Playoff Preview: Eagles Host Seahawks

Sunday, January 5 at Lincoln Financial Field, Seahawks 1.5-point favorites

After capturing the NFC East in a blowout victory over the Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles are set to face the Seattle Seahawks for an NFC Wildcard matchup on Sunday at 4:40 PM.

Injury Report:

Philadelphia

OUT: WR Nelson Agholor (knee)

QUESTIONABLE: TE Zach Ertz (ribs, back), T Lane Johnson (ankle)

Seattle

OUT: T Duane Brown (knee/biceps), LB Mychal Kendricks (knee), WR Malik Turner (concussion)

QUESTIONABLE: WR Jaron Brown (knee), G Mike Iupati (neck)

For Philadelphia, WR Nelson Agholor remains out with a knee injury. The Eagles will move forward with Greg Ward, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, and their other reserves at WR. Zach Ertz was cleared for contact after suffering a nasty injury two weeks ago. He’s expected to play. Johnson, while questionable, is more likely to return next week if Philadelphia can handle Seattle. Seattle has two offensive linemen on the injury report, not ideal for an already weak group of pass blockers. Former Eagle Mychal Kendricks is out for the season after tearing his ACL, but the return of safety Quandre Diggs will bolster Seattle’s defense.

Analysis:

With Miles Sanders set to play, Jordan Howard a week removed from his return, and the ascension of Boston “Philly” Scott, the Eagles need to run the football down Seattle’s throat. Over the last three games, Seattle is 30th in run defense, allowing an abysmal 175.3 yards per game on the ground. With Matt Pryor and Big V set to start for Philadelphia, consistent pass protection may not be a luxury for Carson Wentz to enjoy. Establishing the run game early will lead to play-action opportunities and more importantly will keep the ball out of the hands of Russell Wilson.

Speaking of Wilson, the second-team All-Pro has slowed down considerably in recent weeks. It doesn’t help to lose your top three running backs for the season, but he didn’t play well in losses to the Rams and Cardinals that sunk Seattle’s chances at a bye. Even in the first matchup against Philadelphia, Wilson completed just 52% of his passes and threw an interception. Wilson remains one of the most dangerous players in the NFL and can turn it on at any time, but this isn’t as bad of a matchup for the Eagles defense as people may think. Ronald Darby being out for the year may be addition by subtraction. Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham are set to feast against this weak offensive line. Marshawn Lynch has only played one game in the past year-plus and current starting RB Travis Homer only has 18 career rushes.

History may be in Seattle’s favor as they’ve won the last five matchups against Philadelphia dating back to 2011, but none of that actually matters. Here we see two teams trending in opposite directions since their last matchup and two quarterbacks trending in opposite directions as well. Over their last five, the Eagles have gone 4-1 (albeit against a weak schedule) while Seattle has gone 2-3. The Eagles are led by the best motivational coach in the business and are once again embracing the same underdog, next-man-up mentality that took them to a championship in 2017. Logic may say Seattle prevails, but my gut says otherwise.
Prediction: Eagles 23, Seahawks 17

-By: Micah Jimoh

Writer/Interviewer

Eagles Week 17 Review: Playoff Bound!!!

The Eagles captured the NFC East behind a fourth-quarter explosion at MetLife.

The Eagles have been through a lot this season and yet they’re still the NFC East champions with plenty more to play for. Here’s what we learned from the Eagles division-clinching regular-season finale.

1. Carson Wentz is the Real Deal

I love Nick Foles, but I do not want to hear his name anymore. On Sunday, Carson Wentz became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards without having a single wide receiver break the 500 mark. He was also the only quarterback this season to throw a touchdown in every game. No right tackle, top three wide receivers, starting running back, or elite tight end? No problem.

2. The Rise of “Philly” Scott

At the beginning of the season, the Eagles seemed determined to get Darren Sproles a large amount of touches. Obviously, that didn’t work out, but over the past few weeks, former Saints practice squander Boston Scott has been the reincarnation of Sproles. After racking up 128 yards and a TD in his first game against New York, he managed to top that by totaling 138 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday. In a game where Zach Ertz didn’t play and Miles Sanders was injured, a performance like that was sorely needed from the 5’6 blossoming star.

3. It’s Not an Eagles Game Unless Someone Gets Hurt

Several players found themselves in the medical tent at some point during this game, but Miles Sanders and Brandon Brooks never made it back into the game. Brooks’ injury was much more severe and he required a cart to assist him off of the field. It was revealed that he suffered a dislocated shoulder and unfortunately will miss the rest of the season. Tough break for the arguably the best guard in football who had already fought back from a major injury to play this year. Scott helped us forget, but Miles Sanders never returned to action after suffering an ankle injury. His diagnosis is more positive, and there’s a decent chance he suits up for the Eagles’ first playoff game. Jordan Howard didn’t see any touches in his “return” from injury, but with Sanders banged up he will be in for an increased workload next week. 

In other injury news:

- Zach Ertz’s status is unclear. I wouldn’t be too optimistic about him playing.

- There is a shot Lane Johnson plays next week. 

- Avonte Maddox and Jalen Mills should be okay.

- Daeshon Hall tore his ACL on the last play of the game. Unfortunate.

4. Nothing Else Matters, The Eagles Are Going to the Playoffs

Thanks to Seattle’s affinity for falling short at the goal line, they will face the Eagles next Sunday at 4:40 pm. While not to the same extent as Philadelphia, Seattle is very banged up and presents a much more favorable matchup than San Francisco would’ve. Go Birds.

-By: Micah Jimoh

Writer/Interviewer

Eagles Week 17 Preview: Win & In

Sunday, December 29 at MetLife Stadium, Eagles 4-point favorites (Bovada)

After taking sole possession of the top spot in the NFC East last week, all Philadelphia needs to do is complete the season sweep of the Giants for a spot in the NFC playoffs.

Injury Report:

OUT:

Philadelphia: WR Nelson Agholor (knee), TE Zach Ertz (ribs, back)

New York: TE Rhett Ellison (concussion), T Mike Remmers (concussion), TE Scott Simonson (concussion)

QUESTIONABLE:

Philadelphia: T Lane Johnson (ankle), CB Jalen Mills (ankle)

New York: CB Corey Ballentine (back), CB Sam Beal (shoulder), LB Alec Ogletree (back)

After being made a sacrifice by an errant Carson Wentz throw, Ertz will miss Sunday’s game as a precautionary measure. The hope is that Dallas Goedert continues his strong play in place of Ertz this week. Nelson Agholor remains nonexistent and will miss yet another week. He still hasn’t been placed on IR so maybe there’s a chance he returns. In better news, Jordan Howard finally returns from the shoulder injury that caused him to miss six weeks. As is customary for players that are just returning, he will see a lighter role than he’s used to. Luckily for the Eagles, Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate Miles Sanders is playing lights-out. The Giants are dealing with a trio of concussed players including starting right tackle Mike Remmers. 

Analysis:

We already know how much this game means to the Eagles, but how about New York? After winning last week and effectively losing any shot at drafting Ohio State’s Chase Young, the Giants are motivated to play spoiler this week. Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley are both coming off of ridiculous performances and could spell nightmare for Philadelphia if they continue.

The Eagles defense played exceptionally last week, but the inconsistency of this unit scares me. Will the unit that made Russell Wilson look pedestrian show up or will the unit that made Eli Manning look rejuvenated for 30 minutes show up? The Eagles have proven over the last few years that they can motivate themselves and play better with their backs against the wall, so history says they’re trending towards a performance like last year’s Week 17 shutout of the Washington Redskins. Of course, nothing is actually that simple.

One good trend for the Eagles is that they’ve seemed to have broken the curse of the NFC East running backs. Ezekiel Elliott and Saquon Barkley were the two backs who always had their way with Philadelphia, but the Eagles shut them both down in a three-week span. Barkley had his best game of the season last week against Washington (279 total yards and two scores), but is that because he finally hit his stride or because he was playing the same Redskins defense that allowed Miles Sanders to put himself on the map? Regardless of what it is, the Eagles must key in on him in both the running game and the passing game. 

If the Eagles shut down Barkley, they go a long way towards winning this game. Daniel Jones isn’t going to throw for five touchdowns again, and taking away his safety blanket in Saquon (especially with him missing a few tight ends) will force him into erratic decisions. Also with starting RT Mike Remmers out, Brandon Graham can take full advantage and harass Daniel Jones all game. 

The Giants are severely shorthanded in the secondary, and I actually think the Eagles receiving core can take advantage. Carson Wentz has raised his level of play as the season has gone on, and I trust him to deliver once again. Miles Sanders and a hopefully okay Jordan Howard should provide a formidable one-two punch as we saw in the Packers game earlier this season. The Eagles have been much better when they run the ball effectively, and the Giants front isn’t exactly a scary unit.

All in all, as long as Philadelphia doesn’t let their guard down, their season shouldn’t end here. After pulling out a statement win last week against a bitter rival, it would be a letdown of epic proportions if they fell to New York on Sunday. It’s time to host a playoff game.

Prediction: Eagles 27, Giants 16

-By: Micah Jimoh

Writer/Interviewer