DeVonta Smith’s target share, intermediate issues, and other numbers to know ahead of Eagles-Rams
Smith has been targeted a whole lot by quarterback Jalen Hurts. Is that 100% a good thing?
The Eagles fell to 2-1 Monday night after a disappointing 27-7 loss in Chicago, one that raised many questions about the state of the team through three games.
Here are a few of the big picture issues to consider: Is Vic Fangio’s defense much worse than we originally thought? Is Sean Mannion comfortable calling and sequencing games yet? Does the offense have an identity?
The answers need clarity fast, and maybe they’ll come as soon as Sunday, when the Los Angeles Rams come to town for a 1 p.m. game at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles are entering the meat of their schedule. Next is a Rams team that has Super Bowl aspirations, and after them is a trip to London to face a Jaguars team that just beat the defending AFC champions by almost 30 points.
Here’s a look at some numbers to know ahead of a highly anticipated Eagles-Rams game:
32.9%
Brandon Graham, now away from football and in the podcasting world, got some traction last week after the Eagles’ Week 2 win when he said he thought Jalen Hurts was playing freely and not having to force the ball to certain players.
Maybe he meant the way the offense is designed gives Hurts more answers, or maybe he was referring to Hurts not having to force the ball to A.J. Brown.
Either way, the numbers tell a different story. Because DeVonta Smith is seeing a lot … a lot … of action.
Through three games, 32.9% of Eagles pass attempts have gone toward Smith, the second-highest rate in the NFL behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba (37.9%).
» READ MORE: What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 4 vs. the Rams
If Smith’s target share number holds up, he would have the highest single-season target share of any Eagles player since at least 2000, according to Next Gen Stats.
There’s some context and curiosity to unpack here. The new Eagles offense asks Hurts to go through pure progression reads rather than the previous iteration that had him diagnose coverages before the snap.
Is Hurts not getting to his second read often enough? Dontayvion Wicks has better separation metrics than Smith through three games, but his 14 targets lag way behind Smith’s 27. Makai Lemon, meanwhile, has nine targets. Dallas Goedert’s injury also eliminated a trusted pass catcher from the equation.
Hurts’ pass protection has been shaky, but he’s also not yet been able to spread the ball around effectively.
15
That’s how many intermediate level throws the Eagles have allowed through three games, according to Next Gen, which classifies an intermediate throw as one that travels 10-to-19 air yards. Five per game doesn’t sound like a lot, but they’re already almost a third of the way to the 49 intermediate throws they allowed in all of 2025.
Then there’s this from Next Gen: their completion percentage allowed in that area is at 65.2%, seventh-highest in the NFL and nearly 20 percentage points higher than their league-low rate of 42.6% in 2025.
What’s going on?
Cooper DeJean hasn’t looked like the All-Pro he was last season, Jihaad Campbell has had some struggles, and the safeties aren’t playing well enough. DeJean and Zack Baun have already been charged with allowing four intermediate catches this year, according to Next Gen, after allowing eight and three, respectively, all of last season.
It’s not going to get much easier. Here comes Puka Nacua (potentially), who has topped 100 receiving yards in each of his last two regular season matchups vs. the Eagles.
6.1
Rams coach Sean McVay sounded optimistic Nacua would return this week from his groin injury.
It would be a big boost to a 1-2 Rams team that is much better with him on the field than off it.
» READ MORE: Best of unCovering the Birds: ‘Vic Fangio’s boogeyman’ and the biggest issues for the Eagles defense
According to Next Gen, entering Week 3 and dating back to 2023 when Nacua was drafted, the Rams have averaged a full yard per play more with him on the field (6.1) than with him on the sideline (5.1).
4
What if we told you three weeks ago, before the season started, that the Eagles would be averaging four under center play action plays per game?
After all the talk about the new dynamic offense Mannion was going to bring to the Eagles, one that would put Hurts under center and marry the run and pass games, you’d think we were crazy, right?
That’s where they are right now. Their 15 total play action passes are the fewest in the NFL, and they’re not very good when they’re running play action, ranking in the bottom six in the NFL in expected points added (EPA) per play.
What gives? It’s hard to threaten to run the ball when you’re so often behind the sticks. It’s hard to get into favorable play action situations when you’re struggling to run the ball.
The Eagles need to stop taking penalties and getting negative plays, and they need to build on the first-half running performance from Monday in Chicago.
4-0
Nick Sirianni has never lost to McVay. He’s 4-0 against the Rams coach, including a postseason victory.
Reason to be hopeful for Eagles fans?
Maybe. But maybe McVay is due, too.
It was a blowout, and it left a lot of questions. The Eagles’ 27-7 loss to the Bears Monday night at Soldier Field featured an offense that fizzled, a defense that folded, and a coaching staff that looked outmatched. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Jeff Neiburg provide a postmortem of the defense’s disappointing start to the season, critique of offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s approach, and assessment of how some of general manager Howie Roseman’s moves have panned out so far. Listen here.
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