The Philadelphia Eagles are preparing to host the Chargers in their week 9 matchup. The good news is that they may actually have the upper hand going into Sunday afternoon’s clash.
It’s strange to think that the Eagles have been working with a clean bill of health for the majority of the season. Outside of Brandon Graham’s injury, the team has been lucky to get through 8 weeks of NFL play without any major season-derailing injuries. They’ll be able to field a fully healthy team to take on Brandon Staley’s Chargers, but the same can’t be said for the home team.
Both of LA’s starting corners are out. Rookie CB Asante Samuel Jr. Will join Michael Davis on the sideline this Sunday, leaving veteran Chris Harris as the lone starter.
The main man to watch here will be Tevaughn Campbell, who has seen a sharp increase in defensive snaps over the past few weeks and brings some scary 4.36 speed to the table. The Chargers may opt to move Derwin James down into the slot to stop some of the bleeding, but even that might open things up deep down the field.
The lone constant, Chris Harris, gave up 4 receptions for 82 yards last week. He’s not the player he was and the fact that he’s now at the top of the pecking order could leave a young and explosive receiving corps licking its lips.
Los Angeles has the second-worst run defense in football and is now missing two of three starting cornerbacks. We know that Sirianni can scheme players like Quez Watkins into open space to wreak havoc, and DeVonta Smith’s route running has got the best out of most corners faced this season.
While there is still a huge reason to predicate the offense on running the ball, there may be just enough reason to encourage Hurts to sling it. It hasn’t worked brilliantly so far, but the Eagles continue to walk into situations where the stars align for a certain gameplan to work. If Hurts can find some confidence with the deep ball then this offense could very well replicate the kind of output it produced in week 8.
Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
