Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 12/3/22.

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NFL contenders’ biggest weaknesses, playoff teams to avoid - ESPN+
The Cowboys’ flaw: Game management [...] A perfect example of how this can go wrong dates back to the 2014 NFC Championship Game, when McCarthy’s Packers inherited a pair of short fields from the Seahawks and kicked field goals on fourth-and-inches, only to later blow a significant lead and lose in overtime. McCarthy said after the game that his target was “20 rushing attempts in the second half,” which did not serve any purpose beyond simulating what teams do in a victory. In a close game, I would be worried about his tactical nous against most other NFL coaches. Team to avoid: Philadelphia Eagles. They have been one of the league’s most analytically inclined teams over the past two decades, and while Andy Reid wasn’t exactly one for getting aggressive on fourth down, the Eagles have had plenty of success when Doug Pederson and Nick Sirianni have kept their foot on the gas. We haven’t seen Sirianni make meaningful decisions in the heat of a close postseason game, but after ranking sixth in Football Outsiders’ Go For It rate a year ago, there’s a decent chance he will give his team the best possible chance of pulling out a close game. I can’t say the same thing about McCarthy.

Eagles vs Titans game preview: 5 questions and answers with the Week 13 enemy - BGN
I think the Eagles win this game 31-21 because they are just a better team. The Titans will keep it close into the 4th quarter but the Eagles pull away. As for the rest of the season, the Titans will win a terrible AFC South. The NY Times playoff simulator has the Titans with a 99% to win the division if they just split with the Jaguars, beat the Texans and lose the rest of their games. They will then host a playoff game and probably lose in the wild card round.

Titans vs Eagles game preview: 5 questions and answers with the Week 13 enemy - Music City Miracles
The Tennessee Titans head to Philadelphia this week to take on the Eagles. I reached out to Brandon Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation to answer questions about the Eagles to get us ready for the game. You can head over to BGN to see his questions with my answers.

Eye on the Enemy #116: Jimmy Morris on A.J. Brown playing his former team - BGN Radio
John Stolnis and Jimmy Morris of Music City Miracles preview this week’s game and talk a lot about the A.J. Brown angle, playing his old team. Also, John previewed the other big games on the Sunday schedule as well.

The Eagles’ 2022 special teams gaffes, with gifs and stuff - PhillyVoice
The Eagles have been extremely fortunate that their poor special teams play has not yet cost them a game, but it does feel a little bit like a ticking time bomb waiting to happen. In my opinion, they should start playing better on special teams.

Roob’s observations: Upcoming games critical for Blankenship’s future - NBCSP
1. Consider these next few games a tryout for Reed Blankenship, whose performance could impact Howie Roseman’s decision on who to try and re-sign this offseason. Both Eagles starting safeties – Chauncy Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps – are unsigned beyond this year, and Blankenship – as a rookie free agent – comes with bargain base salaries of $870,000 next year and $985,000 in 2024 with the Eagles also holding his rights in 2025. Because his initial signing bonus was just $5,000, his cap figures are just a few bucks higher than his base salaries. Gardner-Johnson has been terrific this year and leads the NFL with six interceptions, and at just 24 years old he’s going to be in position for a massive free agency contract. Spotrac projects something in the $14 million per year range. You’d love to keep him, but will it be possible? When you sign a quarterback to a deal like Jalen Hurts is about to get, you lose the flexibility to re-sign all the free agents you want, and you’ve got to build with some cheap rookie deals. It’s not going to be easy for the Eagles to keep Gardner-Johnson, although with Howie you never say never. If Blankenship plays as well these next two or three weeks in CJGJ’s place as he did Sunday against the Packers, he becomes a viable – and drastically cheaper – alternative. You’d rather have Gardner-Johnson, but if you’re working under a salary cap you’d rather have Blankenship on a minimum cost-controlled salary than Gardner-Johnson at $14 million. I know one thing. I’d rather have Howie trying to figure all this out than any other GM.

Week 13 NFL game picks: Bengals earn third straight win over Chiefs; 49ers edge out Dolphins - NFL.com
I love this game. There may not be two tougher fronts than Tennessee’s defensive line and Philadelphia’s offensive line, which square off in this bout. The Eagles’ boffo running attack also faces its biggest test — and the same is true for their leaky run defense. I’m fascinated to see how the Titans try to game plan for Jalen Hurts, while Ryan Tannehill can move the ball on this Philly defense. With the way both teams are playing right now, it looks like a toss-up. Take the home team.

Eagles-Titans preview: Matchups, storylines to watch, game predictions - The Athletic
Wulf: I think Tennessee will be successful in dragging Philadelphia into the mud. But the Eagles have some nasty to them, too, and will relish the challenge of running on the league’s top-ranked run defense, as they did against the Saints each of the last two seasons. Henry will pop a few longer runs, but for the most part, I think the Eagles will hold up well on defense — though Ryan Tannehill will connect on at least one long play-action shot. Hurts hits A.J. Brown for his second touchdown catch of the game midway through the fourth quarter, and the Eagles hold on late for the win. Eagles 21, Titans 14

Spadaro: Different week, same routine for Reed Blankenship - PE.com
The rule for every player in the Eagles’ locker room is that you prepare to be the starter, no matter the week, no matter the anticipated role on gameday. That way, you see, there are no surprises. Reed Blankenship learned this on Sunday night. He saw starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson go down in the second quarter of the game against Green Bay, which meant that Blankenship was the “next man up.” And all Blankenship did was register six total tackles, end a Packers’ potential scoring drive with a diving interception off the right hand of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and announce himself to a national television audience. The point is, Blankenship was prepared for the moment because he put in the work every day to that moment learning the defense, anticipating scenarios and making sure he was ready ... if ... his ... number ... was ... called. It was, and Blankenship responded. “It felt natural to me,” he said. “I’ve played a lot of football and I understood my assignment on every play, so I just went out and played.”

All-32: Michael Gallup Set for Big Game Against Colts - Football Outsiders
PHI DTs Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph. The Eagles run defense has not been the same since Jordan Davis went down with a high ankle sprain about a month ago. Though Davis only played 30% or 40% of the team’s snaps any given week, he was instrumental in letting them play with three down linemen on early downs. Davis commanded the nose tackle position, anchoring the middle of the unit while providing space for second-level defenders and more 1-on-1 opportunities for the defensive linemen over the guards. Davis has not played since Week 8. Not so coincidentally, the Eagles’ Week 9, 10, and 12 performances make up for three of the team’s six below-average run defense performances this season. The lone exception over that stretch was their Week 11 game versus the Colts, wherein Band-Aid signings Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph showed up well. Neither Suh nor Joseph nor the rest of the unit fared well against the Packers last Sunday night, a reminder of just how different they are without Davis. The Titans run game is going to necessitate base personnel because they play so often from under center and with heavy personnel. For the Eagles, that means matching them with three down linemen. With Philly’s middling linebackers and up-and-down play from the other defensive linemen, not having Davis to be a consistent rock in the middle sets off a domino effect of shaky run defense. We are going to find out if Joseph is really a fine enough substitute for Davis in this game. The Titans have little chance of throwing the ball well against the Eagles secondary, so they’re going to have to spam Derrick Henry runs until they absolutely cannot anymore. Expect Henry to get plenty of opportunities at worst, and to have a game-deciding performance if everything breaks right.

Cowboys point/counterpoint: The importance of the next three games - Blogging The Boys
ou look at these AFC South opponents coming up, and it is not unreasonable to say that the Cowboys would almost have to beat themselves. I still get leery of overconfidence after the loss to the Green Bay Packers, but there is no Aaron Rodgers lurking in this group to come in and save a game. I fully expect Dallas to get to 11-3 before they face the Eagles and then the only good team in the AFC South, the Tennessee Titans. Those are both games that are not easy matchups, and the Cowboys need to stack up these next three wins for a little insurance as the playoff picture begins to sort itself. I do think this is one case where not all wins are equal. There is a consensus that Dallas is one of the elite teams in the NFC, along with the Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings. It is a plus that the Cowboys have already handed the Vikings one of the worst beatdowns of the season, but this is a week-to-week league. Dallas needs to live up to expectations over these next three contests to prove that they are indeed one of the teams that deserve to be in the conversation of who goes to the Super Bowl out of the NFC.

Big Blue View mailbag: Saquon Barkley, Daniel Jones, Brian Daboll, more - Big Blue View
Now, could Tyrod Taylor do for the Giants what Taylor Heinicke has done in Washington or Geno Smith is doing in Seattle? Maybe. Truly, though, what evidence is there? I have always thought Taylor was partially a security blanket for 2023 in the event the Giants move on from Daniel Jones. Still, it feels like Taylor playing in 2023 would be a step backwards. My position has been the same as the season has unfolded. I don’t know that GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are yet 100 percent convinced Jones is the guy. We haven’t heard about contract extension talks for Jones, while we have about some other players. If they do bring him back, which I think is more likely now than it might have been before the season started, I don’t see the Giants being willing to give him Goff-Wentz money. I can see two years, maybe three, at somewhere between $15 and $20 million annually. I don’t have inside info on that, it’s just what I think is fair.

Washington Commanders vs New York Giants Friday Injury Report: 3 players have been ruled out - Hogs Haven
RB Antonio Gibson - Scott Turner seemed confident Gibson would play this week despite a foot injury keeping him out of practice most of the week. DE Chase Young - Washington “ramped up” his participation in practice over the last two days. An illness kept him from returning last week.

Establish the Fun: Maxx Crosby, Brian Burns, and the art of elite EDGE play - SB Nation
The Bengals defense ROCKED against the Titans on Sunday, holding Derrick Henry to 38 yards on 17 carries, a rare Derrick Henry Fetty Wapping (shoutout to former SB Nation writer and Northwestern alum Rodger Sherman). Let’s start up front, and how they stopped Derrick Henry. The first big piece (both literally and figuratively) in this defense is DJ Reader. His ability not only to eat blocks and double teams up front, but to make plays out of these double teams is crucial to how the Bengals play their defense.

The Look Ahead: Bills/Patriots reaction, Pick 3 & Week 13 Preview - The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera, RJ Ochoa, and Brandon Lee Gowton discuss the Bills’ Thursday night win over the Patriots–before diving into their locks of the week. We finish things up by previewing every Week 13 game across the NFL.

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