Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 1/5/25.
Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
What should the Giants do? Keep Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll, that’s what – Big Blue View
Keep them together and let them try to finish the job they started. Let them try to continue shaping the roster. Let them try to find the right quarterback in the draft and develop him into a player the organization can win with. I know that is an opinion many in the fan base will howl about. I have said many times that staying the course with a GM and head coach who have put a poor product on the field for the past two seasons is the hard decision for John Mara to make. A vocal section of the fan base, including some with enough disposable income to fly planes over MetLife Stadium carrying not-so-subtle messages for Mara, will scream bloody murder. They will question Mara’s competence and call him all sorts of names, some of them vile. [BLG Note: Would love to see the Giants keep these guys.]
Eagles rooting guide for Week 18 games – BGN
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS at DALLAS COWBOYS: The Eagles will play Washington as the No. 7 seed if 1) the Commanders lose here and 2) the Packers beat Chicago. As an added bonus, Dallas winning prevents their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft being as high as No. 11 and instead could drop it to as low as No. 17. Root for the Cowboys. CHICAGO BEARS at GREEN BAY PACKERS: A Washington loss and a Packers win sends the Commanders to Philly in the Wild Card round. As an added bonus, a Bears loss allows for the chance of them moving ahead of NYG in the draft order. Root for the Packers.
McKee Time – Iggles Blitz
Tanner McKee will get the start for the Eagles. I’m excited to see what McKee can do, but we need to be realistic as well. He won’t have the starting OL blocking for him. He won’t be handing the ball to Saquon Barkley. He won’t be throwing to AJ and DeVonta. On the flip side, the Giants defense stinks. They have given up at least 33 points in each of the last three games. McKee has played well in the preseason when he’s surrounded by second and third string players so there is a chance he’ll still play well. He is a smart, calm QB. He’s got a good arm and isn’t scared to make tough throws and take chances. McKee should make the players around him better.
Giants vs. Eagles: Jahan Dotson eyes bigger role in regular-season finale – PE.com
“It for sure has been a different role I had to pick up, but I’ve looked at this year as a blessing. This is my first time being on a winning team here in the NFL in my short three years,” Dotson said. “It was my first time being around actual greatness. We have a lot of greatness in this locker room, a lot of guys who are going to be in the Hall of Fame. Being here and being able to pick up on things, see how guys work every day, and just being a sponge has been really cool for me.” The former first-round pick knows he can play at a high level. He may have a chance to show who he can be on Sunday. “If I happen to touch the ball a little bit more, it would be, I can’t say normal, but it’s not new to me. I’ve played a lot of football games, made a lot of big plays, touched the ball a lot, so it’s not new to me if I’m able to get those opportunities,” Dotson said. “I’m just going to do what I do and that’s make plays. Anytime my number gets called, I’m going to make a play for the team and hopefully we come out with a win on Sunday.”
A couple young Eagles corners remain positive about bright futures – NBCSP
The same can be said for Ringo, who is still just 22. The good thing for Ringo this season is that even though he’s been buried on the defensive depth chart, he has carved out an important role on special teams and was even named a Pro Bowl fifth-alternate as a special teamer in 2024. What has gotten Ringo through this season? “Just continuing to work on myself,” he said. “I just feel like the biggest thing that’s kept me going is just staying ready for my opportunity. If my opportunity does come and I haven’t been doing what I need to, then I would be doing myself a disservice.” The Eagles in 2024 have the No. 1 overall defense and the No. 1 passing defense in the NFL. Their cornerback trio of Slay, Mitchell and DeJean has proven to be one of the best in the NFL and Rodgers has also performed well as the top backup. But it’s worth noting that Slay turned 34 on New Year’s Day and Rodgers is unsigned past this season. There could be some opportunity around the corner for either Ringo or Ricks.
2025 Pro Bowl roster snubs: Who should be an NFL all-star? – ESPN+
A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles. Who he should replace: Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders. Why he should be in: I don’t know where to begin! If we’re comparing Brown to McLaurin, consider that the former has more receiving yards (1,079) than the latter (1,034) despite running over 100 fewer routes. Brown dominates McLaurin in targets per route, receptions per route and yards per route. If we look at yards per route run against man coverage, you could double McLaurin’s figure (1.4) and then he would still be a yard shy of Brown (3.8). The advanced rates are even stronger. In ESPN’s receiver scores — which measure a receiver’s ability to get open, make the catch and generate YAC relative to expectations using NFL Next Gen Stats player tracking data — Brown has a 99 overall score, the highest ever given out in a season. So yeah, I’d say he’s at least a Pro Bowler. McLaurin making it over Brown because he has 12 touchdowns to Brown’s seven (I guess?) is silly.
Week 18 NFL picks: Will Broncos clinch playoff spot? Vikings or Lions on Sunday night? – NFL.com
Why Dan picked the Eagles: Can the Giants’ starters beat the Eagles’ backups? That’s basically what we are trying to determine here, with Nick Sirianni indicating on Wednesday that he will rest his top guys, including Saquon Barkley, now that Philadelphia is locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC. A couple weeks ago, my answer to that question probably would have been no, silly — the Giants just got blown out by a so-so Falcons team. But after a 45-point outburst from the G-Men in Week 17? I’m not so sure. A second straight New York win wouldn’t surprise me, but as I’ve done throughout the season in this space, I’m putting my trust in Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. I don’t believe he is going to allow Drew Lock to come into Lincoln Financial Field and score at will like the QB did against the Colts last week. Aside from Week 17, it’s been a rough go for Lock this season, and Fangio should have a much better plan in place than Gus Bradley did for Indy last week. Give me Philly in a tight game.
NFL fines the three players ejected late in Eagles-Cowboys game – PFT
Cowboys and Eagles players got into a scuffle late in Sunday’s game, and those players will pay for their extracurriculars. With 2:24 remaining, tempers boiled over following a Philadelphia punt. Officials ejected Cowboys cornerback Troy Pride and receiver Jalen Brooks and Eagles safety Sydney Brown.
Washington Commanders Roster Moves: Austin Ekeler activated from IR – Hogs Haven
The Washington Commanders announced several roster moves as the prepare for a road game against the Dallas Cowboys for the season finale. Dan Quinn said that RB Austin Ekeler had a fantastic week after his 21-day practice window was opened on Wednesday. He was on injured reserve for his second concussion of the season, but has been activated and will be available to return to action at AT&T Stadium tomorrow. Ekeler has missed the last 5 games, and Washington’s offense could use him back in the lineup for the playoffs.
Cowboys Point/Counterpoint: The Mike McCarthy question finally deserves an answer – Blogging The Boys
David: My answer will surprise no one as I’ve remained consistent on this position all year long. Mike McCarthy should be given a contract extension as soon as possible, and even then it will be a whole year too late. Letting a coach go into a lame duck season is never a smart idea, yet Dallas has now done it three times in the last decade. Despite being a lame duck, and despite losing just about every impact player to injury for at least a few weeks at a time, McCarthy has kept this team afloat. Just when the team looked like it was about to collapse after Dak Prescott was lost for the year, the Cowboys won four out of five and, realistically, should’ve won five straight. The players were battling for McCarthy, and an ever-growing list of them have come out publicly to endorse him. Ditto for Mike Zimmer. I don’t understand how you can look at the way this team plays for their head coach and think the right move is to hold the door open for him on the way out.
NFL playoff picture: Week 18 finalizing AFC and NFC standings – SB Nation
Week 18 is set up to be monumental in the NFL starting with big games in the AFC on Saturday and ending with a winner-take-all game on Sunday night. In between, there is plenty of intrigue. On Saturday, the Baltimore Ravens clinched the three seed and in the process, forced the Pittsburgh Steelers into a wild card spot. The majority of the AFC playoff picture could be decided as early as Saturday night. The most intriguing part of the early afternoon window on Sunday is the NFC South, where a Buccaneers win solidifies them as the winner of the division. The Atlanta Falcons are in play, as well. In the late afternoon, the Denver Broncos can clinch their playoff spot with a win and there is seeding at stake for the Los Angeles Chargers. The Sunday night game is a huge showdown between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings. The winner is the one seed in the NFC while the loser is the five seed.
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