In Roob’s Eagles Stats: Completely bonkers Tanner McKee numbers

In Roob’s Eagles Stats: Completely bonkers Tanner McKee numbers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

We start out with some wild Tanner McKee numbers and then get into the historic achievements of the 2024 defense and a rare achievement by a trio of Eagles rookies.

All that and tons more in our final regular-season installment of Roob’s Eagles Stats.

1. Another ridiculous batch of Tanner McKee stats

1A. Two games into his NFL career, McKee has four touchdown passes, no interceptions and a passer rating of 117.2. His passer rating is 3rd-highest in NFL history by any quarterback two games into his career with a minimum of 40 pass attempts. Marcus Mariota – another one-time Jalen Hurts backup – had a 132.4 rating in his first two games with the Titans in 2015 and Case Keenum had a 118.0 in his first two games with the Texans in 2013.

1B. McKee is the second quarterback in history to begin his career with consecutive games with two or more touchdowns and no interceptions. Mariota is the other one. He’s the first Eagles quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in his first two career games. Carson Wentz had three in his first two games in 2016 and a replacement quarterback named Scott Tinsley had three during the 1987 strike.

1C. McKee’s 100.6 passer rating against the Giants is 2nd-highest ever by an Eagles quarterback in his first NFL start. Wentz had a 101.0 rating against the Browns in his NFL debut on opening day 2016. The only others over 80 are Jack Concannon in 1964 vs. the Cowboys (84.2), Bobby Hoying vs. the Ravens in 1997 (89.4) and Koy Detmer at Lambeau vs. the Packers in 1998 (92.9).

1D. McKee is the only quarterback in NFL history drafted in the sixth round or later with four touchdown passes and no interceptions through his first two career games. He’s only the second quarterback in NFL history drafted in the sixth round or later to throw for 250 yards with two or more TDs and no INTs in his NFL debut. In 1990, Washington’s Stan Humphries did it against the Cards in Tempe (20-for-25, 257 yards, two TDs, no INTs).

2. Some wild defensive numbers

2A. The Eagles not only finished with the No. 1 defense in the NFL for the first time since 1991, they finished with the No. 1 pass defense as well for the second time in three years. The Eagles were 26th in defense last year, and their jump is the largest in NFL history to the top spot. The Eagles allowed 78 fewer yards per game this year than last year. The biggest previous jump to No. 1 was from 21st by the 1997 and 1998 Chargers. The Eagles allowed 559 fewer yards than 2nd-place Titans, and that’s the 8th-largest margin ever recorded and 3rd-largest since 1986, behind the 2002 Buccaneers (602) and 2021 Bills (564).

2B. The Eagles’ 278.4 yards allowed per game is their fewest since the 2008 team allowed 274.3 and 3rd-fewest in the last 30 years. Here’s a look at the seven Eagles defenses that have allowed fewer than 280 yards per game since 1960:

1991: 221.8
1977: 270.
2008: 274.3
1992: 275.8
1980: 277.7
1981: 277.9
2024: 278.4

2C. The Eagles this year became the first team in NFL history to lead the NFL in total defense or pass defense without getting an interception all year from their cornerbacks. The Eagles have gone 20 straight games without an INT from a cornerback, a streak that dates back to Kelee Ringo picking off Tyrod Taylor in the Eagles’ win over the Giants on Christmas Day last year.

3. History for Ainias Smith and E.J. Jenkins

3A. Ainias Smith and E.J. Jenkins became the first pair of Eagles rookies drafted in the fifth round or later to catch a touchdown pass the same season in 68 years. In 1956, 9th-round pick John Bredice caught a 40-yard TD pass from Bobby Thomason in a Week 3 win over the Steelers at Forbes Field, and later that season rookie 12th-round pick Hank Burnine caught a 35-yarder from Thomason against the Steelers at Connie Mack Stadium and an 11-yarder from Don Schaefer against Washington at Griffith Stadium. Those were the only touchdowns either one of them scored as Eagles.

3B. This was also the first time in seven years two Eagles have caught their first TD pass in the same game. In a 34-24 Monday night win over Washington at the Linc in Week 7, Carson Wentz threw touchdown passes of 64 yards to Mack Hollins and nine yards to Corey Clement, and it was the first career TD catch for both Hollins and Clement.

4. Rookies getting it done

With Will Shipley, Smith and Wilson each catching two passes, this was the first time in 23 years three Eagles rookies caught at least two passes in the same game. Last time it happened was an equally meaningless game on the last day of the season in Tampa in 2001. Running back Correll Buckhalter had five catches, tight end Tony Stewart three and wide receiver Gari Scott two.

5. More Defensive nuggets

5A. The Eagles allowed just 207 points in 13 games after the bye. That’s the fewest points they’ve allowed in any 13-game span in two decades. They allowed 189 points during a 13-game stretch during the 2004 Super Bowl season.

5B. The Eagles’ defense held an NFL-high 12 teams to fewer than 20 points, tying the 2nd-most in franchise history. The 1981 defense held 13 teams below 20 points. The Eagles also held an NFL-high 11 teams below 300 scrimmage yards, their most since the 1991 defense held 15 teams below 300 yards.

6. Might be a good idea to re-sign Isaiah Rodgers

With his 51-yard kickoff return Sunday, Isaiah Rodgers increased his career average to 27.1 yards per kick return. That’s 4th-highest among all active kick returners (minimum 50 returns), behind only KaVontae Turpin (29.4), Cordarrelle Patterson (28.0) and Kene Nwangwu (28.7). His 27.1 average is 22nd-highest in NFL history and 2nd-highest by a defensive back, behind Abe Woodson’s 28.7 average with the 49ers and Cards from 1958 through 1966.

7. Skeleton crew

With 10 starters either inactive or not playing and the Eagles carrying only 24 defensive players on the roster, only 15 players got on the field on defense Sunday against the Giants (game-day call-up Charles Harris, an edge, played on defense, but Darrell Gant, a linebacker, played only on special teams). According to game play figures on Stathead, that ties the fewest players the Eagles have used in a game on defense since 1960, as far back as available records go. They also used 15 in another meaningless year-end game back in 2010 against the Cowboys: Jamar Adams, Colt Anderson, Brodrick Bunkley, Jeremy Clark, Keenan Clayton, Moise Fokou, Omar Gaither, Brandon Hughes, Akeem Jordan, Gerard Lawson, Trevor Lindley, Bobby McCray, Dimitri Patterson, Darryl Tapp and Daniel Te’o-Nesheim. For Adams, Lawson, Hughes, Lindley and McCray it was their final NFL game.

8. Crazy rushing numbers

8A. The Eagles finished the season with 3,048 rushing yards, the 7th-most in NFL history. They became the first team in 46 years and only the third all-time with 3,000 rushing yards and 29 rushing TDs. The 1978 Patriots had 3,165 rushing yards and 30 TDs and the 1948 49ers had 3,663 rushing yards and 35 TDs.

9. Run the ball and stop the run 

With 29 rushing touchdowns and only nine rushing TDs allowed, the Eagles finished with one of the highest rushing touchdown differentials in NFL history at plus-20. The only team since 1985 with a higher differential was the 2005 Seahawks, who were plus 24 (29 rushing TDs, five allowed). Since 1960, only nine other teams have been better than plus-20.

10. Crushing it on 4th down

Last year, the Eagles became only the third team in NFL history to go for it on fourth down at least 25 times and convert at least 70 percent. Their 73.1 percentage on 19-for-26 actually broke the NFL record of 71.4 percent set by the 1996 Bears on 20-for-28. This year, the Eagles became the fourth team to convert 70 percent or more on fourth down with 25 or more attempts on 19-for-27, which is 70.4 percent. The only other team to do it was the 2020 Bengals, who were also 19-for-27. So, four teams in NFL history have attempted at least 25 fourth downs and converted 70 percent, and two of them are the 2023 and 2024 Eagles.

Subscribe to Eagle Eye anywhere you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts | YouTube Music | Spotify | Stitcher | Simplecast | RSS | Watch on YouTube