The Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens are two of the five NFL teams without a loss after three weeks, but the two clubs couldn’t have blazed more different paths to 3-0.
The Eagles have been dominant on both offense and defense, with three blowout wins and an NFL-best point differential of plus-65.
The Ravens, meanwhile, have had to scratch and claw their way to 3-0, with ugly, laborious wins over teams with a combined record of 1-8 in 2016.
According to ESPN Stats and Information, the Eagles are just the 17th team since 1966 to begin a season with three wins by at least 15 points. The crown jewel of the Eagles’ impressive start came on Sunday, when Carson Wentz and a dominant defensive effort led Philadelphia to a 34-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers—a team many believe to be a favorite in the AFC this season. The Eagles also beat the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears by 19 and 15 points, respectively.
Through three games, Philadelphia is averaging 30.7 points and allowing 9.0 per game. No team has scored more points or allowed fewer points than the Eagles, who have trailed for less than nine total minutes this season.
Getting to 3-0 hasn’t been as easy for the Ravens.
Baltimore has a six-point win over the one-win Buffalo Bills, a five-point win over the winless Cleveland Browns and a two-point win over the winless Jacksonville Jaguars. The Ravens needed to erase a 20-0 deficit to beat the Browns, while the Jaguars held a 17-16 lead deep into the fourth quarter on Sunday.
It’s been an ugly path to 3-0, but no team needs to apologize for an unbeaten start.
“A win is a win. They all count,” Ravnes linebacker Terrell Suggs said, via ESPN. “This is the NFL. You can’t take any wins for granted, as we all learned last year. 3-0 is 3-0, no matter what you all say. You can’t disrespect the teams we play.”
Getting to three wins this early feels significant for both clubs. The Eagles went into their Week 8 bye with only three wins last year, while the Ravens didn’t get their third win until Nov. 22, or Week 11.
Now, both teams are atop their respective divisions and thinking about the postseason. Since 1990, roughly 76 percent of teams that start 3-0 make the playoffs.
Each team took a different path to this point, with the Eagles representing the most impressive 3-0 team and the Ravens looking somewhat lucky to be without a loss. But at the end of the day, having a zero in the loss column is all that really matters. There are still no style points in the NFL.
