Gameday – DAL at PHI

Posted: October 16th, 2022 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Gameday – DAL at PHI

The wildest Sunday of the year has produced some crazy results. The Giants improved to 5-1. The Jets went to Lambeau and dominated. The Niners lost by 14 in Atlanta. Tom Brady faced a bunch of backups in the Steelers secondary and somehow lost 20-18.

Let’s hope the wild outcomes and crazy games don’t spill over into Sunday night. The Eagles are the better team and should beat the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles don’t need crazy bounces or lucky plays to win this game. They need to be smart and to execute well.

That isn’t to say Dallas will be some pushover. They are 4-1 for a reason. Their defense is playing at a very high level and will be a big challenge for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles. This is another test for Hurts.

DET – crowd noise, shootout
MIN – beating a good QB/team
WAS – facing a really good DL
JAX – going up against a top defense and playing in rain/wind
ARZ – dealing with #2 blitzing defense in the league and being on the road

Micah Parsons and the Cowboys pass rush should be the toughest test yet. They have given fits to every QB they’ve faced and have only allowed five TDs all year long.

The good news for Hurts is that he’ll get back Jordan Mailata at LT and will have his starting OL protecting him. They are banged up and we’ll have to keep an eye on that.

The Eagles OL has done well in controlling pass rushers. Blitzing is the one thing that has give the offense some issues. Dallas mixes in some blitzes, but generally rushes their base group. They do stunt a lot and that’s been very effective. We’ll have to see how they approach tonight’s game. They know they must pressure Hurts to win this game.

I’m excited to see how Hurts handles this challenge. If he plays well, that’s great. If he struggles, he will learn from that and it will help him down the road. The way this season has unfolded, you start think about winning games in January. We just saw a bunch of great baseball teams lose in the postseason. You want to be challenged. You want some adversity. That stuff helps you get ready for when the games really count.

I’m also excited to see the Eagles defense tonight. They’ve been really good this year. I hope Jonathan Gannon turns them loose and lets them attack Dallas. Take away the run and make Cooper Rush beat you.

Nick Sirianni had an interesting message for his team.

Buddy Ryan is probably rolling over in his grave at the thought of not talking about how much you hate Dallas. Sirianni tried that last year and it didn’t work. I think that was more about the roster than the message. We’ll see how the guys respond tonight.

The Eagles are going heavy on the OL tonight, with 9 guys active. You’ll have the starters plus Jack Driscoll, Sua Opeta, Cam Jurgens and Andre Dillard, who just came off IR. Normally this would be overkill, but with several OL banged up I think it makes some sense to have backups ready. Plus, you’re going against the best pass rush in the league. You want to make sure you can protect Hurts.

It will be good to have Avonte Maddox back on the field. Josiah Scott was up and down the past two week. With Maddox back out there, Gannon might be more comfortable with man coverage.

The Linc will have an electric atmosphere tonight. Let’s hope that brings out the best in the Eagles and they play lights out. Could be a fun night.

_


Comments are closed.