Slow Starts Haven't Bothered Eagles in Games or at Start of Season

From 2-5 to 9-7, plus my game balls, biggest play, turning point, by the numbers, and a quote of the day

The slow starts will catch up to them one of these days.

Sunday wasn’t one of those days.

The Eagles rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit against the Washington Football Team on Sunday to win a thriller, 20-16, and extend their winning streak to four games.

“I don’t know,” RT Lane Johnson responded when asked why the slow starts that have plagued this team the past month or so. “Maybe somebody needs to go throw some cold water in our face on the first drive, I guess. I don’t know. Something.

"It’s been a trend the past few games. Moving forward, especially this time of year, you want to be crisp at all levels. That’s something we gotta adjust to and fix.”

Maybe we are making too big of a deal out of these slow starts.

Perhaps for this team, this season, they galvanize them.

Not only do they start slowly in games, but their whole season also started slowly.

They have gone from 2-5 to 9-7.

RELATED: Rodney McLeod's End-Zone Interception Seals Nail-Biting Win over Washington

That turnaround makes Nick Sirianni just the fourth rookie head coach in NFL history to produce a winning season after starting 2-5 or worse through seven games, joining Frank Reich (2018, Indianapolis), Mike Mularkey (2004, Buffalo), and Mike Holmgren (1992, Green Bay).

“When you’re 2-5, if you look at how you’re going to get four wins in a row or whatever it is or how you’re going to get back to 9-7, that looks really tall,” said the head coach. “The mountain looks really tall to climb. But when you focus on one day, one meeting, one walkthrough, one practice at a time, it becomes way more manageable. And that’s all we tried to do. 

"I’m obviously pleased with the situation we’re in right now controlling our own destiny. I’m really pleased with the way we responded in (Sunday’s game). I’m thankful to this team and the guys we have on this team that fought through hard times.

Here are some observations from Sunday’s win:

GAME BALL - DEFENSE

Rodney McLeod. How can you not go with the veteran safety who sealed the win? It was the second straight week McLeod made a crucial pick. Last week, it jump-started the Eagles in a 31-point second-half surge in beating the Giants, as he returned it to the New York 21. This week, well, it was a game-winner.

Right tackle Lane Johnson was succinct when he said the pick won the game.

QB Jalen Hurts went into greater depth.

“I’m the type of guy where you love to be the guy on the field to end it, to have it in your hands, but the trust we have in our defense and their ability to step up and make a play (is high)," said Hurts.

“To see Rodney make the catch he made in the situation, coming off the deep safety, the quarterback throws it a little high. To make a diving catch, and catch it with straight hands, as a safety, as a defensive player, shoot, I got a lot of respect for him. I was so excited for him to make a big-time play like that, probably one of the best catches of the year for this team.”

McLeod is one of only two safeties since 2013 to have 10-plus interceptions ad 10-plus forced fumbles. Malcolm Jenkins is the other.

Defensive end Josh Sweat was a close runner-up here.

GAME BALL – OFFENSE (WHEN ONE ISN’T ENOUGH)

Boston Scott. The 5-6, 200-pound running back ran for two touchdowns on fourth-and-goal. That’s moxie. He has seven rushing scores this season, which, in any other year would lead the team, but not one with Hurts, who has 10 of those. He accounted for 86 total yards.

RELATED: Eagles Reach Cusp of Playoffs on the Back of Boston Scott

TURNING POINT

The drive to start the second half. Trailing 16-7, the Eagles came out of the locker room with the ball. The offense made a statement, moving 75 yards in 14 plays in a drive that consumed 7 minutes, 39 seconds. Scott’s 2-yard run on fourth down made it 16-14 with 7:21 to play and, suddenly, it was a ballgame. The defense took it from there, holding Washington to just 81 yards of offense in the second half.

BIGGEST PLAY

Jalen Hurts to Greg Ward. It was a 27-yard completion that set the Eagles up in first-and-goal at the 4 on the previously-mentioned turning point segment. The Eagles were facing a third-and-14 after Lane Johnson’s second motion penalty of the game. Hurts kept the play alive by moving to his right as the pocket collapsed before pulling up and firing away to Ward inside the 5.

“I’ve got to operate a little faster in and out of the huddle, especially on third downs because you can expect a whole bunch of looks,” said Hurts. “What actually happened on that play was I didn’t get the play. 

"I thought I heard what he said, but I kind of pulled one out of my hat. G-Ward made a hell of a play on the scramble drill adjusting to catch the ball and moving the chains.”

Ward had two catches for 35 yards in the game.

The bigger news is that none of those catches were touchdowns. He has six receptions this season with three of them accounting for TDs.

BY THE NUMBERS

3: Fourth-down conversions for the Eagles in four tries, two of which went for touchdowns.

7.5. Sacks for Josh Sweat this season after he picked up 1.5 on Sunday, breaking his previous career-high of six set last year.

82. Total yards for the Washington offense in the second half after putting up 230 in the first half.

86: Total yards for Boston Scott, with 47 rushing and 39 receiving.

124: Tackles this season for T.J. Edwards after he added another 13 to his total on Sunday. That leaves him six behind Alex Singleton, who had eight vs Washington and now has 130 this season.

830: Yards receiving for Dallas Goedert this season after putting up a game-high 71 against Washington. That is a new career-high for yards in a season and is the 10th most ever by an Eagles tight end.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I was aware, but we had bigger things to worry about at the time. I just wanted to make more plays, but it’s big news. I’m still not where I want to be, of course, and I still have a lot of improvement to make.” – Josh Sweat when asked if he was aware that he had set a new career-high for sacks during the game.

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Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.