The Linc - Eagles faced the easiest schedule of opposing defenses this season by far

Philadelphia Eagles v Washington Commanders — Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 1/8/25.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

NFL Week 18 Under Review: Baffling Decisions by the Jaguars and Giants Kick Off the 2025 Hiring Cycle – The Ringer
Here’s one thought on every NFC wild-card game. Packers at Eagles: The Eagles have faced the NFL’s easiest schedule of defenses. The Eagles’ offensive metrics are tough to make sense of. At first glance, they look good. But according to DVOA, the Eagles finished the regular season ranked 13th in offensive efficiency. That’s because DVOA tries to account for schedule strength, and the Eagles have faced the easiest schedule of opposing defenses this season by far. No one would look at the Packers defense and think: That’s one of the best units in the NFL. But Green Bay finished the regular season ranked seventh in defensive DVOA. The only team the Eagles faced this season that ranked higher was the Ravens. The Eagles go into the playoffs with a healthy and talented roster, but ultimately, their ceiling will be determined by whether the offense—specifically Jalen Hurts and the passing game—can be consistent enough against some formidable defenses.

Eagles-Packers film breakdown: What Vic Fangio’s defense can expect from Matt LaFleur in playoff opener – Inquirer
Much like the Eagles, the Packers became one of the most run-heavy teams in the NFL since taking a balanced approach in the opener. The Eagles finished the regular season ranked second in early-down run frequency, according to rbsdm.com. The only team to eclipse their 53.7% early-down run rate was the Packers at 57.3%. Also like the Eagles, the Packers have leaned heavily on the run on first down for good reason. They rank second in estimated points added per rush, sixth in yards per attempt, and have built their offense around the favorable situations a productive run game can create for the pass game. It’s true that every offense is at its best when operating out of manageable down-and-distances, but the Packers’ play-action-heavy system makes them especially difficult to deal with when the run game keeps the offense on schedule.

Why Eagles vs. Packers will be ultimate football chess match in NFL Playoffs – SB Nation
This is a problem against an Eagles’ defense that wants to constrict you and force you to play the game underneath. In a funny way, this specific matchup is really fun philosophically. You have the Packers’ offense, that is all gas and no brakes when throwing the ball and uses the run game to be efficient, going against an Eagles defense that forces you to be patient and wait for the moments to take shots downfield. Whoever blinks first could end up behind the 8-ball, which is why football is so fun. The Eagles’ secondary capitalizes on overaggressive throws over the middle, where they have safeties Reed Blankenship and CJ Gardner-Johnson hammering hard on any dig routes. Expect a lot of Blankenship trying to “poach” any in-breaking routes from his other safety spot, jumping digs and overs is basically his specialty. This “poach” technique by Gardner-Johnson is what allowed Blankenship to grab an interception against the Commanders in Quarters coverage, because he’s allowed to hammer hard on this out-breaker.

Eagles-Giants Film Review: Tanner McKee should be QB2 – BGN
Here is one of those outstanding routes I spoke about with Dotson. Let’s talk about Tanner McKee. I thought he was very good and should be the Eagles QB2 immediately. If Jalen Hurts goes down in the playoffs, I want to see him as the next man up. I won’t get into his future in this article, but I think he’s a limited starter due to his mobility and inability to create outside of structure. I can’t see a team looking at him and trading for him as their starting quarterback. With that in mind, I would be very happy to move Kenny Pickett and keep McKee as the number 2 QB over the next few years. Although he’s not mobile, he can run a similar offense that quickly gets the ball outside the numbers. I thought he played well.

Eagles-Packers preview: Five things to watch when the Eagles have the ball – PhillyVoice
1) Will Jalen Hurts be rusty? To begin, it remains uncertain whether Hurts will be recovered from his concussion in time to play in this game. For the purposes of this preview, we’ll assume he is going to play. Hurts did not play well Week 1 against the Packers. If you’ll recall, he made good decisions all summer long, avoiding throwing an INT in the first 15 practices of training camp, and then in a real game he started recklessly chucking the ball around like 2020 Carson Wentz.

Game Review – PHI 20, NYG 13 – Iggles Blitz
That is aggressive without being reckless. McKee made quick reads and smart decisions. He was accurate. He’s got a smooth motion and good arm. While he isn’t a top athlete, McKee moved well and looked comfortable on the move. He also seemed comfortable at the LOS and running the offense. The situation wasn’t too big for him. The Giants got more aggressive in the second half and that did give McKee some problems. He wasn’t able to be as quick getting the ball out and things weren’t as smooth. McKee threw two passes in the game that should have been picked off. He’ll need to clean that up in the future. He now has a full game tape to study and learn from. I think McKee has the potential to be a solid starting QB in the NFL. He needs experience and an opportunity

‘We’ll be tested:’ Packers’ running attack a concern for Eagles – NBCSP
Their worst game of the year, they rushed for 82 yards, 4.1 per carry and beat the Texans 24-22. That was the Packers’ worst rushing game this year. The Packers want to run the ball. They love to run the ball. They’re determined to run the ball. And they’re really good at running the ball. Much like the Eagles, the Packers have an efficient passing game, but also much like the Eagles their offense is built around a powerhouse running game that made some NFL history this year. Green Bay this year became the first team in NFL history to average at least 4.0 yards in every game they played. They also rushed for at least 80 yards in every game. They’re not the Eagles when it comes to hammering the rock, but they’re not too far off. The Packers finished fifth with 147 rushing yards per game and sixth with 4.8 yards per carry, and that’s a big concern for the Eagles. Eight times they ran for at least 160 yards. Only the Eagles and Ravens did it more.

NFL playoffs: Five scheme innovations to watch and how they work – ESPN+
Both Belichick and the 2018 version of Fangio used traditional, heavier bodies as their edge players in these fronts: Leonard Floyd and Kyle Van Noy. They are guys who traditionally rush the passer but can drop into coverage on occasion. In 2024, the league is a lighter place. The Eagles, where Fangio is now the coordinator, have light defensive ends who could play well in this position, as Floyd once did —Nolan Smith Jr. and Bryce Huff. But instead of using those players, Fangio is using Zack Baun. Baun was a rotational edge rusher in New Orleans before he joined the Eagles as a free agent last offseason — always a bit of an on-ball, off-ball linebacker hybrid but never a fully realized one. When Baun was signed, Fangio had a vision of him playing mostly off-ball linebacker and moved him there accordingly. But certainly, somewhere in the back of Fangio’s mind was the potential of walking Baun up into these 40 fronts as one of his edge setters. This front first started reappearing for the Eagles in Week 3, when they faced a Saints offense coordinated by Klint Kubiak, a chip off the Kyle Shanahan block. By reducing the front and jamming up interior gaps, the Eagles ensured double-teams would struggle to climb to Nakobe Dean, an excellent run-and-chase linebacker who struggles taking on size in space. They also allowed their excellent defensive tackle room — Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Milton Williams — to regularly see single blocks and authored backfield havoc.

This week will a be a huge test for the Packers’ cornerbacks – Acme Packing Company
Unlike the divisional teams that the Packers have struggled against, the Philadelphia Eagles’ passing game is based on throws to the perimeter to star receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith. Brown is almost exclusively split outside in the offense while Smith is more times than not lining up outside. That’s very different than how the Lions and Vikings use receivers like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, as they those teams tend to play their star receivers either in the slot or use them in condensed sets where the outside receiver is essentially in a slot position. If you need a visual representation for how different the Eagles’ passing game is compared to what the Packers see in the NFC North, just look at these two spray charts. The first shows where Hurts attacked the field in Week 1 versus Green Bay. The second is where Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw the ball in their second matchup this season.

Ranking NFL playoff coaches by who gives their team biggest edge on fourth downs – The Athletic
Edge Eagles? The biggest matchup discrepancy in the wild-card round is between Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur. Sirianni rates as a well above-average coach in fourth-down decision-making, which isn’t too shocking considering the efficiency of the Brotherly Shove. However, LaFleur grades out below average. To be fair, he only had 10 decisions this year pegged as a “Go,” and all of his incorrect choices were from four-plus yards away. Maybe the most interesting factor here is the health of both quarterbacks. Obviously, Jalen Hurts is paramount to the Eagles’ Brotherly Shove, but with his status up in the air because of his concussion, will Sirianni remain as aggressive? And with Jordan Love nursing an elbow injury, will LaFleur get more conservative? We will see.

Inside Brandon Graham’s journey of faith: ‘I know me, and I needed a mentor’ – PE.com
For 23 seasons, Pastor Ted Winsley has been the chaplain for the Eagles. Pastor Ted Winsley and the team hold Bible study every Wednesday in the Defensive Backs Room at the NovaCare Complex. Each night before a game, they host a chapel service. Over the years, he’s made connections with countless players ranging from Brian Dawkins, who he still talks to twice a week, to Ike Reese and Jeremiah Trotter Sr. But the relationship Winsley made with Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham was quite unique.

PFT’s 2024 defensive rookie of the year: Jared Verse – PFT
Eagles cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean also had solid rookie seasons. Both appeared in 16 games, with Mitchell (a starter) participating in 96 percent of the defensive snaps and DeJean (the team’s top nickel corner) playing in 63 percent. All four players will have a chance to add to their solid first seasons this weekend, as the Rams host the Vikings and the Eagles host the Packers in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

Cowboys deny Bears’ request to interview Mike McCarthy for head coach – Blogging The Boys
The Dallas Cowboys have denied a request by the Chicago Bears to interview Mike McCarthy for their head coaching position. After a lot of ambiguity and double talk from the font office, this is the first real indication of which way Dallas may be leaning regarding McCarthy’s future with the team. McCarthy has about one week left on the five-year contract he signed with the Cowboys in 2020. Because of that, even if they have no plans to re-sign him, Dallas has to grant permission for any other team wanting to interview McCarthy until that deal expires. For whatever reason, they did not give it to the Bears.

The New York Giants need a quarterback, or two, so what are their options? – Big Blue View
Still, the idea that I would do it does not matter. Whether or not the Giants would does. I still wonder if the Giants had a reason beyond “we like Malik Nabers better” for passing on McCarthy when he was there for the taking last April. Benjamin Solak wrote this for ESPN recently: “The Giants aren’t just desperate for a new quarterback — they’re also desperate for a big offseason win to wash the taste of the Saquon Barkley debacle out of their mouth. Whichever quarterback the Vikings don’t commit to — either free agent-to-be Sam Darnold or injured rookie J.J. McCarthy — will end up in New York and be the starting quarterback in 2025.” It won’t shock me if Solak is right.

2025 Jaguars head coach hiring process rumors, news, interviews and analysis after Doug Pederson firing – Big Cat Country
Jacksonville also requested to interview seven others: Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, and former Jets head coach (and current Packers offensive consultant) Robert Saleh.