Third Quarter
This time of the year marks the end of the trade season (October 29th at 4:00 PM Eastern). The rosters could look different from what’s you’re currently reading, but chances are that most of these will look the same.
November 3rd – Home vs Bears
2018 Ranks:
- Passing offense: 21st
- Rushing offense: 11th
- Passing defense: 7th
- Rushing defense: 1st
Key additions: Running back David Montgomery (third round draft pick), safety HaHa Clinton-Dix (free agency – Redskins), cornerback Buster Skrine (free agency – Jets), running back Mike Davis (free agency – Seahawks), wide receiver Cordarrelle Paterson (free agency – Patriots)
Key departures: Running back Jordan Howard (trade – Eagles), safety Adrian Amos (free agency – Packers), cornerback Bryce Callahan (free agency – Broncos), defensive coordinator Vic Fangio (head coach Broncos)
Home sweet home. After three straight road games, the Eagles return to the Linc to face the Bears in the “Double Doink” revenge game.
The Bears, with linebacker Khalil Mack, boasts one of the league’s fiercest defenses. However, they lost ProFootballFocus’ 8th ranked safety (Amos) and 7th ranked corner (Callahan) in free agency. They also lost defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to a head coaching job in Denver, so this defense will look very different under new coordinator Chuck Pagano.
With those new changes on defense, it may be on the offense’s shoulders to provide the wins in 2019. Third-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky enjoyed a much-improved sophomore season in 2018 under head coach Matt Nagy. He saw his touchdowns rise from 7 to 24 and his yards rise from 2,193 to 3,223. However, he lost his leading rusher in a trade with the good guys..ahem..the Eagles and will now look for the rushing compliment of the offense to come from the trio of Tarik Cohen, Mike Davis, and David Montgomery. Davis and Cohen’s strengths were yards per carry, averaging 4.5 and 4.6 yards per carry respectively, and catching the ball out of the backfield, averaging a 78% and 81% catch rate respectively. Cohen was also the team’s second-leading receiver, behind wide receiver Allen Hurns. Montgomery will provide the between the tackles run production, and he’ll do it effectively. No other college running back forced more missed tackles in the past two seasons than Montgomery, so the Eagles’ defenders better get ready for a mack truck shooting through the gaps.
The Bears narrowly lost to the Eagles in the playoffs due to Treyvon Hester blocking Cody Parkey’s potential game-winning field goal and having it “double doink” on the uprights. Since then, the Bears cut Parkey and signed what seems like 100 new kickers to try out. They still haven’t settled on one.
With this game at home and Eagles Nation in full force, don’t expect the Eagles to let the Bears avenge their playoff loss. Eagles go into the bye with a win.
November 10th-11th – BYE
I’m a big fan of having the bye this late in the season. After a brutally physical few weeks, the Eagles will undoubtedly need this week to heal up. Expect at least two players needing this week to get back to 100%, who would have otherwise missed a game if there was one.
November 17th – Home vs Patriots
2018 Ranks:
- Passing offense: 8th
- Rushing offense: 5th
- Passing defense: 22nd
- Rushing defense: 11th
Key arrivals: Defensive end Michael Bennett (trade – Eagles), wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (free agency – Texans), wide receiver N’Keal Harry (first round draft pick), linebacker Jaime Collins (free agency – Browns), tight end Benjamin Watson (out of retirement), defensive end Chase Winovich (second-round draft pick)
Key departures: Tight end Rob Gronkowski (retirement), tight end Dwayne Allen (released – signed with Dolphins), cornerback Eric Rowe (free agency – Dolphins), tackle Trent Brown (free agency – Raiders), defensive tackle Malcom Brown (free agency – Saints), wide receiver Chris Hogan (free agency – Panthers), wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (free agency – Bears), defensive end Adrian Clayborn (free agency – Falcons), wide receiver Josh Gordon (indefinite suspension)
Here. We. Go.
The defending Super Bowl champions come in to face the team that stopped them from being three-peat champions (as the Patriots won in 2017 also). Ageless Tom Brady comes in for his 20th season at 41 years old (42 in August), Father Time HAS to catch up to him sometime…right?
The Patriots will be without All-Pro and All-Party tight end Rob Gronkowski as he retired following the Super Bowl. Gronkowski accounted for 682 of Brady’s 4,355 yards last season, so newcomer Benjamin Watson will need to do his best to replicate that after a year away from football. Another 1,252 yards will also be gone, as Chris Hogan has gone off to Carolina and Josh Gordon has gone off to suspension (again). So, 1,934 yards will need to be found from Julian Edelman, Watson, James White, and rookie N’Keal Harry.
Despite the losses on defense, their defense got a boost from the Eagles in the form of Michael Bennett. Bennett was a downright beast for the Eagles last season, registering nine sacks in his first and only season with the team. Also joining (well, rejoining) the team is linebacker Jamie Collins, who spent the last two and a half seasons in Cleveland after being traded by the Patriots in 2016. The two players will certainly provide a boost to a team that was 21st overall in the regular season but held one of the league’s most high powered offenses to three points in the Super Bowl.
This game will undoubtedly be a Eagles lead by 2 points with one minute left to go in the game and the Patriots on offense. That’s how these games go. Tom Brady is 3-1 in his career during the regular season against the Eagles and this game brings his record to 3-2. He just doesn’t have the offensive weapons to keep up with the Eagles in this one. Eagles 2-0 in last two games versus the Patriots after this one!
November 24 – Home vs Seattle
2018 Ranks:
- Passing offense: 27th
- Rushing offense: 1st
- Passing defense: 17th
- Rushing defense: 13th
Key additions: Wide receiver D.K. Metcalf (second-round draft pick), defensive end Ziggy Ansah (free agency – Lions)
Key departures: Safety Earl Thomas (free agency – Ravens), running back Mike Davis (free agency – Bears), guard J.R. Sweezy (free agency – Cardinals), cornerback Justin Coleman (free agency – Lions), defensive end Frank Clark (trade –
Death, taxes, and the Eagles facing the Seahawks. It seems like you can count on these two teams facing each other when the regular season schedule comes out, as this will be the fifth meeting since 2011. In 16 games versus each other, the Eagles have only won seven, but their last win came in 2008.
The Seahawks and quarterback Russell Wilson weren’t great throwing the ball last season, but he does seem to save his best games for the Eagles.
In his career, Wilson is 3-0 versus the Eagles, averaging 254 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. He has also added 98 total rushing yards in his career, a number that seems low to Eagles fans because it seems like he’s always running around in these games.
The Seahawks’ number one rushing attack took a hit this offseason as they lost running back Mike Davis and guard J.R. Sweezy. Sweezy wasn’t the greatest at protecting Wilson, something that could be said of the whole line as they allowed 51 sacks on Wilson (third most in the league), but he was a mauler in the run game. His loss could mean more than they think.
Although he was injured in Week 4 of last season, the loss of Earl Thomas is a big-time dent in this Seahawks secondary. Prior to going down, Thomas was leading all safeties in ProFootballFocus’ grading with a 91.3.
Among 70 safeties who have played 2,000 snaps or more in the last five seasons, Thomas is the best of them all in coverage grade and overall grade. The Legion of Boom is finally no more.
Also missing from the Seattle defense is defensive end Frank Clark, who had 13 sacks last season. They traded him to the Chiefs for the 29th overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, which turned into L.J. Collier, whom people think was draft way higher than he should’ve been.
To help out with the bottom-ranked passing offense, the Seahawks drafted athletic freak D.K. Metcalf. Just google his name and you’ll see the physical specimen that he is. However, to go with that frame, scouts questioned his route running ability, which is a big reason why he slipped all the way to the end of the second round. The Seahawks hope that the draft day slide will add fuel to his fire to show the doubters that he can be every bit of an all-around wide receiver. They’ll need him to do just that as the team is without wide receiver Doug Baldwin, who retired this offseason.
The Eagles linebackers will have their troubles against Wilson, they almost always do against mobile quarterbacks. Despite the losses that the Seahawks have suffered, and gains the Eagles have experienced, I do not expect Wilson to have an off day against here. Look for a shoot out with Wilson having the ball late in the game and running for game-icing third down conversion runs to seal a close victory over the Eagles.
December 1st – Away at Miami
2018 Ranks:
- Passing offense: 30th
- Rushing offense: 18th
- Passing defense: 21st
- Rushing defense: 31st
Key arrivals: Quarterback Josh Rosen (trade – Cardinals), quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (free agency – Buccaneers), tight end Dwayne Allen (free agency – Patriots), cornerback Eric Rowe (free agency – Patriots) head coach Brian Flores
Key departures: Quarterback Ryan Tannehill (trade – Titans), defensive end Cameron Wake (free agency – Titans), defensive end Robert Quinn (trade – Cowboys), wide receiver Danny Amendola (free agency – Lions), guard Josh Sitton (retirement), running back Frank Gore (free agency – Bills)
Every year there’s a game or two you can mark down as a “trap game” for a team. These games are seemingly easier games on the schedule that most fans (and maybe teams) can mark down as an automatic win, only to have it happen and the result be the opposite. Look at the Titans game last season, where Titans receiver Corey Davis was the next coming of Jerry Rice.
Looking at the Eagles schedule this season, the Miami game could easily be that “trap game”. However, it won’t be.
The Dolphins are under new guidance in head coach, and former Patriots defensive coordinator, Brian Flores and new guidance at quarterback. Josh Rosen was brought over to the Dolphins in a trade with the Cardinals on day two of the NFL draft. They also have journeyman Ryan FitzMagic…ahem…Fitzpatrick, but there’s no way he’s starting when this game comes around.
The Dolphins lost their leading rusher (Gore), their top two players in sacks (Quinn and Wake), and lost their leading receiver (Amendola). They added a solid player in former Eagle Eric Rowe for their secondary and added an offensive piece for Rosen in Dwayne Allen, but this team will look more like a team getting ready for the number one overall pick in the 2020 draft than a team ready to upset one of the best teams in the NFL.
Don’t expect the Eagles to get trapped in this one.
Third “Quarter” record: 3-1
Regular season record: 10-2
