Gameday – Rams at Eagles

Posted: September 20th, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Gameday – Rams at Eagles

Time to bounce back. Win today or the season is over. Okay, that’s complete and ridiculous hyperbole, but the Eagles sure could use a good game and a win today. Falling to 0-2 would really put the team in a bad spot.

There is good news on the injury front. The offense gets back Miles Sanders and Lane Johnson. The defense gets back Derek Barnett and Javon Hargrave. Those are all key guys for the Eagles.

Beyond that, there will be some different faces on the field.

Jalen Hurts will likely make his NFL debut. He’s active and the backup QB for today. That will give us a lot to discuss in the coming days.

Casey Toohill will make his NFL debut today. I wouldn’t expect him to play too much, but he could get mixed in at DE for a few snaps.

This is the home opener, but there won’t be any fans. It will be interesting to see if the Eagles play better. They’ve been a good home team under Doug Pederson, but  the fans are a big part of that. With them out, will there be an advantage?

The Eagles DL must come up big today. Jared Goff isn’t a playmaker. You don’t have to worry about him running around and making crazy things happen. The pass rush can tee off and really go after him. The DL must pressure him on a regular basis to keep the Rams passing attack under control.

I have two major concerns. First, the Eagles back seven handling the fakes and motion and movement. If they blow assignments, there will be receivers open and big plays available. This is a critical day for playing smart. Know your assignment. Execute your assignment.

The more obvious concern is blocking Aaron Donald. This will be a group effort. The coaches must call a smart game. Carson Wentz has to know where Donald is and what he’s doing. The O-line must do their job. They have to win their share of battles. Keep him under control.

I’m curious to see how the Eagles run the ball today. In the previous two games vs the Rams, Philly ran for 139 and 111 yards. The Eagles must get the ground attack going. That will help to neutralize Donald and will make the rest of the playbook all the more effective.

This is a big game. The Eagles have done well in those situations under Pederson. Let’s hope that trend continues today.

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