The Philadelphia Eagles are suddenly a hot team, after having won consecutive games over 10-plus win teams. They seem to have found the right formula both offensively and defensively, in terms of who should be on the field, with what they have left after a long laundry list of injuries.
Here were the Eagles' snap counts against the Texans on Sunday.
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Quarterback and offensive line
• 82 snaps each: Stefen Wisniewski, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson
• 81 snaps: Nick Foles
• 77 snaps: Halapoulivaati Vaitai
• 5 snaps: Jason Peters
• 1 snap: Nate Sudfeld
Analysis: Johnson had an incredible day shutting down arguably the best defensive player in the NFL over the last seven or so years. Peters is day-to-day with a quad injury, per Doug. Obviously, Foles' one missed snap (and return to the field) was one of the biggest stories of the season.
Running back
• 38 snaps: Darren Sproles
• 25 snaps: Josh Adams
• 16 snaps: Wendell Smallwood
Analysis: Sproles should be getting the most snaps going forward, and the Eagles have to stop using Adams in short yardage situations, where he's been very bad. Adams has seven carries this season on 3rd or 4th and 1 or 2. He has negative-8 yards on those plays.
Wide receiver
• 74 snaps: Nelson Agholor
• 61 snaps: Alshon Jeffery
• 33 snaps: Jordan Matthews
• 29 snaps: Golden Tate
Analysis: Oof, even Matthews is getting more snaps than Tate at this point.
Tight end
• 73 snaps: Zach Ertz
• 48 snaps: Dallas Goedert
• 13 snaps: Richard Rodgers
Analysis: Goedert got 60 percent of the snaps, which is right around what he's been getting over the last month. That seems like the sweet spot for him.
Defensive line
• 54 snaps: Brandon Graham
• 52 snaps: Michael Bennett
• 49 snaps: Fletcher Cox
• 39 snaps: Chris Long
• 24 snaps: Haloti Ngata
• 21 snaps: Treyvon Hester
• 17 snaps: Timmy Jernigan
• 4 snaps: Daeshon Hall
Analysis: On 4 snaps, Hall had 3 tackles (some may have been on special teams), a half-sack, and a QB hit, lol. Earlier in the season, the back of the roster guys were killing the Eagles. More recently, they've gotten positive contributions from guys like Hester, Hall, and Cre'Von LeBlanc.
Linebacker
• 65 snaps: Nigel Bradham
• 43 snaps: Jordan Hicks
• 5 snaps: Kamu Grugier-Hill
Analysis: The snap counts for Bradham and Hicks were interesting. They were basically the reverse of the beginning of the season, when Hicks played the entire game, and Bradham came off on occasion.
Cornerback and safety
• 65 snaps each: Malcolm Jenkins, Corey Graham, Avonte Maddox, and Rasul Douglas
• 41 snaps each: Tre Sullivan and Cre'Von LeBlanc
Analysis: LeBlanc apparently suffered a broken finger during the game, and his bone was poking through his skin. The doctors popped it back in, and he kept playing. Badass. He's going to be on the team next year.
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