The Eagles needed a near-miracle 61-yard field goal as time ran out to get past the New York Giants last week, but a win is a win in the NFL. One of the main reasons why this game remained so close was Philadelphia’s inability to put constant pressure on Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning. He sliced up the defensive secondary for 366 yards and three touchdown throws including two to Odell Beckham Jr.
This week out on the West Coast, the Eagles face a Chargers’ team that also knows how to move the ball through the air behind veteran quarterback Philip Rivers. He has already thrown for 760 yards and four touchdowns in his first three games. It becomes rather obvious that Philly’s front four will have their work cut out for them this Sunday afternoon if they want to avoid another rough outing against the pass.
Often times, there are one or two key factors in each of the three phases of the game that will have a major impact on the actual outcome. Below are this week’s three keys for the Birds getting out of Los Angeles with a big W against the Bolts.
Offense
I might be getting a bit redundant with this painfully obvious key, but the Eagles need to find a way to establish their run game right out of the gate. The offense is actually ranked eighth in the NFL in rushing yards per game with 119.3 yards per game, but that stat is a bit deceiving when you go back and watch the first quarter of Philadelphia’s first three games. The run game did pile up 193 yards on the ground against the Giants last week, but it took some time to get things rolling. Darren Sproles is done for the season, so it will be up to Wendell Smallwood and LeGarrette Blount to pick up the slack from the initial running play in the Eagles' first offensive possession of this Sunday’s game.
Defense
Along with pressure on Rivers as an obvious key, this Sunday’s game could come down to the Eagles' ability to contain wide receiver Keenan Allen. He has been targeted 28 times in three games and his 19 receptions have added up to 196 yards. Travis Benjamin and Tyrell Williams have also been a big part of the mix with a combined 20 receptions for 282 yards. By bottling up the Chargers’ top outlets in the passing game, Rivers is likely to put a few balls up for grabs considering that he has also thrown four interceptions this season.
Special Teams
After showing some tremendous leg strength in his 61-yard game-winning boot last week, rookie kicker Jake Elliott adds a whole new dimension to the Eagles’ ability to put points on the board. Head coach Doug Pederson has developed a bad habit of going for it on fourth down in very low percentage conversion situations. Maybe now, he will turn to Elliott when a drive stalls inside his impressive field goal range.
Friday, September 29, 2017
Friday, September 22, 2017
NFL Week 3 Keys to an Eagles' Victory against New York
The Eagles will play their second division game of the season when the New York Giants head into town this Sunday afternoon in a 1 p.m. kickoff at the Linc in Philadelphia’s home opener. The Birds upended Washington 31-17 at FedEx Field in Week 1 before a late-game rally came up short against Kansas City on the road last week in a 27-20 loss.
Each week of the season, I will be posting my keys to victory on offense, defense and special teams and below is this week’s to-do list to keep the Giants winless on the year.
Offense
The Eagles are going to have to find a way to run the ball against New York. Through the first two weeks of the season, the Giants are ranked 28th in the league against the run with an average of 133.5 rushing yards allowed. As far as the Eagles’ ground game, they have racked up an average of 82.5 yards per game, which is ranked 20th. LeGarrette Blount was a no-show against the Chiefs last week and Carson Wentz was the team’s leading rusher with 55 yards. Look for Darren Sproles to be the lead back against New York, but do not be surprised if Wendell Smallwood plays a bigger role in the ground game this Sunday afternoon.
Defense
My Week 1 key against the Redskins on defense was to keep constant pressure on quarterback Kirk Cousins with just the front four and the Eagles executed the plan to near perfection. Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham combined for three sacks and Cox’s touchdown on a forced fumble by Cousins late in the fourth quarter sealed the win. The Giants have no running game to speak of with a total of just 97 yards on the ground in two games, so making life miserable for Eli Manning all day long should be a very achievable goal.
Special Teams
I have got such a good feeling that Darren Sproles is going to have a big day against New York that I have him in my starting fantasy football lineup. As mentioned, he appears to be the primary option for running the ball on offense, but I also expect him to do some damage returning punts. Field position is always a big part of the game, but it actually becomes even more important in head-to-head division matchups given just how well each team knows one another.
Each week of the season, I will be posting my keys to victory on offense, defense and special teams and below is this week’s to-do list to keep the Giants winless on the year.
Offense
The Eagles are going to have to find a way to run the ball against New York. Through the first two weeks of the season, the Giants are ranked 28th in the league against the run with an average of 133.5 rushing yards allowed. As far as the Eagles’ ground game, they have racked up an average of 82.5 yards per game, which is ranked 20th. LeGarrette Blount was a no-show against the Chiefs last week and Carson Wentz was the team’s leading rusher with 55 yards. Look for Darren Sproles to be the lead back against New York, but do not be surprised if Wendell Smallwood plays a bigger role in the ground game this Sunday afternoon.
Defense
My Week 1 key against the Redskins on defense was to keep constant pressure on quarterback Kirk Cousins with just the front four and the Eagles executed the plan to near perfection. Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham combined for three sacks and Cox’s touchdown on a forced fumble by Cousins late in the fourth quarter sealed the win. The Giants have no running game to speak of with a total of just 97 yards on the ground in two games, so making life miserable for Eli Manning all day long should be a very achievable goal.
Special Teams
I have got such a good feeling that Darren Sproles is going to have a big day against New York that I have him in my starting fantasy football lineup. As mentioned, he appears to be the primary option for running the ball on offense, but I also expect him to do some damage returning punts. Field position is always a big part of the game, but it actually becomes even more important in head-to-head division matchups given just how well each team knows one another.
Thursday, September 14, 2017
NFL Week 2 Keys to an Eagles' Victory at Kansas City
The Eagles pay a visit to our old friend Andy Reid this Sunday in a 1 p.m. start at Arrowhead against the Kansas City Chiefs. Not only will Reid face the same team that he coached for 14 years, he will be pitted against Philly's current head coach Doug Pederson, who served as his offensive coordinator for three seasons in Kansas City before taking on the top spot with the Eagles in 2016. The history between Reid and Pederson when it comes to their mutual stint in Philly actually goes back to 1999 in Reid's first year as head coach. He brought Pederson over from Green Bay as his starting quarterback while Donovan McNabb learned the ropes from the sidelines as the team's top pick in that year's draft.
Coming off last week's huge upset against New England on the road, it is no wonder that the Chiefs are favored to win again this Sunday at home. It will be a tall task for the Birds to pull off a second-straight win on the road after knocking off Washington in Week 1, but if they follow my three keys to victory, it will give the protegee a fighting chance to show up his mentor this upcoming Sunday afternoon.
Offense
Last week against Washington, my key to winning on offense was LeGarrette Blount. He did score a touchdown on a short pass play, but he still only gained 46 yards on the ground on 14 carries as part of the team's paltry 58 rushing yards on the day. Running the ball against Kansas City all day long may not be an option giving that the Eagles are probably going to need to score some points to win this game. While Nelson Agholor was able to step up his game last week with six catches for 86 yards and a touchdown, the key on offense this week is Alshon Jeffrey in the passing game as the team's No. 1 wide receiver. He was targeted seven times last week and he came up with three catches for 38 yards. He should have a chance to put up some big numbers this week with Kansas City's top pass defender Eric Berry lost for the season with a ruptured Achilles.
Defense
The Eagles followed my defensive key to a tee last week by keeping constant pressure on Redskins' quarterback Kirk Cousins without the use of multiple blitzes. The strip fumble for a touchdown to seal the win was simply icing on the cake. This week, along with keeping pressure on Alex Smith, the defensive key is to put a lid on rookie running back Kareem Hunt. He went off against New England for 148 yards and a score on just 17 carries. If he is allowed to run wild into the Eagles' secondary this week, it is going to be a long day at Arrowhead on this side of the ball.
Special Teams
Philly's special teams were dealt a major blow last week when place kicker Caleb Sturgis injured his hip. He is out for at least four weeks so in his place the Eagles signed Jake Elliott off Cincinnati's practice squad. The key to this week's special teams play is to avoid putting Elliott in a precarious position of having to win this game with his foot. Hopefully he can kick the ball deep into the end zone to force touchbacks and hopefully the Eagles can score touchdowns to avoid having to settle for field goal attempts.
Coming off last week's huge upset against New England on the road, it is no wonder that the Chiefs are favored to win again this Sunday at home. It will be a tall task for the Birds to pull off a second-straight win on the road after knocking off Washington in Week 1, but if they follow my three keys to victory, it will give the protegee a fighting chance to show up his mentor this upcoming Sunday afternoon.
Offense
Last week against Washington, my key to winning on offense was LeGarrette Blount. He did score a touchdown on a short pass play, but he still only gained 46 yards on the ground on 14 carries as part of the team's paltry 58 rushing yards on the day. Running the ball against Kansas City all day long may not be an option giving that the Eagles are probably going to need to score some points to win this game. While Nelson Agholor was able to step up his game last week with six catches for 86 yards and a touchdown, the key on offense this week is Alshon Jeffrey in the passing game as the team's No. 1 wide receiver. He was targeted seven times last week and he came up with three catches for 38 yards. He should have a chance to put up some big numbers this week with Kansas City's top pass defender Eric Berry lost for the season with a ruptured Achilles.
Defense
The Eagles followed my defensive key to a tee last week by keeping constant pressure on Redskins' quarterback Kirk Cousins without the use of multiple blitzes. The strip fumble for a touchdown to seal the win was simply icing on the cake. This week, along with keeping pressure on Alex Smith, the defensive key is to put a lid on rookie running back Kareem Hunt. He went off against New England for 148 yards and a score on just 17 carries. If he is allowed to run wild into the Eagles' secondary this week, it is going to be a long day at Arrowhead on this side of the ball.
Special Teams
Philly's special teams were dealt a major blow last week when place kicker Caleb Sturgis injured his hip. He is out for at least four weeks so in his place the Eagles signed Jake Elliott off Cincinnati's practice squad. The key to this week's special teams play is to avoid putting Elliott in a precarious position of having to win this game with his foot. Hopefully he can kick the ball deep into the end zone to force touchbacks and hopefully the Eagles can score touchdowns to avoid having to settle for field goal attempts.
Friday, September 8, 2017
NFL Week 1 Keys to an Eagles' Victory at Washington
The Philadelphia Eagles kickoff the 2017 NFL regular season with a road trip to FedEx Stadium to square off against the NFC East rival Washington Redskins in a 1 p.m. start this Sunday afternoon. Both teams are picked to finish in the bottom half of the division race behind Dallas and the New York Giants, so it will be an added plus for whichever one can come away with an opening day victory.
All season long, I will be breaking down what the Eagles need to do the most on offense, defense and special teams to come away with a win. This week they remain slight favorites on the road, but when you look at the recent history between the two, Washington has gotten the best of things lately with a five-game winning streak over their rivals to the north on Interstate 95.
Offense
The biggest key this week on offense is to get running back LeGarratte Blount involved in the game plan early and often. He was one of Philly's marquee free agent signings this past offseason after racking up 1,161 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns for New England last season. He was used sparingly in the preseason with little success moving the ball on the ground, but that performance should be heavily discounted with this Sunday's game counting in the standings.
Defense
Kirk Cousins want to get paid like a NFL elite quarterback and if he ever does come to a long-term deal with the Redskins, he should give some of the credit to the Eagles' defense. In two games against the Birds last season, Cousins threw for a combined 497 yards and four touchdowns in a pair of tight victories. If the Eagles are going to have any shot at snapping this five-game skid against the Redskins, they are going to have to put some serious pressure on Cousins with just their front four linemen. One of Washington's biggest playmakers, DeSean Jackson is now in Tampa Bay and Cousins' favorite receiver in 2016, Pierre Garcon is playing for San Francisco. This sets up a perfect opportunity to test his ability to connect with targets such as wide receiver Jamison Crowder and tight end Jordan Reed with defenders such as Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox and hopefully rookie Derek Barnett in his face all game long.
Special Teams
It goes without saying that one of the keys every week on special teams is place kicker Caleb Sturgis's ability to make the field goals he is supposed to. The Eagles lost a number of tight games last season including two to the Redskins so they need to take full advantage of every scoring opportunity in Sunday's contest. Just as a side note, Sturgis did go a perfect 5-for-5 against the Redskins in two games last season.
The biggest key on special teams this week is Wendell Smallwood in the return game. While most kickoffs are touched back to the 25, he should still get a chance to break off a big return at some point in this game. When two teams are as closely matched as these two, winning the battle of field position can mean the difference between winning and losing the game. Big plays on special teams have a way creating a huge swing in momentum and I think Smallwood is in the perfect position to make something big happen this Sunday afternoon.
All season long, I will be breaking down what the Eagles need to do the most on offense, defense and special teams to come away with a win. This week they remain slight favorites on the road, but when you look at the recent history between the two, Washington has gotten the best of things lately with a five-game winning streak over their rivals to the north on Interstate 95.
Offense
The biggest key this week on offense is to get running back LeGarratte Blount involved in the game plan early and often. He was one of Philly's marquee free agent signings this past offseason after racking up 1,161 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns for New England last season. He was used sparingly in the preseason with little success moving the ball on the ground, but that performance should be heavily discounted with this Sunday's game counting in the standings.
Defense
Kirk Cousins want to get paid like a NFL elite quarterback and if he ever does come to a long-term deal with the Redskins, he should give some of the credit to the Eagles' defense. In two games against the Birds last season, Cousins threw for a combined 497 yards and four touchdowns in a pair of tight victories. If the Eagles are going to have any shot at snapping this five-game skid against the Redskins, they are going to have to put some serious pressure on Cousins with just their front four linemen. One of Washington's biggest playmakers, DeSean Jackson is now in Tampa Bay and Cousins' favorite receiver in 2016, Pierre Garcon is playing for San Francisco. This sets up a perfect opportunity to test his ability to connect with targets such as wide receiver Jamison Crowder and tight end Jordan Reed with defenders such as Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox and hopefully rookie Derek Barnett in his face all game long.
Special Teams
It goes without saying that one of the keys every week on special teams is place kicker Caleb Sturgis's ability to make the field goals he is supposed to. The Eagles lost a number of tight games last season including two to the Redskins so they need to take full advantage of every scoring opportunity in Sunday's contest. Just as a side note, Sturgis did go a perfect 5-for-5 against the Redskins in two games last season.
The biggest key on special teams this week is Wendell Smallwood in the return game. While most kickoffs are touched back to the 25, he should still get a chance to break off a big return at some point in this game. When two teams are as closely matched as these two, winning the battle of field position can mean the difference between winning and losing the game. Big plays on special teams have a way creating a huge swing in momentum and I think Smallwood is in the perfect position to make something big happen this Sunday afternoon.
Friday, September 1, 2017
My Top Takeaways from the Eagles' Preseason
The Eagles wrapped up their four-game preseason schedule with a listless 16-10 loss to the New York Jets on Thursday night in advance of next Sunday's regular season opener against the NFC East rival Washington Redskins in a 1 p.m. start at FedEx Field.
My biggest takeaway from this year's 2-2 preseason was that the team, as a whole, comes into the regular season in relatively good health. Some marquee NFL players such as New England wide receiver Julian Edelman and Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill are already done for the season due to injury, so anytime you can get through a meaningless round of exhibition games without any major injuries that should be considered a huge success.
Carson Wentz firmly established himself as Philly's franchise quarterback last season as a rookie. One of his early highlights in his sophomore campaign was a pair of touchdown throws against Miami in Week 3 of the preseason. The fact that he completed passes to Alshon Jeffrey and Torrey Smith to post those scores makes things all that much better considering that they were both brought in as a major upgrade to the Eagles' receiving corps.
A recent trade that sent Philadelphia's former No. 1 receiver Jordan Matthews to Buffalo for cornerback Ronald Darby was already validated to a certain extent with Darby's 48-yard interception return against his old team in the Eagles' 20-16 victory against the Bills in a Week 2 preseason contest.
While I was happy to see both Jeffrey and Smith make a solid contribution in limited preseason action, I am a bit concerned with the team's other big free agent acquisition LeGarrette Blount as a quick fix for the Eagles' running game. I was a big Wendell Smallwood fan as a rookie last year, but I still do not see him as an every down running back in the NFL. Blount had a monster season with New England last year in the Patriots' run to a Super Bowl title, but he was still viewed as expendable by a head coach that understands the true value of his players. While you cannot make all that much from what Blount did or did not do in the preseason, he needs to hit the ground running (literally) against the Redskins on opening day.
I have been impressed with the Eagles' willingness to keep wheeling and dealing with minor trades here and there. They are obviously committed to heading into a new season with the best roster possible. Most of the moves (as in the trade for Darby) have be focused on improving the team's biggest weakness; the defensive secondary. One of their latest moves was a trade with the New York Jets for defensive back Dexter McDougle in exchange for another defensive back Terrence Brooks. While I really do know whether this is an actual upgrade in depth or just a wash, I do like the fact that Howie Roseman continues to work the phones while Philly works to finalize its 53-man roster.
My biggest takeaway from this year's 2-2 preseason was that the team, as a whole, comes into the regular season in relatively good health. Some marquee NFL players such as New England wide receiver Julian Edelman and Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill are already done for the season due to injury, so anytime you can get through a meaningless round of exhibition games without any major injuries that should be considered a huge success.
Carson Wentz firmly established himself as Philly's franchise quarterback last season as a rookie. One of his early highlights in his sophomore campaign was a pair of touchdown throws against Miami in Week 3 of the preseason. The fact that he completed passes to Alshon Jeffrey and Torrey Smith to post those scores makes things all that much better considering that they were both brought in as a major upgrade to the Eagles' receiving corps.
A recent trade that sent Philadelphia's former No. 1 receiver Jordan Matthews to Buffalo for cornerback Ronald Darby was already validated to a certain extent with Darby's 48-yard interception return against his old team in the Eagles' 20-16 victory against the Bills in a Week 2 preseason contest.
While I was happy to see both Jeffrey and Smith make a solid contribution in limited preseason action, I am a bit concerned with the team's other big free agent acquisition LeGarrette Blount as a quick fix for the Eagles' running game. I was a big Wendell Smallwood fan as a rookie last year, but I still do not see him as an every down running back in the NFL. Blount had a monster season with New England last year in the Patriots' run to a Super Bowl title, but he was still viewed as expendable by a head coach that understands the true value of his players. While you cannot make all that much from what Blount did or did not do in the preseason, he needs to hit the ground running (literally) against the Redskins on opening day.
I have been impressed with the Eagles' willingness to keep wheeling and dealing with minor trades here and there. They are obviously committed to heading into a new season with the best roster possible. Most of the moves (as in the trade for Darby) have be focused on improving the team's biggest weakness; the defensive secondary. One of their latest moves was a trade with the New York Jets for defensive back Dexter McDougle in exchange for another defensive back Terrence Brooks. While I really do know whether this is an actual upgrade in depth or just a wash, I do like the fact that Howie Roseman continues to work the phones while Philly works to finalize its 53-man roster.
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