Reinforcement is continuous.

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

Head coach Nick Sirianni said Saturday that coaches showed clips of 10 to 15 recent league turnovers.

Sometimes a college or high school movie comes into the conversation.

Because at that time Eagles’ last five-game winning streak contains multiple components, they do not underestimate how they contribute to winning the turnover war.

Philadelphia lost the turnover battle in the first four games of the season and went 2-2. They have had their best in five matches since then, winning them all.

The strong correlation predates this series

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

TruMedia data confirms the Eagles are 23-1 under Sirianni, with 23 straight wins and posting a better turnover rate than their rivals. It’s no surprise that being interested in football leads to victory; but his .958 winning percentage is well above the league average of .769.

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

Without this edge? The Eagles are 18-18 (.500) while producing the same or more giveaways than their opponents.

Therefore, the emphasis will continue.

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

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

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

Jayden Daniels’ rookie year wasn’t just remarkable for his great plays and deep balls. The 2024 second overall draft pick did much more than combine skill and luck for a thrilling Hail Mary, and he did much more than mix up plays and extend them, but he did it well.

By doing less in one category, Daniels has done more for rising Commanders.

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

He only managed to complete two passes in 262 pass attempts; Daniels’ 0.8% pass-catching rate ranks fifth in the league among starters and third among current starters. The top two players with better clips are the Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert at 0.4% and the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson at 0.8%.

His two creditable lone turnovers went out of bounds, and neither went into the opponent’s hands.

In all, the Commanders’ four total strikeouts tied the Chargers for best in the league. While a less opportunistic defense tied the Commanders’ plus-6 rating for seventh-best, they’re still better than the 14th-ranked Eagles in the category.

“He only threw two interceptions, which is really unrealistic,” Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “I credit him for what he was able to accomplish. I thank the coaches who coached him, because it’s not an easy offense.”

Daniels’ efficiency wasn’t just the result of conservative play calling and low-risk plays. While offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury eased Daniels in for a few weeks, he quickly began taking deep throws. Only three quarterbacks averaged more than Daniels’ 8.54 air yards per attempt, and five averaged more than his 8.2 yards per attempt.

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

“He knows what he can and can’t do,” Kingsbury said. “He also knows the guards, and he knows when to pick up, when to get angry. And so he can set guys up, saying, ‘Okay, this is a free runner. I can set him up and come out one way or another.’

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

Commanders’ clean slate won’t stop Eagles from trying

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

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

The Eagles’ explosive offense should be able to find opportunities against the Commander defense, which ranks 20th in passing efficiency and 12th in offensive efficiency according to Next Gen Stats. As long as Philadelphia can weather the pressure the Washington defense sends, they will have a chance to take advantage of weapons like Hurts, Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith.

But Philadelphia should know this: Even though its defense has cut down on missed tackles and forced more turnovers, Washington’s offense is far more solid than Philadelphia’s defense in many important categories.

The Eagles’ surest way to change the score is through turnovers.

This will be tougher than Philadelphia’s five teams missing quarterback Dak Prescott on Sunday against a reeling Dallas Cowboys team.

Philadelphia will undoubtedly believe it has a chance.

And to help those chances: Cue the film showing the Eagles creating their own turnovers in meetings and the best turnover methodology in the league. Cue takeaway drills in practice and coaches willing to give feedback.

“You put them in drills, you put them in practice, and we work on it,” Sirianni said. “If any opportunity is missed in practice, it will come up in the team meeting the next day and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got a vice tackle here. You’re not shooting the ball or like that ‘I’m shooting the ball.’ So it’s in our minds.

“I think I’m also glad the players are talking about it in terms of, ‘Hey, we watch this all the time.’ “It’s engraved in their minds, and that’s what you want.”

Eagles players have been texting each other lately when they see turnovers in other games. They evaluated the player’s ball cart. And most importantly for Sirianni, they took this to the top of their minds.

“This is what you want,” he said. “That’s when you realize your culture is progressing the way you want it to; When things like this are constantly on their minds. “It seems so.”