Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 12/7/22.

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NFC Hierarchy/Obituary: Week 14 edition - PhillyVoice
Let’s compare Mahomes and Hurts, shall we? As passers, Hurts is arguably more efficient this season, as he has a better completion percentage, better yards per attempt, a better TD-INT ratio, and a better QB rating. Mahomes has more yards and TD throws, because, well, the Chiefs are one of the most pass-heavy teams in the NFL and Mahomes is on pace for 664 pass attempts, which would be the tenth-most in NFL history. Normally, you might ding a quarterback because his team is run-heavy, like the Eagles are under Hurts, on the premise that the quarterback is a game manager. But that’s not the case here, as the Eagles are run-heavy because Jalen Hurts is an elite running quarterback. Hurts is 11-1, while Mahomes is 9-3. I’m not a big “QB wins as a stat” guy, but Hurts only has one loss this season because he has not yet played a bad game, while every other quarterback in the NFL has played several. The idea that Hurts isn’t the MVP favorite right now is just nuts to me.

2022 NFL MVP odds: Jalen Hurts on Patrick Mahomes’ heels; Joe Burrow moves up to No. 3 - The Athletic
Hurts has really become the complete package. In Week 12, he rushed for 157 yards and added two passing TDs to push the Eagles past the Packers. In Week 13, Hurts threw for 380 yards and three TDs along with one rushing TD leading to Philadelphia’s throttling of the Titans. He’s thrown only one interception from Week 5 until now compared to 16 TD passes. Hurts also ranks third in passer rating (108.3), fifth in completion percentage (68.1 percent) and tied for fifth in rushing TDs (nine). And oh by the way, the Eagles have the best record in the NFL by one game at 11-1. Sounds like the percent recipe for the MVP award.

Eagles announce 3 roster moves and 3 practice squad moves - BGN
Quinn’s injury left the Eagles with just Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat as the only traditional 4-3 defensive ends on the roster. Robinson’s return gives the Eagles more depth at that position. For those who may have forgotten, the Eagles signed Robinson away from the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad after Derek Barnett suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1. The Eagles then placed Robinson, who must have gotten hurt in practice since he didn’t see any game action, on IR in mid-October. The team opened his 21-day practice window back in November, prompting them to either activate him to the roster or shut him down for the year. Robinson, who has never played in an NFL regular season game, might see some limited playing time in a rotational role until Quinn is back. But we’ll see.

The Toolbox - Iggles Blitz
The 2022 Eagles have a big toolbox. They seem to have an answer for everything. Let’s start with the offense. The Eagles are 5th in the NFL in rushing yards. Miles Sanders is the leading rusher and is a versatile back. He has the speed to get outside and really stretch teams. He’s improved as an inside runner. He is running tougher than ever and fights for yards. Shut him down and you have to deal with Jalen Hurts. He can burn you on designed runs or scrambles. Hurts is unique because he is elusive and athletic, but also very strong. He is outstanding on QB sneaks. That simple play has become a weapon for the Eagles. Hurts can use RPOs to drive a defense crazy. Run or pass. And with Hurts handling the ball he can turn the pass back into a run if he wants. That sure feels a cheat code.

Already the other No. 1, DeVonta Smith continues to grow - NBCSP
As it is, he’s still on pace for 86 catches, 1,007 yards and 6 touchdowns. His 711 yards so far are still really impressive. In fact, there are 16 teams in the NFL that don’t have a receiver with more. Make no mistake about it, Smith would be a No. 1 receiver on plenty of teams in the NFL. “DeVonta has been great,” Brown said. “I feel like he’s been great all year with the route running and after the catch. It just meant a lot today. Both of us were on the same page and we went out and handled business today.” When the Eagles traded up and drafted Smith with the No. 10 overall pick last year, we already knew how polished he was as a receiver. He was about as NFL-ready as you’ll see a college prospect and he was already known for his route running, body control and more. Because of that polish, it might not be as easy to follow his development in Year 2. But it’s there.

Spadaro: Eagles prep for dual-headed engine at heart of Giants’ rushing attack - PE.com
It has answered every challenge in this 2022 regular season, and now as the stretch run arrives, the Eagles’ defense has more to come: Sunday at MetLife Stadium, the Giants offer a unique approach with a combination of physical offensive line play and a creative run scheme that features quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley. This is what Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon is focused on – a multi-pronged run game that hits a defense in every which way. “Brian Daboll (Giants head coach) and Mike Kafka (Giants offensive coordinator) know what they’re doing,” Gannon said on Tuesday at his weekly press conference at the NovaCare Complex. “Bobby Johnson is the O-line coach; I was with Bobby for a little bit, and he knows what he’s doing. They know how to use, to maximize their quarterback skill set in a way that makes it very challenging for the defense because it challenges your rules and your structures, and they find their matchups, their one-on-one matchups, because of the quarterback skill set. So, we’ve got a big-time challenge ahead of us, and we’ve got to be on it. It’s a game where you can’t just line up and play your stuff, or you will get gashed. We’ve got a big-time challenge ahead of us.” The Eagles are familiar with Jones, having seen him through the years, and they are well aware of his running skills – both improvisational and designed. Four times this season, Jones has carried the ball 10 times or more, and in Sunday’s 20-20 tie with Washington, he ran 12 times for 71 yards.

The Wild World of the 2022 Minnesota Vikings - Football Outsiders
It’s Trading Places Week at the top of the Football Outsiders DVOA ratings, with a number of teams swapping spots while the team(s) in between them stay the same. Let’s start near the top with Baltimore and Dallas. The Cowboys crushed the Colts on Sunday night and move up to No. 2 in DVOA. The Cowboys are also now No. 1 in weighted DVOA, which lowers the strength of the earliest games to try to get a better idea of how good teams will be going forward. The Cowboys are now the No. 1 defense by five percentage points over the rest of the league, with San Francisco climbing to No. 2. We’ll get to the 49ers in a moment. Baltimore slid past Denver 10-9 but the Broncos significantly outplayed the Ravens in that game. Baltimore ended up with just 4.7% Post-Game Win Expectancy. The Broncos outgained the Ravens 5.2 to 4.1 yards per play and had a +2 turnover margin. So the Ravens drop in DVOA despite the win, two spots down to No. 4 where the Cowboys used to be. The Philadelphia Eagles remain in between at No. 3 although they climbed up from 26.9% to 30.0% with a big win over the Titans. [BLG Note: The Giants rank 21st in DVOA, 18 spots below the Eagles.]

What’s up with the New York Giants’ offense? - Big Blue View
Some were wondering how long it would be before Kafka got his own head-coaching gig. And, consideration was being given to how much money it was going to cost to keep Daniel Jones at quarterback. Now? The Giants have gone 1-3-1 over their last five games. They have averaged just 19.0 points per game. Fresh in the minds of Giants’ fans and media pundits is the 20-20 tie with the Washington Commanders during which the Giants punted six straight times after taking a 20-13 lead, and had a string of four possession where they ran 13 total plays and betted just 2 yards. Questions about Jones’ future are popping up again. Daboll, lauded for his aggressive mindset early in the season, is being criticized for the conservative choice to punt on fourth-and-3 at the Washington 45-yard line in overtime. The Giants’ seemingly increasingly cautious approach, and the lack of results, on offense has Daboll fielding questions about whether he will strip Kafka of play-calling duties and take those on himself.

2022 NFL season: Five playoff contenders facing the toughest schedules down the stretch - NFL.com
If we’re going strictly by the numbers, the Giants’ remaining schedule stands as the toughest among NFL teams that have not been eliminated from playoff contention, with a combined opponent win percentage of .710. Four of their five remaining games are against likely playoff teams or teams scratching and clawing to get in, such as the Commanders (the team they just tied on Sunday) in Washington in two weeks. However, there’s a caveat: While the two remaining games against the 11-1 Eagles tilt that percentage heavily, there’s a chance Philly could have the top seed in the NFC wrapped up heading into the final weekend of the regular season, meaning many Eagles starters could be resting when the Giants visit them in Week 18. There’s also a possible cupcake against the Colts in Week 17. Give credit for Indianapolis playing tough for 47 or so minutes against Dallas, but the late meltdown suggests that’s a team that could collapse shortly if it hasn’t already. But otherwise, this schedule is a rough one, with the next three games likely determining the Giants’ fates. Brian Daboll has unquestionably done a fantastic job in his first season as head coach. The Giants were not expected to contend this season, but outside of the Lions game, they’ve had chances to win almost every game so far.

Report: Cowboys visit with Odell Beckham Jr. over, lack of workout a key sticking point - Blogging The Boys
Neither reports specifically note this but reading between the lines it seems like there will be no deal between Beckham and the Cowboys. It makes complete and total sense for Beckham to want security through next year when he will be able to contribute for more of a season, but it also makes sense for Dallas to be focused on the here and now given that they are one of the best teams in the NFL and very capable of finally ending their Super Bowl drought.

Should the Commanders be talking to Center Matt Paradis? - Hogs Haven
I’m thinking that there could be some benefit to looking at another potential Commanther — 33 year old Matt Paradis — in the wake of Tyler Larsen’s serious injury. At the moment, the choices for the Washington coaching staff look a bit grim; they can roll with Nick Martin for the rest of the season, or they can try to use Wes Schweitzer at center. Both have played the position in 2022, and neither has really shined. Washington was forced to use 4 different centers in 2021, and the same thing happened this season.

Broncos cut Anthony Harris - PFT
Harris signed to the Broncos practice squad in September and he has appeared in three games for the team this season. All of his snaps came on special teams. Harris spent 2021 with the Eagles and his first six seasons with the Vikings. He has 356 tackles, 10 interceptions, and four fumble recoveries in 98 career games.

Jimmy Garoppolo could return in 7-8 weeks after doctors conclude he doesn’t need surgery - Niners Nation
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that doctors concluded Tuesday that 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo does not need surgery on his foot, and it is not the dreaded Lisfranc injury. Schefter added that Garoppolo has a chance to return, if fully healthy and his rehab goes smoothly, for the playoffs. The timeframe Schefter used was 7-8 weeks. Schefter’s tweet was loaded with caveats. He said “could,” “chance,” and “potential.” If all goes well, Jimmy will return right around the NFC Championship. The Divisional round is in seven weeks, with the NFC Championship in eight weeks. Then, of course, the Super Bowl is after that. Who is ready for the “Brock Purdy got us here!” arguments?

2023 NFL draft: Every prospect with a first-round grade, plus comps - ESPN+
Jalen Carter, Georgia (No. 3). Comp: Fletcher Cox. The 2021 Georgia defense had five players selected in the first round of the 2022 draft, and Carter (not eligible in that draft) might have actually been the best defender on the team. At 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds, he has great first-step quickness and a powerful frame that can split double teams. Carter battled ankle and knee injuries this season and platooned on a deep Georgia defense last year, but he has still accumulated six sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss in the past two seasons.

Send help, I’m obsessed with ‘The Deion Sanders Hot Dog Express’ - SB Nation
Deion Sanders is trying to make his mark as Colorado’s head coach, but perhaps he didn’t need a big, threatening speech telling players to jump in the transfer portal. Maybe you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar, or in this case win over football players with the unrivaled power of THE DEION SANDERS HOT DOG EXPRESS.

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