The Eagles enter Sunday's matchup against the Los Angeles Rams looking to avoid a 0-2 start to the season.
Will they get the job done?
My prediction:
Aaron Donald: Everyone was worried about the Eagles' offensive line heading into Washington. I tried to talk myself into the line potentially not being as bad as everyone expected. That didn't work out so well.
So why will Sunday be any different?
The return of Lane Johnson should help, but considering how well Aaron Donald is playing right now, and how dominant he can be, it is hard to project him being anything other than a real problem on Sunday. The Rams pass rushers outside of Donald are not on the level of Chase Young and Montez Sweat, but Michael Brockers and Leonard Floyd are definitely capable of causing problems.
The bottom line is nothing makes a quarterback's day long like pressure right up the middle. Chances are Wentz will be seeing plenty Donald on Sunday, and it is hard to expect the results to be anything but trouble for the Eagles.
Rams Secondary: The Eagles' passing attack faces a much tougher challenge his week than they did in Washington. Los Angeles has a strong secondary, lead by elite cornerback Jalen Ramsey. The Rams were the 9th-best team against the pass last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Washington was 23rd.
With Wentz likely dealing with plenty of pressure, the Eagles receivers are going to have to win their matchups on the outside. It is tough to see that happening.
Eagles' Defense vs. the Run: The Rams are a running team. That was clear against Dallas in Week 1 when they ran the ball a whopping 40 times. The Rams had success moving the ball through the run game, averaging 3.8 yards-per-attempt, finishing with 153 rushing yards and scoring both of their touchdowns on the ground. In theory, that should play to the Eagles' strength, as they have been strong against the run the past few seasons.
But will they be on Sunday?
The Eagles had success stopping the run against Washington, but the Rams have both a better offensive line and a better set of backs in Malcolm Brown and Cam Akers. Malik Jackson and Josh Sweat might be great as pass rushers, but Jackson got benched in Jacksonville for his play against the run, and Sweat is still a relatively new starter. Without the depth they used to have at defensive tackle, and with a small set of linebackers, I am skeptical the Eagles will be able to shut down the Rams' rushing attack.
Sunday is a big "prove it" game against the run for the Eagles' defense.
Miles Sanders: The Eagles should have running back Miles Sanders back on Sunday, which is good news for an offense that scored only 17 points against Washington and couldn't get anything going on the ground.
The question is how effective can Sanders be.
Sanders has been dealing with a hamstring issue for what feels like forever. Sanders looked great at the start of training camp, only to be sidelined two days in. After missing Week 1, Sanders has now been dealing with the hamstring issue for close to a month.
Expecting Sanders to make a big-time impact on the offense feels like a lot to ask of a second-year player that is playing his first game in nine months and is coming off of a hamstring injury.
Carson Wentz and Jared Goff is a wash: Last week, the main reason I picked the Eagles was the advantage they had at quarterback in Carson Wentz over Dwayne Haskins. That didn't work out so well, as Haskins outplayed Wentz and Washington won.
This week, going in, I don't think the Eagles have a notable advantage at quarterback.
Wentz might be more talented than Goff in some ways, but overall, they have been basically the same quarterback the last two seasons.
A comparison of Goff and Wentz since the start of the 2018 season:
Goff: 23-10, 93.0 Passer Rating, 54 TD, 29 INT, 63.88 completion percentage, 15 lost fumbles
Wentz: 14-14, 95.7 Passer Rating, 50 TD, 16 INT, 65.81 completion percentage, 20 lost fumbles
Wentz has the slight edge, but it isn't anything big — and Goff's team has won way more than Wentz's team has.
Will Wentz rebound?: It is fair to wonder Wentz's poor performance last week means a bounce-back game is coming this week. Wentz's passer rating in Week 1 was 72.5. In his career, here is what his passer rating has been the following game after having a passer rating in the 70s:
2016: 77.7 to 52.4
2016: 75.5 to 58.2
2016: 70.1 to 93.7
2019: 74.4 to 75.8
2019: 75.8 to 93.6
This is a small sample size, but overall, his average passer rating after having a game in the 70s is 74.74.
If you want to take it a step further, and look at all of Wentz's games where his passer rating has been 79.9 or lower, he is what he has done the following week:
2016: 77.7 to 52.4
2016: 52.4 to 91.4
2016: 75.5 to 58.2
2016: 58.2 to 86.7
2016: 52.7 to 70.1
2016: 70.1 to 93.7
2018: 31.1 to 108.6
2019: 61.3 to 94.6
2019: 74.4 to 75.8
2019: 75.8 to 93.6
Average: 82.5
Overall, the Eagles are 4-6 the following week after Wentz has a passer rating of 79.9 or lower. Since 2018, they are 1-3.
Anything is possible on Sunday, but the chances of Wentz considerably outplaying Goff seem slim. More than likely, the quarterback position will be a wash.
Communication in the secondary: The Eagles' secondary was very impressive in Week 1, with an especially strong showing from new cornerback Darius Slay. Los Angeles, however, will present a whole new set of challenges.
They might not have a receiver as dangerous as Terry McLaurin, but they are well rounded, with a group of receivers that are better overall than Washington's. The Eagles' cornerbacks will face tough matchups, but the real issue could be the Rams' pre-snap motions.
Speaking this week, cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman — who practiced against the Rams' offense plenty during his time in Los Angeles — had this to say about the pre-snap motions from McVay's offense.
"This is a game where you have to be detailed, and you have to be, like, a
stickler on those things, being disciplined and not letting your eyes get distracted by the
motions and shifts. So you know, the only way we can defeat offenses like that is to pay
attention to our keys, watch our guy. They're going to shift three or four times," Robey-Coleman said. "Ok, we focus on the final formation. So while they're doing all that shifting, we're going to let them shift, we're going to let them motion, we're going to let them do all that, but after that settles, now, we're back paying attention to our keys. We can't get wound up with
the first look they give us, because if we do that, they're going to shift and we'll be, like,
panicking."
The emphasis on making sure everyone is on the same page is somewhat worrisome, considering the Eagles have three new starters — Slay, Jalen Mills and Avonte Maddox — in the secondary. The Rams' offense vs. the Eagles' defense feels like a recipe for breakdowns.
Bad feeling: In the past, this is a game the Eagles would win. Coming off of a bad loss, everyone counting them out, on the brink of what feels like disaster — this is a game Doug Pederson finds a way to win.
The question is whether this group of players can do it.
It feels like something is going on with this team, and not in a good way. I still need to see if this group of Eagles has it in them to rebound and prove the world wrong. They don't get the benefit of the doubt like past teams did, considering how different the roster is.
Do they have that same fight past Pederson teams have shown?
We will find out on Sunday, but until I see it, I can't pick them to overcome the obvious issues they have against what seems to be a better team.
Prediction: Rams 27, Eagles 20
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
