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Eagles-Rams: Key pre-game stats and matchups | Paul Domowitch

Stats to get you ready for Eagles-Rams, including the down that's giving Carson Wentz the most trouble, a breakdown of Alshon Jeffery's impressive receiving numbers the last four games and more.

Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz holds the football during practice at the Angles Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, California on Thursday, December 7, 2017. YONG KIM / Staff Photographer
Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz holds the football during practice at the Angles Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, California on Thursday, December 7, 2017. YONG KIM / Staff PhotographerRead moreYong Kim

LOS ANGELES — Some stats to help get you ready for today's Eagles-Rams game:

— The Eagles and Rams already have played seven games against six common opponents – Washington, Dallas, the Giants, Seattle, Arizona and San Francisco. The Eagles have played the Redskins twice, while the Rams have played the Cardinals twice. The Eagles are 6-1 against those common opponents (24-10 loss to the Seahawks), the Rams 5-2 (27-20 loss to the Redskins, 16-10 loss to the Seahawks).

— The Eagles and Rams are tied for the league lead in scoring. Both have scored 361 points (30.1 per game). The Eagles' franchise record for points per game is 31.3 by the '48 championship team.

— The Eagles have used "11'' personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WRs) on 78.3 percent of their offensive plays in the last three games. That's a dramatic increase from their first nine games when they used it 59.7 percent of the time.

— The Eagles are fourth in average drive start (30.3-yard line) through 12 games. They are 18th in opponent average drive start (27.6).

Early wake-up

— The Eagles defense hasn't given up a touchdown this season on the first or second possession of a game. They've allowed just 18 points on six field goals. Opponents are averaging just 3.5 yards per play on their first two possessions.

— The Eagles have outscored opponents in the first quarter, 78-28. Sixty-four of those 78 points have come on their first two possessions. The Eagles have failed to score on at least one of their first two possessions just three times this season, most recently last week against Seattle. Since 1950, the Eagles have outscored their opponents by 50 or more points in the first quarter just twice: in 2010 (+51) and in 2009 (+64).

Wentz update

— Carson Wentz is sixth in the league in passing with a 102.0 rating. He has a 94.9 passer rating with 11 personnel (58.2 completion percentage, 15 TDs, 4 interceptions) and 113.0 with 12 personnel (65.3 completion percentage, 9 TDs, 1 INT).

— Wentz has a 110.3 passer rating on first and third downs. He's thrown 21 TD passes and just three interceptions and has averaged 8.2 yards per attempt on those two downs. On second down, however, he's struggled. He has an 82.9 passer rating on second down, including a 55.4 completion percentage. The only quarterbacks in the league with a lower second-down completion percentage (minimum of 50 attempts) than Wentz are Cleveland's DeShone Kizer (50.0), Green Bay's Brett Hundley (52.3) and Chicago's Mitch Trubisky (53.8).

— Wentz had five of the Eagles' eight rushing first downs in Sunday night's loss to Seattle and has nine rushing first downs in the last two games. For the season, he has 26, which ties him for the second most among quarterbacks with Russell Wilson. The Panthers' Cam Newton is first with 34.

— Wentz leads the NFL in third-down passing with a 125.7 passer rating. His 12 third-down touchdown passes are the most in the league. Fifty-six of his 110 third-down attempts, or 50.9 percent, have resulted in first downs. That's tied for the best percentage in the league, with the Patriots' Tom Brady.

— Wentz has a 66.6 red-zone completion percentage. That's the fourth best in the league among quarterbacks with at least 30 red-zone attempts. He is the only quarterback in the league who hasn't thrown an interception or been sacked in the red zone yet.

— Nine of Wentz's 45 pass attempts against the Seahawks traveled 20 or more yards. That equaled his season-high. He also had nine in the Eagles' other loss against the Chiefs in Week 2. For the season, Wentz has completed 20 of 60 throws of 20 or more yards, with seven touchdowns and four interceptions.

— Just 26.0 percent of Wentz's passing yards have come on throws of 20-plus yards. The breakdown of the rest of his passing yards: 11-19 yards, 27.4%; 0-10 yards, 38.6%; throws behind the line of scrimmage, 8.0%.

Big challenge for run defense

— The Eagles have held opponents to 3.0 yards per carry on first down this season. That's the second best average in the league, behind only Indianapolis (2.93).

— Rams running back Todd Gurley is averaging 4.74 yards per carry on first down. One hundred thirty of his 223 rushing attempts this season have been on first down. The only back in the league with more first-down carries is the Steelers' Le'Veon Bell (145).

— The Eagles have allowed just 23 runs of 10 yards or more. Only two teams have given up fewer: Minnesota (15) and Tennessee (22).

— Opponents have converted just 9 of 25 third downs of two yards or less (36 percent) against the Eagles. That's the best percentage in the league. Just nine of those 25 third-down attempts have been runs. Opponents have converted only four of those.

— The Eagles have given up just 40 rushing first downs, which is the fewest in the league. They've also given up a league-low four rushing touchdowns.

— Opponents are averaging just 19.3 rushing attempts per game against the Eagles. That's the fewest in the NFL. Just three teams have run the ball 25 or more times against the Eagles: Seattle (25), Dallas (27) and Carolina (25).

Balancing act

— After running the ball just 26 times on 74 plays Sunday, the Eagles have slipped to seventh in run-play percentage (46.5). They also are seventh in first-half run-play percentage (44.8). They are averaging 15.1 rushing attempts in the first half this season and 31.2 per game.

— The Eagles rushed for just 98 yards last week against the Seahawks. It was the first time they had failed to rush for at least 100 yards since Week 1 when the Redskins held them to 58 yards on 24 carries.

— Twenty-one of Jay Ajayi's 29 rushing attempts have been in 11 personnel. He's averaging 10.3 yards per carry in 11 and just 2.1 in 12 personnel (1RB, 2TEs, 2WRs).

— Two hundred two of the Eagles' 375 run plays have been from under center. But the only running back who has been more effective running from under center has been LeGarrette Blount. He's averaging 5.5 yards per carry from under center and just 2.9 out of shotgun. Jay Ajayi is averaging just 3.8 from under center and 10.8 out of shotgun. Rookie Corey Clement is averaging just 2.9 from under center and 5.9 out of shotgun.

Alshon’s emergence

— Alshon Jeffery has turned it on in the last four games. He has 19 catches, 4 touchdowns, 15 receiving first downs and eight third-down receptions (seven for first downs). Jeffery has seven touchdown catches this season, five in the red zone. The only Eagle with more red zone catches is tight end Zach Ertz, who has seven.

— Torrey Smith has been targeted 16 times in the last three games and has 12 catches, but for only 87 yards, one touchdown and three first downs. Smith, who is supposed to be a vertical threat, has been targeted on throws of 20-plus yards just three times in the last seven games, compared to 10 times in the first five games. Just one of his 12 catches in the last three games came on a throw of longer than 10 yards. Smith has just eight receiving first downs, which is as many as rookie Mack Hollins has. Smith has played 547 snaps, Hollins 183.

— Eagles wide receivers have 17 touchdown catches in the first 12 games. Last year, they had eight the entire season.

— Hollins has been targeted 14 times by Wentz and has 13 receptions.

— Seven different players have red-zone touchdown catches. Four have at least two: Ertz (7), Jeffery (5), Nelson Agholor (3) and running back Corey Clement (2).

Secondary matters

— The Seattle game was just the fourth time this season the Eagles gave up multiple touchdown passes. It also was just the fourth time they failed to intercept at least one pass.

— The Eagles blitzed Russell Wilson just five times on 33 pass plays last week. The most notable was the seven-man zero blitz they ran in the third quarter which resulted in a 47-yard completion to Doug Baldwin. But the Eagles also had a sack on a five-man blitz on a third-and-four later in the third quarter. In the last three games, the Eagles have blitzed just 15 times on 104 pass plays (14.4%).

— The Eagles have a 57.1 opponent passer rating on third down. Opponents have completed just 53.6 percent of their third-down attempts against the Eagles. Just 36 of 123 third-down pass attempts against the Eagles, or 29.2 percent, have resulted in first downs. Only Minnesota has a better percentage (25.8).