The Eagles have not beaten the Patriots during Bill Belichick's reign as head coach. Head coach Andy Reid hopes to bring the series to 1-3 with a win over New England, today. Here are some key statistics to which to pay attention:
- Quarterback Vince Young made hist first start with Philadelphia last week and passed for 2 TDs in the win.
- Running back LeSean McCoy leads the NFL with 1,019 rush yards and is tied for NFL lead with 12 TDs (10 rush, 2 rec.). He leads the NFL with 72 1st downs and 60 rush 1st downs. He also has 340 scrimmage yards (113.3 per game; 219 rush, 121 rec.) and 3 TDs (2 rush, 1 rec.) in his last 3 games against AFC opponents.
- Wide receiver DeSean Jackson has a receiving TD in 4 of his last 5 against AFC opponents (including playoffs), has 28 TDs (21 rec., 4 PR, 3 rush) in his career, and averages 45.2 yards per TD (1,265 yards). He also has 80 receiving yards in 7 of past 8 versus the AFC.
- Wide receivers Steve Smith and Riley Cooper caught their 1st TD passes of season last week.
- Wide receiver JEREMY MACLIN aims for 8th game in a row versus an AFC opponent with 4 catches.
- Cornerback Asante Samuel played 5 seasons with NE (2003-07). He has an NFL-best 38 INTs since 2006.
- Defensive end Jason Babin ranks 4th in the NFL with 10 sacks.
- Defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins is tied for NFL lead among DTs with 5.5 sacks.
- New England is 3-0 versus Eagles under head coach Bill Belichick (including Super Bowl XXXIX).
- The Patriots have won 10 of past 11 verus NFC on the road.
- In 3 games against Philadelphia (including postseason), quarterback Tom Brady has completed 87 of 131 passes (66.4 pct.) for 871 yards with 6 TDs, 0 INTs, and a 100.4 passer rating.
- Quarterback Tom Brady (118) needs win to tie Hall-of-Famer Johnny Unitas (119) for 6th-most regular-season wins by starting QB in NFL history. In last 3 games on the road, Brady has 7 TDs against 0 INTs and a 107.6 passer rating rating.
- Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis (1,938) needs 62 rush yards to reach 2,000 career.
- Wide receiver Wes Welker (5,564) needs 163 receiving yards to surpass Irving Fryar (5,726) for 3rd-most in club annals. He had 13 receptions for 149 yards in his only meeting with Philadelphia (11/25/07).
- Tight end Rob Gronkowski reached 20 TD catches in fewest games (26) among TEs in NFL history last week.
- Defensive end Andre Carter has 3.5 sacks in his last 4 games against the Eagles (w/ Redskins).
- Cornerback Kyle Arrington tied career-best with 2 INTs last week and has an NFL-best 7 INTs in 2011.