Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 1/11/23.

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Every NFL playoff team, ranked by their Super Bowl chances - SB Nation
4. Philadelphia Eagles. While not taking anything away from the jobs done by GM Howie Roseman, head coach Nick Sirianni, and quarterback Jalen Hurts, the biggest thing working in Philadelphia’s favor this season is timing thanks to a weaker-than-usual NFC. Despite losing two games late in the year with Hurts sidelined with a shoulder injury, the Eagles kept their heads above the Vikings and 49ers and got the benefit of a bye week and homefield advantage in the playoffs. That potentially starts with a divisional round game against the Giants, who Philadelphia swept in the regular season by a combined 70-38 score, or the Cowboys, a team that the Eagles beat Dallas 26-17 in October. Dallas won the rematch, but not when Hurts was the quarterback. For those reasons, the Eagles should be the favorites to win the NFC. Having gone 5-0 against the AFC, with a combined score of 145-67, Philadelphia is a sleeping giant with a much easier path to the Super Bowl then their counterparts in the other conference. Good timing.

NFL Power Rankings: 49ers, Bills, Bengals remain on top heading into Super Wild Card Weekend - NFL.com
5) The Eagles did what they needed to do Sunday, beating a Giants team resting all their key starters and finally clinching the No. 1 seed in the NFC. It sounds like Philadelphia needs all the extra rest it can get ahead of the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Jalen Hurts returned after a two-week absence and made it through the game, though postgame comments from Nick Sirianni were a bit alarming. “We didn’t feel like there was more risk [of further injury], but I know he was hurting and he was hurting bad,” the coach acknowledged. If Hurts was “hurting bad” after two weeks off, is there any promise he’ll be significantly better on the other side of the bye? The Eagles’ Super Bowl hopes might rest on their quarterback’s ability to attack defenses without reservations.

Eagles vs. Giants: 10 winners, 3 losers, 2 IDKs - BGN
This may have been one of the more anticlimactic No. 1 seed clinches recently, if not ever. But that such a scenario was possible speaks to how impressive the 2022 Eagles were. To be able to secure home field advantage with just one win over the final three weeks? It’s hardly every season that that happens in the NFL, let alone for the Eagles. Fair or not, this year will ultimately be defined by what happens in the postseason. But all that the Birds accomplished in the regular season should not be taken for granted. Gotta take a moment to appreciate this. And there’s certainly enough time to do that during a first-round bye.

NFC East Mixtape Vol.93: The Eagles have won the NFC East - BGN Radio
Ed Valentine from Big Blue View joins Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) and RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) to share his thoughts on the Giants’ recent performances, their odds of making the Super Bowl and he makes his prediction for the Giants-Vikings Wild Card game. Later in the show, Brandon and RJ discuss the biggest storylines in the division.

Video: The Eagles’ 70 sacks in 2022 - PhillyVoice
The 2022 Philadelphia Eagles feasted on opposing quarterbacks, setting a team record of 70 sacks on the season, falling just two short of the NFL single-season record of 72 set by the Chicago Bears in 1984. They were the first team in NFL history to have four players with double digit sacks. A look at the leaderboard.

So Different - Iggles Blitz
Let’s start with Jalen Hurts. He is a vastly improved QB this year. He had a legit shot to be the NFL MVP before a late season injury slowed him down. Hurts has been a weapon as both a runner and passer. He finished fourth in the NFL in passer rating (101.6), which is almost 15 points above his rating for 2021. Hurts worked relentlessly in the offseason to improve as a passer. His mechanics are better. His motion is better. His decision-making is better. Hurts is the biggest reason the Eagles had such a special season. Howie Roseman went out and got some weapons for Hurts. He traded for AJ Brown on draft day so Hurts would have a proven stud receiver to add to the mix. Brown went on to have a special season, setting the franchise record for receiving yards in a season. Brown had the best year of his career.

Most explosive playmaker on every 2023 NFL playoff team - PFF
Philadelphia Eagles: WR A.J. Brown. AJB didn’t skip a beat with his new employer, posting career-high marks in receptions (88) and receiving yards (1,496) while looking like an absolute menace in his black visor. He finished with the sixth-most playmaker points at the fourth-highest rate among all wide receivers with at least 50 combined targets and carries. It was rare to see the stud fourth-year receiver ever go too long without finding a way to impact the game. Ultimately, the season-long performance is par for the course: You doesn’t need more than two hands to count the number of wide receivers more efficient than Brown on a per-route basis since entering the league in 2019.

Top 5 reasons for optimism and concern as Eagles enter playoffs - NBCSP
2. Lane Johnson’s health. Yeah, above we mentioned that the Eagles will have all 11 offensive starters on the field but Johnson (groin) is going to attempt to play through a torn adductor. No one will ever question Johnson’s toughness but this would be pretty incredible. Even if Johnson plays, he likely won’t be the same version that has been arguably the best tackle in football all season. But if he can give them 80%, he’s still a better option than Jack Driscoll. And that’s not a shot at Driscoll; that’s just how good Johnson is. But we’ll see if Johnson can really last through a three-game season in the playoffs. If not, then Driscoll needs to be ready. It’s obvious that Johnson is important to the Eagles and a big reason aside from the obvious is that the Eagles really leave their two tackles on islands quite often. They don’t give much help and that gives a boost in numbers elsewhere. The Eagles will be hesitant to give Driscoll help but if they have to play the Cowboys and Johnson can’t finish a game, you’d see Driscoll out there against DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons. That’s a scary recipe.

NFL Coach of the Year: Nick Sirianni, Mike Tomlin contenders in crowded field - The Athletic
Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles (14-3). After a 9-8 regular-season record and playoff appearance in the first year under the former Colts offensive coordinator, the Eagles appeared primed for growth in 2022. But Sirianni has propelled his squad forward by leaps and bounds. Under Sirianni’s direction, Jalen Hurts went from intriguing prospect to MVP candidate, the offense became one of the most potent and well-rounded units in the league and the defense was dominant as well. Owners of the NFC’s top seed at 14-3, the Eagles appear ready for a Super Bowl run. [...] Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8). The Jaguars were a dumpster fire under Urban Meyer, and despite inheriting a roster with plenty of young talent, Pederson appeared to have his work cut out for him. The only head coach to direct the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl came in and brought much-needed credibility and stability. There were still growing pains, as the 2-6 start reflected. But in the second half of the season, Pederson transformed Trevor Lawrence from an inconsistent passer to the game-changing talent everyone envisioned him as coming out of college. Jacksonville went 6-1 down the stretch of the season, overtook the Tennessee Titans for first place in the AFC South and clinched its first playoff berth since 2017 (and second in 16 seasons).

Spadaro: Back to basics as Eagles look inward during the bye - PE.com
Mostly, it’s the internal scouting. It’s breaking down every component of the team – every situational bit of football involved – and evaluating. Being honest. Being critical. Looking for ways to improve because it’s a win-or-go-home scenario moving forward. For the first time in his NFL coaching career, Sirianni is in a playoff bye week. He’s taking “little bits of information” from various coaches and people he knows around the league and from situations he’s experienced and he’s made the decision on how to maximize this week. At the core of the plan? Fundamentals, which is no surprise because that is one of Sirianni’s five core principles and he and his coaching staff stress them every day. “Fundamentals are going to be a big part in winning in the playoffs, just like we believe it really is in the regular season as well,” Sirianni said. “We’ll have a little bit more time for ‘individual’ (portion of practice) this week to get back to some of the fundamentals that you might not have enough time to do in the year, kinda more so like a Training Camp practice or an OTA (Organized Team Activities in the spring) practice where you have more time.” The other part of it is winning at situational football, so there will be an emphasis on that this week.

NFL head-coach openings: Latest buzz, rumors and top candidates - ESPN+
Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon impressed the Texans in interviews last year and should be a strong candidate for the job again this year. If he does get that job, I’ve been told one of the names to watch for his offensive coordinator is Patriots tight ends coach Nick Caley, who has a connection with Texans GM Nick Caserio from Caserio’s time in New England.

Doug Pederson gets love from Jeffrey Lurie, Eagles as he leads the Jaguars to the playoffs - Inquirer
Eagles players and coaches usually spend Saturday nights going over the game plan. Eagles executives usually spend Saturday nights at dinners and parties, entertaining all sorts of NFL brass. Not this past Saturday. This Saturday, it was must-see TV. Former Eagles coach Doug Pederson and his ragtag Jacksonville Jaguars had a chance to make the playoffs if they beat the Tennessee Titans. The Birds were glued to the tube. “I watched,” admitted Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie after his team won Sunday. “I watched, and I was rooting so hard.”

Eagles donate more than $400,000 to combat gun violence in Philadelphia - PFT
The Eagles have a bye in the wild-card round, but they’re not taking the week off. The team has announced that it has donated more than $410,000 to various local nonprofits, with the goal of helping end gun violence in Philadelphia. “In Philadelphia, gun violence continues to be a major concern and has disproportionately affected underserved communities of color,” the team explained in its announcement. “In 2022, Philadelphia experienced 516 homicides, surpassing a city record for annual homicides for the second year in a row dating back to at least 1960.”

Eagles, Jordan Mailata celebrate local youth football national champions - 6ABC
It was a night for champions at Lincoln Finacial Field in South Philadelphia. Three area youth football teams were celebrated by the Eagles as part of the Eagles Care Community Tuesday initiative with the mission of growing the game of football. There was dancing with Swoop, good food and nothing but fun. The teams won either the 2022 AAU National Championship or Pop Warner Super Bowl. The national champions included the U10 and U12 Downingtown Young Whippets and the U11 West Philly Panthers. To help celebrate their victories, Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata paid a visit. He had some words of wisdom for the young champions moving forward.

The McCarthy Chronicles: Cowboys commit coaching malpractice against Commanders - Blogging The Boys
Mike McCarthy insisted all week that the Cowboys would play to win against the Commanders. And they had to, as a loss in Week 18 would render the results of the Eagles and 49ers games meaningless to Dallas and their longshot pursuit of both the division title and the top seed in the NFC. Well, if that’s what playing to win looks like, then the Cowboys are in serious trouble. The Cowboys buried themselves in a hole early with poorly executed plays on offense and two major gaffes from their special teams unit. And unlike several other games from earlier in the year, the Cowboys never mounted a comeback, instead limping to a 26-6 loss.

Giants’ OC Mike Kafka to get interview for Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans head-coaching jobs - Big Blue View
Mike Kafka, New York Giants offensive coordinator, will receive an interview for the Carolina Panthers vacant head-coaching job, per NFL insider Tom Pelissero. Kafka will also receive an interview for the Houston Texans head-coaching vacancy. In a Monday story on possible head-coaching opportunities for Kafka and Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, we mentioned the Panthers as a possibility for Kafka because they are apparently seeking to speak with “rising offensive gurus.” Per NFL rules, interested teams cannot conduct an in-person interview with Kafka until next week after the conclusion of the wild-card round of playoff games. Before the conclusion of the wild-card round, in-person interviews may only be held with candidates employed by the team hiring a head coach or not currently employed by the NFL. Kafka, 35, is in his first season as Giants’ offensive coordinator. This has been his first season as an NFL play caller.

Official: The Washington Commanders have fired OC Scott Turner - Hogs Haven
Scott Turner has dealt with the usual QB carousel that happens in Washington almost every year. There have been 8 different starting QBs, and 3 different Week 1 starting QBs in his time as the offensive coordinator. Turner has been both praised and reviled for his playcalling, but the general theme has been that he tends to try to outsmart his opponents while being too predictable. Fans have been calling this out since his first season, but when multiple players are expressing their frustrations to the media, it’s usually a sign that change is coming. Scott Turner was signed to two-year extension last year. Dan Snyder is exploring options for a sale, and there were questions about whether any changes would happen during a possible transition in ownership. Coaching contracts are generally fully guarantied, so the only thing we can take from this firing is that Ron Rivera is still in charge, and has the authority to make decisions that will cost Dan Snyder money. That could easily change, and this move could have been approved by Snyder, but as of right now, we are no closer to knowing Snyder’s true intentions for his future as an NFL owner.

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