Doug Pederson Returns — Jaguars at Eagles Preview

For the second time since leaving the Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl 52-winning head coach Doug Pederson returns to Philadelphia. In Doug’s first return the Eagles won 29-21, let’s hope for a similar outcome today.

Is Jalen Back?

Last week against the Bengals, Jalen Hurts finished the game 16/20 for 236 yards and 4 total touchdowns. It was the best game Jalen has played in just about two years, and it has many Eagles fans saying he is back. While I am not ready to declare 2022 Jalen back because of one great half of football, I think the Eagles have found a recipe for success.

It is clear that coming out of the bye week the Eagles game plan offensively is to run the football and limit Jalen’s passing attempts to stop the turnovers. This is exactly what they have done during this three-game winning streak. The Eagles have run the ball just about double the amount of times they have thrown it, and Jalen has not turned the ball over.

The worry still remains for me that if the Eagles need to have a game where Jalen throws the ball 35 times to win, they can win that game. This may be a game to test that out. The Jaguars defense ranks 31st in passing defense, while they are 9th in rushing defense. While I think the Eagles can run on anyone with Saquon and their line, today may be a game where Jalen has to throw the ball 30-35 times. If he is truly back, he will transition back to that volume of throws smoothly.

Last Game Before the Trade Deadline

The NFL’s trade deadline is Tuesday, November 5th and the Eagles have yet to make a move. This game could be a big game for what the Eagles decide to do before Tuesday. The most obvious move the Eagles could make is at pass rusher. While the pass rush has played better over the last few weeks, I think we can all agree they could still need help there.

Injuries, Injuries, Injuries

The Eagles are dealing with some injuries today as both Dallas Goedert (Hamstring) and Darius Slay (Groin) are out for today’s game. The Eagles will get Mekhi Becton back as he has cleared concussion protocol.

The Jaguars are dealing with injuries as well, with Christian Kirk (Collarbone), Maason Smith (Ankle), and Ezra Cleveland (Ankle) are all out. It is also trending towards Gabe Davis being out for this game as well. They are expecting Travis Etienne Jr, and Brian Thomas Jr to play today.

Programming Note

This game while originally scheduled for Sunday Night Football, will now kick off at 4:05 ET. This game can now be found on CBS.

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