Eagles News: Bears writer is “not even sure there is one matchup in this game that favors” Chicago

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

Week 15 Game Preview: Philadelphia Eagles - Windy City Gridiron
Key matchups: I am not even sure there is one matchup in this game that favors the Bears. I don’t see one position group that I think is better on the Chicago side than Philadelphia’s. That said, the Bears will have to rely on their run game and QB Justin Fields to make magic happen against a vicious Eagles pass rush. Eagles opponents average 4.7 yards per carry, so trying to eat clock and keep Jalen Hurts and Co. on the sideline is imperative for Chicago to stay in the game. The defense...yikes. They haven’t been able to slow down anyone and this Eagles unit is L-O-A-D-E-D. Jaylon Johnson is going to have his hands full with A.J. Brown, but that should give DeVonta Smith chances on the other side. At least the Bears will have Kyler Gordon and Jaquon Brisker back

Can the Bears give the Eagles a game? - BGN
The Bears absolutely stink. They’ve lost six in a row, they have few good players and most of them are out or won’t be 100%. But anything can happen in the NFL. Jeff Saturday won a game. The Vikings have a worse point differential than the Jaguars but twice the wins. Things happen, maybe they’ll happen on Sunday. The Bears are coming off their bye, at home, and the weather will be very cold–the high will be 26. They have a few things that might help them make this game closer than it should be.

Eye on the Enemy #118: EJ Snyder on Justin Fields + the Bears’ reinvention of themselves on offense - BGN Radio
John Stolnis talked with EJ Snyder of Windy City Gridiron about Justin Fields, the Bears’ reinvention of themselves on offense and whether Jalen Hurts is the MVP of the league

Jalen Drama - Iggles Blitz
The biggest playmaker is rarely the guy who is also best at protecting the football. Think about Hurts value on QB sneaks. That is a weapon for the Eagles. He converts almost 90 percent of them. Nick Sirianni is comfortable going for it on 4th downs because he knows how good Hurts is. The Eagles are 6th in the league in 4th down attempts. Only one team ahead of them has a winning record. The others are going for it somewhat out of desparation. The Eagles embrace 4th down as a tool, another chance to move the chains. If you put Gardner Minshew in at QB, the Eagles aren’t going to be as good at passing, running or short yardage situations. There would be a drop-off. The offense has enough talent that they would still be good, even great at times. But this team wouldn’t be 12-1 and leading the league in points. Hurts has helped the Eagles play great football this year. That’s special. I’m fine with people questioning if Hurts should be MVP. That award has always been tricky. Is it for the most “valuable” player or the most outstanding? Mahomes might be the most valuable right now. He’s doing some great things with a different supporting cast. But Hurts is the best player on the best team. You can say he’s the most outstanding. There is a case to be made for both guys. What about some referring to Hurts as a system QB? A year ago that might have been a fair criticism. The Eagles run game was great, but the passing attack was erratic. Hurts couldn’t consistently win from the pocket. This year is a completely different story.

NFL Week 15 picks, schedule, odds, injuries, stats, fantasy tips - ESPN
What to watch for: This is the first starting quarterback matchup since the start of the 1950 season where both QBs entered with at least 600 rushing yards on the season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Jalen Hurts and Justin Fields are first and second, respectively, in rushing attempts. But Fields has been the more efficient rusher, racking up 905 yards on 128 attempts (7.1 yards per rush) compared to Hurts’ 686 rushing yards on 139 rushes (4.8 yards per attempt). Coming off a bye, Chicago aims to snap a six-game losing streak.

The Eagles Rushing Offense Is Better Than Their Opponents’ Passing Offense - Football Perspective
Throughout NFL history, having a strong running offense and a dominant pass defense has been a recipe for success. But the 2022 Eagles are currently doing something that hasn’t been done in 40 or 45 years, depending on your view of the 1982 strike season. Through 13 games, the Eagles have one of the top running games in the NFL. Powered by quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Miles Sanders, Philadelphia is tied for 2nd in the NFL in rushing yards and leads the NFL in rushing first downs. The Eagles are also averaging 4.87 yards per carry, good enough for 5th best. Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s pass defense has been phenomenal. Even ignoring the NFL-best 15 interceptions (and NFL-best 3.4% interception rate), Eagles opponents are averaging just 4.80 net yards per pass attempt, the top rate in the league. Yes, that means the Eagles gain more yards per rush than their opponents average per pass. Which is pretty ridiculous!

All-32: Can Washington Contain Daniel Jones’ Scrambles? - Football Outsiders
Key Player: PHI WR A.J. Brow. The Bears have the horses to exploit the Eagles’ inconsistency in run defense. Justin Fields, if healthy, is as dangerous as any quarterback on the ground and the Bears are a good rushing team, ranking 10th in adjusted line yards and ninth in rushing DVOA. There’s an argument that’s the biggest matchup in this game, but the reality is that the Eagles are so overwhelming elsewhere, especially on offense, that they will force the Bears to abandon their best strategy anyway. The Eagles offense is going to run up the score early and force the Bears to throw the ball. A.J. Brown will be the engine for that, just as he has been for most of the season. Of the 45 players with at least 10 targets beyond 20 yards, Brown ranks 10th in yards per route run and eighth in EPA per target. Brown has six touchdowns on those targets this season, trailing only Davante Adams. He has been a machine down the field this season, specifically on simple go balls down the sideline, arguably the best throw Jalen Hurts has in his arsenal. The Bears have been horrible defending down the field, too. They have been terrible defending all over, but even worse on deep throws. The Bears rank 29th in DVOA against deep passes this season, a product of both underwhelming cornerback talent as well as a pass-rushing unit that has been gutted by the successive trades of Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn over the past nine months. There’s a good chance this game looks just like the Titans game, when the Eagles raced to a 21-point first half by chucking it downfield repeatedly.

Allen opens up on rookie season and his football and track plans - NBCSP
Life on the practice squad can be frustrating, but it’s lucrative. Allen will earn $207,000 assuming he remains on the practice squad the rest of the regular season, although any game he’s elevated for would be worth nearly $40,000. For the sake of comparison, for winning both hurdles races he entered in the European Diamond League over the summer against world-class competition – in Paris and Oslo - he earned a total of $20,000. So is his future on the football field or on the track? That remains to be seen. “I think the No. 1 thing for me is to keep improving as an athlete,” he said. “That means trying to get stronger and faster and keep improving in the weight room and sprinting, stuff like that.

Safety in numbers for Eagles - PE.com
“You have to stay ready at all times,” Wallace said. “I feel good about where I am. I’ve got a lot of work to do. I’ve got a lot of preparation to put in, a lot of film to keep watching. But we’re in this organization for a reason and that’s because we have talented players making plays and I’m just trying to contribute the best way I know how. I know what I need to do: Trust myself, trust the game plan that JG (Jonathan Gannon, defensive coordinator) has for us, and trust the players around me and they trust me. “We’ll do that and then go out there and play full speed.” For Harris, the return to the NovaCare Complex has been an example of how the NFL works: No matter where you are, prepare yourself for when the phone might ring. And if does ring, make sure you are ready to go. Harris has had an unsettling year in the sense that he hasn’t had the stability players crave, but he’s learned to roll with it and make the best of the situation. “I have to stay consistent with who I am and not let outcomes dictate my moods or affect my habits, unless it’s to improve me for the better,” he said. “Whatever situation I’m in, I try to evaluate how I can improve myself. That’s what this league is all about. You have to move forward. It was good to walk back into the building. There are a lot of familiar faces, a lot of good relationships that were built in the time that I was here, so to come back in and see familiar faces and continue to build with my teammates and other individuals in the building, has been good.”

Jerry Jones reportedly told USA TODAY Odell Beckham Jr. will join the Dallas Cowboys - Blogging The Boys
This story has been going on for a very long time now and there has yet to be any real resolution. This statement is the closest that Beckham has come to actually joining the Cowboys, but even that is an incredibly loose statement. Just a week ago a Beckham quote made the rounds where he said that he did not see a point in playing in the regular season. Perhaps he changed his mind, maybe the Cowboys have a plan in place, or maybe all of this is just a big fuss for no reason. Obviously this report took a lot of people by surprise. NFL Network’s Jane Slater referred to it all as a situation where jerry Jones is driving the bus.

Giants-Commanders final injury report: DT Leonard Williams listed as questionable - Big Blue View
Cornerback Adoree’ Jackson (knee) will be sidelined for a fourth straight game when the Giants face the Washington Commanders Sunday night. Defensive tackle Leonard Williams, who missed last week’s game with a neck injury, is listed as questionable. Also out for the Giants will be offensive linemen Shane Lemieux (toe) and Joshua Ezeudu (neck).

Washington Commanders vs New York Giants Friday Injury Report - Hogs Haven
The Chase Young situation doesn’t look much different that it did before the bye week. Rivera says the same things every week, and Young continues to be inactive on gamedays. Young had a good week, but we’ll wait to see how he handles things on the days leading up to the game. Do not expect Young to play, but if he does he will be on a very limited snap count.

These are the worst gifts you can find on NFL Shop - SB Nation
Indianapolis Colts socks with Carson Wentz’s face on them. I’ve grown to appreciate socks as a holiday gift, but no kid likes socks as a gift. Furthermore, no child who supports the Colts would want socks with Carson Wentz on them. I can’t believe they’re still trying to sell these for $8.99. I get wanting to recoup costs, but at some point you’ve gotta just take the L.

49ers/Seahawks reaction, Pick 3, & Week 15 Preview - The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera, RJ Ochoa, and Brandon Lee Gowton discuss the 49ers’ Thursday night win over the Seahawks–and get into our top locks of the week. We finish things up by previewing every Week 15 game across the NFL.

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