Category: Game Preview

Eagles to release WR Parris Campbell ahead of game vs. Bengals in Week 8

The Philadelphia Eagles are releasing veteran wide receiver Parris Campbell ahead of the Week 8 game against the Cincinnati Bengals

The Eagles are releasing wide receiver Parris Campbell ahead of Sunday’s game against the Bengals. Jordan Schultz reports.

The former Ohio State wide receiver signed with Philadelphia during free agency but was released at the end of the preseason and signed to the practice squad.

The Eagles have Ainias Smith and Albert Okwuegbunam ready to return to the lineup, while Britain Covey is set to come off injured reserve.

Eagles-Jaguars flexed out of Sunday Night Football on NBC slot in Week 9

The Philadelphia Eagles game against the Jacksonville Jaguars has been flexed out of the Sunday Night Football on NBC slot in Week 9

The Philadelphia Eagles are must-see television, but for the second time this season, they’ll have a late afternoon or primetime contest flexed out for a potentially more entertaining matchup.

Last week, it was announced that the Eagles game against the Bengals on Oct. 27 in Cincinnati has been moved from a 4:25 p.m. kickoff to 1 p.m. on CBS.

The Bears and Commanders have been moved to that national 4:25 p.m. slot, which features an exciting matchup between rookie quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels. In a bit of irony, Daniels could miss that matchup with a rib injury suffered in the team’s win over the Panthers.

Now, the NFL just announced that Philadelphia’s Week 9 Sunday night matchup against Doug Pederson and the Jacksonville Jaguars has been flexed to the late afternoon game on CBS, replaced by the Vikings matchup against the improved Indianapolis Colts.

That’s twice this season Philadelphia has had a game moved, and as one of the NFL’s best primetime draws, will Roger Goodell and the league return the favor and potentially move a late-season contest against the Ravens, Steelers, Cowboys, and Commanders could all potentially be flexed.

When they last met: Commanders and Panthers

What happened the last time Washington and Carolina played?

“When they last met” is an ongoing series during the NFL season, recalling the preceding game between Washington and the next opponent on the Commanders’ schedule.

Washington 27, Carolina 21 – Week 11, Nov. 21, 2021

In Cam Newton’s return to Carolina, Ron Rivera’s team, led by Taylor Heinicke, ruined Newton’s festive day. Washington came into Charlotte and defeated the Panthers 27-21.

Heinicke twice responded with Washington down by a touchdown to lead scoring drives and toss touchdown passes. Trailing 7-0, Heinicke connected with Cam Sims from six yards, tying the score with 13:29 in the second quarter.

Trailing 14-7 and driving, attempting to score before the half, Heinicke found Terry McLaurin with only nine seconds remaining for a 12-yard touchdown tying the game at halftime.

Washington drove and scored with 9:21 remaining in the third quarter, taking their first lead of the game at 21-14 when Heinicke passed to DeAndre Carter from four yards out.

Heinicke had his finest career day as an NFL quarterback, completing 16 of 22 passes for 206 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He recorded a 141.3 passer rating in the victory, the team’s second consecutive victory after upsetting the Tampa Bay Bucs the previous week at FedEx Field.

McLaurin led Washington with 103 receiving yards, while Antonio Gibson provided 95 rushing yards.

Newton completed 21 of 27 attempts for 189 yards and two touchdowns for a 120.5 passer rating. Christian McCaffrey led the Panthers with 59 rushing yards and 60 receiving yards.

Washington leads the all-time series, having won 10 of the 17 games played since the series began in 1995.

Eagles activate Sydney Brown from the Reserve/PUP List to the 53-man roster

Eagles activate Sydney Brown from the Reserve/PUP List to the 53-man roster

Sydney Brown is back, as the Eagles activated the 2023 third-round pick from the Reserve/PUP list to the 53-man roster for Sunday’s game against the Giants.

Philadelphia also elevated Jack Driscoll from the Practice Squad for tomorrow’s game.

Brown returns to the lineup one week after having his 21-day practice window opened after he missed the season’s first five games with a torn ACL.

Brown finished his rookie season with five starts in 13 games, registering 45 tackles, one tackle for loss, three passes defended, and a 99-yard interception return against the Cardinals.

He’ll now compete for a critical role in Vic Fangio’s revamped defense.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

A stark contrast between the Commanders and Panthers

The Commanders and Panthers are in totally different places — a good thing for Washington.

The Panthers organization is in bad shape.

Not only are the Panthers 1-5, but they also have the NFL’s worst point differential this season. And it is not even close. How bad is it? Well, after only six games, the Panthers have already been outscored by 100 points, and the closest to them (Jaguars) are a -65.

Therefore, in only six games, the Panthers are averaging not only being the worst team but the worst team by a touchdown more than anyone else.

Their new head coach, Dave Canales, is in his first season as an NFL head coach. Is it perhaps more telling that Canales got the job after only one season as an NFL coordinator?

Which brings us to majority owner David Tepper. Tepper took over the Panthers in 2019, fired Ron Rivera midseason, and has since kept the revolving door busy.

Tepper fired Rivera and appointed Perry Fewell to finish out 2019. Tepper then hired Matt Rhule in 2020, but during the 2022 season, Rhule was given the pink slip, and Steve Wilks was tabbed as interim head coach to conclude 2022.

Frank Reich was Tepper’s next choice as head coach in 2023. However, after only 11 games, Reich was fired, leaving Chris Tabor to finish the season.

Canales accepted the offer, resulting in Tepper being his boss while Canales took on his first NFL head coaching position. By the way, Washington had not yet hired Dan Quinn.

Tepper wanted QB Bryce Young (Alabama) and traded entirely too much, moving from the No. 9 position in the 2023 draft to the top position. C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) was certainly available, but Tepper got his choice.

The Texans rebounded to a winning season in 2023, while the Panthers finished an NFL-worst 2-15. They are still without the top pick in the 2024 draft because Tepper gave it up to get Young in 2023.

How might Panthers fans feel Sunday when watching the Panthers face Jayden Daniels, who could have been their choice this year if Tepper had not traded up for Young?

All week, the Commanders have heard from the DMV fan base, NFL media, and local media that Washington is now the favorite to win the NFC East.

But that is not solely because Washington is invincible. No, the Commanders have several roster needs that will be addressed next offseason.

Yet, for now, Commanders fans can be very thankful that their owner is Josh Harris, not David Tepper, their GM is Adam Peters, their head coach is Dan Quinn, and their quarterback is Jayden Daniels.

 

Eagles place Jordan Mailata on injured reserve

Philadelphia Eagles place Jordan Mailata on injured reserve after he suffered a hamstring injury in the win over the Cleveland Brown

Jordan Mailata will miss the next four games after the Philadelphia Eagles placed their star left tackle on injured reserve.

Mailata was forced to leave the team’s game against the Cleveland Browns late in the second half and was replaced by Fred Johnson.

Philadelphia now has an open spot on the active roster ahead of Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.

According to Pro Football Focus, Mailata has graded out through the first six weeks of the season as the top pass-blocking tackle and the fourth-ranked overall tackle in the league.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Eagles rule out two key offensive starters for game at the Giants

Eagles rule out TE Dallas Goedert and OT Jordan Mailata for game at the Giants

The Eagles finished their final practice of the week, and the team has ruled out Jordan Mailata and Dallas Goedert, as both players are dealing with hanstring injuries.

Mailata and Goedert exited Philadelphia’s Week 6 win over the Browns, with the tight end playing just three snaps before leaving the game.

Veteran offensive tackle will likely start in place of Mailata, while Grant Calcaterra will start in place of Goedert.

Jalen Carter (shoulder) will start after practicing on Friday, while Darius Slay is questionable.

Commanders vs. Panthers: 3 reasons for optimism

The Commanders host the Panthers in Week 7 and there are three reasons for optimism.

The Washington Commanders return home on Sunday to host the Carolina Panthers at Northwest Stadium. After suffering a hard-fought loss to the Baltimore Ravens last week, the Commanders look to rebound with a win over the struggling Panthers.

The 1-5 Panthers benched second-year quarterback Bryce Young after the team’s 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2. Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton took over in Week 3 and led the Panthers to their first (and only) win of 2024. The Panthers still have a lot to build on, though not everything can be fixed by replacing your quarterback.

The Commanders, on the other hand, have a different mindset this week: a “let’s get this done” attitude. Behind Jayden Daniels, the team is motivated. That said, there are three reasons for optimism heading into their Week 7 matchup with the Panthers.

Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Panthers are not the Ravens

Let’s be real: This Panthers’ team is not the same as the Ravens. Andy Dalton is not Lamar Jackson, and Chuba Hubbard is not Derrick Henry. The Commanders’ defense still needs some work, but the Panthers will find it much more challenging to get down the field than the Ravens did last week.

Shake off the loss that exposed the defensive weaknesses because even if the Panthers attack those weaknesses, you can be sure that Dan Quinn locked those down this week.

Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Panthers have second-worst run defense

When Jayden Daniels is your quarterback, and Brian Robinson Jr. is your top running back, the ground game is a huge part of the offense. Daniels is very capable of passing the ball, but the run game has been the Commanders’ meat and potatoes this season.

Heading into Week 7, the Panthers have the second-worst run defense in the league. This bodes very well for an offense that prefers to keep the ball on the ground. The Panthers pass defense is ranked in the bottom 10 as well, so expect Daniels to rake in the yards on Sunday.

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The Commanders have the right mentality

This team has been through a lot over the last decade, not just on the field but also off the field. It’s taken some time to get the right coach in place, but Dan Quinn certainly has his players in the right mindset this season. Yes, they lost last week, but they aren’t hanging their heads. They returned to work this week to address the issues we saw and make changes.

These players walk around with their heads held high and a chip on their shoulders because everyone expects them to fall off the radar. But that hasn’t happened, and it doesn’t look like it will. Some of that is because winning promotes positive team morale, some of it is Quinn saying and doing the right things, and a lot of it is that “hold my beer and I’ll show you” attitude.

Mindset matters. Team morale matters. As long as these two things remain the same in Washington, they are well on their way to a winning season.[lawrence-related id=104264,104278,104266]

Is Sydney Brown set to return to the Eagles lineup?

Jeff McLane reports that Eagles safety Sydney Brown could be activated off injured reserve on Friday and cleared to play against the Giants

The Eagles are getting healthy at the right time, and with 12 straight games to play, a talented second-year safety is set to join the lineup.

Jeff McLane reports that Sydney Brown is trending towards being active for Sunday’s game against the Giants one week after having his 21-day practice window opened after he missed the first five games of the season with a torn ACL.

Brown finished his rookie season with five starts in 13 games played, registering 45 tackles, one tackle for loss, three passes defended, and a 99-yard interception return against the Cardinals.

He’ll now compete for a key role in Vic Fangio’s revamped defense.

Ravens will face the NFL’s second best offense in back to back weeks

The Buccaneers’ high-octane offense ranks second in a key category—scoring. The Bucs are tied with the Commanders for the league’s top spot in total points scored—178.

If you like scoring points, you have come to the right place. Last week, the Baltimore Ravens beat the Washington Commanders, 30-23, in a match-up of the NFL’s No. 1 (Baltimore) and No. 2 offenses.

And by top offense, we mean average yards gained per game. The Ravens still hold this distinction this week as they prepare to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football.

The Buccaneers’ high-octane offense ranks second in a key category—scoring. The Bucs are tied with the Commanders for the league’s top spot in total points scored—178.

However, the Detroit Lions hold the top spot for points per game at 30.2, scoring 151 points in one less game (5). The Ravens’ next opponent is tied with Baltimore’s most recent opponent, averaging 29.7 points per game.

The Ravens are the next team in both tables, with 177 points scored in total and 29.5 ppg. In other words, this sounds like a game where you should take the over.