Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was fined $5,628 by the NFL for wearing mismatched cleats that were not “constitutional team colors,” a person familiar with the league’s decision told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the NFL had not disclosed the fine, which stemmed from Hurts wearing Air Jordan cleats in two different shades of green during the Eagles’ 27-13 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. The Nike subsidiary behind the shoes indicated on social media that it would pay Hurts’ fine. “We’re paying the fine. You can’t ban greatness,” Jordan Brand said on X.
Eagles rooting guide for Week 16 games – BGN
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES at WASHINGTON COMMANDERS: The Eagles’ most simple path to the No. 1 seed involves 1) them winning out, 2) Detroit losing once, and 3) Minnesota losing once. At the very least, a win over the Commanders means the Eagles clinch the NFC East and no worse than the No. 2 seed. Go Birds.
Although the Eagles offense hasn’t been quite as good as the defense, it has still been good, ranking 6th in total yards and 9th in total points. If you break the Eagles point differential down by quarter, they have the highest point differential in the NFL in the 4th quarter. This is no doubt due to the grinding, run-centric nature of their offense that tends to wear opposing defenses out until they collapse at the end of the game. I asked Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation five questions to better understand the state of the Eagles and what to look for in this game.
The Eagles have a top-five defense this year, and the best player on the defense is Carter. Except the general fan in Des Moines who doesn’t watch the Eagles on a week-to-week basis might not know, because Carter doesn’t have eye-popping statistics of the defensive tackles who typically contend for defensive player of the year. Carter has 4.5 sacks, 15 hurries and 39 pressures. The way Hurtt measures Carter’s dominance is with plays like the one against Washington. “The special ones are looking for the three or four plays that happen in the game where they can change the game,” said Hurtt, the former Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator who worked with Calais Campbell and Vince Wilfork at the University of Miami. Opponents know those plays are coming. Carter might be soft-spoken off the field. He’s not quiet on the field. “Who y’all practice for?” Carter said he asks opposing offensive linemen. It’s his way of confirming that their week started with No. 98 on the board in their meeting room. Hurtt doesn’t even need to ask. “You can see it on the film,” Hurtt said. “There are so many protections that are going in his direction. People are identifying where he’s at to make sure he can’t wreck a game.”
Roob’s Eagles Observations: Why hasn’t Howie Roseman re-signed anybody yet? – NBCSP
6. Nolan Smith’s jump from one sack last year to 5 ½ so far this year is the biggest increase by an Eagle from Year 1 to Year 2 since 1998, when Al Wallace had 6.0 sacks after not recording a sack as a rookie (when he played in only one game). The only other larger increase from Year 1 to Year 2 was by defensive tackle Andy Harmon, who had 7.0 sacks in 1992 after being held sackless as a rookie in 1991.
Why Tom picked the Eagles: The unbroken string of Ws on Philly’s schedule is looking a little freaky, from a picks perspective. At 10 games, the winning streak is the longest in franchise history — and I’m not super comfortable banking on that run continuing into Week 16, mostly because of how difficult it is to go even a few weeks in the NFL without ending up on the wrong side of a fluky outcome or suffering some misfortune. Like, say, the injuries that A.J. Brown and Saquon Barkley were downplaying earlier this week. Washington is also probably the stoutest opponent remaining on the Eagles’ schedule. I just think Vic Fangio’s defense will ultimately keep Jayden Daniels in check. And, sure, the presence of cornerback Marshon Lattimore — who missed these teams’ Week 11 clash, when Philly established itself as the heavyweight in this NFC East rivalry — should help the Commanders. But how much can any one player do for a unit that’s been allowing 405.5 yards per game against opponents with winning records (fourth-most in the NFL this season)? So, the Eagles should be able to muscle together enough on offense that predicting when they’ll lose again in 2024 becomes some future picker’s problem.
NFL Week 16 picks, schedule, odds, injuries, fantasy tips – ESPN
Bold prediction: McLaurin will record under 35 receiving yards. I’m fully buying the Eagles’ secondary, and he is far and away the most important Commanders target for a defense to try to stop.
Vic Fangio’s film review sessions often feature a mixture of dry humor, exacting detail, and the occasional imitation of his players’ signature celebrations. Going through cut-ups with the entire defense on Mondays after games, Fangio is just as likely to draw a frown face next to a player or write the word “blind” to point out a misdiagnosis as he is to do Josh Sweat’s trademark sack celebration or the team-wide gesture started by Cooper DeJean last month when watching a big play from the group. “When he sees we made a big hit on film, he’ll do it,” Eagles linebacker Zack Baun said. “He’s doing all the celebrations. … He’s a tough egg to crack, but once you crack the shell, you see he likes to have fun.”
Game Preview: Eagles vs. Commanders – PE.com
1. Washington is a different team at home. The numbers say it all: The Commanders average 411.1 total yards per game at home in 2024 (that ranks second in the NFL, behind Detroit), and the Commanders average 183.5 rushing yards per game (best in the NFL) and have scored 29.7 points per game at home. They have controlled the clock and the game, averaging 32 minutes, 8 seconds in time of possession. These are impressive numbers, and they give you the understanding that Washington has a great level of comfort at home and feels the home-field advantage. Clearly, the Eagles need to play well, and they’ve done that on the road, losing only at Tampa Bay this season.
Cowboys fan majority willing to consider a surprising move with Micah Parsons – Blogging The Boys
That word “usually” is what sent out shockwaves. Jerry Jones quickly stepped in and said they have not been contemplating trading Parsons. Still, the idea of restocking the roster with young draft picks acquired in a Parsons’ trade had a bit of viability. So we asked you if you would even consider the idea. And a 59% majority said they would.
I have in the past voiced some hesitation about bringing Shedeur Sanders to the Giants because of the looming presence of his father, Deion ‘Prime Time’ Sanders. Emory Hunt of Football Gameplan and CBS Sports tried to dissuade my fears in a recent appearance on the podcast. Easterling joined him in saying it would be a mistake to pass on Sanders out of fear his father would be too much of a distraction. “If you’re the owner of an NFL franchise and you genuinely want what’s best for your team that means you’ve got to have the guts to take the best player and and deal with whatever you might perceive as a distraction,” Easterling said. “You got to be able to handle all that because if you if you genuinely evaluate these two quarterbacks at the top and say they end up with the number one pick and and they get to have their choice,if you say, man, we really think Shedeur is the better player but we really don’t want to deal with Dieon and what we think might be this sideshow thing or this distraction so we’re going to take Cam Ward instead — if you take a player that you don’t think is as good just because you think his dad’s going to be like a distraction that’s weak to me, like that’s scared to me, that’s punting the ball on fourth-and-inches from the 39-yard line … that’s not how I would run an NFL franchise.”
How can the Chiefs clinch the top seed in Week 16? – SB Nation
Chiefs result: The Chiefs beat the Texans 27-19 to improve to 14-1. If the Bills lose to the Patriots on Sunday, the Chiefs will clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC. If Buffalo wins, Kansas City will be able to clinch the No. 1 seed in Week 17 with a win against Pittsburgh or a Bills home loss to the Jets.
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