The Battle of the Greens — Eagles @ Jets Week 6 Preview
The Eagles look to move to 6-0 as they head up the Turnpike to face off with the 2-3 New York Jets. While the Eagles are familiar with playing at MetLife, they are playing a somewhat unfamiliar opponent.
After this game, the Eagles will be facing 7 opponents the rest of the season that currently have a winning record. While this game will not be easy, they have to just keep stacking wins.
Star Players Injured
One of the biggest stories to come out of this Eagles season so far has been the stellar play of Rookie Defensive Tackle Jalen Carter. Carter has been one of the best defensive players in the NFL this season and is the favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Unfortunately in practice this week Carter injured his ankle and is out for this week’s matchup. Thankfully there have been reports that he will not miss multiple games, but his impact will surely be missed this week.
The Eagles will also be without star Cornerback Darius Slay this week. Like Carter, Slay suffered a knee injury in practice. Also like Carter, Slay is not likely to miss multiple games. It will be interesting to see how the Eagles decide to defend reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Garret Wilson with Slay out.
The Eagles also placed Wide Receiver Quez Watkins on IR, while activating Nakobe Dean on IR.
The Jets are dealing with some injuries as well. Of course, they are going to be without QB Aaron Rodgers, but they will have some other key players out. Reining Defensive Rookie of the Year Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner will miss this game with a concussion. Sauce is undoubtedly one of the top corners in the league right now, and would have been a tough matchup for either A.J. Brown or Devonta Smith. The Jets will also be without another starting Cornerback D.J. Reed who also has a concussion. Two other Jets Cornerbacks Justin Hardee and Brandin Echols are also out. With the Eagles having arguably the best receiving duo in the NFL it is unfortunate for the Jets that they will be without four Cornerbacks.
Stop the Run
The biggest key for the Eagles to win this game is to stop the run. While Zach Wilson has been playing better, the strength of this Jets offense right now is the running game. Breece Hall has picked up exactly where he left off last season with a strong start to this season. He currently has 387 yards rushing while rushing at a 7.2-yard per carry clip. The Jets also signed Dalvin Cook in the offseason who has been bad this season but has a good track record in the league. Zach Wilson is prone to turning the ball over, and the Jets will not give him many opportunities to throw the ball down the field. The Eagles have been great against the run so far this season, and they need to keep that trend going today.
Fix the Redzone Offense
While there are a few things to complain about for a 5-0 football team, the biggest concern is the red zone offense. The Eagles lead the league in field goals attempted and are 27th in the league in red zone scoring percentage. The Eagles have been able to win so far by kicking field goals against lesser opponents, but when they start playing better teams they can not win by scoring field goals. They will need touchdowns to beat teams like Miami, San Francisco, and Kansas City. The Eagles have been more aggressive on fourth-down situations in the past than they have been this year. I would like to see them going for some more 4th and shorts, and trying to keep these drives alive. The Eagles have shown the ability to correct flaws under Sirianni, and I have confidence they will correct this as well.
