September was difficult for Philadelphia Eagles. They won in weeks 1 and 3 and lost (horribly) in weeks 2 and 4. But October? October was different.

The bye week came at just the right time and it appears the team took advantage of it. The Eagles played four inconsistent games before the bye and since then have really come back to life and tightened things up.

During the Eagles’ three games in October, it seemed like the acclimation period was coming to an end. They beat the Browns, stomped the Giants, then publicly executed the Bengals. It was great.

Defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA) is one of the best ways to gauge a team’s performance. In short, it compares each team’s success in offense, defense, offense and defense based on down and distance based on the quality of the opponent and some other factors. FTN, formerly known as Football Outsiders, came up with this system, and it’s pretty cool if you ignore the math that goes into it.

Anytime you ignore a percentage that you don’t understand and actually see how that number compares to other teams, that’s a good thing. The Eagles’ overall DVOA is +9.5%, but that percentage is arbitrary. The important thing to know is that they are ranked 12th in overall DVOA.

Offensive rating:

Even though the month of October gave us some pretty impressive offensive games, they weren’t always excellent. The Eagles scored on their first drive against the Bengals, but those points came in the second quarter, so they still haven’t scored in the first quarter of a game since Week 18 of the 2023 season.

All of that really puts a damper on everything when you look at this offense. Sure, they’ve been absolutely nailed in almost every other practice after their first two plays of every game, but a team can’t expect sustained success when it punts, literally and figuratively, during the ‘entire quarter of the match.

That being said, through the first four games, the Eagles have averaged 21.6 points per game in their first four games. In October, they averaged 28.3. In games with AJ Brown, the Eagles are scoring 29.7 points per game. In the three games without him, they averaged 17.7 points.

They’re averaging almost a touchdown more per game since coming off the bye week, and 12 points more when AJ plays. It’s incredible.

Overall, the Eagles offense is ranked 11th in offensive DVOA, and before Week 8, it was ranked 18th. So when you look at the season as a whole, the offense deserves somewhere between a C+ and a B-.

For October, it’s different. Jalen Hurts did the cleaning and a lot of it. In September, he had a completion percentage of 68.2% and an average passer rating of 85.7. In October, he had a completion percentage of 71.2% and an average passer rating of 125.9. These are HUGE jumps.

However, the biggest difference between the two months isn’t his lack of turnovers, it’s the absence of his turnovers. He went from four interceptions and three lost fumbles in September to three straight games with absolutely nothing in October. If that doesn’t give you goosebumps, you need to check your pulse.

Eagles’ offensive grade in October is a B. They managed to accumulate points and seal the matches. Unfortunately, none of this happened in the first trimester. If they can correct that while keeping the same pace next month, we’ll be looking at a top-three offense and an A+ in November.

Defensive level:

The Eagles defense is a whole different beast. In September, they had a good game, but it was a very, very good game against the Saints. Unfortunately, this was followed by one of the most dreadful performances by any NFL team all season against the Buccaneers.

It stinks that these games have to be considered along with the October games for a season-long rating because, in the three games since the Tampa Bay game, the Eagles defense has only allowed two touchdowns. Were two of those games against low-level quarterbacks on low-level offenses? Yes, but it’s pretty good. Strange things happen in football and touchdowns can be scored just about anywhere on the field. Plus you play who you play, it’s not their fault. Two quarterbacks were Deshaun Watson and Daniel Jones.

The Eagles defense earns a B grade for the entire season. They played a total of four very good games, one better than okay game in week 1, one worse than okay game in week 3, and one worse than okay game in week 3. Absolutely pathetic play in the week 4.

Their October grade is an A+. In Weeks 5-8, the Eagles allowed a league-low 12 points per game. This number includes the Browns’ blocked field goal, so it’s actually 9.3 points per game allowed by the defense.

On top of that, they also made 14 of their 20 sacks and also limited teams to just two of five in the red zone in October. It seems that the acclimation period to Fangio’s project is over.

October Offensive MVP:

The September MVP was Saquon Barkley because he’s awesome. He won’t be the October MVP even though he has every right to be. He has 331 yards over the last three games, which is incredible.

The Eagles’ Offensive MVP in October is AJ Brown. He had 16 catches for 289 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers aren’t spectacular compared to what he did as an Eagle, but then again, that’s what he adds to the offensive ceiling and scoring potential. He was missed in September and the offense has performed relatively phenomenally since he returned from his hamstring injury.

October Defensive MVP:

The defensive MVP for September was Brandon Graham and it wasn’t very close. This month is much closer. You could say it’s still Grahm based on Merit, but it could also be Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Nakobe Dean, Josh Sweat or Zack Baun.

The Eagles’ defensive MVP in October is Zack Baun. He leads the team in tackles that result in negative EPAs and he has also been Vic Fangio’s asset. He was able to line up as a traditional inside linebacker, but he was also able to line up inside the defensive line and as an edge rusher.

Nakobe Dean has played very well over the last three games, but when it comes to being valuable, you also have to think about what the player means to the team. If Dean were to go out, the Eagles have a few linebackers who could replace him and fill the position.

If Baun is cut, there is no one else on the roster who can play his position and do everything he does. Plus, it helps that he’s just the simplest person in the world and is really fun to watch.

Recruit of the month for October:

So, Quinyon Mitchell has been objectively great, and his performance against the Bengals has earned him a lot more respect from almost everyone. Hell, in this game Darius Slay went out injured and Isaiah Rodgers came in to replace him. Joe Burrow decided to target Rodgers instead of Mitchell (this almost immediately resulted in an interception).

What makes things tricky is the addition of Cooper DeJean to the starting roster. Cooper isn’t as good a Q, but he’s still great. Cooper’s case for this award is how much improved he is at the Nickel Corner position compared to Avonte Maddox. We personally saw him siphon the life out of Paycour Stadium when he confronted Ja’Marr Chase behind the line of scrimmage for a turnover on downs.

Now compare that to a very similar play Avone Maddox had against the Buccaneers, who have much worse talent at the wide receiver position. The difference between the two is huge.

That being said, Eagles Defensive Rookie of the Month is Quinyon Mitchell. He’s on the field more and his ability to be a certifiable lockdown corner as a rookie is mind-boggling. For posterity’s sake, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are both in the top 15 odds for Defensive Rookie of the Year on DraftKings as of Wednesday morning (Oct. 30, 2024). Q has the third best odds (+600) and DeJean has the 14th best odds (+2500). They’re both good, but what Quinyon does is more special.

Best mic of October:

There are only two options for this award: Brandon Graham against the Browns and DeVonta Smith after scoring against the Bengals.

There’s a small chance DeVonta had some pent-up energy after landing. Our guy has some serious looks on him.

There is unedited audio of this clip and it needs to be released as soon as possible. Just out of curiosity. How creative was he with his swear words? Does he drop S and F bombs? Or was he just shouting every obscenity known to man?

Brandon Graham’s mic was different, but the same. He played the hits; he talked trash to everyone he could see.

Best Mic of October goes to Brandon Graham, because he went through the entire Browns offensive line and dressed every single one of them, sneering all the way.

DeVonta’s raw display of emotion was incredible, but the amount of effort it took to individually tell five grown men what a bad day they’re going to have is something else entirely.

Also, hats off to BG for remaining professional and not berating DeShaun Watson in a public place. This requires real restraint.

The Eagles are in a much better position now than they were four short weeks ago. The team is performing at a higher level and it shows, whether through individual performances or arbitrary awards that could easily change in the near future.