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submitted by | Philadelphia Eagles (4-8-1) vs Arizona Cardinals (7-6) |
| The Jalen Hurts era started in Philly with a bang as the Eagles knocked off the number 1 seed Saints being a strong rushing attack led by Hurts and Miles Sanders. The defense was the real winner in this game as they completely shut down the Saints offense for most of the game. But the win came at a cost, Rodney McLeod tore his MCL and will be out for the season and a number of other defenders left the game and will be questionable going into the game this week. The Eagles also lost starting RT Jack Driscoll for the remainder of the season to a MCL sprain.The Eagles with their rookie QB at the helm will travel to Arizona this week to take on the Arizona Cardinals who need a win to stay close in the playoff hunt. The loss of McLeod will be felt as the Cardinals come in with an impressive passing attack led by Kylar Murray and WRs DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk. Jim Schwartz will need to come up with a game plan to shutdown the Cardinals big time WRs with a banged up secondary. At the same time they will need to slow down the Cardinals running game where Murray is also dangerous, but Kenyon Drake is the real threat. The Eagles will also unfortunately still be fighting for a playoff spot by winning the NFCE shitpile, but will be eliminated this week with a Washington win and an Eagles loss. Here is to an injury free game. |
| Date |
| Sunday December 20th, 2020 |
| Game Time | Game Location |
| 4:05 PM - Eastern | State Farm Stadium |
| 3:05 PM - Central | 1 Cardinals Drive |
| 2:05 PM - Mountain | Glendale, AZ 85305 |
| 1:05 PM - Pacific | Wikipedia - Map |
| Weather Forecast |
| Stadium Type: Open Air |
| Surface: Grass |
| Temperature: 61°F |
| Feels Like: 61°F |
| Forecast: Clear. Clear throughout the day. |
| Chance of Precipitation: 0% |
| Cloud Coverage: 0% |
| Wind: 3mi East MPH |
| Betting Odds |
| Oddsshark Information |
| Favorite/Opening Line: Arizona -6.5 |
| OveUnder: 49 |
| Record VS. Spread: Eagles 5-8, Cardinals 6-7 |
| Where to Watch on TV |
| FOX will broadcast Monday’s game to a national audience. Brandon Gaudin will handle play-by-play duties and Aqib Talib will provide analysis. |
| Week 15 TV Map |
| Listen to Merrill Reese and Mike Quick |
| Calling the game on 94WIP and the Eagles Radio Network will be Merrill Reese, the NFL’s longest-tenured play-by-play announcer (44th season). Joining Reese in the radio booth will be former Eagles All-Pro wide receiver Mike Quick, while Howard Eskin will report from the sidelines. |
| Location | Station | Frequency |
| Philadelphia, PA | WIP-FM | 94.1 FM and 610 AM |
| Allentown, PA | WCTO-FM | 96.1 FM |
| Atlantic City/South Jersey | WENJ-FM | 97.3 FM |
| Levittown, PA | WBCB-AM | 1490 AM |
| Northumberland, PA | WEGH-FM | 107.3 FM |
| Pottsville, PA | WPPA-AM | 1360 AM |
| Reading, PA | WEEU-AM | 830 AM |
| Salisbury/Ocean City, MD | WAFL-FM | 97.7 FM |
| Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA | WEJL-FM | 96.1 FM |
| Salisbury/Ocean City, MD | WAFL-FM | 97.7 FM |
| Salisbury/Ocean City, MD | WEJL-AM | 630 AM |
| Salisbury/Ocean City, MD | WBAX-AM | 1240 AM |
| Williamsport, PA | WBZD-FM | 93.3 FM |
| Wilmington, DE | WDEL-FM/AM | 101.7 FM |
| York/LancasteHarrisburg, PA | WSOX-FM | 96.1 FM |
| Philadelphia Spanish Radio |
| Rickie Ricardo and Bill Kulik will handle the broadcast in Spanish on Mega 105.7 FM in Philadelphia and the Eagles Spanish Radio Network. |
| Location | Station | Frequency |
| Philadelphia, PA | LA MEGA | 105.7 FM |
| Allentown, PA | WSAN | 1470 AM |
| Atlantic City, NJ | WIBG | 1020 AM; 101.3 FM |
| Cardinals Radio |
| Arizona Sports (98.7 FM) is the flagship station of the Cardinals Radio Network.Dave Pasch handles the play-by-play duties, Cardinals FB Ron Wolfley provides color commentary for the Cardinals. |
| Station | Eagles Channel | Cardinals Channel |
| Sirius Radio | SIRI 138(Streaming 825) | SIRI 81(Streaming 800) |
| XM Radio | XM 381 (Streaming 825) | (XM 226 (Streaming 800) |
| Sirus XM Radio | SXM 381 (Streaming 825) | SXM 226(Streaming 800) |
| NFC EAST | Record | PCT | Home | Road | Div | Conf | PF | PA | Net Pts | Streak |
| Football Team | 6-7 | .462 | 3-3 | 3-4 | 3-2 | 4-5 | 287 | 275 | 12 | 4W |
| Giants | 5-8 | .385 | 2-4 | 3-4 | 3-2 | 4-6 | 238 | 291 | -53 | 1L |
| Eagles | 4-8-1 | .346 | 3-3-1 | 1-5 | 2-2 | 4-5 | 277 | 328 | -51 | 1W |
| Cowboys | 4-8 | .308 | 2-4 | 2-5 | 1-3 | 3-6 | 298 | 400 | -102 | 1W |
| Series Information |
| The Arizona/St.Louis/Chicago Cardinals lead the Philadelphia Eagles (59-57-5) |
| Series History |
| Head to Head Box Scores |
| First Game Played |
| November 10, 1935 at Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL. Chicago Cardinals 12 - Philadelphia Eagles 3 |
| Points Leader |
| The Philadelphia Eagles lead the Arizona/St.Louis/Chicago Cardinals (719-680) |
| Coaches Record |
| Doug Pederson: 1-0 vs. the Cardinals |
| Kliff Kingsbury: 0-0 vs. the Eagles |
| Coaches Head to Head |
| Pederson vs Kingsbury: First Meeting of the coaches. |
| Quarterback Record |
| Jalen Hurts: Against Cardinals 0-0 |
| Kylar Murrayl: Against Eagles: 0-0 |
| Quarterbacks Head to Head |
| Jalen Hurts vs Kylar Murray: This will be the first matchup between the QBs in the NFL |
| Records per Stadium |
| Record @ Lincoln Financial Field: Eagles lead: 3-2 |
| Record @ State Farm Stadium: Cardinals leads series: 3-0 |
| Rankings and Last Meeting Information |
| AP Pro 32 Ranking |
| Eagles No. 23 - Cardinals No. 14 |
| 2020 Record |
| Eagles: 4-8-1 |
| Cardinals 7-6 |
| Last Meeting |
| Sunday, October 8th, 2017 |
| Eagles 34 - Cardinals 7 |
| The Eagles scored early and often in this game, for their first blowout win of the season against the Arizona Cardinals. Carson Wentz found tight ends Trey Burton and Zach Ertz for early touchdowns, and later connected with wide receiver Torrey Smith for a 59-yard touchdown to finish the first quarter. Following Smith's touchdown, the Eagles unveiled their baseball home run celebration for the first time all season. The closest the Cardinals came was in the second quarter when they trailed 21–7 following a John Brown 13-yard touchdown. In the mid third quarter, on 3rd and 19, Wentz found wide receiver Nelson Agholor for a 72-yard touchdown pass, on which Agholor juked rookie safety Budda Baker and finished the play with the Nestea Plunge. The final score was 34–7, and Wentz threw for four touchdowns, including three first quarter touchdown passes. |
| Click here to view the Video Recap |
| Click here for box score |
| Date | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 10/08/17 | Eagles | Cardinals | 34-17 |
| 12/20/15 | Cardinals | Eagles | 40-17 |
| 10/26/14 | Cardinals | Eagles | 24-20 |
| 12/01/13 | Eagles | Cardinals | 24-21 |
| 09/23/12 | Cardinals | Eagles | 27-6 |
| 11/13/11 | Cardinals | Eagles | 21-17 |
| 01/18/09 | Cardinals | Eagles | 32-25 |
| 11/27/08 | Eagles | Cardinals | 48-20 |
| 12/24/05 | Cardinals | Eagles | 27-21 |
| 11/17/02 | Eagles | Cardinals | 38-14 |
| 2020 Stats (Starters/Leaders) |
Passing | Name | CMP | ATT | PCT | YDS | TD | INT | RAT |
| Wentz | 251 | 437 | 57.4% | 2620 | 16 | 15 | 72.8 |
| Hurts | 25 | 45 | 55.6% | 309 | 2 | 1 | 82.5 |
| Murray | 309 | 461 | 67.0% | 3231 | 23 | 10 | 94.7 |
Rushing | Name | ATT | YDS | YDS/G | AVG | TD |
| Sanders | 132 | 746 | 74.6 | 5.7 | 5 |
| Drake | 201 | 848 | 70.7 | 4.2 | 9 |
Receiving | Name | REC | YDS | YDS/G | AVG | TD |
| Fulgham | 33 | 467 | 46.7 | 14.2 | 4 |
| Hopkins | 94 | 1155 | 88.8 | 12.3 | 5 |
Sacks | Name | Sacks | Team Total |
| Graham | 7.0 | 43 |
| Reddick | 10 | 37 |
Tackles | Name | Total | Solo | Assist | Sacks |
| Singleton | 87 | 55 | 32 | 1.0 |
| Hicks | 101 | 67 | 34 | 0.0 |
Interceptions | Name | Ints | Team Total |
| Singleton/McLeod/Mills/Riley | 1 | 4 |
| Peterson/Kirkpatrick | 3 | 10 |
Punting | Name | ATT | YDS | LONG | AVG | NET | IN 20 | TB | BP |
| Johnston | 58 | 2794 | 66 | 48.2 | 42.5 | 20 | 4 | 0 |
| Lee | 45 | 1979 | 58 | 44.0 | 38.7 | 16 | 2 | 0 |
Kicking | Name | ATT | MADE | % | LONG | PAT |
| Elliot | 18 | 13 | 72.2% | 54 | 18/20 |
| Gonzalez | 22 | 16 | 72.7% | 56 | 38/39 |
| Nuggent | 4 | 4 | 100.0% | 56 | 2/2 |
Kick Returns | Name | ATT | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
| Scott | 20 | 438 | 21.9 | 46 | 0 |
| Edmonds | 18 | 417 | 23.2 | 54 | 0 |
Punt Returns | Name | RET | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD | FC |
| Ward | 17 | 116 | 6.8 | 22 | 0 | 15 |
| Kirk | 20 | 132 | 6.6 | 24 | 0 | 6 |
Offense Rankings | Category | Eagles Stat | Eagles Rank | Cardinals Stat | Cardinals Rank |
| Total Offense | 326.1 | 26th | 389.5 | 4th |
| Rush Offense | 126.2 | 9th | 151.2 | 4th |
| Pass Offense | 199.8 | 28th | 238.2 | 18th |
| Points Per Game | 21.3 | 26th(t) | 27.5 | 10th |
| 3rd-Down Offense | 37.4% | 28th | 42.5% | 14th |
| 4th-Down Offense | 37.0% | 28th | 70.6% | 6th |
| Red Zone Offense (TD%) | 61.1% | 13th | 68.8% | 7th |
Defense Rankings | Category | Eagles Stat | Eagles Rank | Cardinals Stat | Cardinals Rank |
| Total Defence | 347.9 | 14th | 344.5 | 12th |
| Rush Defence | 127.3 | 24th | 119.5 | 18th |
| Pass Defence | 220.6 | 9th | 224.9 | 11th |
| Points Per Game | 25.2 | 19th | 23.3 | 13th |
| 3rd-Down Defence | 37.6% | 9th | 41.3% | 16th |
| 4th-Down Defence | 37.5% | 4th | 62.5% | 23rd(t) |
| Red Zone Defence(TD%) | 66.7% | 26th(t) | 53.3% | 6th |
Team | Category | Eagles Stat | Eagles Rank | Cardinals Stat | Cardinals Rank |
| Turnover Diff. | -10 | 29th(t) | +3 | 12th(t) |
| Penalty Per Game | 6.2 | 21st(t) | 7.2 | 32nd |
| Penalty Yards Per Game | 48.3 | 16th | 55.9 | 24th |
| Connections |
| Cardinals MLB Jordan Hicks was drafted in the 3rd round in 2015 NFL Draft and played 4 seasons with the Eagles. |
| Cardinals LB Hassan Reddick is from Camden NJ, and attended college at Temple in Philadelphia. |
| Cardinals RB James Saxon played one season for the Eagles in 1995. |
| Cardinals LB Coach Billy Davis served as defensive coordinator of the Eagles from 2013-2015. |
| Eagles S Rudy Ford played two seasons with the Cardinals from 2017-2018. |
2020 Pro Bowlers | Eagles | Cardinals |
| DT Fletcher Cox (Starter) | WR DeAndre Hopkins(Starter) |
| OG Brandon Brooks (Starter) | OLB Chandler Jones (Starter) |
| TE Zach Ertz | FS Budda Baker (Starter) |
| C Jason Kelce (Starter) | |
| LS Rick Lavato (Starter) | |
| General |
| Referee: Craig Wrolstad |
| Jalen Hurts started his first career game in Week 14 vs. New Or-leans, leading the Eagles to a 24-21 victory over the 10-2 Saints. Hurts, the Eagles’ youngest starting QB since Jack Concannon in 1964, became the second QB in NFL history to beat a team on a 9+ game winning streak in their starting debut, joining Ron Jawor-ski (12/20/75 vs. Pittsburgh with L.A. Rams - snapped Steelers’ 11-game streak). He also became the first NFL QB since 1950 to throw a TD pass and rush for 100+ yards in their first start. |
| Miles Sanders (746 rushing yards, 5 TDs), ranks 2nd among NFL RBs in rushing average (5.7), behind Nick Chubb (5.9) (min. 125 attempts). In Week 14 vs. New Orleans, Sanders recorded an 82-yard rushing TD, marking the 4th-longest rushing play in Eagles history. He is the first NFL RB with 3 rushes of 70+ yards in the same season since 2012, when Jamaal Charles, Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson each accomplished the feat. |
| Philadelphia’s defense ranks 2nd in the NFL with 43.0 sacks, trail-ing only Pittsburgh (45.0). Since Week 10, Fletcher Cox ranks 1st among NFL DTs with 4.0 sacks, while Javon Hargrave is tied for 2nd with Aaron Donald and Leonard Williams with 3.5 sacks. |
| Dallas Goedert is one of three NFL TEs with 250+ receiving yards (261) and 2+ TDs (2) since Week 11, joining Travis Kelce (481 yards, 3 TDs) and Darren Waller (386 yards, 3 TDs). |
| Eagles | Cardinals |
| WR Jalen Raegor | OLB Isiah Simmons |
| QB Jalen Hurts | OT Josh Jones |
| LB Davion Taylor | DT Leki Fotu |
| S K’Von Wallace | LB Kamal Martin |
| OT Jack Driscoll | DT Rashard Lawrence |
| WR John Hightower | LB Evan Weaver |
| LB Shaun Bradley | RB Eno Benjamin |
| WR Quez Watkins | |
| OT Prince Tega Wanogho | |
| LB/DE Casey Toohill | |
| Notable Off-season Additions |
| Eagles | Cardinals |
| DT Javon Hargrave | WR DeAndre Hopkins |
| CB Nickell Robey-Coleman | DT Jordan Phillips |
| CB Darius Slay | LB Devon Kennard |
| LB De’Vondre Campbell |
| DT Trevon Coley |
| Notable Off-season Departures |
| Eagles | Cardinals |
| S Malcom Jenkins | RB David Johnson |
| CB Ronald Darby | DE Rodney Gunter |
| RB Jordan Howard | DT Cassius Marsh |
| WR Nelson Agholor | DT Zach Kerr |
| OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai | DT Cararun Reid |
| LB Kamu Grugler-Hill | CB Bradon Williams |
| RB Darren Sproles | WR Pharoh Cooper |
| DT Timmy Jernigan | WR Damiere Byrd |
| LB Nigel Bradham | LB Joe Walker |
| OT William Sweat |
| Milestones |
| Eagles DE Vinny Curry (29) needs 1 sacks to move up to 18th on the Eagles all-time sack list passing DT Jerome Brown |
| Eagles TE Zach Ertz needs 40 yards for 6000 career receiving yards. |
| Food for Thought |
| The 1948 Philadelphia Eagles-Chicago Cardinals Championship Bout |
Eagles fans recall Super Bowl LII with wonder and relish in it. These days, that date seems so very long ago, but there was another magical Championship game I’d like to remind you of, as the Eagles and Cardinals face off (and the Northeast just got a snow dump), the Eagles’ first championship. Sure, this team the Eagles will face is not the Chicago Cardinals or the St. Louis Cardinals or the Phoenix Cardinals, but it’s the same franchise of course.
As far as snowy games, fans typically recall the Eagles’ fun snow game of 2013 against the Lions in which players made snow angels in the endzone, but there was an even more memorable one, one which Eagles RB Steve Van Buren didn’t even think was going to take place. With a blizzard harrowing Philadelphia: “I was sure they wouldn’t be able to play and went back to bed,” Van Buren told [Joe Jonas]. “Then, ‘Greasy’ (coach Earle Neale) called and told me the game was on and to get a move on. I had to take a trolley, then the El, and then a second trolley. When that trolley bogged down in the snow, I had to walk down Lehigh Avenue through the drifts about two miles to the park. I got there just a couple of minutes before the kickoff.”
source. Van Buren and the Eagles proceeded to run amok all over the Cardinals that fateful day.
Where the Cardinals managed 34 rushes for 96 yards, Van Buren led the Eagles to a 57 for 225 line day (let’s disregard Eagles QB Tommy Thompson stumbling toward a 0.0 passer rating: 2/12 for 7 yards and 2 INTs). Despite the Eagles controlling the game--in fact, the Eagles scored on the 1st play of the game, but it was called back for Offsides--it wasn’t until a minute left in the 4th that either team scored, a 5 yard rush by Van Buren. In victory, the Eagles exacted revenge on the Cardinals for losing the championship matchup the year prior 28-21.
| Matchups to Watch |
| Arizona rushing attack vs the Eagles front seven |
| The Eagles have repeatedly struggled this season with teams who have mobile quarterbacks, who are able to escape the pocket. They did well last week against Taysom Hill, however this week they will take on Kylar Murray who is a lot closer to Lamar Jackson than Taysom Hill. The Eagles gave up 100 yards and a TD when they faced Jackson this season.again Like Jackson, Kylar Murray has the ability to break off big runs, as he is second to Jackson in rushing yards by a QB this season. Murray has over 700 rushing yards and a league leading 10 rushing TDs by a QB this season. Pair that with the impressive running attack of Kenyon Drake and the Eagles front seven will have their hands full on Sunday. With a talented receiving corp of the Cardinals the Eagles will not be able to stack the box and it will be on the front seven to keep contain and stay in the lanes to keep Murray and Drake in check. If they don’t and allow the Cardinals to establish the run look for the Cardinals to pound the run and look for a big play off play-action to one of their talented WRs. |
| Eagles banged up secondary vs the talented receiving corp of the Cardinals |
| In their win over the Saints, the Eagles lost their two best players in the secondary in safety Rodney McLeod and CB Darius Slay. McLeod unfortunately tore his MCL and will miss the remainder of the season and Slay suffered a concussion and while he has progressed through the protocol he has not been cleared as of the time of this writing. If Slay misses the game the Eagles will most likely lean on Avonte Maddox to cover All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins which is not good news for the Eagles. Last time the Maddox was asked to cover an All-Pro he was absolutely torched by Davante Adams. Hopkins is also questionable for the game, but is trending towards playing.Eagles DC Jim Schwartz will need to get creative with his coverages and hope his front four can continue to wreak havoc like they did last week where Hill was under constant pressure. If given time, Murray will cut up this secondary and have some big plays against the Eagles backups. |
| Jalen Hurts and Doug Pederson vs Vance Joseph |
| Cardinals’ defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will have the job of stopping the Eagles rookie QB who ran all over the Saints number one ranked defense last week. Doug Pederson said earlier this week that the Eagles simply shot themselves in the foot in the second half against the Saints, but rewatching the game it looks like the Saints made some adjustments at halftime that were effective in slowing down and confusing the rookie QB. Unlike the Saints, Joseph will have a full game tape to review and prepare for Hurts. Of course, Pederson and Eagles know what they put out on film too and will have to adjust to how they played in the second half against the Saints. It’ll be up to them to have a counterpunch ready to go depending on how the Cardinals play the rookie quarterback. Hurts was far more effective with his legs than his arm against the Saints, so I would not be surprised to see Joseph put a spy on Hurts to limit his ability to run. If the Cardinals do spy him, it will most likely go to former Eagles Jordan Hicks who is extremely athletic for an LB and should be able to match Hurts speed and athleticism. With the spy that’s one less player in coverage, which should open some up some things in the passing game if Hurts can take advantage of it. The Eagles have a lot of offensive coaches on the staff and it is their job to put him in the best position to be successful, but that is something they have failed to do with a number of guys on the offense this year, so it remains to see if they can do it with Hurts when the other team is gameplanning for him. If they can and that is a big IF Hurts will still need to execute and continue to show the same poise he did last weekend. |
Special thanks to
abenyishay for their help in creating this Game Preview.
| Philadelphia Eagles (3-8-1) vs New Orleans Saints (10-2) |
| After another abysmal performance by the offense the Eagles are making a change at QB throwing rookie Jalen Hurts into the fire against the New Orleans Saints who have the number 1 defense in the league. While a change at QB may limit the turnovers from Wentz trying to play hero ball, it won’t fix the fundamental problems in the offense which are related to scheme and play calling. Some of those issues may be resolved if Doug does what was stated in his press conference which is something he has failed to do this entire season which is establish the run early to help his quarterback. If playcalling improves Hurts may have a chance, but if it does not he will be put in the same difficult position Wentz was in all season with the only advantage is that Hurts legs may buy him some time and get him out of the pocket to avoid sacks. If the Saints play their game they will most likely win their 3rd straight win against the Eagles dropping Pederson to 0-3 against them. Here’s to another Sunday filled with beers and sorrow. Go Birds! |
| Date |
| Sunday December 13th, 2020 |
| Game Time | Game Location |
| 4:25 PM - Eastern | Lincoln Financial Field |
| 3:25 PM - Central | 1020 Pattison Ave |
| 2:25 PM - Mountain | Philadelphia, PA 19148 |
| 1:25 PM - Pacific | Wikipedia - Map |
| Weather Forecast |
| Stadium Type: Open Air |
| Surface: Grass |
| Temperature: 56°F |
| Feels Like: 56°F |
| Forecast: Partly Cloudy. Partly cloudy throughout the day. |
| Chance of Precipitation: 0% |
| Cloud Coverage: 56% |
| Wind: Northwest 10 MPH |
| Betting Odds |
| Oddsshark Information |
| Favorite/Opening Line: New Orleans -6.5 |
| OveUnder: 44 |
| Record VS. Spread: Eagles 4-8, Saints 7-5 |
| Where to Watch on TV |
| FOX will broadcast Monday’s game to a national audience. Kevin Burkhardt will handle play-by-play duties and Daryl Johnston will provide analysis. |
| Week 14 TV Map |
| Listen to Merrill Reese and Mike Quick |
| Calling the game on 94WIP and the Eagles Radio Network will be Merrill Reese, the NFL’s longest-tenured play-by-play announcer (44th season). Joining Reese in the radio booth will be former Eagles All-Pro wide receiver Mike Quick, while Howard Eskin will report from the sidelines. |
| Location | Station | Frequency |
| Philadelphia, PA | WIP-FM | 94.1 FM and 610 AM |
| Allentown, PA | WCTO-FM | 96.1 FM |
| Atlantic City/South Jersey | WENJ-FM | 97.3 FM |
| Levittown, PA | WBCB-AM | 1490 AM |
| Northumberland, PA | WEGH-FM | 107.3 FM |
| Pottsville, PA | WPPA-AM | 1360 AM |
| Reading, PA | WEEU-AM | 830 AM |
| Salisbury/Ocean City, MD | WAFL-FM | 97.7 FM |
| Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA | WEJL-FM | 96.1 FM |
| Salisbury/Ocean City, MD | WAFL-FM | 97.7 FM |
| Salisbury/Ocean City, MD | WEJL-AM | 630 AM |
| Salisbury/Ocean City, MD | WBAX-AM | 1240 AM |
| Williamsport, PA | WBZD-FM | 93.3 FM |
| Wilmington, DE | WDEL-FM/AM | 101.7 FM |
| York/LancasteHarrisburg, PA | WSOX-FM | 96.1 FM |
| Philadelphia Spanish Radio |
| Rickie Ricardo and Bill Kulik will handle the broadcast in Spanish on Mega 105.7 FM in Philadelphia and the Eagles Spanish Radio Network. |
| Location | Station | Frequency |
| Philadelphia, PA | LA MEGA | 105.7 FM |
| Allentown, PA | WSAN | 1470 AM |
| Atlantic City, NJ | WIBG | 1020 AM; 101.3 FM |
| Saints Radio |
| WWL (870AM/105.3FM) is the flagship station of the Saints Radio Network. Former Saints offensive tackle Zach Strief handles the play-by-play duties, former Saints running back Deuce McAllister provides color commentary and Steve Geller is on the New Orleans sideline for all the contests. |
| National Radio |
| Compass Radio will carry the game nationally with Chris Carrino (play-by-play) and Brian Baldinger(analyst). |
| Station | Eagles Channel | SaintsChannel |
| Sirius Radio | SIRI 1383(Streaming 825) | SIRI 83(Streaming 822) |
| XM Radio | XM 226 (Streaming 825) | (XM 380 (Streaming 822) |
| Sirus XM Radio | SXM 228 (Streaming 825) | SXM 380(Streaming 822) |
| NFC EAST | Record | PCT | Home | Road | Div | Conf | PF | PA | Net Pts | Streak |
| Giants | 3-7 | .364 | 2-3 | 2-4 | 3-2 | 3-6 | 214 | 253 | -39 | 3W |
| Football Team | 4-7 | .364 | 3-3 | 1-4 | 3-2 | 3-5 | 241 | 243 | -2 | 2W |
| Eagles | 3-6-1 | .318 | 2-3-1 | 1-4 | 2-2 | 3-4 | 237 | 277 | -40 | 2L |
| Cowboys | 3-8 | .273 | 2-4 | 1-4 | 1-3 | 3-6 | 251 | 359 | -108 | 1L |
| Series Information |
| Philadelphia Eagles lead the New Orleans Saints, (17-15) |
| Series History |
| Head to Head Box Scores |
| First Game Played |
| November 6, 1967 at Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, LA. New Orleans Saints 31 - Philadelphia Eagles 24 |
| Points Leader |
| The Philadelphia Eagles lead the New Orleans Saints (719-680) |
| Coaches Record |
| Doug Pederson: 0-2 vs. the Saints |
| Sean Payton: 7-2 vs. the Eagles |
| Coaches Head to Head |
| Pederon vs Payton: Payton leads 2-0. |
| Quarterback Record |
| Jalen Hurts: Against Saints 0-0 |
| Taysom Hill: Against Eagles: 0-0 |
| Quarterbacks Head to Head |
| Jalen Hurts vs Taysom Hill: This will be the first matchup between the QBs |
| Records per Stadium |
| Record @ Lincoln Financial Field: Saints lead: 3-2 |
| Record @ Mercedes Benz SuperDome: Saints leads series: 9-5 |
| Rankings and Last Meeting Information |
| AP Pro 32 Ranking |
| Eagles No. 27 - Saints No. 3 |
| 2020 Record |
| Eagles: 3-9-1 |
| Saints 10-2 |
| Last Meeting |
| Sunday, January 13th, 2019 |
| Saints 20 - Eagles 14 |
| The Eagles traveled to New Orleans to face the Saints in a rematch of the Week 11 game which ended in a 48–7 rout in the Saints' favor. Despite jumping out to an early 14–0 first-quarter lead over the top-seeded Saints on touchdowns by Jordan Matthews and Nick Foles, the Eagles could not keep up the pace. New Orleans responded with 20 unanswered points over the final three quarters, including the eventual game-winning third-quarter touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Michael Thomas, to defeat the Eagles 20–14 and end Philadelphia's reign as Super Bowl Champions. The loss was just the second career postseason loss for Foles, the other being a 26–24 loss in the 2013 season, also to the Saints. New Orleans' victory over Philadelphia meant that, for the 14th straight season, a new Super Bowl champion would be crowned. |
| Click here to view the Video Recap |
| Click here for box score |
| Date | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 01/13/19 | Saints | Eagles | 20-14 |
| 11/18/18 | Saints | Eagles | 48-7 |
| 10/11/15 | Eagles | Saints | 39-17 |
| 01/04/14 | Saints | Eagles | 26-24 |
| 11/05/12 | Saints | Eagles | 28-13 |
| 09/20/09 | Saints | Eagles | 48-22 |
| 12/23/07 | Eagles | Saints | 38-23 |
| 01/13/07 | Saints | Eagles | 27-24 |
| 10/15/06 | Saints | Eagles | 27-24 |
| 11/23/03 | Eagles | Saints | 33-20 |
| 09/24/00 | Eagles | Saints | 21-7 |
| 10/01/95 | Eagles | Saints | 15-10 |
| 2020 Stats (Starters/Leaders) |
Passing | Name | CMP | ATT | PCT | YDS | TD | INT | RAT |
| Wentz | 251 | 437 | 57.4% | 2620 | 16 | 15 | 72.8 |
| Hurts | 8 | 15 | 53.3% | 142 | 1 | 1 | 80.4 |
| Brees | 219 | 298 | 73.5% | 2196 | 18 | 3 | 110.0 |
| Hill | 58 | 81 | 71.6% | 629 | 2 | 1 | 97.2 |
Rushing | Name | ATT | YDS | YDS/G | AVG | TD |
| Sanders | 118 | 631 | 70.1 | 5.3 | 3 |
| Kamara | 143 | 673 | 56.1 | 4.7 | 9 |
Receiving | Name | REC | YDS | YDS/G | AVG | TD |
| Fulgham | 33 | 467 | 51.9 | 14.2 | 4 |
| Kamara | 70 | 655 | 54.6 | 9.4 | 4 |
Sacks | Name | Sacks | Team Total |
| Graham | 7.0 | 38 |
| Hendrickson | 10.5 | 36 |
Tackles | Name | Total | Solo | Assist | Sacks |
| Singleton | 76 | 47 | 29 | 1.0 |
| Davis | 85 | 56 | 29 |
Interceptions | Name | Ints | Team Total |
| Singleton/McLeod/Mills | 1 | 3 |
| Williams/Jenkins | 2 | 13 |
Punting | Name | ATT | YDS | LONG | AVG | NET | IN 20 | TB | BP |
| Johnston | 50 | 2443 | 66 | 48.9 | 42.4 | 16 | 4 | 0 |
| Morstead | 45 | 1876 | 57 | 41.7 | 40.3 | 20 | 1 | 0 |
Kicking | Name | ATT | MADE | % | LONG | PAT |
| Elliot | 15 | 11 | 73.3% | 54 | 14/15 |
| Lutz | 23 | 20 | 87% | 53 | 41/41 |
Kick Returns | Name | ATT | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
| Scott | 20 | 438 | 21.9 | 46 | 0 |
| Harris | 16 | 436 | 27.3 | 75 | 0 |
Punt Returns | Name | RET | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD | FC |
| Ward | 15 | 107 | 7.1 | 22 | 0 | 15 |
| Harris | 17 | 207 | 12.2 | 42 | 0 | 5 |
Offense Rankings | Category | Eagles Stat | Eagles Rank | Saints Stat | Saints Rank |
| Total Offense | 318.8 | 29th | 370.8 | 12th |
| Rush Offense | 116.3 | 14th | 140.8 | 7th |
| Pass Offense | 202.6 | 28th | 230.1 | 21st |
| Points Per Game | 21.1 | 26th | 28.9 | 5th |
| 3rd-Down Offense | 38.0% | 27th | 46.9% | 5th |
| 4th-Down Offense | 34.8% | 27th | 66.7% | 9th(t) |
| Red Zone Offense (TD%) | 60.6% | 14th | 67.3% | 8th |
Defense Rankings | Category | Eagles Stat | Eagles Rank | Saints Stat | Saints Rank |
| Total Defence | 347.1 | 13th | 288.8 | 1st |
| Rush Defence | 129.9 | 25th | 76.1 | 2nd |
| Pass Defence | 217.2 | 6th | 212.8 | 4th |
| Points Per Game | 25.6 | 19th | 20.1 | 4th |
| 3rd-Down Defence | 37.3% | 7th | 39.2% | 13th |
| 4th-Down Defence | 40.0% | 5th | 55.5% | 17th |
| Red Zone Defence(TD%) | 65.8% | 21st(t) | 66.7% | 23rd |
Team | Category | Eagles Stat | Eagles Rank | Saints Stat | Saints Rank |
| Turnover Diff. | -11 | 30th | +7 | 4th(t) |
| Penalty Per Game | 6.0 | 22nd(t) | 6.20 | 20th(t) |
| Penalty Yards Per Game | 50.1 | 16th | 65.9 | 32nd |
| Connections |
| Saints HC Sean Payton worked as the QB Coach for the Eagles from 1997-1998 seasons. |
| Saints starting safety Malcom Jenkins played 6 seasons for the Eagles from 2014-2019 and won a Super Bowl with them in 2017. |
| Saints CB Patrick Robonsin played one season with the Eagles in 2017 and was a member of the Super Bowl Team. |
| Saints Senior Defensive Assistant Peter Giunta worked as the Eagles DB coach from 1991-1994. |
| Saints Assistant Special Teams coach Phil Gailano is originally from Philadelphia, PA and went to Norristown HS. |
| Eagles Personnel Consultant Darren Sproles played 3 seasons for the Saints from 2011-2013. |
| Eagles LB Coach Ken Fajole worked as the Saints DB coach in 2012. |
2020 Pro Bowlers | Eagles | Saints |
| DT Fletcher Cox (Starter) | QB Drew Brees |
| OG Brandon Brooks (Starter) | RB Alvin Kamara (1st Alt) |
| TE Zach Ertz | Wr Michael Thomas(Starter) |
| C Jason Kelce (Starter) | Te Jared Cook(1st Alt) |
| LS Rick Lavato (Starter) | OT Terron Armstead |
| G Andrus Peat (2nd Alt) |
| G Larry Warford (3rd Alt) |
| DE Cameron Jordan (Starter) |
| CB Marshon Lattimore (Starter) |
| K Will Lutz (Starter) |
| RS Deonte Harris (Starter) |
| General |
| Referee: Jerome Boger |
| Brandon Graham will appear in his 156th career regular-season game, surpassing Trent Cole (155, 2005-14) for the most games played by a defensive lineman in franchise history. Graham leads the Eagles in both sacks (7.0) and TFLs (12) this season. |
| Miles Sanders ranks 2nd among NFL RBs in rushing average (5.4), behind Nick Chubb (6.0) (min. 100 attempts). |
| Dallas Goedert is one of only three NFL TEs with 200+ receiving yards (218) and 2+ TDs (2) since Week 11, joining Travis Kelce (345 yards, 2 TDs) and Darren Waller (311 yards, 3 TDs). |
| Fletcher Cox (53.5) is 1.0 sack shy of tying Hugh Douglas (54.5, 1998-2002, ‘04) for the 5th-most sacks in team history. |
| Javon Hargrave has recorded 15 tackles, 8 combined QB pres-sures and hits, 2 TFLs and 1.5 sacks dating back to Week 10. |
| In Week 13 at Green Bay, Jalen Reagor returned a punt 73 yards for a TD, marking the 3rd-longest punt return TD by an Eagles rookie, behind Damaris Johnson (98 yards, 12/2/12 at Dallas) and Ernie Steele (80 yards, lateral, 10/25/42 at Chicago). |
| Eagles | Saints |
| WR Jalen Raegor | QB Jordan Love |
| QB Jalen Hurts | RB AJ Dillion |
| LB Davion Taylor | TE Josiah Deguara |
| S K’Von Wallace | LB Kamal Martin |
| OT Jack Driscoll | G Jon Runyan Jr. |
| WR John Hightower | C Jake Hanson |
| LB Shaun Bradley | G Simon Stepanick |
| WR Quez Watkins | FS Vernon Scott |
| OT Prince Tega Wanogho | DE Jonathan Garvin |
| LB/DE Casey Toohill | |
| Notable Off-season Additions |
| Eagles | Saints |
| DT Javon Hargrave | S Malcom Jenkins |
| CB Nickell Robey-Coleman | WR Emmanuel Sanders |
| CB Darius Slay | FB Michael Burton |
| DB Deatrick Nichols |
| QB Jameis Winston |
| RB Ty Montgomery |
| T James Hurst |
| Notable Off-season Departures |
| Eagles | Saints |
| S Malcom Jenkins | LB Kiko Alonso |
| CB Ronald Darby | FB Zach Line |
| RB Jordan Howard | CB Eli Apple |
| WR Nelson Agholor | ILB Stephone Anthony |
| OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai | CB Vonn Bell |
| LB Kamu Grugler-Hill | QB Teddy Bridgewater |
| RB Darren Sproles | WR Tedd Ginn Jr. |
| DT Timmy Jernigan | LB AJ Klein |
| LB Nigel Bradham | LB Manti Te’o |
| Milestones |
| Eagles DT Fletcher Cox (53.5) needs 1 sacks to move up to 5th on the Eagles all-time sack list tying DE Hugh Douglas |
| Eagles DE Vinny Curry (29) needs 1 sacks to move up to 18th on the Eagles all-time sack list passing DT Jerome Brown |
| Food for Thought |
| The Torment of Prometheus |
The culturally and historically vibrant cities of Philadelphia have more in common than first appearances might suggest. Yes, one has proud French roots, while the other is known as the “Birthplace of American Democracy” while sprouts of British colonialism can be seen in Greater Philadelphian towns like Lower Gwynedd, Narberth, and North Wales. The two cities have more in common than quintessential sandwiches, in the Po’ Boy and the Cheesesteak. Many might not realize it, but a famous Greek Myth links the two; that which represents the torment Eagles fans are now enduring.
For those unaware or needing a refresher of the myth, the Titan Prometheus stole and gifted fire to Humans, a symbol of intellectualism and civilization. As punishment, Zeus ordered him bound and sentenced him to an eternity of having his liver pecked by an eagle. Eventually, Zeus had Hercules kill the Eagle and free Prometheus so that he could aid Hercules in his quest to complete his own penance, the 12 Labors. There’s much more to it than that, but for our purposes that’s the extent to which we’ll be discussing the myth itself. Just know that a famous painting depicting this, Prometheus Bound, has been sitting in the Philadelphia Museum of Art since 1950.
Cut to: We Eagles fans are Prometheus, enduring relentless torment as some sort of divine penance. Could it be for our passion, our
fire? Could it be to take our hubris, as it pertains to our stellar collective Football intelligence, down a peg? *Note from the author: you should periodically remind yourself that the 97.5 and 94.1 callers are NOT representative and are largely folks that cry themselves to sleep in the bathtub every gameweek, scraping for any and every ounce of hope and reason and in doing so only emphasize their trauma psychosis. Could we have collectively used up all our karma to get that SBLII title? We may never know. Here’s looking to Lurie, the man ultimately responsible for forcing us into this torment, to bring in some new blood to rescue us from this nightmare. Oh Lurie, god of thunder, end our misery and rescue us. Have we not been punished enough?
In 1814, the USS Prometheus was commissioned by the United States Navy, mostly serving to transport diplomats and survey land over its short lifespan. 4 years later, the ship was considered unseaworthy and got decommissioned, and made its funeral procession down to New Orleans. There, it was auctioned off to the highest bidder.
Here we are, the Saints doing us a courtesy in at least saving us the trip down I-59 to be sold for parts. Allez Saints!
| Matchups to Watch |
| Jalen Hurts and the Eagles Passing Attack vs. Saints Pass Defense |
| Talk about being thrown into the fire. Jalen Hurts will make his first start Sunday after Pederson benched Wentz against one of the best defenses in the NFL. Per Football Outsiders, the Saints defense is second in the NFL by DVOA. They are an impressive, well-coached unit that is deep at all levels and multiple. This would be a difficult test for an average QB, let alone a rookie QB in their first start on a bad team. Wentz earned his benching weeks ago so this is a formality at this point. Regression doesn’t do enough to describe the utter collapse in this play this season. Hurts is a more athletic QB that is more capable of making plays with his legs that adds a dimension to this offense and they will need it. The Eagles still possess one of the worst receiving rooms in the NFL. The Saints have a deep defense. Janoris Jenkins has found new life in the NOLA and is playing at a high level. Marshon Lattimore is also another great corner. The Saints also have one of the best deep safeties in the NFL in Marcus Williams. Malcolm Jenkins (lol RIP) is a great compliment in their secondary as he is allowed to occupy the same role he had in Philly and is playing pretty well. At the trade deadline, the Saints acquired Kwon Alexander from the 49ers. Alexander has had issues staying healthy in the past but he is no longer expected to be an every down contributor – that’s how deep this Saints defense is. Last but not least, Demario Davis is a god. That’s all that needs to be said. Due to the talent at all 3 levels, the Eagles will need to be smart with their coaching and scheme to help a mediocre receiver room get open and make plays for Hurts. Hurts will do enough on his own to extend plays but they need to be able to hit passes through the air and get open quickly, especially first reads. Due to the nature of the Saints coverage scheme, there will be moments where Hurts can attack down the field. He’ll need to hit those opportunities when they present themselves with regularity. |
| Eagles Offensive Line vs Saints Pass Rush |
| The Eagles Offensive Line is bad and the Saints Pass Rush is not. Evergreen statement: the Saints pass rush is deep. This is a team that brings pressure in all kinds of ways but is also able to be disruptive with 4 pass rushers. The Eagles offensive line hasn’t been the hot trash that it likely should be given all of the injuries, but it is still really bad. The biggest problem area has been the guards, especially RG, which makes sense without Brandon Brooks and Isaac Seumalo’s injury earlier this season. Cameron Jordan is still an elite EDGE Rusher, Marcus Davenport is now a very good EDGE3, and Trey Hendrickson has developed into a great EDGE2. Sheldon Rankins, Malcom Brown, and David Onyemata make up a formidable Interior Defensive Front. I would expect this defensive front to bring all kinds of pain on Sunday against the run and really make Hurts run for his life through the air. The Eagles pass protection has to find a way to slow this pass rush down through a lot of disguised plays, play action, and moving the pocket for Hurts to be able to get passes off. Hurts can throw a pretty deep pass but he doesn’t have a live arm, which could make him susceptible to INTs. Confusing him in coverage with disguising rushers in the middle of the defense can also lead to picks as he often just doesn’t see the underneath pass defenders. But when they do rush the passer, the Eagles offensive line has to be able to execute more than they have the last two weeks. Lastly, and this is a point that isn’t talked about enough this season, the RBs need to be passable in pass protection. Notice how I said passable; I say that because they’ve been straight trash in that area this year. |
| Eagles Defensive Back 7 vs Saints Weapons |
| The most important indicator of success for the Eagles defense each Sunday is the effectiveness of their defensive line as it is the only unit on the defense capable of consistently making stops. I won’t discuss that here, even though that is still true. Sean Payton has long been one of the best Head Coaches and offensive minds in the league since being hired in New Orleans. They are 10-2 without Drew Brees and Michael Thomas for most of the season. The biggest reason for that? Sean Payton. That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have great talent to work with, but he excels at maximizing his players' skill sets. Thomas has returned from injury his place among the elite at the WR position. The Saints signed Emmanuel Sanders in the offseason and unsurprisingly it has worked. Alvin Kamara is still a God. Jared Cook is pretty good. And Taysom Hill looks good in shorts. Sean Payton puts his players in positions to win and they use their talents to make opposing offenses pay. The Eagles defense is good on paper boasting a league-average DVOA but that is misleading given the numerous flaws discussed here ad infinitum. The linebackers are bad and can’t cover. McLeod is decent, but no one else can play in the run or pass game. Darius Slay had been good until the last two weeks (less bad against GB) but is the only capable guy that can cover in the CB room anyway. The backend of this defense is largely slow and can’t cover. They are made to get bent by the Saints offense. Furthermore, they traditionally struggle with mobile QBs. Taysom Hill says hi! For the Eagles to have a chance, the defense needs to play at a level it can’t and the coaching staff needs to play to the limited strengths of its players – which It also struggles to do. |
Special thanks to
abenyishay and
MikeTysonChicken for their help in creating this Game Preview.
Before every Bills’ game I spend some time, probably too much time, digging into how the Bills roster stacks up against their opponent’s. While doing this I specifically look at 5 matchups; Bills’ Pass Offense vs. Opponent’s Pass Defense, Bills’ Rush Offense vs. Opponent’s Rush Defense, Bills’ Pass Defense vs. Opponent’s Pass Offense, Bills’ Rush Defense vs. Opponent’s Rush Offense, Bills’ Special Teams vs. Opponent’s Special Teams. After doing all of this I try to come up with reasons “Why We Will Lose” and “Why We Will Win” ultimately leading to a prediction. Below I present 2020’s 11th iteration of this analysis for the Bills upcoming home game against the Chargers. Included is a scale to rank the advantage in each matchup from 👏👏👏👏👏 (Massive Advantage) to 👏 (Minimal Advantage).
Bills’ Passing Offense vs. Chargers’ Passing Defense According to DraftKings Josh Allen is currently +2500 (#5) to win MVP, Stefon Diggs is +450 (#2) & Cole Beasley is +10000 (#19) to lead the league in receiving yards, and the Buffalo Bills are +2200 (#10) to win the Super Bowl. All of this represents a stunning turn of events for a team that has not finished top-10 in Passing Offense since 2002 and just a few years back was dealing with a 17-year playoff drought. With a remaining schedule consisting of teams with a combined record of 31-29 (.517) and an average Pass Defense DVOA of 4.0% (~ #13) it’s looking good for the Bills to win their first division title since 1995 led by one of the best passing attacks in the NFL.
This week the Bills will play the Los Angeles Chargers who currently rank 17th (10.1%) in Pass Defense DVOA. Looking at the Chargers depth chart and one could ponder why this team is in the bottom half of the league instead of closer to the top of it. Underperforming. It starts up front with a duo of DEs in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram who between 2016 and 2019 combined for 72.5 sacks & 5 Pro Bowls. When healthy and in form these two have the ability to completely disrupt opposing passing attacks but thus far in 2020 have combined for just 4.5 sacks. It ends in a secondary with a core group of Michael Davis (CB), Casey Hayward (CB), Rayshawn Jenkins (SS), and Nasir Adderley (FS). Just a few years back Hayward would have headlined this group as a ball hawk, shutdown corner, but at 31 seems to have lost a step in 2020. This means that the focus may be on CB2, Michael Davis, who is quietly supplanting Hayward as the #1 CB. Still, whatever way you slice it this once dangerous secondary no longer is deserving of such a moniker.
If this game does turn into a shootout the Bills look to be playing the inferior pass defense. Diggs quickness and speed are something that Hayward should not be able to match. The best WR2 the Chargers have played is Robby Anderson, who still managed 5 catches for 55 yards on 5 targets, which means one of Cole Beasley, John Brown, or Gabe Davis should find success throughout Sunday. Of course, this is all dependent on the Bills pass block protecting the edge and giving Allen time to throw. Doing that will require slowing down a pass rush that is getting to the Quarterback among the best in the league at a 11.1% (#7) Hurry Rate and an 8.5% (#13) but struggling to bring QBs down with just 17 (#24) sacks.
EDGE: Bills 👏 👏 👏 👏
Bills’ Rushing Offense vs. Chargers’ Rushing Defense While the Bills have seen a massive increase in Passing Offense, they have also seen a gigantic reduction in ability to run the ball. Ranking 27th in the NFL with just 97.6 rushing Y/G the Bills are averaging nearly 40 less yards on the ground per game this season compared to 2019. HC Sean McDermott is even quoted as
saying, about the Bills’ run game, “It’s a legitimate concern. We’ve got to get it figured out”. This has resulted in some odd moves including the possible benching of Mitch Morse who by all measures has been playing at a Pro-Bowl caliber this season. Still, something is not quite right with the rushing attack with the root cause more correlated to the OL than the RBs.
We’ve already covered the DEs in the passing section of this post but the rest of the front seven does have some talent sprinkled throughout it. In the middle of the DL the Chargers use a 3-man rotation of 32-year-old Linval Joseph, 3rd year pro Justin Jones, and 2019 1st round pick Jerry Tillery. These 3 behemoths consistently plug the interior of the line for the #15 ranked rush defense that is currently giving up 115.3 yard per game. Rookie Kenneth Murray stars in the middle for the Chargers where in his first season he is on pace for 99 tackles. Next to him is Kyzir White who is currently on COVID IR and questionable for Sunday’s game. Losing Kyzir would be a massive blow for an already thin LB group.
McDermott and Daboll insist that they have a good plan moving forward to get the running game back on track. Does this mean more Josh Allen runs? Could this mean more traditional ISO instead of zone reads? Could this mean they are about to flip the OL upside down? Frankly I have no idea what the plan is but if I am going to speculate here is a little “out there” prediction. Josh Allen under center, Reggie Gilliam at FB, and Moss/Singletary at HB. The problem to me seems to be the RBs getting hit in the backfield prior to getting past the LOS. With Gilliam in the backfield, who initially was meant as a FB replacement for Patrick DiMarco, the expectation would be that he takes the initial attacker and give a player like Singletary the extra step needed to move to the next level. Will this happen? Who knows? Regardless it will be interesting to see where the Bills go with the run game on Sunday.
EDGE: Chargers 👏 👏
Bills’ Passing Defense vs. Chargers’ Passing Offense Coming off the Bye Week the Sean McDermott led Bills are 3-0 but are giving up 387 yards and 23 points per game to their opposition. The hope coming out of this bye week is that improved health can help the Bills further improve their defense who have played better over recent weeks but are still a shadow of their 2019 selves. The Bills should get back DBs Levi Wallace (CB), Josh Norman (CB), and Dean Marlowe (S) suring up a secondary which has struggled to stay healthy and stop opposing passing attacks all season long. In just 10 games this season the Bills have given up more than 295 passing yards 4 times, compared that to a group that from 2017-2019 only had 5 such games and there isn’t much more that needs to be said about the Bills play against the pass in 2020.
And it won’t be easy to correct it this week with a rookie QB named Justin Herbert, who is lighting up the league, coming to Buffalo. In Herbert’s first 9 starts he has just one game throwing for under 260 yards. That one game came against the Miami Dolphins where Herbert threw for just 187 yards and was picked off by Xavien Howard when Herbert tried to fit a pass into
double coverage nearly 20 yards down field. Herbert is extremely talented but still makes rookie mistakes, as a rookie, from time to time. He is obviously helped by a talented trio in Mike Williams (WR), Hunter Henry (TE), and Keenan Allen (WR). Mike Williams was the #7 overall pick in 2017, Hunter Henry has been groomed since 2016 as the heir apparent to Antonio Gates, and Keenan Allen may just be the most underrated WR in the NFL.
Yes, the most underrated by far, and possibly the most underrated player in the entire NFL. Allen leads the NFL in receptions through 10 games reeling in an incredible 81 passes, on pace for 130 through the end of the season. He is also far, and away Herbert’s go to target as he has targeted Allen an astounding 104 times in 9 games, where no other receiver has been targets more than 60 times. This is the key to the entire matchup, if Buffalo can find a way to shutdown Keenan Allen, whether through consistent double teams, pressure at the line, or even having Tre White follow hum, it should make Herbert uncomfortable enough to a point where the Bills may actually have a chance of winning this matchup.
EDGE: Chargers 👏 👏
Bills’ Rushing Defense vs. Chargers’ Rushing Offense While it did take a Hail Mary for the Cardinals to beat the Bills that’s not the main cause of the loss. When as a team you give up 217 rushing yards on just 35 attempts with a long of only 28 yards it means you are getting gashed consistently play after play by all different players. It’s the consistency of running that is the biggest concern as Cardinals RBs rushed for 5+ yards on 15 out of their 24 carries. The Next Gen charts are telling of the issue, both
Drake and
Edmonds found nearly all of their success when attacking the C gaps. This means one of two things, either the DEs are driving to far up field or the LBs are not breaking down and making plays at the LOS. Or the problem is both. But whatever is going on the Bills need to figure this out sooner than later or any hope of a deep run in the playoffs will be stopped short.
Injuries for the Chargers may end up helping the Bills correct their run defense woes. RB1 Austin Ekeler, likely not playing. RB2 Justin Jackson, on injured reserve with a knee injury. RB3 Kalen Ballage, questionable with an ankle injury. All of this could leave the Chargers with just 2020 4th round pick Joshua Kelly and career journeyman Troymaine Pope, who has only 36 career carries, as the lone healthy RBs on the roster. None of these RBs should strike fear into the hearts of the Bills defense but with the likes of Darrell Henderson (LAR), Frank Gore (NYJ), and Damien Harris (NE) all having success against Buffalo who knows what to expect from this group.
This means the key to this matchup is not the RBs but the trenches where Bills, whichever rotation they choose to use, will need to compete with a solid OL. 3-year starter Sam Tevi is at LT, injury riddled but highly touted Forrest Lamp is at LG, Guard Dan Feeney fills in for injured Center Mike Pouncey, Ex Bills-South and 5-time Pro Bowler Trai Turner stands in at RG, and longtime GB RT Bryan Bulaga covers the right side. These well known names make for a solid OL, that has been playing well in 2020, meaning that if the Bills are not prepared for a rushing attack on Sunday HC Anthony Lynn may surprisingly choose to use what appears to be his offenses biggest weakness, as a strength.
EDGE: Wash Bills’ Special Teams vs. Chargers’ Special Teams Andre Roberts leads Pro Bowl voting for return specialists. Makes sense for a player that is 4th in both kick and punt Y/R and has consistently flipped the field for the Bills in 2020. Corey Bojorquez will continue with punting duties and is having a solid campaign even though he has had a handful of bad punts. Perfect example is the Cardinals game where Bojo had punts of 60, 61, and 53 but also had a 12 yarder which resulted in 3 points for the Cardinals. At kicker Tyler Bass is rounding into form as a professional punter and just drilled 54, 55, and 58-yard field goals against the Cardinals. Even future HOF Justin Tucker would struggle if called upon to do that, dare I say impressive?
For the Chargers, two players handle returns. Rookie Joe Reed handles KR where he is averaging 22.1 Y/R this season. Reed has good speed with a 4.47 40 which is even more impressive seeing as though he dials in at 224 lb. For punt returns rookie K.J. Hill is averaging 7.2 Y/R after taking over return roles from Desmond King in early 2020. Ty Long who kicked some and punted some for the Chargers in 2019 handles the punting duties in 2020 where he is having a solid campaign but has been blocked an astounding 3 times. Last is Michael Badgley who kicks for the Chargers where he has missed 5 FGs, 3 in the 40-49-yard range, and 2 XPs.
EDGE: Bills 👏 👏 👏 👏
Why We Will Lose The Bills are coming off a bye week which means they should have the advantage over the Chargers going into Sunday. But let’s assume that Bye week is akin to halftime and is it possible that the Bills could come out slow and sluggish like they have done for the most part in the 3rd quarter in 2020? The offense should have a good script for the first couple series but if they are even a tad rusty this underperforming defense does have the tools to force a turnover or two. Broken record I know, but turnovers prove to be the difference time and time again in Bills’ losses.
On the other side of the ball the Charger’s QB, Justin Herbert, is improving week by week. More complete as a prospect Herbert is currently playing somewhere between 2019 Josh and 2020 Josh making him one of the more dangerous QBs in the league. He has weapons across the field, but Keenan Allen is the one to watch, as is tradition, as he tends to bully DBs and then make plays on the ball with exceptional hands. The run game may be inconsequential Sunday but if the Chargers find any consistent success on the ground all that will result in is more open lanes for Herbert to shred the Bills’ secondary.
Why We Will Win Sean McDermott does not lose coming out of the Bye. I think we all view McDermott as a good balance between the militaristic style coach and the players champion, but when push comes to shove, I expect him to drill into his team. I also think when McDermott has 2 weeks to do just that, he has an innate ability to correct deficiencies that have been plaguing his team all season. What does this mean on the defense? Expect the Bills to look different when it comes to fundamentals on Sunday. Better form tackles, tighter Palms defense, and better containment could all mean that the Bills average 2020 defense rounds into a good one.
If that happens, they will be paired with one of the best offenses in the NFL, that has been unable to run the ball. If McDermott and Co can fix the defense it would be a boon for the entire team, if they can fix the run offense the Bills quickly rise up the board of Super Bowl hopefuls. But this week, regardless of what happens to the run, the Bills passing attack should be able to carry the load. Consistent first downs all game should be found by the Bills abusing a weakened secondary with their stable of highly talented pass catchers. The Bills do this, they could run away with this one.
Prediction: Bills 28 – Chargers 24 The Chargers record is not demonstrative of their level of play. At 3-7 with losses of 3, 5, 7, 3, 1, 5, and 8 the Chargers have competed in every single game against some of the top teams in the NFL. They can beat the Bills on Sunday. But with 2 weeks to plan and a team that does have more talent, this is a game the Bills should win, and could win by double digits. Sill, I look for a close game here that is ultimately decided by one score meaning Bills Mafia may need to wear their heart monitors to make sure their gravy laden hearts don’t beat out of their chests. The over/under on the game has dropped from 57.5 to 55.5 points since it opened, and while 60 percent of the Super Bowl spread tickets had been placed on the Chiefs as of Saturday, the biggest ... Super Bowl Super Bowl Odds 2021: Point Spread, Score and Chiefs vs. Buccaneers Predictions Alex Ballentine @Ballentine_Alex Super Bowl 55 between the Chiefs (14-2) and Buccaneers (11-5) is likely to be competitive, according to our predictions, but SN's writers are unanimous in their picks to hoist the Lombardi Trophy ... Odds are automatically updated once a day. Best Super Bowl 2021 US Sports Betting Bonuses & Offers. FanDuel Sportsbook – Sign up here to claim the FanDuel Bet $5 to win $275 + Offers below!. Bet $5 to Win $275 Welcome Bonus: Sign up at FanDuel Sportsbook and make a minimum $10 deposit to win $275 on your $5 Super Bowl bet. Super Bowl LV Point Spread And Moneyline. The Chiefs opened as a 3.5-point favorite in Super Bowl LV and many shops are still offering these same odds more than a week after the game first went up ... Super Bowl predictions, picks, odds, preview and big questions for Chiefs-Buccaneers. Facebook; ... The Chiefs' only relevant loss during the regular season was by a score of 40-32, the highest ... Now, it has examined the latest 2021 Super Bowl NFL odds and NFL betting lines from William Hill, simulated every snap 10,000 times, and its predictions are in. Head to SportsLine now to see them all. Those trends in mind, here are some Super Bowl LV total TD prop bet picks and predictions. 2021 Super Bowl total touchdown prop bet predictions. Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 12:30 p.m. ET. 7.5 total touchdowns: Over: +170, Under: -225 Mahomes earns Super Bowl MVP honors, and Kansas City heads into 2021-22 looking for a three-peat. It plays out like the regular-season meeting, but each team tacks on another score. Super Bowl 55 ... Super Bowl LV expert picks, predictions Hayden Winks’ picks : The Super Bowl opening line started at Chiefs -3 with an over/under of 57.5 points, and I took the Chiefs and the under immediately ...
Super Bowl 2020 predictions, picks, and updated odds direct from the WagerTalk TV Studios in Vegas with Minty, Drew Martin, and Ralph Michaels. Super Bowl LI... 2022 NFL Super Bowl Futures - NFL Odds & PredictionsAnother Super Bowl winner was crowned and now we take an early look at the next one. Today, Picks & Parla... Super Bowl Odds and Prop Bets Podcast with Teddy Covers and Drew Martin: In this episode, Teddy and Drew breakdown the Super Bowl odds, both side and total f... Direct from the WagerTalk TV Studios in Las Vegas, our panel of professional sports bettors give their early Super Bowl 2020 predictions, plus tips and strat... NFL Super Bowl Live Chat Prop Bets / Free Picks, Predictions, Odds and Tips with Tony GeorgeFREE $60 New Member Account at Doc's Sports https://www.docsport... Super Bowl 2020 predictions, picks, and updated odds direct from the WagerTalk TV Studios in Las Vegas with Kelly Stewart, Marco D'Angelo, and Teddy Covers. ... Doc’s Sports own Robert Ferringo and Scott Spreitzer talk about 2021 Super Bowl 55 Score Predictions, picks, tips and Best Bets. The main event is set for 6:... In this week's episode of Bet On It direct from Las Vegas, Kelly Stewart, Marco D'Angelo, Gianni "The Greek Gambler" and Ralph Michaels go over Super Bowl 54... Early Super Bowl 54 predictions, picks, and updated odds direct from the WagerTalk TV Studios in Vegas with Marco D'Angelo, Teddy Covers and Drew Martin. The... This is my super bowl predictions for 2021
![[Request] - What are the odds of Madden 15 accurately predicting the score of Super Bowl XLIX?](https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/qVPQOcBKXY3EwBjPnwNMfpcB6yP5ZxeoGBOVC170GKE.jpg "[Request] - What are the odds of Madden 15 accurately predicting the score of Super Bowl XLIX?")
