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The Philadelphia Eagles are scheduled to play the New York Jets today. It's obviously a must-win game for the 0-2 Birds. Here are the five players who deserve extra attention in this matchup.
1) DeMarco Murray
The Eagles' starting running back is expected to play his normal amount of snaps despite dealing with a hamstring issue. It's not hard to imagine Murray being incredibly disappointed with his production thus far. 11 yards on 21 carries is terrible. Murray has more motivation than ever to run angry this week. He just needs his blocking in front of him to give him a chance for once. The Eagles' offense really relies on this run game finding their groove again and it's up to Murray to do his part.
2) Jordan Hicks
With Kiko Alonso and Mychal Kendricks both out, Philadelphia's third round pick from the 2015 NFL Draft will make his first NFL start on Sunday. Hicks had a good summer and he looked impressive while playing against the Cowboys last week. Now it's up to the athletic rookie to step up and show he can be consistent.
3) Vinny Curry
Curry has excelled as a pass rusher off the bench for the Eagles. Now the defensive end is likely going to be counted on in a starting role with Cedric Thornton and Taylor Hart both out. The Eagles' pass rush could really use a boost so it's up to Curry to make the most of his opportunity here.
4) Jason Kelce
The entire offensive line is really something to watch, but Kelce deserves to be singled out here for his terrible showing last week. The usually-solid center mightily struggled against the Cowboys. Kelce needs to bounce back in a big way., but it won't always be easy for him and the offensive line as a whole. The Jets have a really good defensive line.
5) Nelson Agholor
Philadelphia's first round pick has only managed to catch four receptions for 36 yards to this point. It feels like he's primed for a breakout game at some point, though, and that moment couldn't come at a better time than today. Especially with second-year wide receiver Josh Huff potentially sitting out. Agholor could be the spark this passing attack needs. Of course, Sam Bradford needs to do his part by being willing to throw deep passes to the rookie.
Honorable mention: Marcus Smith
It appears Smith will be active against the Jets after being a healthy scratch last week. Considering the Eagles' 2014 first round pick has shown almost nothing to this point in his NFL career, he needs to show some glimpse of promise.