game | 1.4 per game |
Punts Forced | 2.8 per game | 5.9 per game |
Completion % | 70.2 | 55.5 |
QB Rating | 107.2 | 71.7 |
The Eagles defense has not allowed opening-drive points in eight straight games ... The Eagles have held opponents under 100 yards rushing in eight of 13 games in 2013, including seven of the last nine contests.
Birdseed ... Linebacker Trent Cole played in his 137th games in an Eagles uniform, tying Andre Waters and Wes Hopkins for 15th on the Eagles' all-time list ... Nose tackle Bennie Logan became the first Eagle to block an extra point since Reggie White on October 30, 1988 vs. Atlanta ... Opponents have scored touchdowns on just four of their last 15 red zone trips (26.7 percent) and 19 of 39 overall (48.7 percent).