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The Philadelphia Eagles were already starting to become tight end dominant in the passing game, and with Patriots star safety Patrick Chung being ruled out for Sunday, 12 personnel could be the formation of choice.
New England ruled out Chung for Sunday’s road game against the Philadelphia Eagles due to injuries to his heel and chest.
DB Patrick Chung & RB Damien Harris have been downgraded to out for #NEvsPHI.
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 16, 2019
Veteran safety Duron Harmon will get the start in his place.
With the Eagles having the best tight end tandem in the NFL, Bill Belichick and company can expect to see a ton of Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert on the field together.
During the last meeting between these two teams, Ertz had seven catches for 67 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles thrilling Super Bowl LII victory against New England.
With Alshon Jeffery also out of this game, it’ll be pertinent for Carson Wentz to develop a rhythm with both guys early on, helping to open up things for JJ Arcega-Whiteside and Miles Sanders.
Expect New England to dabble with a different scheme on Sunday, entrusting All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore with the job of slowing down Zach Ertz. Until Nelson Agholor, Jordan Matthews or Arcega-Whiteside can prove themselves as viable threats on the outside, Gilmore will likely be best served to shadow Ertz on Sunday and forcing someone else on the Eagles offense to beat New England.
That man could end up being Goedert, who has the skill level to take advantage of any mismatch presented to him.