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23	April 2019

The Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars are set to play on Sunday

In order to preview this Week 8 matchup Sidney Jones Jerseys 2019 , I reached out to our enemies over at Big Cat Country. The radiant Ryan O�Bleness took the time to answer my questions about the upcoming game. Let�s take a look at the answers.1 - To what extent do you think the Jaguars having extensive experience playing in London will help Jacksonville this week?I actually think it�s a bigger advantage than people may realize. Jacksonville will be playing its sixth game in London this week, while Philadelphia will be competing in its first international game. There is long travel and jet lag involved. There�s a time zone difference. There is a completely new atmosphere. There�s an unfamiliar stadium. There are just different nuances to deal with. These are not impossible obstacles to overcome for a team playing across the pond for the time, and it may seem a bit trivial to the common fan, but I do think the players are going to have to adjust on the fly. There is a reason why the majority of teams lose their first game in London. Plus, the Jaguars have played really well at Wembley Stadium the past three years (3-0). Many of Jacksonville�s starters are familiar with what this process entails. The coaching staff is familiar with what kind of practice plan and game plan it takes to win there. The Jaguars also have huge fan support in London, and will have the majority of the crowd on their side. This is a big game for the Jags, as a loss this week would put Jacksonville in a deep hole, so a game in the U.K. may be exactly what Jacksonville needs right now. Although, I think the Eagles are just as hungry and probably the more talented team at the moment. It won�t be easy. 2 - Blake Bortles has been pretty terrible. But he also has a history of playing well in London. On a scale of 1-10, what�s your confidence level in him this week? (10 being the most confident.) I have a very strong feeling that �Good Blake� is going to show up this week, as he often does in London (just in time to shut people up during the bye week, then continue to be terrible afterward). However, the thing with Bortles is that he�s a turnover machine and as inconsistent as they comes. If Bortles can make better decisions and limit his mistakes (you know, not give the ball to the other team multiple times per game), I think the offense will be in good shape despite a lack of weapons. If I had to put a number on it from a scale of one to 10, I would say I�m about a six this week (and this week only). Not supremely confident because he hasn�t earned that Avonte Maddox Jerseys 2019 , but as noted, he plays very well across the pond. 3 - What is the Jaguars� biggest strength? Where do they have the biggest edge in this game?Despite the recent struggles, the biggest strength remains the defensive unit, and in particular the passing defense. While Jacksonville has not forced a ton of turnovers this year, the secondary has held strong for the most part. The team ranks No. 1 in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game, and No. 2 in the league in total yards allowed. The defense is still star-studded acros the board with players like Jalen Ramsey, A.J. Bouye, Calais Campbell, Telvin Smith and others, but you probably have not heard a lot about them this season because the sack and interception numbers just have not been there. The Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs were both able to expose the Jacksonville defense, but the offense in particular has played very poorly and often put the defense in impossible situations to get out of. Not to mention, it�s very hard to play elite defense this year given the many rule changes that clearly gives an advantage to the offense. Bottom line is that the defense is still one of the most talented units in the league, but it needs to make more plays to help out an abysmal offense. 4 - What is the Jaguars� biggest weakness? What concerns you the most about the Eagles?Obviously the easy answer here is to say Bortles, and that�s probably true, but I�ll go a little bit outside of the box and say the offensive line is equally as weak right now. The Jaguars have now lost their first and second string left tackles to the Injured Reserve list, and are so desperate at the spot that the team recently signed New York Giants castoff Ereck Flowers Black Dallas Goedert Jerseys , and may start him this week. Several other starters are playing banged up and the unit has allowed a ton of pressure on Bortles (see, it�s not completely his fault). This offensive line was built of road graders and was expected to be strong in the rushing game, but Leonard Fournette has not even played four quarters of football this season, and while T.J, Yeldon has been a fine replacement, the running game has fallen out of the game plan these past three weeks because Jacksonville was in deep holes early. We�ll see if Carlos Hyde can provide a needed boost on the ground this week. 5 - Who wins this game and why? Score prediction? And what are your expectations for the rest of this Jaguars season?This is an interesting matchup. Two teams with very high expectations entering the season, but have fallen to 3-4 due to injuries and other things. This is a desperation game for both teams, as 3-5 is not a hole either team will be able to easily climb out of. If this game were being played in Jacksonville or Philadelphia, I think the Eagles would win and it wouldn�t be particularly close. But, since this game is indeed being played in London, I have to favor the Jaguars for the experience there and the fact that Jacksonville always seems to put on a show in the team�s home away from home. The offense seems to come alive in Wembley Stadium, and despite Jacksonville�s impressive defense, Philly�s offense should be able to keep pace for a while. I think we are going to see a close, hard-fought game, but the Jaguars are able to survive. As for the rest of the season, I am still holding hope that the Jaguars can still win a very weak AFC South Dallas Goedert Jerseys 2019 , but the team�s performance these past few weeks have not inspired much confidence in those aspirations. In my opinion, this is a �pendulum� game for the Jaguars: a win this week will swing momentum forward and set this team up for a successful run, while a loss will basically completely sink the ship. Final score prediction: Jaguars 30, Eagles 27. Let�s check in on the Philadelphia Eagles� 2018 NFL Draft class and undrafted rookie free agent signings now that the season is halfway over.2018 NFL Draft picksDALLAS GOEDERTStats: 340 snaps (254 offense and 86 special teams), 21 targets, 18 receptions, 188 yards (10.4 average), 3 touchdowns, 1 special teams tackleReview: After having a strong summer, the Eagles� 2018 second-round pick hasn�t been incredibly productive in term of volume stats. But honestly, that�s to be expected. As we�ve been saying all along, rookie tight ends typically don�t just come into the league and dominate right away. BGN�s own Michael Kist�s stat projection for Goedert coming into this season was 42 targets, 30 receptions, 350 yards, and 5 touchdowns. If Goedert can keep his current pace up, he should finish the year around those marks. And that�d be a very good season. With Zach Ertz dominating on a weekly basis Black Jerome Brown Jerseys , the Eagles don�t need Goedert to eat up a ton of volume. They just need him to be efficient and he has been; 10 of his 18 receptions have gone for first downs or touchdowns. The fact that Goedert is showing makings of a good blocker is a great bonus. Overall, Goedert is looking like a good pick at No. 49 overall, especially when you consider the Eagles were able to trade back from No. 32 overall and pick up Baltimore�s 2019 second-round pick before still landing him. AVONTE MADDOXStats: 393 snaps (269 defense and 124 special teams), 16 tackles, 1 interception, 1 pass defensed, 1 forced fumble, 1 tackle for loss, 3 special teams tacklesReview: Maddox struggled during spring practices but he came on late in training camp to push Sidney Jones for the starting job at nickel corner. Maddox began the season mostly playing special teams but Rodney McLeod�s season-ending injury, combined with Corey Graham�s struggles, forced the rookie into action at a position he�d never played before in his life prior. Considering what the Eagles are asking of him, Maddox has been pretty impressive. His forced fumble in the Jaguars matchup was a huge momentum play that really turned that game (and possibly the season?) around. It remains to be seen if safety will Maddox�s long-term position. There�s plenty of time to figure that out down the road. For now, Maddox is an important contributor to Philadelphia�s secondary. There�s a lot of room for improvement but the kid looks like he can play. JOSH SWEATStats: 35 snaps (19 defense and 16 special teams), 1 tackleReview: Sweat began the season as the fifth player in the Eagles� defensive end rotation behind Derek Barnett, Brandon Graham, Michael Bennett Jerome Brown Jerseys 2019 , and Chris Long. With Barnett out, Sweat is now the fourth guy. But if the Eagles� Week 8 game was any indication, Sweat isn�t necessarily going to see a big boost in playing time moving forward. Sweat only played four defensive snaps against Jacksonville in Week 8. It seems like the coaching staff doesn�t really trust him. MATT PRYORStats: 0 snapsReview: Pryor drew some early buzz in camp but that cooled off as he struggled in preseason games. Pryor hasn�t been active for a single Eagles game this year despite the fact the team has had some offensive line injuries. JORDAN MAILATAStats: 0 snapsReview: The Australian sensation hasn�t played this year but he did manage to be active for the Eagles versus Panthers game since Philadelphia had to fill their game day inactives with six players who were too unhealthy to suit up. It�s pretty impressive that Mailata went from being a 21-year-old who had no idea how to even play the sport to this rookie with intriguing long-term potential. Maybe he can actually be Jason Peters� eventual replacement?UNDRAFTED ROOKIE FREE AGENTSJOSH ADAMSStats: 67 snaps (36 offense and 31 special teams), 20 rushing attempts, 107 yards (5.4 average), 0 touchdowns, 1 target, 1 reception, 6 receiving yardsReview: Adams began the season on the practice squad but only spent a couple weeks there before being called up to the 53-man roster. Adams logged six carries during his NFL debut in Week 3 but then only saw one touch in the next three weeks combined. Adams� usage has gone up in the last two games as he�s touched the ball 14 times. Outside of a near-fumble in Week 8 that could�ve been extremely costly, Adams has done well with his chances. He�s easily been the Eagles� most efficient runner in Philadelphia�s last two games. It�s hard to expect Adams to suddenly become the Eagles� workhorse back but he should continue to get opportunities if he�s going to be productive. BRUCE HECTORStats: 69 snaps (51 defense and 18 special teams), 1 tackle, 1 QB hit, 0.5 sacksReview: Hector has seen a nice amount of playing time for an undrafted rookie who�s bounced on and off the roster this season. Hector is currently on the practice squad after getting demoted in favor of Trevon Hester. Hector figures to remain there barring future injuries. CHANDON SULLIVANStats: 2 special teams snapsReview: Sullivan earned his spot on the practice squad with a good showing in training camp and preseason games. The Eagles recently promoted him to the 53-man roster to give them more corner depth and help on special teams.JOE OSTMANReview: Ostman has been on the Eagles� practice squad since they formed it leading up to Week 1. Developmental pass rusher.ASANTAY BROWNReview: The Eagles brought Brown back to the practice squad after the Cardinals signed Joe Walker away in mid-September. OVERALLTo recap: the Eagles drafted five players. All five of them are currently on the active roster. One of them is a starter in the secondary. One is an efficient offensive role player. One is a reserve defensive lineman. Two are reserve offensive lineman. Two undrafted rookies are currently on the 53-man roster and one is a rotational running back. Overall, the Eagles aren�t getting a TON of impact out of their rookie class. But they�re not getting nothing, either.