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Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 12/14/21.
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2022 NFL Mock Draft: Philadelphia Eagles select Ole Miss QB Matt Corral, Kansas City Chiefs snag USC wideout Drake London – PFF
11. Philadelphia Eagles: QB Matt Corral, Ole Miss. DO NOT OVERREACT, EAGLES FANS. JALEN HURTS HAS BEEN SOLID THIS YEAR. THIS DOES NOT MEAN PHILLY IS GIVING UP ON JALEN HURTS. If you’ve made it to this point, Eagles faithful, I applaud you for working past the CMND+F “Eagles” and hearing me out. Hurts ranks 11th among all quarterbacks in PFF grade (80.0) this season. He’s played well and exceeded a lot of people’s expectations — so much so that Philadelphia’s brass should feel that they can keep him in their plans, at least for the immediate future. However, the Eagles do have three first-round picks in 2022 and, therefore, an opportunity to add talent around Hurts and add competition at the most important position in football. Give Hurts the starting nod (obviously) in 2022 and reward him if he continues to improve and lead Philly to successful postseason efforts. Corral will still have obvious value in a league where trades for Sam Darnold and Carson Wentz are receiving second-round picks on the open market. And if Hurts doesn’t rise to the occasion in 2022, give the reins to Corral and get an early start on finding the quarterback of the future.
8 takeaways from NFL Week 14 – BGN
1 – Washington is looking less fearsome. The four-game win streak offered hope to Washington fans that the Football Team was figuring things out. That they were headed in the right direction. A bad loss to the Dallas Cowboys raises serious questions if that was truly the case. Washington was outclassed at FedEx Field on Sunday, falling behind by a score of 24 to 0. The Football Team came back to make it a one-score game and even had a chance to go on a game-tying drive with 2:34 left in the game before Kyle Allen was sacked and fumbled. But the potential comeback said more about the Cowboys not putting away the game (see: Dak Prescott inexplicably throwing a pick-six RIGHT at Cole Holcomb) than it did Washington willing their way back in. Make no mistake: The Football Team deserves some credit for their win streak. Their defense, which was a MAJOR and unexpected issue earlier in the season, allowed just 17.5 points per game in that stretch. And, really, they only allowed 20 to the Cowboys since Dallas scored on a fumble recovery. But it’s not hard to poke some holes in that winning streak. Beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was obviously impressive. Wins over the Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, and Las Vegas Raiders, though? Not as much. And they were all one-score affairs, which tend to be coin flips in the NFL.
Eagles 2021 rookie draft pick progress report – PhillyVoice
On the field, DeVonta Smith has demonstrated that he is a professional route runner who can beat man or zone coverage, and is capable of making difficult catches. He is already the Eagles’ best receiver, and by a very wide margin. He has also put up good numbers in an offense that (a) does not have an accurate quarterback, and (b) has transitioned to a run-heavy identity over the last half dozen games. There is also an argument to be made that Smith isn’t being targeted nearly as much as he should be, even though he has often drawn the attention of the opposing defense’s best cornerback. The concern many had with Smith after he was drafted was that his wiry frame might not hold up in the NFL. So far so good on that front. It’s actually something of a testament to Smith’s likeability that fans have barely quibbled at all about rookie star edge rusher Micah Parsons being selected two spots after him. And for good reason — Without Smith, the Eagles’ passing offense would basically be Dallas Goedert, and then…
NFL Power Rankings Week 15: 1-32 poll, plus offense, defense and special teams rankings – ESPN
20) The Eagles are the top rushing team in the NFL (averaging 160 yards per game) but are third worst in passing (196 YPG), which helps explain why they’re near middle of the pack. They rank 12th in points per game (25.9) and have been solid overall since coach Nick Sirianni switched to a more ground-based attack in Week 8. The defense has been trending in the right direction, as well, benefitting from the strong play of corner Darius Slay, who has three touchdown returns on the season. The Eagles have limited opponents to 17 points per game over the past four weeks, an encouraging sign as they hit the home stretch, with three of their final four games coming against Washington (20.5 PPG) and the Giants (17.8 PPG). While it’s fair to rate the special teams as average, kicker Jake Elliott (22-of-24, 92% success rate) has been lights out.
Kurt Warner on Eagles’ offseason QB plans: ‘If you can go get an elite guy, go get an elite guy’ – Audacy
“I would say the more intriguing thing is if you’re not in the market, you don’t feel like those are possibilities. The more intriguing thing is, do we give Jalen another year? Do we go draft a quarterback? Is there somebody else in the next echelon of quarterbacks that’s available and do they give us a better opportunity to win than Jalen does? Because that’s usually what we’re talking about. We’re not usually talking about, can you go get an elite guy? Well, if you can go get an elite guy, go get an elite guy.”
Eagles’ DeVonta Smith surprises local youth with shopping trip at sporting-goods store – Inquirer
Before returning from the Eagles’ bye week to practice for the final stretch of the season, rookie wide receiver DeVonta Smith spent his Monday evening surprising local youth. In a partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods’ clothing line, VRST, Smith hosted a holiday shopping spree for the Staley Park youth football program. The Camden-based group consisting of 9- and 10-year-olds had planned to have dinner at the shopping complex and shop at the store in Cherry Hill. But the team was pleasantly surprised by Smith, who appeared discreetly as the children gathered for a group photo. “Being able to give back to the kids, it brings me a lot of joy,” Smith told The Inquirer. “I was once a kid, something like this would mean so much to me when I was young. It’s a great feeling.”
The stretch run of the regular season is here! – PE.com
What is important here is that the Eagles play with the kind of exactness and urgency that playoff football requires. That means securing the football, taking advantage of opportunities defensively when they are there, paying attention to detail, playing with great discipline. It means stepping up, because the tempo of December football in the NFL is different than it is in September. The margin for error is tight. Mistakes are way too costly. “It’s fun to play this kind of football,” right tackle Lane Johnson said. “You know you’re going to get the other teams’ best shot, so you have to be at your best, too. Everything you do is magnified. It’s intense football. I love it.” We all love it, and now it’s here. After a few days of late-season rest-and-relaxation time, the football resumes. And, as you might imagine, the energy level at the NovaCare Complex is through the roof. The stretch run of the regular season is here.
Proof of Vaccination Will Be Required for Indoor Dining in Philly Starting January 3 – Eater
The city announced on Monday, December 13, that guests will have to show proof of vaccination at any establishment where food is served come the New Year. [BLG Note: Worth noting if you’re coming to town for the Week 18 Eagles-Cowboys game on January 9.]Washington Football Team Vs. Dallas Cowboys – Studs and Duds – Hogs Haven
Taylor Heinicke – Both the stat line and eye test will tell you the story today. Heinicke was an abysmal 11/25 for 122 yards, with one touchdown, an interception, and a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. I charted him with five turnover worthy plays before leaving with a knee injury later in the game. It really all boils down to this…Taylor can do enough to give this team a chance to win against poor defenses, but when faced with good ones (and this Dallas defense was firing on all cylinders today), he gets completely exposed, and needs major help from his playmakers and own defense to help this team persevere. I do hope he can bounce back from the knee injury, and get back (and play well), for this final run.
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Football Team: 5 winners, 4 honorable mentions, and 3 losers – Blogging The Boys
Loser: Dak Prescott. It can be true that in general Dak Prescott is a great quarterback and that he has been struggling for a little over a month now. He almost lost this game for the Cowboys. Consider that Dak’s first interception was only not impactful because Micah Parsons generated the fumble that Dorance Armstrong took back to the house. The second pick was one of the worst throws of Prescott’s career, he is playing so unlike the MVP-caliber quarterback that we saw over the early part of this season. Obviously the timing of Dak’s regression coincides with his calf strain, but to the naked eye it seems like he is dealing with far more than an injured calf. Dak is frantic and pressing all of the time and is making things complicated that don’t need to be. It is past time to make excuses for him, he has to get this fixed.
Giants injury news: Leonard Williams’ elbow injury feared to be “significant” – Big Blue View
The New York Giants injury-battered roster took another hit in Week 14 when defensive lineman Leonard Williams left Sunday’s game agains the Los Angeles Chargers after 13 snaps with an elbow injury. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network is reporting that Williams’ elbow injury is feared to be “significant” and could be season-ending.
3 winners and 4 losers from Week 14 in the NFL – SB Nation
There’s a distinct difference in the NFL between being bad, and being hopeless. Being bad is defined tangibly, with wins and losses. Simple stuff to monitor. Being hopeless, well, that’s a whole other ball of wax. Take the Detroit Lions, for example. They’re unquestionably the worst team in the league, but there are moments, glimmers of promise that point to potential building blocks for the future. It sure feels like there’s something to be preserved, nurtured, and maybe with a little luck it can bloom into something beautiful.
Monday Football Monday #66: Bucs are in prime position to repeat, Cowboys offense has done nothing lately, Chiefs embarrassed Raiders – The SB Nation NFL Show
RJ Ochoa and Pete Sweeney recap all of Sunday’s Week 14 NFL Action including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who continue to make their argument for favorites, the Dallas Cowboys whose defense is the highlight of the season and the Chiefs who smacked the Raiders after a pregame dance on the Arrowhead stadium logo.
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