The Linc – Jalen Hurts featured on list of Week 2 bold predictions
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By: Brandon Lee Gowton
Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 9/19/21.
Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
5 Bold NFL Predictions for Week 2 – Fake Teams
1.) Jalen Hurts finishes as a top 5 QB this week. Justification: Jalen feasted on Atlanta last week, scoring 3 TDs. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on with the SF defense—who got carved up by Jared Goff and Detroit last week—but Jalen and the Eagles’ offense is assuredly better, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him put up similar type stats. It hurts that the 49ers lost Jason Verrett too.
The 3 best NFL games to watch in Week 2 – SB Nation
No. 3: 49ers vs. Eagles, Sunday 1 p.m. — Fox. Two 1-0 teams meet in a pretty fascinating matchup that, once again, I probably wouldn’t have circled before this week. I had a feeling (as did many others) that the 49ers were poised to bounce back from disappointment a year ago, and they did with a creative, gutsy win over Detroit that looked more difficult than it should have been. I’m fascinated to see if Trey Lance is brought in for more reps to throw off defenses, because that’s just fun. Then you’ve got Philadelphia, who absolutely beat the brakes off Atlanta courtesy of Jalen Hurts, who suddenly looks like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. That’s likely a testament to just how bad the Falcons are, but it might also not be a fluke. The Eagles showed very little faith in Hurts during the offseason, with replacement talk being rife — but if he keeps playing like he did in Week 1 then Philly is going to be a team to watch this season.
49ers writer gives 3 reasons why the Eagles can win in Week 2 – BGN
The 49ers have faced off against Philly twice in the Shanahan era, and both times the recipe for a bad loss was exactly the same. The Eagles created and sustained pressure on the quarterback with their front four, disrupting any kind of offensive flow. Back in 2017, in an utterly demoralizing loss, C.J. Beathard had to fight through twenty (20!) pressures, and four sacks, even, noting afterwards, “…Tomorrow I’ll be awfully sore.” The first time around it was Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, and Vinny Curry collecting those sacks, and, clearly, they made quite an impression. The very next day the Niners pulled the trigger on the Jimmy Garoppolo trade. Last year, the next wave of talented linemen stepped up and consistently harassed Nick Mullens, who started for an injured Garoppolo. Javon Hargrave, Josh Sweat, and Derek Barnett chipped in for a team total of seventeen pressures, and five sacks on the day, leading to a pick-six, and eventually chasing Mullens out of the game.
Above the Nest with Raichele #25: An overall great Week 1 team win, Jalen Hurts jersey sales, injury report, 49ers preview – BGN Radio
Raichele Privette reflects on the Week 1 blowout win against the Falcons, explains why it’s probably best to purchase a Jalen Hurts jersey right now, runs through injuries and takes a look at the Eagles/49ers matchup on Sunday.
Can the 49ers’ offensive line hold up against the Eagles’ defensive front? – Niners Nation
Pro Football Focus graded Alex Mack, Laken Tomlinson, and Trent Williams with clean sheets — no pressures allowed in pass protection. Mike McGlinchey and Dan Brunskill allowed one pressure each, but that was a far cry from last season when the 49ers’ offensive line was on the receiving end of heavy criticism due to their poor play. But was that a byproduct of their improvement or facing a depleted Lions’ defensive line? The first litmus test for the 49ers’ front five comes in Week 2 against a much more talented Eagles’ defensive line. The Eagles tallied 23 pressures in Week 1 vs. Falcons, with interior defenders Javon Hargrave and Hassan Ridgeway doing most of the damage. Veteran Fletcher Cox and fourth-year player Josh Sweat were also stout in their 2021 debuts. Of course, let’s not also forget about Brandon Graham (who never seems to age) and Derek Barnett.
Five over/unders for Eagles’ Week 2 matchup vs. 49ers – PhillyVoice
Some people saw that as a knock on Hurts. Other saw it as a plus for Sirianni, showing that the first-time head coach knows how to play to his players’ strengths rather than trying to mold them to awkwardly fit into his own system. That was something we saw up and down the offense in Week 1, from how the team used Quez Watkins and Jalen Reagor in the screen game to how they used their running backs to, yes, how they used their quarterback. Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and Sirianni both said all those short passes were the result of the Falcons taking away the deep threats, and while that may be the case to some extent, that’s not going to be an excuse they can use week in and week out. At some point they’re going to have to take some shots down the field to keep opposing defenses honest. We think that starts in Week 2, especially if the tape from the Falcons game has DeMeco Ryans’ defense focusing on snuffing out short throws and daring the Eagles to try to beat them deep. Deep passes (usually) equal more incompletions. And, honestly, even if Hurts comes a little back down to earth in his completion percentage, it won’t be the end of the world. That’s how good he was in Week 1. Will he drop more than 10 percentage points? We’re going to say that since it seems like the Eagles are putting a premium on this number for Hurts, they’re going to make sure to try to keep him over 65 percent by continuing with a healthy dose of short passes and just a few hopefully well-timed deep passes mixed in.
NFL Week 2 game picks, schedule guide, fantasy football tips, odds, injuries and more – ESPN
What to watch for: This matchup is all about the explosive plays. Philadelphia’s defense did not allow a single pass play of 20 or more yards in Week 1 against the Falcons, while the Niners’ offense was third in explosive pass plays against the Lions with five. Eagles corner Darius Slay likened 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel to a faster Anquan Boldin and said the key to success against such a dynamic offense is to read its keys and stay disciplined.
Eagles-49ers cheat sheet: Projected lineups, injuries and what you need to know – The Athletic
Wulf: Before Week 1, I expected the Eagles to beat the Falcons and then settle into something of a losing skid with their tough early-season schedule. Maybe I’m a peabrain easily swayed by recency bias, but the demonstrative nature of the Eagles’ Week 1 victory made an impression on me. The 49ers are better on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball than the Falcons were, but the Eagles should still have the edge in both matchups. Something tells me Gannon will have something different in store for the 49ers offense than we saw last week and the 49ers’ cornerback picture could open things up for a few more plays downfield by the Eagles. And yes, that crowd is going to be rocking for pandering’s sake. Hurts leads a late touchdown drive and the city has an extra day to party before next week’s Monday nighter in Dallas. Eagles 27, 49ers 21.
Inside the Josh Sweat extension – PFT
Of the full deal, $14.92 million is fully guaranteed at signing. By next March, $23.92 million becomes fully guaranteed. In early 2023, $26.92 million is fully guaranteed. It’s a damn good deal for a guy with three career starts and 10 career sacks, in three seasons and one game of a fourth. The Eagles clearly are betting on Sweat exploding in the coming months and years.
Former Eagles GM Joe Banner: Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni did everything right against Falcons, but don’t rush to judgment – Inquirer
The second question, though, is how does it project to what he’s going to be in the future and the long run, and that’s kind of incomplete. We’re encouraged by what we saw, but there’s a whole bunch of things we have to see. What happens when a defense plays tighter and tries to take away the short game, is he going to be able to do something about that? What happens when a team plays man-to-man with a really good secondary and the space where people are open is much smaller? I’m not predicting anything negative. I’m not criticizing him by any stretch, actually what he’s done so far, he couldn’t have done any better. But if we’re projecting his career, we have to realize there’s some really important things that he’s going to have to be good at that we haven’t seen yet. It’s not negative, it’s just kind of unfinished. The air yards are one to keep an eye on, but they didn’t call plays for him to have good air yards. It is something that, as we make a longer-term projection of him, is worth keeping an eye on.
’We can’t wait to get juiced from their energy’ – PE.com
In no way did Eagles players take with a grain of salt the impact of the fans on gameday, but until last season they just always knew the faithful would pack Lincoln Financial Field in full throat, ready to have the greatest day. Every week it was a party, a highly fueled afternoon or evening of laying it all on the line for their favorite football team. It was controlled bedlam and, if you were a first-time visitor, it could change your life, or at least leave your ears ringing for days. That’s just the way it always was, every gameday. Until it wasn’t. Last year’s mostly empty Lincoln Financial Field was a product of a global pandemic that left all of us wanting. Filling up sections of the stadium with cardboard cutouts of the fans was a good attempt — it raised over $260,000 for the Eagles Autism Foundation — but, the truth is, the fans were still and just not full of life (joke intended). On Sunday, for the first time since the Eagles played Seattle in early January 2020, Lincoln Financial Field will be filled to the gills with fans wearing Midnight Green and White. It’s going to be loud, rowdy, and perfect. “It will be a packed house, a game full of fans, electric fans and passionate fans,” quarterback Jalen Hurts said. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Jalen Hurts’ improvement in an underrated area in Roob’s Observations – NBCSP
JALEN HURTS STAT OF THE WEEK: Hurts has rushed for at least 60 yards with at least a 5.5 average in four of his five career starts – all four games he’s started and finished. No other quarterback in NFL history has done that within his first five starts. Randall Cunningham and Tim Tebow each had three games in their first five starts with 60 rushing yards and a 5.5 average. Since opening day last year, only four RBs have had more such games – Nick Chubb (7), Derrick Henry (6), Ronald Jones (5) and Alvin Kamara (5).
NFL picks, Week 2: Predicting every game against the spread – DraftKings Nation
All odds below come courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. Each week, I’ll also pull out my five best bets. These are based on Sunday morning lines, so they’re not necessarily best bets I grabbed earlier in the week before some of the current line movement. Steelers (-5.5) over Raiders, Texans (+13) over Browns, Eagles (+3.5) over 49ers, Chiefs (-3.5) over Ravens, Packers (-12) over Lions.
Point/Counterpoint: 2021 is looking too much like 2020 for the Cowboys – Blogging The Boys
Tom: Here’s the thing. Dallas has already faced what feels like a season’s worth of injuries/problems for their key starters, and we have seventeen more weeks to get through. There will be more, and the fear is there will be a bit of the snowball effect that just tore things apart last year. The team’s depth was exposed for being disturbingly nonexistent in 2020. That worked out OK the first week since Connor McGovern is so competent, but he may be more an exception. Now they are relying on Steele, Dorance Armstrong, Basham, Wilson, and others to fill the gaps. The odds of all of them being able to provide adequate performance are very, very small. Against some teams this year they will be able to get wins. These compiling absences are making it harder and harder for them to beat the better teams they face, and opens up the chances for further embarrassments like last year’s flop against the New York Jets. The anticipated short term nature of all the problems so far offers some hope for after the bye, but what looked like an easy road over the next five games just got a lot rougher. If one of the other NFC East teams turns out better than we thought, with the Philadelphia Eagles the biggest worry at the moment, then we could see the season slip through the Cowboys’ grasp. And that would be very much a repeat of last year.
Giants’ injury news: OL Nick Gates has surgery to repair fractured leg – Big Blue View
Gates got the start at left guard after Shane Lemieux was moved to the injured reserve. That moved Gates over from the center position at which he has started the last 17 games, while Billy Price got the start at center. New addition Ben Bredeson came onto the field in relief of Gates at left guard.
Adam Humphries was a stud on Thursday night against the Giants – Hogs Haven
Adam Humphries was a solid steel stud on Thursday night. I didn’t realize it immediately, but I should have. I’m looking forward to seeing what other magic the veteran receiver can pull off in the balance of the 2021 season.
Matchups to Watch: Week 2 Vs. Rams – Stampede Blue
Frank Reich Vs. Non-scripted play-calling. Reich struggled a lot against the Seahawks, as his play-calling was undoubtedly mediocre at best, and absolutely terrible at worst. A tendency is starting to show where the Colts do just fine with their scripted play-calls in the first few drives, but then fall off a cliff when the wheels come off. Reich needs to do a better job at putting his players in a position to succeed. The Colts offense has plenty of talent, it just needs some time together and some better coaching from Reich in order to succeed.
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