Special teams are all the rage and it could be argued that the third phase of an NFL game is the most apt to change the momentum of a football game on a single play. Think about it: The Eagles have blocked three kicks in the last two games – two field goals, one punt – and have scored two touchdowns. The kickoff return rate in the league through four weeks is nearly 80 percent, and every return is a potentially huge play, one way or the other. Field goals are a weapon, and teams that cross the 50-yard line are suddenly in scoring position.

That is one of the huge takeaways from the first month of the NFL season, one that has the Eagles and Buffalo as the only 4-0 teams in the 32-team league. Some others? Here we go, with some news and notes from the Eagles' first four games and a look around the NFC ...

1. Why are the field goals so long this year?

There are a few reasons – the kickers are better than they've ever been, the weather is still warm, and, a big reason, the K Ball rules are different. An explanation: Previous to this season, teams were given K balls from officials before the game and the teams had between 45 minutes to one hour to rough up the balls – kind of similar to what you would do when you buy a leather baseball glove – and then use the balls in games.

This year, the rules are different.

Teams are given 60 K balls before the preseason. Teams have days to prepare the balls for gameday, and in fact, the balls can be used during practice the week of the game. Each team selects three balls to be used for each game and those balls can be used up to three times per game, after which they are taken out of circulation.

So, the balls are broken in much more thoroughly and, thus, the kickers have a better feel with the balls and they are traveling farther. What happens when the weather turns colder? We shall see. But what is happening now is what we saw Sunday in Tampa: The Bucs, in very warm weather, kicked a 65-yard field goal and that's almost becoming the norm and it is definitely changing the ways teams are playing the game.

2. Sirianni's impressive standard

Through the first (almost) quarter of the season, the Eagles are one of only two undefeated teams, along with the Buffalo Bills.

The Eagles improved to 4-0 to open a season for the eighth time in team history. Head Coach Nick Sirianni, who is the first Eagles coach to lead a team to three such starts, is only the third head coach in NFL history to accomplish the feat within the first five seasons at the helm, joining Paul Brown and George Halas.

Sirianni's Eagles are 20-1 over the last 21 games, including playoffs. With 10 straight wins, the Eagles have tied the franchise record for the longest win streak after setting it last season, before the one blemish against Washington.

Overall, Sirianni is 52-20 (.722) as the Eagles' head coach, the second-best winning percentage by a head coach in the Super Bowl era. In all of NFL history, Sirianni is fourth. But what makes it more remarkable is that Sirianni is 46-13 (.780) since the bye week (Week 14) of his first year in charge.

3. How good have the Eagles been in the red zone?

Obviously, they are great on both offense and defense, but let's dive into the defensive performance here. The Eagles are allowing a 20 percent completion percentage in the red zone, a 33.3 passing rating, a 44.4 completion percentage on third and fourth down, and a 60.2 passer rating on those downs. They've also forced three turnovers in the red zone and have limited teams to four touchdowns on nine trips inside the Eagles' 20-yard line. This is how you win football games.

By the way, it's not just in the red zone for the pass defense: The Eagles lead the NFL in opposing quarterback completion percentage – 56.9. And that's against this gauntlet of quarterbacks – Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford, and Baker Mayfield.

4. Terrific start by this tight end

Tight end Dallas Goedert is off to a terrific start and he has been huge for the offense. Targeted 13 times, Goedert has 12 receptions, a catch rate of 92.3 percent, best among players at his position in the NFL. He is tied with Hunter Henry and Dalton Kincaid for the most touchdowns scored by a tight end this season.

5. Home-field advantage is a real thing

Just a note about the team as it prepares for Denver on Sunday – and this will be a great, great game against a team coming off a dominating 28-3 win over Cincinnati on Monday night: The Eagles have won 12 straight games at Lincoln Financial Field and are 28-5 there since 2021 – all including playoffs. The home-field advantage is a real thing, Eagles fans. Bring the energy on Sunday!!!

6. A destructive trio

A final note and some flowers for the team's defensive tackles: Jordan Davis has been outstanding with 17 tackles (tied for second among DTs in NFL) and has 3 passes defensed (tied for most among DTs); Jalen Carter has 5 QB hits, tied for third-most among NFL defensive tackles; and Moro Ojomo leads all NFL defensive tackles with 13 quarterback hurries, is third with 16 quarterback pressures, and has a career-high two sacks.