Eagles News: A season-defining game?

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …

Do the Eagles have any fight left? We’ll learn a lot Monday night vs. Chargers – NBCSP
Every once in a while, a game pops up on the schedule that really defines a season, and this feels like that game. With a win in Inglewood over a Chargers team that’s 8-4 and has won four of its last five, the Eagles would improve to 9-4, increase their odds of reaching the postseason to 98 percent and reduce to two their magic number to become the first team in 21 years to win the NFC East in back-to-back years. And a win would go a long way toward restoring some confidence in the NovaCare Complex that this is an Eagles team capable of going on another postseason run. A loss? A loss means a three-game losing streak at the most critical point in the season, a loss gives the Cowboys more life as they try to catch the Eagles for the NFC East title, a loss would chip away at whatever remaining confidence the team has. But more than that, a loss would make the 2023 comparisons come to life even more, and we all know how that ended. This team has so much potential. You look at the roster and they’re loaded everywhere. They shouldn’t be scrambling every week to hang onto leads or winning by a field goal or falling apart in the fourth quarter. Other than that Giants rematch, they haven’t put a team away all year. They drive you crazy because they’re capable of so much more.

Eagles Opponent Film Room: Scouting the Los Angeles Chargers offense – BGN
The Chargers’ passing game is challenging to predict right now because of Justin Herbert’s fractured left hand. With the injury, the Chargers could have to remove all under-center play-action, boot concepts, which will limit Herbert’s ability to avoid rushers. I expect them to lean into a shotgun, quick-rhythm structure that relies on Herbert’s anticipation and timing rather than deep play-action shots. Herbert is still one of the sharpest processors in the league and remains borderline unstoppable when he is in the zone. He’s one of the most talented quarterbacks physically in the game.

Does Saquon still have it? – ESPN
Is he the same guy? There has been plenty of speculation about whether Barkley is feeling the effects after shattering his previous high of 436 rushing attempts last season. The explosive plays are way down and so are the reverse-hurdling-like highlights that captured national attention. But there have been flashes in those rare moments when Barkley has found daylight where he shows that combination of quickness and power that reminds you of how dangerous he can be. On several occasions this season, Barkley has insisted he is the same player. Barkley’s rush yards over expected went from second in the NFL last year (546) to 29th going into Monday’s game (17). That being said, the RB’s top speed is virtually unchanged — 21.87 this year, 21.93 last year, and last year’s number was on a longer run according to NFL Next Gen Stats. It appears Barkley’s speed is still there, but he’s not getting the blocking he once did, while also not breaking and avoiding tackles at the rate he did in 2024. Nothing has changed off the field, his teammates and coaches agree, even if “2K Sa” isn’t running as wild this year — offering hope that the work will eventually net the kind of results that seemed to come so easy a season ago.

Game Preview – PHI at LAC – Iggles Blitz
He will likely have to play most, if not all, of the game in the pistol or shotgun. He hasn’t taken snaps from under center this week. That will affect the Chargers run game and play-action game. They will get RB Omarion Hampton back from IR and he could give the rushing attack a boost. Hampton has good speed and big play ability. The Chargers OL has been a mess this season. Both starting OTs are out. RG Mekhi Becton has disappointed with his performance. The line just isn’t playing well.

Eagles-Chargers Monday Night Football Week 14 Preview: Odds, lines, best bets – PFF
However, the expected return of first-round running back Omarion Hampton to the lineup may do a lot to help take the pressure off the Chargers’ passing game. Prior to Hampton’s injury in Week 5, the first-year back held the fourth-highest PFF rushing grade (83.3) in the NFL. That asset helped the Chargers to cover three of their first five games with Hampton playing. For the Eagles, injuries have hit hard on both sides of the ball, with both Jalen Carter and Lane Johnson ruled out for Week 14. Needless to say, those losses will prove difficult to overcome. The betting markets back that up, with the Eagles holding an 0-4 record against the spread in the games in which either has missed — including each of the last two weeks, which Johnson was absent. Now, Philadelphia will have to navigate missing both standouts. That key fact is one that betting analyst Ben Linsey highlighted this week on the PFF Betting Show with his pick of Chargers moneyline. The line has continued to move toward the Chargers, but still profiles as an angle the PFF simulation model agrees with, holding a 2.8% expected value.

NFL Week 14 winners and losers: Packers, Steelers shake up playoff picture – NFL.com
2) Philadelphia Eagles. No matter what happens Monday night against the Chargers, the Eagles won big when the Cowboys lost to the Lions on Thursday night. That defeat ended Dallas’ three-game winning streak, which had begun to threaten Philadelphia’s lead in the NFC East, with the Eagles losing two in a row and continuing to struggle on offense. The loss kept the Eagles comfortably ahead in the wins column and dropped the Cowboys all the way to the 10th seed. Maybe the Positivity Rabbit will help in Philly, but probably not as much as the Cowboys did.

Can Eagles’ alarmingly inefficient offense change as Nick Sirianni sticks with Kevin Patullo? – The Athletic
It is clear Sirianni and his coaching staff are working overtime. Left guard Landon Dickerson said he often receives 10 p.m. text messages with addendums to the game plan ahead of the next day’s installations. “You just kind of look over those at night or when you wake up in the morning,” Dickerson said. “You don’t have a ton of time here together in this building. So, you got to get the information out somehow. So a lot of times it’s you send stuff out, pictures and texts and videos and all that stuff just so you can get it hammered out and kind of put this day in and make sure you get all the information you need before you get to the next day.” By sticking with the framework of his staff, Sirianni is placing belief in his process with Patullo as his play-caller. By committing to a workflow that every play-caller has operated within under Sirianni, the Eagles at the very least have an established constant for how they managed their time. And they will know which variables contributed to this offense’s problems — or its solutions.

Eagles’ next three opponents have injured starting quarterbacks – PhillyVoice
The Commanders’ priority the rest of this season should be to protect Jayden Daniels from himself by shutting him down for the season, and hoping he returns to his rookie form in 2026. From the Eagles’ perspective, it probably doesn’t matter much whether Daniels plays against them or not, since backup Marcus Mariota has arguably played better than Daniels anyway.

Geno Smith out of game with shoulder injury – Silver And Black Pride
Smith appeared to be uncomfortable after an opening drive in the third quarter. He was being attended to with a reported hand issues. He did go back into the game, but he was replaced on third down near the goal line. Kenny Pickett came in and couldn’t convert on fourth and goal. After the game, Raiders coach Pete Carroll said Smith may be OK moving forward. It remains to be seen what Smith’s status will and whether he will be able to play next Sunday at the Philadelphia Eagles.

Bills strategize their next steps with Darius Slay – PFT
There’s another wrinkle to this. There’s a belief in some league circles that Slay wanted to, and still wants to, return to the Eagles. If the Bills don’t release him from the reserve/did not report list, that can’t happen. Finally, some have speculated that there could be a tampering issue floating around in this. And while tampering happens all the time, the Bills could make a stink with the league office, which could spark an investigation into whether the Eagles and Slay’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, had any communications about Slay’s desire to return to Philly. The Eagles obviously want him. They made an unsuccessful waivers claim for Slay’s contract. For now, the Bills hold the cards. They’re in the process of figuring out how to play them. And they’re clearly not happy. They waived cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram after claiming Slay.

Cowboys playoff picture: Week 14 results provide no Wild Card help – Blogging The Boys
Dallas is actually closer in the overall conference standings to the teams that have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention than they are to one of the Wild Card spots. The Cowboys are 10th in the NFC and the Atlanta Falcons (eliminated) are 12th. This is the lump of coal that nobody asked for. For what it’s worth this entire discussion is all relative to the Cowboys’ position in the NFC’s Wild Card race, but the more probable (not exactly probable in general, just more than the other option) path to the playoffs for the Cowboys is as the NFC East winner. In order for that to happen the formula is rather simple, so to speak, as they have to win out and see Philly lose 3 of their remaining 5 games.

Commanders Vs. Vikings – Studs and Duds – Hogs Haven
Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota: Both Washington quarterbacks were horrible on the afternoon. Daniels had a sub 50% completion percentage and continued to struggle seeing the field and getting through progressions. He continued to miss open receivers and throw inaccurately to all levels of the field. To top things off, he was injured YET AGAIN after his interception. Mariota was no better throwing a pick and losing a fumble. His pass that lead Zach Ertz into a vicious hit that likely ended his career was a pass that probably never should have been thrown.

2026 NFL Draft order: NY Giants have No. 1 pick after Tennessee Titans’ victory – Big Blue View
The New York Giants would have the No. 1 overall pick if the 2026 NFL Draft if the season were to end today. The Giants moved into the No. 1 slot thanks to the Tennessee Titans’ 31-29 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Titans and Giants are now both 2-11. The Giants have the first pick, per Tankathon, based on strength of schedule. The Giants’ strength of schedule for all 17 opponents is currently .538, while the Titans’ in .573. There are four games remaining in the season.

NFL Winners and Losers: The Colts are monumentally screwed – SB Nation
Loser: The Chiefs. Need we say more? They won’t win the AFC West for the first time in nine years, their path to the playoffs is almost non-existence, and on Sunday night they set a Mahomes-era record for drops. This might be the year it all falls apart.

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