Week 11 Preview; The Rematch: Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots

Sunday, November 17 at Lincoln Financial Field, Patriots 3.5-point favorites

The Patriots are coming off a bye and are still very angry about their Super Bowl loss to the Eagles two seasons ago. Will New England exact revenge or will the Philadelphia Eagles pull out another signature Pederson-era victory?

Injury Report:

OUT

Philadelphia: Nigel Bradham (LB, ankle), Alshon Jeffery (WR, ankle), Darren Sproles IR (RB, quad)

New England: Patrick Chung (S, chest/heel), Damien Harris (RB, hamstring)

QUESTIONABLE:

Philadelphia: Jordan Howard (RB, shoulder)

New England: Nate Ebner (DB/ST, ankle/back), Matt LaCosse (TE, knee), Danny Shelton (DL, knee), John Simon (DE, elbow), Gunner Olszewski (WR, ankle/hamstring)

Nigel Bradham remains out with an ankle injury, but it’s looking likely that he will make his return next week. Jason Peters is healthy and will regain his starting role in his return from surgery. Andre Dillard has improved with each passing week, but the coaching staff has opted to give the Bodyguard his spot back. Jordan Howard is in danger of missing Sunday’s game, a large reason why the Eagles signed Jay Ajayi. Alshon Jeffery will not play on Sunday, and even though he hasn’t been good this season, receiver help is needed against a talented Patriots secondary.

Analysis:

With Dallas falling to Minnesota and dropping to 5-4, this game becomes even more important for the Eagles. A win here coupled with a Dallas loss gives them sole possession of first place in the division. A victory won’t come easy against a well-rested 8-1 Patriots squad, but this is exactly the type of game that the Eagles have been known to win in recent years.

The Eagles won’t win this game by asking Carson Wentz to outduel Tom Brady with Nelson Agholor as his top receiver. Stephon Gilmore is bound to erase whoever is across from him and the Patriots other defensive backs are also playing exceptional football. The true weakness of this New England defense is their inability to stop the inside running game, and that’s exactly how Baltimore gashed them two weeks ago. The Eagles strength in their last couple of games has been exactly that, but with Jordan Howard not playing, it will be a lot harder to move the ball that way. Miles Sanders improves with every game, but is he ready to take on a significantly larger load? If Ajayi can throw it back to the 2016/latter part of 2017, maybe he will be the surprise hero on Sunday.

The Patriots do not have Ezekiel Elliott, so their running game isn’t likely to see much success. Their aerial attack hasn’t been exactly scary either, but it does pose a much larger problem than Chicago’s or Buffalo’s. We’ll find out early if the Eagles improved cornerback play stems from bad opponents or from actual player improvement.

The Eagles have a better chance to win this game than most realize. Tom Brady hasn’t been asked to put the team on his back this season and as much as I don’t want to doubt him, I can’t see him doing it. If the Eagles run the ball effectively and are able to move down the field on this New England defense, the win is there for the taking. On the flip side, Bill Belichick’s Patriots are lethal coming off of a bye week. Two weeks is plenty of time to make adjustments to any identified weaknesses, and if they force us to win through the passing game, it’s just not going to happen. The Eagles are 2-1 against New England this decade, but because we have to face them off of a bye, it may be 2-2 come Sunday evening.

Prediction: Eagles 17, Patriots 23

-By: Micah Jimoh