Eagles News: Micah Parsons presents a unique challenge

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Week 3: Sean McVay Has Killer Headache. Plus 50 Hours In Heart Of New England As Tom Brady Returns - FMIA
Dallas 27, Philadelphia 20. Not sure how much this matters, but Dallas has won three straight over the Eagles in Arlington, and by 7, 27 and 20. And Dak Prescott is healthy, with healthy receivers (Amari Cooper/CeeDee Lamb: 31 catches, 348 yards) and a two-headed running game (Tony Pollard 7.7 per carry, Zeke Elliott 3.9). We haven’t seen the Dallas offense explode yet. The most interesting thing in this game, to me, is the deployment of Dallas rookie Micah Parsons. Parsons, the 12th overall pick last April, hadn’t played football since 2019 after opting out at Penn State due to Covid last year. So there was so doubt how he’d fit in early in Dallas. Well, there are no longer any doubts. He was a rangy linebacker early in camp and in the first game, but in Week two he switched to an end-of-the-line rusher. It appears Parsons will stay there; he practiced and met with defensive linemen in the run-up to this game. So far, 49 snaps on the line, 38 at linebacker, three at cover corner. Wherever he lines up, the NFL game has not been too big for him. Through two weeks, Parsons was the NFL’s top-rated rush linebacker, per PFF numbers, and third-rated linebacker in overall defense, which encompasses all aspects of the position. He’ll be a handful for the Eagles to account for tonight. “He’s a freaking baller,” LB-mate Leighton Vander Esch says. Seems so.

No pressure Nick, but beat Dallas - BGN
As rookie head coach situations go, Nick Sirianni has it pretty good. His team isn’t expected to be good, and the team isn’t long term committed to any of it’s QBs. Neither are unusual, but to get them both is a good, low pressure situation. Until tomorrow. No pressure Nick, but you’ve got to beat Dallas. In primetime. History is not on the side of first time Eagles head coaches in this matchup. Since the Eagles-Cowboys matchup became a heated rivalry in the wake of the 1967 game where Lee Roy Jordan hit Timmy Brown late, Doug Pederson, Chip Kelly, Ray Rhodes, Buddy Ryan, Marion Campbell, Dick Vermiel, and Ed Khayat have lost their Eagles-Cowboys debut. Only Andy Reid, Rich Kotite, and Mike McCormack won theirs. The three coaches who reached a Super Bowl went 1-2, so this isn’t any kind of bellwether. So again, no pressure. But beat Dallas.

From the Bleachers #79 - Bring on the Cowboys - BGN Radio
On the latest episode of From the Bleachers, Shamus Clancy goes through the emotional rollercoaster that is Dallas Week.

Best NFL Week 3 Monday Night Football single-game & player props bets - PFF
Hurts has been spectacular in many ways through two weeks. The second-year quarterback’s 87.5 PFF grade ranks second at the position, and he’s top 10 in both big-time throw percentage and turnover-worthy play percentage. The Eagles’ offensive line has been a major reason why, as Hurts leads the NFL with a 3.11-second average time to throw. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have struggled to limit two of the better quarterbacks in the NFL this season, allowing Tom Brady and Justin Herbert to throw for a combined 718 passing yards. On top of their poor 25th-ranked opponent-adjusted defensive Massey rating, the Cowboys’ linebackers — a unit that was a weakness even before Micah Parsons moved to defensive end — will need to play much better than its current 53.0 run-defense grade to stop limit Hurts’ dual-threat ability.

Serving up a 6-pack of key matchups to watch vs. Dallas - PE.com
1. Dallas speed rushers off the edge vs. Eagles offensive tackles. Randy Gregory and Micah Parsons personify speed and quickness off the line of scrimmage. Gregory has been activated from the COVID list and Parsons, drafted as a linebacker, showed his versatility last week in the Cowboys’ win over the Chargers by rushing off the edge and wreaking havoc in the Los Angeles backfield. This is a particularly important matchup for the Eagles and tackles Lane Johnson and Andre Dillard. The Eagles have the advantage in terms of bulk and power, but both Johnson and Dillard must be prepared for that jolt of speed off the edge that Dallas brings. The Cowboys won’t have Dorance Armstrong (ankle) for the game, and second-year end Bradlee Anae was in COVID-19 protocol on Sunday. Dallas is already without its best end, DeMarcus Lawrence, who broke a bone in his foot a couple of weeks ago.

Week 3 Recap: Justin Fields Not Ready to Start; Chiefs in Trouble - Football Outsiders
Monday Night Action: Philadelphia Eagles +3.5 at Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys have scored 21 first-quarter points this season, so Walkthrough is taking them -0.5 to lead at the end of the first quarter before Kellen Moore runs out of cool ideas and the Cowboys start running curls-and-flats twice per drive. You may have noticed that Walkthrough loves a good “longest completion” prop, and Jalen Hurts’ over is way down at 36.5 yards, albeit with a -120 payout. Half the Eagles offense is moonshots to fast receivers right now, while the other half consists of quick screens to those same able-to-break-one receivers. This wager could take the sting out if a 90-yard Hurts bomb results in zero Eagles points again. After that, Walkthrough wants little to do with this game. The Eagles will be without Jordan Mailata, while the Cowboys are coping with a minor COVID outbreak. After the Sunday you just read about, I see little reason to press my luck.

Cowboys vs. Eagles: Each team’s X-Factor player for Monday night - Blogging The Boys
Amari Cooper being able to play is huge for this Cowboys offense. Not only because he is capable of making plays himself, but what he does for this offense by just being on the field. When he is on the field he demands respect from the opponent, which allows the likes of CeeDee Lamb to continue to have advantageous matchups against lesser cornerbacks. Cooper may see his fair share of battles with Darius Slay, who is much respected and is a top tier player in his own right, but that leaves Lamb and even Cedrick Wilson with winnable matchups against a cornerback group that lacks depth. Even if Cooper’s statistical output is not as inspiring as in past performances, his being in the game and accounted for on every snap is a domino effect for the rest of this unit. Look for this Cowboys unit to continue to produce offensively and having Amari Cooper out there only enhances this offense’s abilities, especially against a team he has owned since becoming a Cowboy, and is the exact reason he is this week’s X-Factor.

It’s official; Washington’s defense isn’t scaring anybody - Hogs Haven
Opposing offenses are averaging 73 plays per game on possession time of over 34 1⁄2 minutes per game, and have run up an average of 432 yards and nearly 31 points. The opposing offenses are gaining 5.9 yards per play and Washington is -3 in turnover differential through three games. This is just bad defensive performance. When you consider that the Giants are 0-3, and just lost to the Atlanta Falcons, who held Daniel Jones’ offense to just 14 points, it really stings.

‘Things I think’ after the Giants embarrass themselves in loss to Falcons - Big Blue View
The Giants are on the road for the next two weeks. That could be good, because I can guarantee that the MetLife faithful are tired of what they are watching. An excited, full house went deathly silent when the Giants fell behind in the first half. Mara got booed at halftime. The offense got booed in the second half. Can’t really blame anyone there, since the Giants put up 14 points against a team that had surrendered 80 in its first two games. The Giants go to New Orleans and Dallas the next two weeks. It will surprise no one if they return to MetLife Stadium to face the Los Angeles Rams with an 0-5 record. After that come games against the Panthers, Chiefs, Raiders and Buccaneers. The Giants won’t be favored to win any of them. The Giants have gone 0-3 in what looked like a softer part of their schedule. No one can currently feel good about their chances in any of those next seven games. So, yeah, unless the improvement Judge always says he sees suddenly actually starts resulting in better football this could get really, really ugly.

Knee-jerk reactions: Colts lose more than another game in Nashville - Stampede Blue
There are some really serious issues that will need to be discussed if things don’t start turning around soon. Indianapolis cannot afford to lose to Miami on the road. The next seven weeks are all winnable games. It’s probably unrealistic to expect this team, in its current state, to put together a streak that long but the Colts must find a way to reach Week 11 at 5-5. Going to Buffalo and winning or beating the Bucs at home seem comically unlikely at this point. This would put the Colts at 5-7 and at best 6-7 heading into the Week 14 Bye. It’s hard to see a version of this season where the Colts win more than 10 games — and that’s if they can salvage things over the next seven weeks. The hole is starting to get really dark.

2021 NFL season, Week 3: What we learned from Sunday’s games - NFL.com
Is it worth playing an immobile Carson Wentz? Things already seemed difficult at times for Wentz when he was healthy, and on Sunday, he looked as if he was painfully aware of his inability to move. Wentz surrendered on multiple passing plays, throwing the ball into the turf when he realized he wouldn’t be able to extend with his feet. On a third down late, Wentz had room to scramble up the middle, stepped up and instead attempted an ill-fated backhand toss to Nyheim Hines. Harold Landry was one of a few Titans who got after Wentz consistently, finishing with a career-high 12 QB pressures, which was undoubtedly made easier by Wentz’s ankle ailments. Wentz is Indianapolis’ best quarterback, of course, but an injured Wentz didn’t help the Colts much outside of their occasional focus on a shorter passing game. It’s fair to wonder whether they might have had a better chance with Jacob Eason or Brett Hundley, even if their ceilings are certainly lower.

Andy Reid taken to hospital after Sunday afternoon’s Chiefs game - Arrowhead Pride
The Chiefs released a statement on Reid’s condition: Head Coach Andy Reid felt ill at the conclusion of the game. He was evaluated by our medical staff in the locker room, and as a precaution, was transported to The University of Kansas Health System for further evaluation. Coach is doing well, currently resting and in stable condition

Winners and Losers from the Rams’ big win over the Bucs - Turf Show Times
The veteran deep threat was mostly kept in Sean McVay’s tool belt during the first two weeks of the season, but the Rams unleashed Jackson against Tampa Bay. Stafford attempted three deep passes to the speedster, and they finally connected on the third shot for a 75-yard touchdown bomb. Jackson also added another 2 receptions for 45 yards, totaling 120 yards on the afternoon. The Rams offense is even more dangerous with one of the best deep threats in the history of the NFL in the mix, and it’s clear that Jackson still has plenty left in the tank.

Sunday Late Night Wrap Up #3: Chargers top Chiefs + Justin Tucker makes NFL history - The SB Nation NFL Show
The NFL had a wild Week 3 and there is so much that happened that it is almost difficult to believe. RJ Ochoa is here for the Sunday Late Night Wrap Up to walk you through and recap each and every single game. Let’s ride.

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