Eagles News: Jordan Howard says he’d definitely love to be back with Philadelphia

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As Philadelphia Eagles’ Jordan Howard approaches Chicago Bears reunion, his past keeps him unfazed - PennLive
Even if Howard isn’t trying to show something to the Bears or other outside observers, it’s still an important season for him. He’s set to become a free agent after the season, and he’ll enter a mercurial running back market, especially for a player with 878 carries in less than four full seasons. But he’s shown he can be reliable running game. During a fourth-quarter drive to help clinch the 31-13 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 8, Howard carried eight times for 34 yards. The Bills defense stuffed him a couple times, but he was able to fall forward, and eventually, he broke through for a longer gain. He’s gotten in sync with the Eagles road-grating offensive line, and he’s starting to see Philadelphia as a place he could stay for the long haul. “I would love to be back,” Howard said. “I’m loving Philly, so I’d definitely love to be back. I’m loving my teammates and just the city, so I’d definitely love to be back.”

Report: DeSean Jackson WILL play in Eagles vs. Bears - BGN
The Philadelphia Eagles WILL be getting DeSean Jackson back for their Week 9 game against the Chicago Bears, according to a report from NFL insider Adam Schefter.

The Kist & Solak Show #142: Final Eagles-Bears Preview - BGN Radio
Michael Kist and Benjamin Solak talk a little Frank Reich before diving headlong into their first of two previews for Eagles-Bears! It’s all about the Trubisky/Nagy-led Bears offense against the Schwartz-led Eagles defense.. which bad can win out?! Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

Five over/unders for Eagles’ Week 9 matchup vs. Bears - PhillyVoice
Jordan Howard rushing yards: 59.5. After averaging just 11 carries per game through the Eagles’ first seven games, Howard broke out in the Birds win over Buffalo with 23 carries (for 96 yards and a TD), his most since Week 3 of last season. Sure, Miles Sanders had the long, flashy TD run, but it was Howard establishing himself as the Birds’ workhorse against Buffalo. There’s every reason to believe that will continue when Howard’s former team, the Bears, who dealt him to the Eagles for basically nothing, come into town on Sunday. For starters, Sanders is coming off a shoulder injury he suffered on that aforementioned touchdown run. He practiced fully to finish out the week, but don’t expect to see the Eagles overwork their rookie on Sunday, especially with a bye on the horizon.

Game Preview – CHI at PHI - Iggles Blitz
This would be an ideal week to get off to a fast start. The Bears aren’t great at playing from behind. I think you can also mess with their heads. If they get down 10-0 or 14-0, they could start pressing and making mistakes. The Eagles aren’t known for fast starts so I don’t know how likely this is. It will be interesting to see how both teams respond to Sunday’s opportunity. The Eagles want to build momentum. The Bears want to save their season. One of the teams is going to take advantage of the opportunity. The other will be under .500 and hurtin’ for certain.

Eagles-Bears cheat sheet: Stats to know, matchups to watch, predictions and more - The Athletic
Stat to know: We know how the Eagles have struggled in giving up long pass plays dating back to the 2018 season. The return of Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby as a starting tandem is reason for guarded optimism on that front. Even better, the Bears come to town with the only offense in the league that does not have a pass play of 40 yards or more this season. The rest of the league has combined for 145 such plays. Only the Jets and Dolphins have fewer of what Sportradar deems “big plays” (pass plays of 20 yards or more and run plays of 10 yards or more). Rookie David Montgomery, the de facto Jordan Howard replacement, is coming off his most productive game of the season, in which he ran for 135 yards on 27 carries (5.0 yards per carry) against the Chargers. It was his first game with more than 70 rushing yards and just his second game with more than 4.0 yards per carry. The Bears rank 27th in rushing DVOA while the Eagles rank sixth in rushing defense DVOA. Even with the Eagles shorthanded at linebacker and defensive tackle, it would be surprising for the Bears to have sustained success on the ground. In all likelihood, their offensive success will depend on Mitchell Trubisky.

Week 9 NFL Preview: The Patriots Get Their First Test in Lamar Jackson - The Ringer
The last time these teams met was the Double Doink game. The rematch comes at a funny time. Last week, the Bears lost to the Chargers when new kicker Eddy Piñeiro missed an even shorter field goal. Yet kicking has been a scapegoat for the Bears, whose true problem is at quarterback. The Bears have used the third-most cap space at quarterback, receiver, and tight end combined this year, but have the 28th-most-efficient per-play offense according to Football Outsiders. The main culprit is Mitchell Trubisky, and if he can’t execute against a weakened Eagles defense this week and Chicago drops to 3-5, there will be real questions about whether the team needs to replace him next year. Of course, if the Bears win or lose this game by a field goal, Trubisky will be able to skate by another week without confronting these questions.

Week 9’s biggest fantasy football questions: 32 NFL reporters give advice - ESPN+
Will Dallas Goedert maintain his recent boost in targets once DeSean Jackson returns? I expect Goedert to continue to produce. Jackson’s return might impact the amount that the Eagles deploy two-tight-end sets, but that should be offset by the space Jackson’s deep-ball threat creates for Goedert and Zach Ertz over the middle.

Jason Peters’ future and more in Roob’s Random Eagles Points - NBCSP
We’re seeing signs of life from the Eagles’ pass rush, which is huge considering the rush was virtually non-existent the first month of the season — three sacks through four games. I don’t put a ton of stock in the 10-sack game against the Jets. That wasn’t an NFL-caliber team or QB. But for the record, 18 sacks over the last four games is the Eagles’ most in a four-game stretch since 2011. More important is seven the last two weeks, four against the Bills. Brandon Graham has 5½ sacks in his last four games, Derek Barnett has 3½ in his last five. Anything the Eagles get from the rest of the ends is gravy. Those two guys have to consistently get pressure and sacks, and it’s encouraging to see that’s starting to happen. Steady pass pressure combined with a secondary back at full strength should make this a significantly sounder defense.

Joe Banner Q&A: Josh Gordon has huge upside but was too big a risk for Eagles - Inquirer
Domo: Josh Gordon was released by the Patriots this week. You were the Browns’ CEO in 2012 when they selected Gordon in the supplemental draft. Should the Eagles have claimed him, or was he just too big of a gamble? ... Banner: I’m very torn on this. In Cleveland, we provided him with the support system there in which he had the only really successful year of his career (87 catches for a league-high 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns in 2013). I know the best and the worst and the strengths and the weaknesses of Josh. There’s a huge upside. The talent is there. But it’s also a huge risk. And whether you want to throw that kind of risk into a team like the Eagles at this moment, my recommendation would’ve been no.

Point spread, total, moneyline and more for Bears-Eagles in Week 9 - DraftKings Nation
Sunday’s Bears-Eagles matchup should clarify one of societies’ oldest questions: what happens when a completely moveable object comes into contact with a totally resistible force? The easily movable object in this case is the Eagles’ weak pass defense, who stopped Luke Falk, but let pretty much every other QB run rampant. The resistible force here is Bears’ QB Mitchell Trubisky, whose 81.4 passer rating ranks 34th, below the likes of Joe Flacco, Marcus Mariota, and Jameis Winston.

Reid’s boys: Windy City Gridiron picks Bears-Eagles - Windy City Gridiron
The last time the Bears and Eagles saw each other they helped spark an instant January classic. Philadelphia saw magic from a heroic 2017 playoff run continue through Soldier Field. Meanwhile, the Bears seemingly haven’t recovered from the gaping wound of the franchise’s first playoff defeat (and appearance) in almost a decade. Sunday presents an opportunity for both teams to get back on track after respective preseasons of high expectations. Doug Pederson’s Eagles have proven to be a fickle bunch at 4-4. They’re a far cry from being one of the proposed NFC heavyweights. The summer darling Bears haven’t fared much better, losing three straight for the first time in the Matt Nagy era. Barring a deus ex machina of epic proportions, they have no answers to what ails them. Somewhere, mutual mentor Andy Reid is very proud of his prodigies. Here’s Windy City Gridron’s staff picks for a high stakes NFC bout. [BLG Note: Lot of Bears writers taking the Eagles here.]

Week 9 NFL odds: Best lines to play and bet your mortgage on the Philadelphia Eagles - Big Cat Country
The Eagles line has moved by nearly two points since the open, but it’s still not enough. Philadelphia is in a good stretch of their schedule and is on the way to righting the ship. Matt Nagy is going to go down with his. Bet on the Eagles to win by a touchdown.

Cowboys @ Giants final injury report: Leighton Vander Esch reportedly unlikely to play - Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys could be without a couple of starters as they prepare to play the New York Giants on Monday night. They will definitely be without backup offensive tackle Cameron Fleming; his calf injury kept him from practice all week and he has been ruled out. Both linebacker Leighton Vander Esch and cornerback Anthony Brown are listed as questionable. They both participated in all three practices this week but were limited each day. According to sources, unless there is a rapid recovery by Vander Esch, he will miss the game.

Titans activate K Ryan Succop and S Joshua Kalu off injured reserve ahead of matchup with Panthers - Music City Miracles
Fill in kicker Cody Parkey and backup cornerback Tye Smith were released to make room for Succop and Kalu. The Titans have had to piece together their kicking duties this season after Succop found a “lack of pop” in his kicking leg following recovery from an offseason knee injury. Cairo Santos was initially signed, but after a disastrous 0 for 4 performance against the Bills, he was released and replaced with Parkey. Parkey’s three games with the team saw him hit 5 of 6 extra points and 3 of 3 field goal attempts.

Debating the best candidates for NFL Coach of the Year halfway through the 2019 season - SB Nation
Frank Reich has been a safe port in a storm. There are few coaches who could have done what Reich’s done in Indianapolis. The Colts lost the franchise quarterback they’d counted on weeks before opening day, yet are 5-2 and standing atop the AFC South. He’ll get votes just on the strength of what he’s done with Jacoby Brissett, who has surged with a significantly upgraded roster compared to the one he’d played with in 2017. The Colts’ offensive line has cut his sack rate in half, and the emerging QB has responded with a 14:3 TD:INT ratio while looking like a legitimate franchise cornerstone.

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