We made it brothers and sisters. We made it through the draft, through training camp, through endless trade rumors, free agency rumors, and rumors about rumors.
Oh, and naked offensive linemen…
To prepare you for Sunday while passing the time till kickoff, here are five key matchups that will decide the outcome on Sunday. A game the Eagles should win comfortably on paper, although you just never know with divisional games.
1. Carson Wentz vs rust
This season will ride or die depending on the play of Wentz.
After finally being healthy and having a full training camp for the first time since ’17, expectations are high coming into the season. He has all the weapons. He has the experience. He’s finally healthy. Now he just needs to start off strong.
After not playing a down in a real game since December 9th, some rust is to be expected. However, head coach Doug Pederson has been speaking highly of Wentz in practice, and has a clear message for the franchise QB going forward:
“Let the team work for you… With Carson, even though he touches the ball every down, just make the plays when they come and use the guys around you. Don’t feel like you have to do it yourself.”
Head Coach Doug Pederson
2. Isaac Seumalo vs Johnathan Allen
Running a 3-4 defense, Seumalo is going to see a lot of Allen lined up in his face, having ultimately a 2-way go on plays where Kelce will be occupied with NT Daron Payne in the middle and Peters with Ryan Anderson off the edge.
Allen took a big step forward in ’18, logging 8 sacks, 7 hits, 20 hurries, and 29 run stops.
Seumalo will be going into his 4th year, finally hoping to lock up the LG spot, having battled with guys like Chance Warmack and Stefen Wisniewski. Week 1 will be a big opening test to what is hopefully the start of a promising season. With the rest of the line looking healthy, Seumalo basically just needs to play good enough and they should be fine.
3. Desean Jackson vs Quinton Dunbar
Don’t tell me the Michael Vick opening TD to Jackson against Washington in 2010 isn’t running on repeat in your mind. Because it should.
For the first time since 2013, DJax will be wearing Eagles green on gameday. As of right now, we can expect him to go up against Dunbar, as Jeffery will likely be covered by Norman as in the past few seasons:
“We know Josh Norman, he’s going to follow Alshon (Jeffery) like he has the last couple of seasons. So that’s something we’re obviously we want to continue to monitor”
Head Coach Doug Pederson
Dunbar is a 2015 UDFA who has started 14 games in his 4-year career with Washington. Against one of the best deep threats in the game, Redskins might need to help him out a bit vs Jackson, or it could get ugly. A matchup Eagles have to take advantage of – and imagine the level of excitement for Philly fans if they do:
4. Fletcher Cox vs Ereck Flowers
If you had told me a few years ago that Flowers would be starting in the NFL again, I would have called you crazy. Yet here we are. He and 36 year-old Donald Penn will make up the blindside of Keenum.
Flowers gave up the 15th, 13th, and 2nd most pressures in ’18, ’17, and ’16, respectively.
Cox is fully back healthy after missing the preseason with a foot injury. An injury that was probably minor and Eagles wanted to play safe, as their star DT is solely focused on dominating yet another year:
This matchup alone can destroy the Redskins offense, unless they specifically plan for it with 1 step dropbacks, double teams and keeping the RB in protection, or chipping with TEs on outside rushers, allowing the T to help the G.
5. Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert vs Jon Bostic and Shaun Dion Hamilton
What a difference a year makes. Zach Brown (now with Eagles) and Mason Foster are gone. Rueben Foster is down for the year.
Hamilton, a 6th round pick in 2018, has started 4 games while Bostic, a journeyman who has been with 4 different teams in 4 years, has been horrific in coverage, posting coverage grades of around 50 on average.
The Eagles have the best TE pair in the NFL. That’s not even a question. Ertz is a top 3, and Dallas has every tool to be among those 3 at the end of the year.
If these two get working over the middle vs this inexperienced group, it’s game over.
Enjoy the game, comment your favorite matchup, and #FlyEaglesFly.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
