Tag: jalen carter

Eagles at Giants: 6 things to watch for in season finale

Eagles at Giants: 6 things to watch for in Week 18

The Eagles (11-5) and Giants (5-11) will meet for the second time in three weeks, with both teams having something to gain and a lot to lose.

A Philadelphia win and Dallas loss to Washington would give Nick Sirianni’s team the NFC East and a viable shot at the No. 2 seed.

For the Giants, a loss increases the chances for a top-three pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

With kickoff fast approaching, we’re looking at six things to watch in this must-see Week 18 season finale from MetLife Stadium.

TV broadcast map for Eagles at Giants in Week 18

We’re looking at the TV Broadcast Map for the Week 18 season finale between the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants

With the Eagles losing four of their last five games, head coach Nick Sirianni is expected to play all his available starters and contributors in the season finale against the Giants.

The Birds have about a 13% chance to win the division, and crazy things happen during the final week of the regular season.

The second of two matchups against the New York Giants in the past three weeks, Philadelphia will look to win and hope for a Dallas loss to Washington to secure the NFC East and No. 2 overall seed.

With kickoff fast approaching, here’s the TV Broadcast Map for Week 18 via 506 Sports.

Eagles 53-man roster for season finale vs. Giants

We’re looking at the Philadelphia Eagles updated 53-man roster for their Week 18 season finale against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium

With the Eagles losing four of their last five games, head coach Nick Sirianni is expected to play all his available starters and contributors in the season finale against the Giants.

Even with pundits and experts running with the sit-your-starters talking points, the Birds have about a 13% chance to win the division, and crazy things happen during the final week of the regular season.

The second of two matchups against the New York Giants in the past three weeks, Philadelphia will look to win and hope for a Dallas loss to Washington to secure the NFC East and No. 2 overall seed.

With kickoff fast approaching, here’s an updated 53-man roster for Week 18.

Eagles rule out CB Darius Slay and WR DeVonta Smith for regular-season finale vs. Giants.

Eagles rule out CB Darius Slay and WR DeVonta Smith for regular-season finale vs. Giants.

The Eagles released their final injury report of the week, and the team has ruled out cornerback Darius Slay and wide receiver DeVonta Smith for Sunday’s season finale against the Giants.

This is the first time in Smith’s three-year career that he will miss a game.

Cornerback Darius Slay (ankle) will miss his fourth consecutive game after not practicing on Friday. Slay was a limited participant on Wednesday and Thursday as he works his way back from knee surgery.

The Eagles’ defense is a disaster, and they’d better fix it with a quickness

The Eagles’ defense hit rock bottom when it got pushed around by the Arizona Cardinals. Is there any hope for improvement before the postseason starts?

The defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles currently rank 27th in Defensive DVOA after finishing third last season, which isn’t good enough for anybody in the building. So, the team made the decision in mid-December to replace first-year defensive coordinator Sean Desai as a play-caller  with senior assistant Matt Patricia, whose experience with the New England Patriots under Bill Belichick from 2004 through 2017 held some weight.

Or, the Eagles were just throwing stuff against the wall to see what would stick. At this point, either explanation is equally plausible.

Not that things have gone any better with Patricia at the helm. The Eagles were profoundly embarrassed last Sunday by the Arizona Cardinals in a 35-31 loss that saw their defense allow 221 rushing yards, 5.5 yards per attempt, 130 yards after contact, 14 first downs, and a league-worst (for Week 17) 0.18 EPA per attempt on 40 carries. That this all happened to a team that counts former Philly defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon as its head coach put some extra sting on it.

“I do believe,” head coach Nick Sirianni said post-game after the run defense debacle. “I still believe in the guys in that locker room, the players. I still believe in the coaches. I think we’ve got the guys in this place to get turned in the right direction. We don’t have much time, obviously, right. We’ve got one more game before playoffs starts, and we’ve got to do everything we can do to get back on track this upcoming week.

“I think there’s been spurts, obviously, the last couple games where we played good ball on defense. Tonight wasn’t one of those times.”

As Sirianni said, there isn’t much time before the postseason begins, and if this is the state of the Eagles’ defense, they’ll be lucky if they aren’t pushed around from start to finish — and it could be a very early finish.

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys got into the reasons for these issues from a formerly great defense.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Now, let’s investigate why Philly’s defense has fallen apart this season.

5 Milestones Eagles can reach in Week 18 matchup vs. Giants

Jalen Hurts breaking Carson Wentz’s single-season passing record is among five milestones the Philadelphia Eagles can reach in Week 18

With the Eagles losing four of their last five games, head coach Nick Sirianni is expected to play all his available starters and contributors in the season finale against the Giants.

The second of two matchups against the New York Giants in the past three weeks, Philadelphia will look to win and hope for a Dallas loss to Washington to secure the NFC East and No. 2 overall seed.

There are more than wins to play for, and we’re looking at five milestones select Eagles can reach in Week 18.

Eagles Injury Report: DeVonta Smith remains sidelined with an ankle injury

The Philadelphia Eagles released their second injury report ahead of the Week 18 matchup against the Giants, and DeVonta Smith remains sidelined

The Eagles released their Thursday injury report for the regular season finale against the Giants, and DeVonta Smith remains sidelined with an ankle injury.

Darius Slay was a limited participant along with Jordan Davis.

Zach Cunningham, Haason Reddick and Avonte Maddox were all full participants as the Eagles near full strength on their 53-man roster.

Philadelphia returned to the practice field ahead of Sunday’s finale in which several starters could be rested.

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Previewing Week 18’s biggest NFL matchups

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys preview the final week of the regular season with tape and metrics.

It’s time for Week 18 of the 2023 NFL campaign — the final week of the regular season — and Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group, are here to get you ready for the most important games, playoff scenarios, and interesting matchups:

Kansas City Chiefs-Los Angeles Chargers — Why the Chiefs wouldn’t even be a playoff team without Steve Spagnuolo, and how Kansas City’s defense got four sacks in five plays against the Bengals on Cincinnati’s final drive.

Philadelphia Eagles-New York Giants — The Eagles had best fix their leaky run defense before the playoffs, and the Giants could be a stern test in that regard.

Houston Texans- Indianapolis Colts — C.J. Stroud is back for the Texans, and he’ll face a Colts defense with a lot of underrated players. The winner takes the AFC South.

Los Angeles Rams-San Francisco 49ers — The 49ers have wrapped up the NFC’s one-seed, so they won’t play many of their starters, but it’s time to recognize a Rams defense defined by two rookies, and more underrated players.

Buffalo Bills-Miami Dolphins — Two up-and-down teams are fighting for control of the AFC East, and it could come down to which unit figures itself out: Buffalo’s offense, or Miami’s defense.

Chicago Bears-Green Bay Packers — The Bears won’t make the playoffs, but they have a fascinating decision to make about Justin Fields’ future. Meanwhile, Packers quarterback Jordan Love has been as good as anyone at his position in the second half of the season.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar” right here:

You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

D’Andre Swift among six Eagles named to NFC Pro Bowl

D’Andre Swift is among six Philadelphia Eagles named to the NFC Pro Bowl

The Eagles have lost four of their last five, but their 11 wins are still among the NFL’s best and they were properly represented on the NFC Pro Bowl roster.

D’Andre Swift earned his first 1,000-yard season in 2023, and his first Pro Bowl nod as well, becoming one of six Birds to earn a nomination.

wide receiver A.J. Brown (starter, 3rd selection), guard Landon Dickerson (reserve, 2nd selection), tackle Lane Johnson (starter, 5th selection), center Jason Kelce (starter, 7th selection), linebacker Haason Reddick (reserve, 2nd selection), and running back Swift (reserve, 1st selection).

Philadelphia had 9 Pro Bowl alternates: kicker Jake Elliott (1st alternate), quarterback Jalen Hurts (1st), cornerback Darius Slay (1st), return specialist Britain Covey (2nd), defensive end Josh Sweat (2nd), tackle Jordan Mailata (3rd), defensive tackle Jalen Carter (4th), tight end Dallas Goedert (4th), and guard Cam Jurgens (5th).

The 2024 Pro Bowl Games are scheduled to take place on Thursday, February 1 in Orlando.

Eagles Injury Report: Darius Slay returns to practice ahead of matchup vs. Giants

The Philadelphia Eagles released their first injury report ahead of the Week 18 matchup against the Giants, and Darius Slay returned to practice

The Eagles released their injury report for the regular season finale against the Giants, and Darius Slay returned to practice after missing three games.

Slay was a limited participant along with Zach Cunningham and Avonte Maddox.

Philadelphia held a walkthrough on Wednesday, and the injury report was an estimation.