Eagles News: Carson Wentz says you could probably say that this week’s Cowboys game is the biggest of his career

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Is Sunday Carson Wentz’s biggest game? ‘You could probably say that’ - PE.com
When asked if he thought Sunday was the “biggest” of his career, given everything around it, Wentz said, “You could probably say that. “I mean, it’s definitely a big game. We know the situation. We know what’s going on. At the same time, we’re treating it as another game and we’re aware of everything. We’re real excited and for one, I’m real excited that we’re at home. I know these fans are going to show up and be loud. I can’t wait until Sunday afternoon.” The season to this point hasn’t been what the Eagles envisioned when they put together a roster that appeared to include every bit of talent needed to be an explosive, versatile, beat-you-in-a-lot-of-ways attack. Injuries chipped away, chipped away, chipped away … and Wentz has been throwing to young and inexperienced wide receivers the last two weeks. And he’s been winning.

Eagles rallying around Carson Wentz as Cowboys game nears - ESPN
There has been a subtle transformation inside the locker room over the past couple weeks, brought on by Wentz’s late-game heroics in back-to-back-games against the Giants and Redskins and the supporting cast he has been making magic with. With veterans Jeffery and Agholor out of the picture, all the noise about bad chemistry and discontentment has waned. In their place are young, eager players, such as receiver Greg Ward Jr. and running backs Miles Sanders and Boston Scott, who are creating energy and placing trust in their on-field leader, making for a positive vibe. [...] Thanks to those two come-from-behind wins, Wentz has the opportunity to change the narrative of his 2019 season by engineering a win against Dallas. ”I get it’s the Cowboys and everything’s on the line, but one thing about [Wentz], I don’t think any moment’s too big for him and I don’t think it’s going to be any different Sunday,” Brooks said. “What he’s been able to do and overcome and weather through, not just this year but for years, really is a testament to him. And come Sunday, I know he’s going to ball out just like he has every game this year.”

Eagles vs. Cowboys Game Preview: Five questions and answers with a division enemy - BGN
The Philadelphia Eagles (7-7) and Dallas Cowboys (7-7) are set to play at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday afternoon. In order to preview this Week 16 matchup that has major NFC East implications, I reached out to our enemies over at Blogging The Boys. The diplomatic Dave Halprin kindly took the time to answer my questions about the upcoming contest. Let’s take a look at the answers. You can check out my side of this Q&A exchange coming up at BTB on Friday.

The Kist & Solak Show #161: A Pro Bowl Worthy Film Review - BGN Radio
Michael Kist and Benjamin Solak broke down the film of Eagles-Washington and have the takes! Deep discussions on Carson Wentz, the offensive scheme, line play, coverage, KGH news, the Pro Bowl and more! Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

Eagles vs. Cowboys: Five matchups to watch - PhillyVoice
Normally, I would say that the Eagles are better served allocating their defensive resources toward aiding their often vulnerable secondary, however, with the Cowboys’ offense, it really all starts with Elliott. When the Cowboys are able to get Elliott going, that is when they are at their most dangerous. It creates a trickle down effect, as we mentioned in our NFC Hierarchy this week: 1) Jason Garrett doesn’t have to make too many difficult decisions. 2) Dak Prescott benefits from an off-balance defense. 3) The Cowboys’ shaky defense stays off the field.

The Kids Are Alright - Iggles Blitz
There is some real joy and some real emotion in those moments. And that stuff can make a difference. Their play is infectious. When you talk about the Eagles chances on Sunday and the rest of the season, intangibles like that are one of the things that does give me some sense of hope. Sanders speed and playmaking ability mean the offense can get chunk plays. Those are difference-makers. Beyond that, that ability gives confidence to the rest of the offense. They believe good things can happen. Ward gets open and catches the football. He’s been around for a couple of years, but has had to fight his way onto the roster and then onto the field. He’s quite an underdog and the other players know that. His success is special because of that. Wentz trusts Ward and you can’t quantify the value of that.

A 7-step blueprint for how the Eagles can beat the Cowboys - The Athletic
5. Run the ball. Over the years, “run the ball more” has been overused as a potential solution to the Eagles’ problems. But at this point, it’s one of the few clearly good areas for the offense. Miles Sanders has been coming on strong, Boston Scott provides a nice changeup and the Eagles rank 10th in rushing DVOA. The Cowboys are 18th against the run. The Eagles are not an explosive team. They need to string together drives and execute in the red zone. Keeping the Cowboys’ offense off the field doesn’t hurt either. Running the ball should be a big part of that plan.

Carson Wentz says he knows how to stop fumbling, but with the Eagles’ season on the line, can he do it vs. Dallas? - Inquirer
So, what has kept him from doing it? Overall, Wentz isn’t especially turnover-prone, given that he is one of the best in the league at not throwing interceptions. But the fumble thing has taken on a life of its own, the longer it lingers. This is the fourth year of his career. According to SharpFootballAnalysis.com, the only QBs fumbling at a higher per-game rate this season than Wentz are much less experienced – rookies Daniel Jones, with the Giants, and Gardiner Minshew in Jacksonville, and second-year Carolina Panther Kyle Allen. “A lot of times. I’m ready to throw the ball. If I knew I was taking off to run, if I was a little faster, maybe I’d [put the ball away] a little more,” Wentz said. “I’d tuck it away and we’d all be better off. I think a lot of it is just because I’m always looking to throw the ball. I can clean those things up.”

Carson Wentz’s clutch gene is a takeaway important beyond this season - NBCSP
Now think about what Wentz has had the last couple of weeks. His best receiver for these two comebacks has been a former college quarterback who was on the practice squad less than a month ago. And he hasn’t had the best right tackle in the NFL blocking for him thanks to injury. This season, including the Packers game, Wentz has led the Eagles on three game-winning drives. He had just four in his previous three years combined. Even if the Eagles don’t win the division, even if this season ends up as a colossal disappointment, Wentz has shown something in the last weeks. It’s something I expect to see a lot more from Wentz in his career.

PFF’s 2020 NFL Pro Bowl rosters - PFF
Lane Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles (88.8), Ryan Ramczyk, New Orleans Saints (88.3) & La’el Collins, Dallas Cowboys (84.3) — A vintage year for right tackles sees all three NFC spots taken by players on the right side of the line. Ramczyk has allowed just 19 total pressures this season and shut down a series of elite pass-rushers, while Lane Johnson makes a notable difference to the Eagles’ offense when he has gone down hurt. La’el Collins has surrendered just one sack this season and been a force as a run blocker.

Week 16: Taking Stock Of All 32 NFL Backfields - Rotoworld
Coach Doug Pederson featured Sanders to the tune of an 85% snap rate or higher in Weeks 10-13. Previously, no RB had managed to surpass even 80% in a single game under Pederson since he took over in 2016. This changed during the Eagles’ win over the Giants in Week 14 and continued into Week 15 against the Redskins, as Scott has worked as a true change-of-pace option and provided a boost to this injury-riddled offense. The good news is that Sanders is still the undisputed lead back of this offense. He’s caught 15 passes over the past three weeks and seems to have earned Carson Wentz’s complete trust in the passing game.

NFL execs pick awards: Who’s MVP? DPOY? Coach of the Year? - NFL.com
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Josh Jacobs, RB, Oakland Raiders. Despite playing through injuries much of the season, Jacobs received 15 votes on the strength of his 1,150 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Several executives noted it’s a down year for rookies on offense overall. Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, the No. 1 overall pick, was second with six votes. “He’s playing on a bad team, and he’s elevated the team,” an NFC executive said of Murray, who has thrown for 3,279 yards with 17 TDs, 10 interceptions and an 87.5 passer rating on the 4-9-1 Cardinals. “O-line’s not great. I don’t think they have great weapons. The defense is 32nd. I’d give it to him, based on what he’s overcome.” Titans WR A.J. Brown received two votes. Eagles RB Miles Sanders got one.

Twelve Takeaways From the NFL’s Pro Bowl Rosters - The Ringer
The Eagles Are 2019’s Biggest Underachievers. Philly had five players make the Pro Bowl: guard Brandon Brooks, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, tight end Zach Ertz, center Jason Kelce, and long snapper Rick Lovato. The only NFC team with more players is the Saints. Yet the Eagles sit at 7-7, and haven’t even looked impressive in their past couple of wins. They needed overtime to beat the Giants and let the Redskins hang around late in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia can still win the lousy NFC East, but this team is a far cry from the Super Bowl champs of a couple of years ago.

How Eagles’ Rick Lovato made history with Pro Bowl nod | N.J. native, teammates discuss his special honor - NJ.com
Lovato’s Pro Bowl nod indicates that the rest of the specialists around the league admire his performance and production. Punters, kickers and long snappers pay attention to other specialists around the league. Lovato and Cox — the AFC Pro Bowl selection — are considered the cream of the crop among their peers. “I think that’s the biggest thing for him,” Johnston said about the peer vote. “The other specialists around the NFC voted for him, so I think that’s a great thing.” Lovato said he was looking forward to playing with the best players in the league in Orlando in January. He said it was an honor to be among the group as one of the best players at his position.

Cowboys @ Eagles injury report: Tyron Smith, Michael Bennett, Sean Lee do not practice, Dak Prescott limited - Blogging The Boys
It was a surprising Wednesday when Jason Garrett stepped to the mic and announced that both Tyron Smith and Dak Prescott had injury issues. Smith has an issue with his eye that Garrett described as a stye, although he said don’t quote him on that. He did say that he could hardly open his eye and wouldn’t be able to practice. Then he dropped the bomb that Dak Prescott has an injured shoulder that could keep him out of practice. Prescott picked up the injury in the Rams win and was able to play through it. Even so, they had to give him an MRI to check on things and while that came back clean, he would be limited.

The 5 most fireable NFL coaches heading into Week 16 - SB Nation
The nadir came on Monday night as Drew Brees shredded the Colts en route to a 34-7 shellacking. The veteran quarterback also set both the NFL’s all-time passing touchdown record and the single-game completion record (96.7 percent). That beating dropped the Colts’ chances of making the postseason to less than one percent and ensured the franchise’s fourth non-winning season in the past five years. Frank Reich did an admirable job of holding the Colts together early in the season, but he was always walking a tightrope. A litany of poorly timed injuries threw off that balance and forced Indianapolis down the AFC pecking order. The sudden disintegration of the team’s defense is another concern. While Reich doesn’t deserve to be fired after making the best of a bad situation, this recent slide has done enough to put his team under a microscope moving forward.

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