Eagles News: Optimism about C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s availability for the Saints game

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Eagles Film Room: Concept of the Week - GH Counter - BGN There are a few cool things to look out for. I particularly love watching Mekhi Becton toss the defensive lineman out the way to create a gap. He has been exceptionally good at this type of down block this year as he has the strength to move big defensive lineman without the help of another lineman. And there is nothing cooler than seeing Landon Dickerson and Lane Johnson combing for a pancake. Lastly, I think Saquon Barkley has looked really good in gap scheme runs, as they can remove the need to read his blocks, which allows him to focus on making defenders miss.

Key matchups: Saints vs. Eagles - Canal Street Chronicles Chris Olave vs. Darius Slay. Wide receiver Chris Olave started the season slowly but found his footing against a talented Dallas Cowboys defense. However, Olave's matchup for Sunday doesn't get easier as he faces veteran cornerback Darius Slay. Slay recently gave the third-year receiver his props ranking him as one of the toughest wideouts he has faced. Olave has made it a mission to take the next step and become an elite player this season. Although he's had a rough start, accumulating just under 100 yards receiving to start the season, a big day for the former first-round draft pick can accelerate himself into elite receiver talks along with helping the team get a win.

Game Preview – PHI at NO - Iggles Blitz The Saints ran the ball all over Dallas last week (190 yards). They will try to do the same to the Eagles. Vic Fangio must get his edge defenders to do a better job of setting the edge. This was especially problematic for Bryce Huff. The LBs have to flow to the ball and tackle well. Zack Baun has to be praying that he doesn't face cut blocks this time out. They ate him alive last week. Alvin Kamara looks re-born. He started to look old last year. This is the best I've seen him in a while. He averages 5.7 yards per carry. He's also averaging 13 yards per catch and is dangerous out of the backfield. Derek Carr is 30 for 39 for 5 TDs so far this year. The Saints love to use max protect and then to throw the ball downfield to their speedy receivers. Rahid Shaheed averages 24 yards per catch. The Eagles must find a way to pressure Carr. If you let him sit in the pocket, he can pick you apart. The Eagles also have to cover well. Receivers have gotten behind the secondary a few times in the first couple of games. If that happens against the Saints, it could lead to big plays.

NFL Week 3 picks, schedule, odds, injuries, fantasy tips - ESPN Eagles storyline to watch: The Eagles' defense is among the worst in the league through two games in a number of statistical categories. They rank last in yards allowed per rush (6.4), 30th in pressure percentage (24%) and 31st in yards per play allowed (6.9). Now they take on a Saints team that has scored 91 points through two games, including 44 against a respectable Cowboys defense in Week 2. If defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's group doesn't find a way to stabilize, things could get ugly.

Eagles notebook: A role for Jalyx Hunt, ready for noise and more - NBCSP During Monday night's game, Hurts had an uncharacteristic penalty called on him during the second quarter of the loss. The Eagles were faced with a 4th-and-3 from the Atlanta 41-yard line when Hurts broke free and scrambled for a 23-yard game to get the Eagles into the red zone. As he rose to his feet, he emphatically spiked the football, which rolled away. Hurts was penalized for a delay of game. "I didn't know I could get flagged for that," Hurts said. "If I would have known that, I probably wouldn't have done it." Still, it was notable that Hurts showed so much emotion in that moment — more emotion than we're used to seeing from him. The Eagles were down three points at that moment in a game that ended up being extremely close. "Honestly, I wanted the stadium to feel me," Hurts said. "It was one of those games where we needed everyone. And when I mean everyone, we need all three phases and every seat that was filled in that stadium, in the Linc. I think it definitely got a good spike of energy but we came up short. We'll have another opportunity to shake back from that."

Game Preview: Eagles vs. Saints - PE.com What can the offense to do take the next step? Against a good New Orleans defense that has been overshadowed by its prolific offense through two weeks, the Eagles have some work to do. They've practiced all week with noise to prepare for the hostile environment and they have worked without wide receiver A.J. Brown as well. The Eagles are looking to be more explosive and Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore believes he has the right personnel to do that. "I think we still have guys who can separate and give us some vertical components to our offense, obviously something that we've just got to keep aware of, how can we continue to find those opportunities," he said. "I think a big thing around the NFL right now is trying to find explosive plays. I think obviously the numbers are all down. We're trying to find it. Defenses are doing an excellent job, and we've just got to keep finding them, not necessarily just on third down but first and second down, as well." The Saints are aggressive and they have a strong front seven led by end Cameron Jordan. This is not going to be a walk in the park.

NFL fines Drake London $14,069 for pretending to fire gun into crowd - PFT Coach Raheem Morris tried to convince everyone that the gesture was something other than what it plainly appeared to be. "His intent was not as a use of a weapon," Morris said. "He probably was shooting T-shirts into the stands, to be honest with you, because he's just that kind of a guy." Yes, T-shirts. Tiny T-shirts. Made of lead.

Film Session: Commanders defense lacks difference-makers on the defensive line and secondary - Hogs Haven The Commanders' defense does not have an identity right now, and I am sure that Joe Whitt Jr. is working hard to identify the players who schematically fit what he wants to accomplish. Part of the problem that Whitt likely understands he is facing but will not accept from a coach's perspective is that he lacks difference-making talent at the first and third levels of the defense. In the meantime, though, there are 15 games left in the season, and there is plenty of time for Whitt to place band-aids on the lack of pressure, run fits, and coverage breakdowns, among other issues.

Cowboys vs Ravens: Buy/sell for Cowboys players in Week 3 - Blogging The Boys Running Backs. If things weren't already bleak for Dallas' run game, Baltimore has yet to allow an opposing RB to average over 3.0 yards per carry. Isiah Pacheco only had 45 yards on 15 carries and then Zamir White had just nine rushes for 24 yards. Unless the Ravens overcompensate for their pass defense and open up the running lanes, it's hard to see how Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle will fare any better given what we've seen so far.

Injury update: Giants' Brian Burns expected to play vs. Browns - Big Blue View New York Giants star edge defender Brian Burns is expected to play Sunday afternoon against the Cleveland Browns . Brown was on Friday's injury report with a groin injury, and was given a 'questionable' designation. Burns' apparently reported groin tightness on Friday, so the Giants limited him in that day's practice. Acquired by the Giants in a splashy offseason trade, Burns made the Pro Bowl twice in his first five seasons. He has yet to make an impact on defense for the Giants, with just seven tackles and no quarterback hits.

The NFL kicker revolution is here - SB Nation When the NFL moved back the extra point from the 2-yard line to the 15 in 2015, the reasoning was basically that the kicks were too boring. NFL kickers made 99.3% of their extra points in 2014, the season before the rule change, and the league thought that pushing it back would both make the kicks more difficult and incentivize teams into going for two. It worked, for the most part. Kickers as a whole did not cross the 95% mark on extra points from the 15 until last season, when the league rate was 95.9%. NFL teams, driven by the rule change and the rise of analytics, started going for two more often. From the 2021-23 seasons, teams went for two 56% of the time when down by 5 points, compared to a measly 25% of the time from 2010-13. But kicks are starting to get boring again.

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