Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …
The Eagles-Rams clash of ages that could help shape the top of the NFC – The Athletic
Philly, which had the NFL’s fourth-oldest snap-weighted defense two seasons ago, brings the league’s youngest into Week 3. The unit is led by the game’s oldest and most experienced defensive coordinator, the 67-year-old Vic Fangio. The Rams, led by the NFL’s second-youngest head coach in 39-year-old Sean McVay, possess the oldest snap-weighted offense, headlined by Stafford and new receiver Davante Adams. It’s a mismatch of experience, but the Eagles went 2-0 against the Rams last season while fielding the third-youngest snap-weighted defense (the Rams had the ninth-oldest offense). Having Saquon Barkley rush for 255 and 205 yards in those games certainly helped. The Rams, who scored 20 points on offense in each game, did have the Eagles on their heels late in the divisional playoffs, driving to the Philadelphia 13-yard line in the final 1:14 before stalling in the 28-22 defeat. Fangio, hired by the Eagles before last season, has been coaching in the NFL since 1986. He has seen just about everything there is to see, including dramatic changes in playing style. This season might be a new experience for him as a play caller. The Eagles’ starters through Week 2 average just under 25 years old, a full year younger than the Week 1-2 starters averaged for any of the 20 defenses Fangio has coordinated since 2000, per TruMedia. That includes stints with Indianapolis, Houston, San Francisco, Chicago, Denver (as head coach), Miami and now Philly.
Spadaro: Once again, the kids are alright – PE.com
This is all about immediate impact, and the Eagles’ 2025 Rookie Class is bringing it. At the top of the Draft Class, No. 1 pick linebacker Jihaad Campbell and No. 2 pick safety Andrew Mukuba have seen a lot of action, while fifth-round draft pick linebacker Smael Mondon and undrafted wide receiver Darius Cooper have contributed on special teams and, in Cooper’s case, in specialty situations on offense. “You do what you can to help, whatever your role is,” said Mukuba, who had a game-changing interception in the win over Kansas City on Sunday after recovering a momentum-changing fumble in the win over Dallas the week prior. “We’re a team here. That’s what you do.”
Eagles Film Review: A really strong defensive performance against the Chiefs – BGN
Overall, this was a really strong defensive performance. They disguised pressures brilliantly, Baun and DeJean were superb, and Mukuba showed playmaking traits that could help this defense a lot this year. There were some coverage busts late, but with so many new pieces in this defense (including 2 new members in the secondary), that’s to be expected. If this game was any indication, this defense is going to have a lot more games like this in 2025.
5Qs, 5As with Bleeding Green Nation: What’s behind A.J. Brown’s slow start? – Turf Show Times
Get out the popcorn (or your copy of “Inner Excellence”) as the Los Angeles Rams face the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3. Both teams sit at 2-0 and are facing off in a rematch of last year’s Divisional Round game won by Philly, 28-22. The Eagles and Saquon Barkley ran wild on the Rams in 2024. Will it be L.A.‘s turn this season? Time to turn that hate into sacks, Jared Verse. Ahead of the anticipated playoff rematch, I asked Bleeding Green Nation writer Brandon Lee Gowton some questions about A.J. Brown’s painfully slow start, the Eagles’ repeat chances and more. Huge thanks to Brandon for taking the time to answer my questions this week!
Week 3 NFL straight up, against the spread, and survivor pool picks – PhillyVoice
Rams at Eagles (-3.5): In Week 1, the Eagles’ defense kinda got roasted by a talented wide receiver duo in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, and it would’ve been worse if they hadn’t dropped a bunch of passes. They got a bit of a reprieve Week 2 against the Chiefs, who were missing their top two receivers. In Week 3, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams will be another big test. I do like that matchup for the Rams. However, I like a bunch of matchups in the Eagles’ favor more, beginning with the Eagles’ rushing attack against a Rams front that got straight-up bullied in the run game in the two matchups between these teams last season. I also like A.J. Brown’s chances of breaking out against maybe the smallest set of corners in the NFL, even if we haven’t yet seen much from the Eagles’ passing attack. It’s also worth noting that the Rams could be without a small handful of starters, while the Eagles could be getting Dallas Goedert back from a one-game absence.
‘I take accountability:’ Why Jalen Hurts blames himself for sputtering offense – NBCSP
Jalen Hurts doesn’t like it either. Hurts expects more from the Eagles’ offense. He demands more. What we’ve seen these last two weeks isn’t close to what he knows the Eagles are capable of. And he knows exactly who’s to blame. “I take accountability for a lot of it, because it’s my job,” Hurts said after practice Wednesday. “My job is to go out there and be the general, orchestrate everything and ultimately make plays, given the opportunities we had. I’m very critical of myself of trying to make the most of what’s given to us. And so there’s definitely some evolution that we can do. There’s definitely some things that we can grow in, but I look inward on all of those things and just want to make the most of the opportunities that we do have.”
NFL Week 3 Preview: Schedule, storylines, matchups to watch and betting spreads – PFF
Matchup to Watch: Eagles LT Jordan Mailata vs. Rams EDGE Jared Verse. The anchor of the Eagles’ offensive line, Jordan Mailata, has picked up right where he left off last season, again ranking as the highest-graded tackle (91.3) in the NFL. Mailata’s 95.3 PFF run-blocking grade stands nearly five grading points higher than any other player, and his 26.7% impact block rate leads all qualifying linemen. Mailata will undoubtedly have the edge over Jared Verse in the run game, but the second-year edge rusher will certainly hold the advantage on passing downs. Although Verse has yet to record a sack this season, he’s beating blocks at a high rate, with his 26.2% pass-rush win rate ranking in the top eight among qualifying edge rushers.
Sean McVay: Saquon Barkley is so damn dynamic, so explosive – PFT
“You don’t want to allow him vertical seams,” McVay said. “He’s so damn dynamic. He’s so explosive. If he gets a vertical seam and he gets clean to the second and third levels, he’s as special of a slash runner as there is. He’s so explosive because of the speed and the ability to finish. I think he’s really good in close quarters. You see why he had more production, when you look at his season combined, than there ever was in the history of this league. He was excellent. He obviously did a lot of great things against us in both games that he played. Like it always will be, it’s going to be a big emphasis on playing 11 as one, and being able to swarm to the football. Easier said than done, but I know our guys are excited.”
Philadelphia Eagles’ Andrew Mukuba, snaffler of Travis Kelce error, puts Zimbabwe on NFL map – ESPN
African Player of the Week: Andrew Mukuba (Philadelphia Eagles). Andrew Mukuba – born in Harare, Zimbabwe, to a family of refugees from DR Congo – put in a tremendous performance for the Eagles as they edged the Kansas City Chiefs in a repeat of last season’s Super Bowl. Mukuba’s most crucial contribution came early in the fourth quarter as he pounced on a costly mistake from Travis Kelce to prevent a touchdown which would have put the Chiefs ahead. Patrick Mahomes had picked out Kelce with a superb pass, but the star tight-end pushed the ball up into the air rather than catching it at the first attempt, and Mukuba was there in a flash to snatch it out of the air and run it back past Kelce upfield and away from danger. Mukuba finished the game with 6 tackles and 0.5 sacks in addition to the crucial interception off Kelce’s bobble which saw him quite literally snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Eagles star responds to ESPN’s Adam Schefter over tush push take: ‘I don’t give a f—’ – NJ.com
Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata doesn’t care about the negative criticism surrounding the tush push, especially not ESPN insider Adam Schefter’s opinion on it. “I don’t give a f— what Adam Schefter says, to be honest,” Mailata said Wednesday when asked if Schefter’s comments could affect how referees police the play. “I ain’t the one calling the plays on my team. … Pardon my language, pardon my French. I’m not calling the plays, and I don’t care what Adam Schefter says. Sorry about that.”
Jason Kelce explains why he is ‘very pro Philly media’ – Audacy
“I am very pro Philadelphia media being very honest with their pro sports teams,” Kelce said during this weekly Thursday morning (7:30-8:30am) appearance on the 94WIP Morning Show with Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie after DeCamara asked if Philadelphia is being too hard on its 2-0 defending Super Bowl champion NFL team. “I think that in general it pushes, a lot of the times the envelope—and I’ve seen that in the building that it has an effect on people to make corrections and make change. And I think it’s actually one of Philadelphia’s media landscape strengths. It’s very frustrating to go through at times as a player and an athlete in this city, or a coach I’m sure. But the reality is, I do think the net gain from it—like you can’t fall asleep in this city. You’re going to be getting crucified if you’re not going out there and doing your job and I think that does push people.”
SEPTA adding extra service for fans headed to Sunday’s Eagles game – 69 News
SEPTA says plans are in place to give Eagles fans a smooth trip to Lincoln Financial Field for this Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams. Expecting increased ridership, the authority will run additional trains on the Broad Street Line, which officials say provides convenient service to the South Philadelphia Sports Complex via NRG Station.
The Slow, Boring Erosion of the Kansas City Chiefs Dynasty – The Ringer
While this dumpster fire of an offense is the primary point of concern for the Chiefs right now, their defensive performance has also been troubling. Kansas City’s defense ranks in the bottom 10 in just about every relevant metric, including points allowed per drive, EPA, and success rate. The lack of a pass rush outside of what’s provided by Chris Jones, the load-bearing All-Pro defensive tackle who’s in his age-31 season, has been the root cause of their defensive problems, but the coverage unit isn’t helping matters. After watching Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert calmly pick apart the secondary from clean pockets in Week 1, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo cranked the blitz dial all the way up against the Eagles, sending extra pass rushers on 56 percent of Jalen Hurts’s dropbacks. The game plan reeked of desperation from the play caller, who didn’t trust his four-man rush to get after the passer quickly enough or his secondary to hold up in coverage. That strategy worked against the Philadelphia passing game, which is going through some shit early in the season, but it’s not a sustainable approach. It’s also not sustainable for Mahomes to account for 56.2 percent of the team’s rushing yards.
Carson Wentz Set to Make NFL History on Sunday – Daily Norseman
Should Carson Wentz get the start at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon against the Cincinnati Bengals. . .and all indications are that he will. . .he will set an NFL record that could either be good or bad, depending on one’s perspective. A start for Wentz on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium will make him the first quarterback in league history to start a game for six different teams in six consecutive seasons, according to Bill Barnwell of ESPN.
Calijah Kancey will reportedly miss the rest of 2025 – Bucs Nation
Tampa Bay will rely on veteran Greg Gaines and rookie Elijah Roberts to help fill the void on the defensive line. Kancey, drafted 19th overall in 2023, had shown promise, but this injury represents a big setback for both him and the Buccaneers’ defensive front as expectations were high for the young defensive tackle and the rest of the Bowles-led defense. [BLG Note: The Bucs are banged up ahead of the Eagles facing them in Week 4.]
Commanders vs Raiders Wednesday Injury Report: Long list following Packers game – Hogs Haven
Jayden Daniels is obviously the big name on the list, and Quinn said he wouldn’t practice until Friday at the earliest. He wants to see his young QB practice before giving him a game status designation. He was inside the facility during today’s practice in the bubble, and will be doing the same tomorrow. Marcus Mariota is ready to step in after missing most of the offseason while dealing with Achilles tendonitis.
The Dallas Cowboys came away with the victory on Sunday against their divisional foe, the New York Giants, but in doing so left a bad taste in our mouths. That’s because the defense was terrible. The Cowboys’ defense allowed 506 total yards, including 422 yards through the air. It was the most passing yards allowed by a Cowboys defense since 2016, when they found themselves in a Thanksgiving shootout with Washington. On the season, the Cowboys are giving up the third-most passing yards in the league. What is strange about this is that the team had just come off a game where they only allowed Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles to have 144 passing yards. A.J. Brown only caught one pass for eight yards, while DeVonta Smith only had three catches for 16 yards. Hurts only attempted one pass in that game over 10 yards.
Could Andrew Thomas make debut for Giants vs. Chiefs? – Big Blue View
Andrew Thomas will take a “good amount” of reps when the New York Giants practice on Wednesday, head coach Brian Daboll told assembled media, leading to optimism that the left tackle could make his season debut Sunday night against the Kansas City Chiefs. “Encouraged where he’s at,” said Daboll, who is famously reticent about sharing injury information. Thomas has not played since Week 6 of last season when he suffered a Lisfranc injury that required surgery. The Giants are 3-17 in the 20 games Thomas has missed due to injuries since the beginning of the 2023 season. They were 6-10 in the 16 games he did play in 2023 and 2024. The key for Thomas will likely be whether or not he is able to practice all three times this week. In Weeks 1 and 2, Thomas practiced only two of three days.
The NFL’s beautiful chaos is on full display so far – SB Nation
RJ: Speaking of the Cowboys… wow they sure revived Russell Wilson. In absolutely no way do I think that the Giants have a chance of doing anything serious this year, but I was certainly taken aback at their offensive resurgence. Here’s the thing, though. Right now I feel like that was more representative of who the Cowboys are defensively than the Giants offensively. The worst possible thing the Giants could do now is believe this mirage and lie to themselves. We are going to watch them do that on Sunday night against Kansas City, though. Imagine if the Giants manage to pull off the upset to get their first win of the season and the team to fall to 0-3 is actually the Chiefs!
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