The reinforcement is constant.

The Philadelphia Eagles are holding a team meeting Thursday on how to force turnovers and review film on ball security after every practice.

On Saturday, coaches screen clips of 10 to 15 recent turnovers around the league to learn from them, head coach Nick Sirianni said.

Sometimes college or high school movies come into the conversation.

Because while the The Eagles’ current five-game winning streak has included several ingredients, they do not minimize the contribution of victory in the turnover battle.

Philadelphia lost the turnover battle in the first four games of the season and went 2-2. Since then, they have beaten him in five games – and won them all.

The strong correlation goes back well before this sequence

“For every team, that’s a huge stat, but even more so for us because we’re above league average up to 23-1 when we win that turnover battle,” Sirianni said. “For us, that’s a huge statistic.”

TruMedia data confirmed that the Eagles are 23-1, with 23 straight wins, under Sirianni, while posting a better turnover rate than their opponent. It’s no surprise that taking care of the football bred victory — but their .958 winning percentage far exceeds the league average of .769.

Only the defending conference champions have fared better, the 28-1 San Francisco 49ers and 17-0 Kansas City Chiefs by turning the ball over less than their opponents since 2021.

Without this advantage? The Eagles are 18-18 (.500) when producing as many or more giveaways as their opponents.

The emphasis will therefore be maintained.

“We want that to always be on their minds,” Sirianni said Monday. “We are constantly thinking of new ways to teach it. We are constantly trying to think of new ways to implement it. … For us, that’s a huge statistic.

The problem: While the 7-2 Eagles will host the 6-3 Washington Commanders on Thursday with first place in the NFC East on the line, Philadelphia will have a tough time beating the Commanders.

Only once this season has Washington lost the turnover battle. The Eagles understand why.

Jayden Daniels’ rookie year isn’t just notable for the spectacular plays he extended and the deep balls he threw. The second overall pick in the 2024 draft did more than combine skill and luck for an exciting Hail Mary, and he did more than just extend plays by scrambling, although he did it well.

Daniels did more for the rising Commanders by doing less, in one category.

Like Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud the year before, Daniels made his success possible by not wasting opportunities.

He has thrown just two interceptions on 262 pass attempts, with Daniels’ 0.8 pass intercept percentage ranking fifth in the league among qualifiers and third among the team’s current starters. The two starters with the best clips: Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers at 0.4% and Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens at 0.8%.

His only two credited fumbles went out of bounds, without landing in the hands of his opponent.

In total, the Commanders’ four total giveaways tie the Chargers for first in the league. And even though a less opportunistic defense leaves the Commanders tied for seventh with a plus-6 differential, they are nonetheless better in the category than the 14th-ranked Eagles.

“He only threw two interceptions, which is really unreal,” Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “Congratulations to him for what he was able to accomplish. Kudos to the coaches coaching him there, because it’s not an easy offense to run.

Daniels’ effectiveness isn’t simply the result of conservative plays and low-risk plays. As offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury welcomed Daniels in for a few weeks, he quickly began shooting from deep. Only three quarterbacks averaged more than Daniels’ 8.54 air yards per attempt, and five more than his 8.2 yards per attempt.

Daniels’ study habits and mental bank of covers from five years of college appear to be paying off.

“He knows what he can do and what he can’t do,” Kingsbury said. “And then he also knows the protections and he knows when he needs to be recovered and when he is hot. And so, he can kind of prepare guys knowing, “OK, he’s the free rusher.” I can trap him and come out one way or the other.

“It’s a combination of his knowledge of the system and just his athletic ability.”

Commanders’ clean slate won’t stop the Eagles from trying

The Eagles can win, and have won, without winning the turnover battle.

They will have the advantage of playing at home with a team whose core has been together much longer than the Commanders, who have a first-year quarterback, a first-year general manager and a first-year head coach (in this organization). .

The Eagles’ explosive offense should be able to find opportunities against a Commanders defense ranked 20th in passing efficiency and 12th in rushing efficiency, according to Next Gen Stats. As long as Philadelphia can fend off pressure from Washington’s defense, Hurts will have a chance to capitalize on a stable of weapons that includes Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith.

But Philadelphia should know: even though its defense has reduced missed tackles and created more turnovers, Washington’s offense is much stronger than Philadelphia’s defense in most key categories.

The surest way for the Eagles to change the calculus is a turnaround.

It will be tougher than any of Philadelphia’s five games Sunday against a reeling Dallas Cowboys team missing quarterback Dak Prescott.

Philadelphia will undoubtedly believe they have a chance.

And to help that luck out: watch the film on the Eagles’ turnover creation in meetings and the best turnover methodology across the league. Spot drills to take into practice and coaches eager to give feedback.

“You put them in drills, you put them into practice, we emphasize it,” Sirianni said. “Any time there’s a missed opportunity in practice, it’ll be in the team meeting the next day and we can say, ‘Hey, we have this vice tackle right here. » You don’t shoot the ball or you are shoot the ball. So that’s on our minds.

“I think what’s also happening is I’m happy that players are talking about this in the sense of, ‘Hey, we watch this all the time.’ It’s burned into their minds, and that’s what you want.

Eagles players recently texted each other when they saw turnovers in other games. They evaluated the player’s ball carry. And more importantly, for Sirianni, they put him at the top of their minds.

“That’s what you want,” he said. “That’s when you know your culture is evolving the way you want it to – when all these things like that are constantly on their minds.” It looks like it is.