/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73865849/2191426515.0.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,800&ssl=1 "The Linc – Commanders DC says Washington will hit Jalen Hurts like a running back if he runs")
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Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
If Jalen Hurts runs, the Commanders plan to hit him like a running back – PFT
On Thursday, Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. had a blunt assessment of how his players intend to approach Hurts if/when he chooses to become a runner. “The one thing is, is if he’s gonna run the ball and the coordinator makes a decision for him to run the ball, we’re gonna treat him like a running back,” Whitt told reporters. “And we’re gonna hit him that way. You know, so that’s their decision if they wanna get him hit the way he gets hit. If they don’t, they’ll keep him in the pocket. So that’s what we’re gonna do.”
Eagles mailbag: Is Commanders LB Frankie Luvu a dirty player? – PhillyVoice
I don’t know that Sirianni complaining to the officials pregame will do anything, but certainly players around the league get reputations for being dirty, and Luvu is probably on his way toward losing the benefit of the doubt on borderline plays.
Eagles-Commanders Film Preview: This could be a huge A.J. Brown game – BGN
This could be a huge AJ Brown game. This Washington defense is not afraid to play man coverage, and they trusted Marshon Lattimore to cover AJ Brown in one-on-one coverage the last time these teams met. AJ Brown dominated Lattimore. The numbers don’t look incredible due to the number of pass interference penalties, but if Washington wants to play this way again, then I look forward to it. Lattimore did play very well against the Detroit Lions, but I still fancy AJ Brown in this one. As long as he is healthy, that is!
Analytics predicts winners for NFL playoff Conference Championship games – SB Nation
Edge: Eagles – Unlike the AFC, the NFC has the team with more experience also ranked higher in the data. Philadelphia has not been a well-oiled machine this year but has still played well, especially on defense. At some point, Jayden Daniels’ lack of experience could become a problem but it hasn’t so far. In what feels like a mismatch, Washington has another chance to prove their doubters (and the analytics) wrong.
Buying, selling narratives for NFL conference championship games – PFF
Narrative: Jalen Hurts needs to play significantly better for the Eagles to win this week. Buy or Sell: Sell (for one more week). Perhaps Daniels and the Commanders will continue their offensive hot streak, but the Eagles still have the league’s highest-graded defense. They also still have Barkley, who amassed 348 yards across the first two matchups between these teams. Those assets bring about two clear advantages for Philadelphia. First, Washington ranks 29th in the NFL in PFF run-defense grade and 30th in yards per carry allowed. Second, the Eagles allow the lowest percentage of explosive pass plays in the league and the Commanders rank 27th in creating them as an offense. While it would be beneficial for Hurts to have one of his best games of the season in this spot, the Eagles are good enough throughout the rest of their roster to beat a still-flawed Washington team.
Wulf’s Ten: A.J. Brown’s playoff woes, Tyler Steen’s big chance, raw sexuality & more – PHLY
One particularly bothersome situation has been their willingness to throw in the towel on third and long. Excluding spikes, kneeldowns and scrambles, only the Indianapolis Colts called a higher percentage of designed runs on third and 7 or longer. “Wait!” you said, “Remember when it worked on that Saquon Barkley Coward’s Draw touchdown against the Jaguars?” I do. In fact, it is the only one of 16 designed runs on third and long situations, including the playoffs, that led to a first down. Meanwhile, the Eagles have converted 27.4 percent of their dropbacks on third and long into first downs, the ninth-best success rate in the league. And if you think this particular play-calling is about avoiding negative plays, know that Hurts has three interceptions and one fumble on those dropbacks, none of which came after Week 4. As Hurts prepares for a game in which the focus seems to be on whether he’ll be able to move around effectively and the impact that will have on the running game, don’t lose sight of the upside he can still provide as a passer. He has A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert, after all.
The Fangio Factor – Iggles Blitz
Sunday will be Fangio’s toughest test of the year. Daniels will be facing the Eagles for the third time this year. That means Fangio has seen a lot of what they want to do, but it also means Daniels should have a good feel for what the Eagles want to do. Fangio was more aggressive in the December rematch. He blitzed more. That had mixed results. Washington used more empty sets and that proved to be very effective. Daniels also ran more and that was probably the difference in the game. What will Fangio do this time around? He probably won’t blitz as much. He could throw another wrinkle or two at Daniels. You hire a guy like Fangio for games like this. Jonathan Gannon could shut down crappy QBs when he was here. Fangio is the kind of smart, veteran coach who can slow down a good offense and affect a good QB. Sunday will be one heck of a chess game between Fangio and Kliff Kingsbury.
2024 NFC Championship Game: DVOA Preview – FTN Fantasy
The weakest unit left in the playoffs is Washington’s defense. Every other platoon on the three other championship teams is in the top half of the league, but the Commanders’ 3.8% defensive DVOA ranks 23rd, significantly below average against both the pass and run. Fans are quick to point out that Washington was dealing with substantial defensive turnover and a new scheme, leading to early growing pains – they’ve been better over the back half of the year. That’s true, at least to a certain extent. Their overall defensive DVOA has improved from 7.8% before their Week 14 bye to -5.0%, shooting up from 27th overall to 10th. There are a few caveats to that, however, as they played against backup quarterbacks for the Saints and Eagles. Remove those two games, and their defensive DVOA is 7.6%, basically unchanged from their pre-bye performance. Some of the statistical improvement Washington has seen has been a mirage.
The Best NFL Bets for the Conference Championships: Almost There – The Ringer
Daniels faces a much tougher defense this week (the Eagles’ group is first in DVOA) than he did in either of his first two playoff games. If the constant pressure and blitzes from Todd Bowles’s and Aaron Glenn’s defenses didn’t rattle him, it’s not clear what will rattle this remarkable rookie. One red flag is the injury to guard Sam Cosmi. Cosmi’s ACL tear in the divisional round leaves the Commanders shorthanded in trying to block Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter. Carter’s fourth-quarter sack and pressure on the Rams’ final drive saved the Eagles from a likely defeat in the final seconds. Vic Fangio’s defense is designed to make teams move the ball down the field slowly. No one is better at taking away explosives than the Eagles. However, Washington is comfortable using all four downs and being extremely methodical. The Commanders finished the regular season fifth in offensive success rate. The more the Commanders can use long scoring drives, the harder it will be for the Eagles to generate a margin. Washington was totally unable to run the ball in its last meeting with the Eagles. Its running backs finished the game with 15 carries for 32 yards, and Brian Robinson Jr. fumbled twice. The Commanders somehow won the game despite committing five turnovers because of a DeVonta Smith drop in the final minutes and a Daniels game-winning drive.
Every week, DeJean overhears Carter giving tips to the linebackers and defensive linemen on how to beat the opposing team’s offensive linemen. “Obviously, he’d be a dominant player even if he didn’t watch tape just based on his athletic ability,” DeJean said. “But the way he watches tape and applies it to the game, you can definitely tell that he’s focused on trying to dominate each and every week.” As a member of the scout-team offense, Toth provides different looks to get Carter prepared for every game, and by the end of each week, he said it’s obvious that Carter has studied his opponents’ weaknesses on film and came up with a plan to take advantage of it. But during training camp, Toth recalled that Carter went against “un-scouted looks,” and he still knew where the play was going, which is not something most players can do. “It makes for a monster,” Toth said.
“There’s a real process we’re going to go through to make sure we’re going to support the hell out of this player that’s not even here yet,” Quinn said. “Putting the whole group together, we knew we wanted some heavy hitters. We wanted to surround the offense, the quarterback, with as many of those heavy hitters as we could.” Quinn hired Kliff Kingsbury, once considered one of the best up-and-coming offensive minds in football, as his offensive coordinator after Kingsbury’s sabbatical away from the game and, at times, the country. Another of those “heavy hitters” was Brian Johnson, the offensive coordinator the Eagles fired at the end of last season. Quinn had been following Johnson’s path since the latter’s days as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at the University of Florida. He had his eye on Johnson again when Nick Sirianni hired him as the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach in 2021.
Like riding a bike: Landon Dickerson ready to play center if needed – NBCSP
Several years ago, seemingly in a past life, Landon Dickerson was a center in college. A really good center. The Eagles might need him to turn back the clock on Sunday afternoon. While it’s clear the Eagles are holding out hope that starting center Cam Jurgens (back) will be able to play in the NFC Championship Game against the Commanders on Sunday afternoon, they have also started preparing for the possibility that he won’t after he missed another practice. Dickerson on Thursday took his place. “Right now, it’s just Thursday practice, getting Cam some rest,” Dickerson said. “That’s just kind of the way it falls with rotation. I’m the backup center so serve there for practice and make sure that he’s feeling good for Sunday.” But if Jurgens can’t play on Sunday, Dickerson would slide from left guard to center and start at a different position. Is he ready for that? “It’s like riding a bike,” Dickerson said. “You go in, get a few snaps, knock the rust off and then you’re usually good to go.”
NFL insider playoff predictions: Coaches, execs pick conference championship winners – The Athletic
“I don’t think Jalen can beat them throwing the ball,” an executive said. “But if (Barkley and Hurts) are both going in the running game, they’re really, really hard to beat. If Washington can stop (Barkley), they have a chance.”The Eagles have been winning, so it’s not a problem, and they’re effective in key situations. But if they don’t establish themselves Sunday as the aggressor, the Commanders’ confidence will continue to grow. They’ve been unflappable in late situations, most recently in their late wild-card win against the Buccaneers, but they were also clutch throughout their upset of the top-seeded Lions, scoring on 4-of-5 possessions (with the exception being a missed field goal) after Detroit scored. The Eagles have the best offensive line remaining in the playoffs, and Hurts needs to take advantage of it. While they’ve carried their weight in the running game, Hurts took seven sacks and a safety in the divisional round against the Los Angeles Rams. He hasn’t seen some open receivers, which could again be due to the injury-related absence.“(The Eagles are) a much more complete team,” a coach said. “If the QB takes care of it and avoids taking seven sacks, including a safety, I like their chances of winning big.”
Conference championship best bets: Odds, analysis, picks and more – ESPN+
A.J. Brown 80+ receiving yards (+175). Walder: There are certainly reasons to be wary of betting on Brown. He has just 24 yards total this postseason, and the Eagles have barely recorded passing yards as is. The Commanders incite the run by playing nickel 95% of the time against 12 or 21 personnel. But … he’s also A.J. Brown. Brown is an outrageously good receiver who has posted the highest overall score for a single season in ESPN analytics’ receiver scores, a series of player-tracking based metrics that evaluate a receiver’s ability to get open (whether or not they are targeted), make the catch and generate YAC relative to expectations. I like getting the extra upside of the alt line here. And my model sees more value at this number than at 90-plus (+250) or 70-plus (+125).
Saquon Barkley didn’t play in Week 18, leaving him 101 yards short of breaking Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record. But there’s another mark in Barkley’s sights: most rushing yards in a postseason game. Dickerson also holds that record, rushing for 248 yards against the Dallas Cowboys in the 1985 NFC Divisional Round. Barkley builds on last week’s performance — 205 rush yards in a Divisional Round win — and rushes for 250 yards against the Commanders to lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl. And with an outing like that, Barkley would also break both of Hall of Famer Terrell Davis’ single-season NFL records for rush yards (2,476) and scrimmage yards (2,762), including the playoffs.
Jalen Hurts, Zack Baun Mic’d Up for snowy Divisional Round playoff win vs. Rams – PE.com
Join quarterback Jalen Hurts and linebacker Zack Baun as they’re hot on the mic during the Divisional Round matchup versus the Los Angeles Rams. Watch all the highlights from the game and listen in on everything they have to say during the most dramatic moments!
He’s a diehard Eagles fan and she loves the Commanders. This Philly couple has coped well against their NFL rivalry, until now. They will be tested when both of their favorite teams will go head to head for the all important game of the season. NBC10’s Siobhan McGirl had fun learning about their playful rivalry.
This Eagles fan has attended every game this season — even after his death – Axios Philadelphia
Craig Taulman was such a diehard Eagles fan, his loved ones say, nothing kept him from watching the Birds — not life, and certainly not death. The big picture: The 45-year-old died from cancer in September, but he has still attended every Birds game this season. That’s thanks to the Philly Sports Guy, who carries Taulman’s ashes with him in a small green urn given to him by the family.
Benkert has had an opportunity to study both the Commanders and Eagles ahead of this matchup, and his Commanders film breakdown is available now on his YouTube channel. Jalen Hurts is struggling as a passer right now. Specifically, Kurt does not see the consistency from Hurts that is needed to threaten a defense truly. “The Eagles offense scoring when they get to the 40-yard line when they get to the 30-yard line, it’s just not a gimme anymore,” Benkert said about the current state of the Eagles offense. Alternatively speaking, Benkert acknowledged the strength of Hurts as a passer. “It’s the vertical pass game. He is really good when it’s one-on-one with no safety help. He can put it over the top with air. He can put it back shoulder, like, that’s where he feels comfortable.” Benkert also acknowledged his weaknesses, which were tighter window throws, specifically congested or contested crossing routes. Can Joe Whitt Jr. and his unit dictate the game against the Saquon Barkley-led Eagles?
Brian Schottenheimer would be the ultimate test of fan optimism – Blogging The Boys
Brian Schottenheimer is the current frontrunner in the Cowboys’ search for a new head coach. After two years in Dallas as offensive coordinator, and another 25 years of coordinating and assistant coaching around the NFL and in college, Schottenheimer would bring plenty of experience to the role. But that’s far from enough to make this an inspiring choice, and it’s left even the most optimistic of fans struggling to get excited. It’s been a wild ride since Dallas and Mike McCarthy finally announced their divorce. We started with the ideas of Deion Sanders and Jason Witten being his replacement, then came to a much more traditional prospect in Kellen Moore. But the dust appears to be settling around Schottenheimer, and even some of the biggest dissenters to those other options would prefer them now. What makes Schottenheimer such an unpopular choice? For one, there were mixed results during his two years with the Cowboys. While they had a top-five offense and were first in scoring in 2023, there were situational struggles and they generally did not show well against their better opponents. And then, of course, this year, even before Dak Prescott’s injury, there was a significant decline in the offense’s performance.
Giants Reacts Survey: Eagles or Commanders in the NFC Championship? – Big Blue View
The Commanders have long been the butt of Giants’ fans jokes, which ramped up this year when Bobby Johnson was hired to coach their offensive line — shortly after being fired by the Giants over the performance of their unit under him. Just about every Giants fan had the Washington games circled as “wins” on the calendar, only to see New York get swept while the Commanders won 12 games. The Eagles, meanwhile, have long been a hated rival. Philly has owned the division series and the last “high” point was when the Giants delivered a loss to Andy Reid shortly before he was fired back in 2012. Since then, it’s largely been a string of losses as the Eagles have navigated cycles of reloading with few true steps back. Most recently, they signed Saquon Barkley and he went on to have a historic season, much to the Giants’ dismay.
Night heist: Jaguars steal Bucs OC as Liam Coen to be named head coach – Big Cat Country
Another odd, chaotic, and for many, frustrating coaching search for the Jacksonville Jaguars has finally closed with the team landing on Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen as its new head coach, per multiple reports. While the news has yet to be confirmed by the team, Jeff Howe of The Athletic, Greg Auman of Fox Sports, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, and others all confirm that Liam Coen has informed Tampa Bay of his intent to accept the role in Jacksonville. [BLG Note: No Kellen Moore in Jacksonville.]
Breaking news: Raiders hire Pete Carroll as head coach – Silver And Black Pride
The Las Vegas Raiders have found their new search as they have tabbed Super Bowl-winning coach Pete Carroll to replace the fired Antonio Pierce.
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