The Linc – Washington writer is “ready to write [the Eagles game] off as the equivalent of a forfeit”

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 12/15/21.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Looking ahead to the Sunday’s game against the Eagles – the tipping point – Hogs Haven
The roster issues appear to be so one-sided that there really is no other story in this divisional game. I can’t tell anyone else how to treat this game, but I’m basically ready to write it off as the equivalent of a forfeit. Sure, the boys in burgundy & gold will go out and play their hearts out trying to win, but the Eagles are actually a pretty good football team. Sunday’s huge NFC East contest with its critical playoff consequences is likely to look like the third quarter of a preseason game where the team on defense is playing the rookies and third stringers, while the other coach has left his starters in. I will root for Washington’s defensive backups and cheer their successes, but I imagine they’ll be outgunned. I don’t begrudge the Eagles coaches doing all in their power to score as many points as possible. This is professional sports, and nobody feels sorry for you. However, mentally, I’m already thinking ahead to the Week 16 game in Dallas, and assuming that Washington will be able to get to that game fairly healthy and with a relatively intact roster, ready to begin a string of 3 absolutely must-win games in a push toward the postseason.

Washington places another starter on the COVID list – BGN
Allen, Fuller, and Sweat are the most high-profile names from that group. Allen, who leads the Football Team in sacks, was placed on the list on Monday. There’s a chance that he (and others) can be activated if they produce two negative COVID tests 24 hours apart. But there’s no guarantee that’ll take place. With Fuller going on the list today, there’s obviously even less time for him to be cleared. UPDATE: Fuller is reportedly unvaccinated, which means he’s DEFINITELY out for at least 10 days, including this week’s game. There’s a case to be made that Allen and Fuller are Washington’s top two defenders. They’re graded as such by Pro Football Focus, for what it’s worth.

From the Bleachers #92 – Evaluating the Eagles’ Playoff Odds – BGN Radio
On the latest episode of From the Bleachers on BGN Radio, Shamus Clancy looks inside the numbers as the Eagles make their playoff push.

Eagles vs. Washington Football Team: Five matchups to watch – PhillyVoice
William Jackson is still healthy, so he’ll likely follow DeVonta Smith. While I’m not so sure the Eagles’ other receivers can capitalize, a secondary depleted this badly could cause the Football Team to allocate more resources to the back end, leaving their run defense even more vulnerable. The expectation here is that the Eagles will try to get Jalen Hurts back on track by running the ball early and often, and I believe they’ll have success.

Judging JG – Iggles Blitz
I’d be shocked if Nick Sirianni let Gannon go at the end of the year. They are close on and off the field. Sirianni is going to be loyal to a guy who has done a better job than he gets credit for. Fans focus on the low moments, but the Eagles right now are 9th in the league in yards allowed. That’s not the defensive coordinator you fire. I know that stat needs context and is greatly helped by shutting down bad QBs, but the point is that really bad defenses can’t do even that. I would not argue that Gannon has gotten the most out of his players. I think installing his system and teaching them has been balanced with truly using them to max out their ability this year. Gannon has shown that he can adapt and find some fixes. I hope Sirianni preaches to Gannon in the offseason that he must be quicker at making changes in games. That Raiders game was torturous. Gannon shouldn’t have had to wait a week to be more aggressive.

NFL draft 2022 nuggets, needs, picks and what you need to know for all 32 teams: Quarterback options, Round 1 strengths, more – ESPN+
The Eagles are on track to have three first-round picks in April’s draft. The biggest question in front of them is whether to use those assets to acquire a quarterback or roll with Jalen Hurts for another season and build up the talent around him. This is not considered a particularly strong QB class, but some notable veterans could be available by trade, including Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson. Expect Philadelphia to explore all options.

NFL Week 15 Playoff Picture: Playoff & division title implications for all 16 games – PFF
Washington Football Team @ Philadelphia Eagles (-5.5). Current playoff odds: WAS 30%, PHI 32%. With WAS win: WAS 54%, PHI 9%. With PHI win: WAS 13%, PHI 48%. The skinny: When it comes to making the wild card in the NFC, this game has about as much leverage as it gets. A week after trying to keep pace with the Cowboys with a backup quarterback, the Football Team may have to do the same in Week 15, and the point spread is reflecting that.

NFL Power Rankings, Week 15: Rams, 49ers climb; Ravens slipping – NFL.com
19) Gardner Minshew’s excellent spot start against the Jets drew national attention, but the story of the Eagles’ offensive renaissance continues to trace back to a stellar running attack. Philly has rushed for at least 180 yards in four straight games, the longest such streak by an Eagles team since 1950. It’s also the longest streak the NFL has seen since the Lamar Jackson-led Ravens attack of 2018. Jackson’s early-career arc is obviously something the Eagles are trying to emulate with Jalen Hurts, another fast and athletic quarterback whose passing abilities could use some refinement. The Eagles’ smash-mouth attack should play well in a closing stretch entirely contained within the NFC East.

Chiefs Rising Up DVOA Ranks – Football Outsiders
[BLG Note: The Eagles are 15th in DVOA. The Football Team is 21st.]

There is a reason Dak Prescott might be in a ‘slump’ and it’s not his calf injury – Blogging The Boys
While the Dallas Cowboys defense has come to life and is looking like championship material, the Cowboys offense is headed in the other direction. Plenty of reasons go into that decline like injuries, the shuffling of the offensive line, some curious play-calling recently, and other things like suspensions and COVID. That’s a pretty long list, but much of the attention for a failing offense usually centers on the quarterback. And so it is with the 2021 Cowboys. Earlier today we discussed the fact that even the Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, thinks his QB maybe in a slump. So what has happened to Prescott? It may be better to ask the question of what is happening on the other side of the ball with the opposition defense. Prescott has a reputation for beating the blitz, and through the first part of the season most teams were blitzing the Cowboys at a high rate. That all stopped when the Cowboys played the Broncos. There was probably more to that blueprint thing people were claiming than we gave credit to at the time.

Giants injury news: Daniel Jones not expected to play against Dallas, per reports – Big Blue View
Dan Duggan of The Athletic and Ryan Dunleavy of the NY Post are reporting that New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is not expected to play in this week’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Urban Meyer is the NFL’s biggest loser and he’s ruining what little the Jaguars have – SB Nation
The history of the NFL is littered with some really terrible head coaches. One-year wonders like Chip Kelly, promising assistants like Josh McDaniels who were promoted too soon, guys like Hue Jackson and Marty Mornhinweg, who struggled to win any games. As memorable as those guys are, conjuring bad memories just by mentioning their names, we might be witnessing something very, very special: The worst head coach in NFL history. Urban Meyer isn’t the first successful college coach to fail in the NFL. Hell Nick Saban went 6-10 with the Dolphins, and Lou Holtz carried the Jets to a 3-10 record in 1976. What separates Meyer from those guys is the arrogance and rapidity he’s not only losing games, but lighting the entire Jaguars franchise on fire while doing it. From the second he was hired, Meyer began showing how ill-prepared he was for the NFL. This is a man who decried the free agency system because he felt it was necessary to meet with players to judge their “character” before signing anyone. Then in his sage wisdom he created drama in training camp by signing Tim Tebow to play tight end, for no other apparent reason than giving his friend a job.

Off Day Debrief #67: Sheil Kapadia of The Athletic + Rams take down Cards on MNF + Week 15 Power Rankings – The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera and Brandon Lee Gowton are joined by Sheil Kapadia to react to the MNF game and look at the teams on the playoff bubble in the NFL. How did the Rams pull off the win, and does that restore your faith in them? Is Kliff Kingsbury’s game management going to cost them down the line? Who are the teams no one wants to play in each conference? Who is someone that should be in the running for MVP but isn’t talked about? Where do the teams on the playoff bubble fall in the Week 15 Power Rankings? MVPs and LVPs of the week. [BLG Note: Plus, will the Eagles make the playoffs?]

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