Game Preview – Jets

Posted: October 5th, 2019 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Game Preview – Jets

The Eagles have never lost to the Jets in a regular season game. That should not change on Sunday.

Sam Darnold is out, meaning Luke Falk will make the second start of his career. The Jets leading receiver is Jamison Crowder, who averages 8.2 yards per catch. The O-line struggles in pass protection. Based on all that, the Jets should focus on running the ball with Le’Veon Bell.

There is a problem. The Eagles have the #4 run defense in the NFL.

As Bo points out, Bell is not exactly having a great year. He’s run for 163 yards (no TDs).

What will the Jets do?

The Eagles have a weak secondary. That’s the place to attack. But Falk is inexperienced and his blockers aren’t ideal. Maybe this is the week the Eagles DL really comes alive and gets regular pressure. It will be interesting to see what the Jets choose to do.

It will also be interesting to see how the Eagles respond. They could make Falk and the Jets passing attack look better than it is. I don’t think we’re talking about Ken O’Brien to Wesley Walker, but they could look much better than the last time out. Falk and the Jets struggled vs the Pats. He was 12-22-98. The Eagles defense would love to put the clamps on the Jets and come up with a showing like that.

The Jets haven’t scored more than 16 points in a game this season. They haven’t had more than 262 total yards. This is a game where the Eagles defense needs to show up and play well.

For all the criticism of the Eagles defense, they have been a good unit under Jim Schwartz.

I would have never guessed that.

On defense, the Jets have struggled to stop the pass. This could be a game for Carson Wentz to let it fly and attack down the field. I’m doubting Nelson Agholor goes catchless this time out. The Eagles still won’t have DeSean Jackson back, but they have enough weapons to move the ball on the Jets.

Miles Sanders and Jordan Howard are starting to become a really good 1-2 punch. The coaches are figuring out how to best use them.

Speaking of coaching, the Eagles have a clear advantage there. I will fully admit Adam Gase was a guy I liked a lot when the Eagles were looking for a coach in 2016. I was lukewarm on Doug Pederson, but thought highly of Gase. Oops. Pederson has proven to be an excellent coach. Gase has been mediocre and comes across like a very odd fellow. This is one time when I’m very glad Howie Roseman and Jeff Lurie didn’t listen to me.

Back to the game. The Jets can win, but they would need help from the Eagles. Turnovers. Penalties. Dropped passes. Sloppy play. The Eagles have gotten off to slow starts and made their share of mistakes in some games. This is a week to start fast. Get out in front and just bully the Jets.

The longer the game stays close, the more the Jets will start to believe they can win.

Put them away.

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