NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The (9-1) Philadelphia Eagles will face the (4-7) Green Bay Packers this Sunday as they look to win their 2nd straight game after their first loss of the season. The Eagles are coming off a close win against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 11 and will look to right their ship against the Packers. Jalen Hurts proved that he’s the right man for the job with crucial plays down the stretch.
The Packers will come into this game searching for some sort of normalcy as the season continues to slip away from them. Can Aaron Rodgers turn back the clock and pull out an upset this week? The game will be won or lost in the trenches. If the Eagles can get to Rodgers, the QB and his inexperienced receivers could be in for a long day.
Eagles Must Put The Clamps On Christian Watson
Through the first 9 weeks of the season, receiver Christian Watson was a non-factor for the Packers’ offense. However, in the last 2 weeks, Watson has become the go-to guy for Aaron Rodgers. On the season, Watson has caught 18 passes for 243 yards and 5 touchdowns. While his yardage is not mind-blowing, the TD receptions should worry the Eagles.
His 5 TDs have come in just 2 games. In Week 10 against Dallas Cowboys, he hauled in 3 TDs. In Week 11 against the Tennessee Titans, he hauled in another 2 TDs. Entering this game against the Eagles, the secondary will need to keep an eye on Watson. He’s not the fastest player on the field but he’s resourceful. The Eagles’ secondary has surrendered just 10 Passing Touchdowns all season.
Where Are The Eagles Tight Ends?
I spoke about this last week before the game against the Indianapolis Colts. With Dallas Goedert out, the Eagles were in desperate need of production from Jack Stoll and Grant Calcaterra. With the Eagles’ offense struggling, Jalen Hurts targeted and completed just 1 pass to the TEs. This needs to change. Using the TEs has been a huge part of the Eagles’ success so far this season.
While blocking for the run game is crucial, Hurts must find a way to get them involved in the passing game. What this does is let the Eagles attack the middle of the field and take double teams away from AJ Brown and DeVonta smith.
Philadelphia Eagles Must Unleash Kenneth Gainwell
As productive as the Eagles have been on the ground, the usage has come from Jalen Hurts and Miles Sanders. Where is Kenneth Gainwell? What has hurt the Eagles and almost cost them their Week 11 game against the Colts, was their inability to gain short yardage when needed. Gainwell is not as big as Sanders or Hurts but he does have the ability to run between the tackles and catch the ball out of the backfield.
In the offseason, it appeared as if Gainwelll would challenge Sanders for carries this season. However, Sanders continues to shoulder the load and that alone is showing to be problematic for the Eagles. Hurts is a good runner but how many times will the Eagles continue to put their QB in situations that another runner should be in? Gainwell hasn’t had more than 5 rushing attempts in a game this season.
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