Eagles-Giants 5 Questions for Week 16: Who's the starting left guard?
PHILADELPHIA -- Of all the weeks for the Philadelphia Eagles to cure some locker room ailments, the New York Giants may be the proper medicine. The Eagles have won 16 of their last 19 against the Giants, a franchise they have relatively owned this century. Philadelphia can eliminate New York from the NFC playoff race with a victory.
Regardless of who the opponent is, the Eagles are mired in a three-game losing streak for the first time since the 2021 season. The Eagles are the first team to start 10-1 and lose three consecutive games since the 1986 New York Jets, which lost their final five regular season games before falling in the divisional round of the playoffs.
The Eagles are banking that this doesn't happen to them, as the Christmas Day game against the Giants is the start of a three-game stretch that involves the Giants, Arizona Cardinals, and then Giants again -- a combined record of 13-29 to close out the year.
With all that's happening in the Eagles organization right now, there are plenty of questions leading into the holiday matchup with the Giants. Let's see if the Eagles can avoid the lump of coal on Christmas Day.
1. Who's the starting left guard?
Landon Dickerson is out after getting surgery on his finger, so Sua Opeta will take the reins as the starting left guard in his absence. Opeta was seen next to Jordan Mailata with the first team at Friday's practice, while Cam Jurgens (pectoral) was back with the first team and at right guard.
The starting offensive line for Christmas Day is expected to be: Mailata (left tackle), Opeta (left guard), Jason Kelce (center), Jurgens (right guard), and Lane Johnson (right tackle).
2. Who is playing linebacker this week?
For a team that's thin at the linebacker position, the Eagles will have plenty of fans scratching their heads when the starting linebackers take the field Monday. Zach Cunningham (knee) isn't expected to play and Nicholas Morrow (abdomen) missed the all important Friday practice -- meaning both starting linebackers are expected to be out.
That leaves Shaquille Leonard as one of the starters as he's in just his third game with the team. The other is expected to be undrafted rookie Ben VanSumeren, who spent some time with the first team in training camp (before the Eagles signed Morrow and Myles Jack). Neither player was on the 53-man roster seven weeks ago. Patrick Johnson is another player that could see some reps there.
For those keeping score at home, Leonard and VanSumeren have a combined 42 snaps on this defense -- and all belong to Leonard. Former Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith could be the practice squad call up if Morrow can't go. Linebacker will be an interesting position to watch this week.
3. Is James Bradberry getting benched?
The Eagles aren't going to bench Bradberry, even though he is in the midst of one of the worst seasons of his career. Bradberry has allowed 56.2% of passes thrown his way to be caught this season, giving up nine touchdowns to only one interception for a 90.4 passer rating.
Monday's game demonstrated how much Bradberry struggled in coverage. He allowed 6 of 7 completions for 112 yards with a touchdown and zero interceptions, getting targeted by the Seattle Seahawks offense instead of rookies Kelee Ringo and Eli Ricks. Lock went 4 of 4 for 87 yards and a touchdown (118.8 rating) when targeting Bradberry on that final drive that saw the Seahawks take a 20-17 lead with under a minute remaining. The Seahawks scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, as Bradberry allowed 5 of 6 completions for 99 yards and a touchdown (118.8 rating).
Didn't help that Ricks and Ringo played very well Monday night, as the two rookies combined to allow no completions on five targets. Since the two rookies played well, should the Eagles go with Ringo and Ricks together instead of Bradberry while Darius Slay is out?
Bradberry deserves the benefit of the doubt, especially since he's allowed just a 60.9 passer rating and two touchdowns in zone coverage compared to a 108.9 passer rating and seven touchdowns in man coverage. Perhaps the solution is more zone to help Bradberry out.
Another cornerback that will significantly help is Avonte Maddox, who appears close to returning after practicing this week. Maddox's status is still up in the air for Monday, but he should be back before the end of the regular season.
4. Can Jalen Hurts get his season back on track?
Hurts hasn't been the elite quarterback the Eagles have been accustomed to over the past three games, all losses. During this three-game stretch, Hurts has completed 59.2% of his passes for 638 yards with one touchdown to two interceptions for a 72.4 passer rating (29th in the NFL). He's also fumbled in two of those three contests.
Hurts isn't passing the ball well, and he's turning it over at an alarming rate with three giveaways in his past three games (also has three rushing touchdowns in that stretch). He also is tied for the NFL lead with 17 turnovers this season, averaging 1.13 giveaways a game.
Despite the recent stretch of poor play and the giveaway issues, Hurts is on pace for 4,708 total yards and 40 touchdowns this season. He didn't forget how to play football, although he needs to start taking what's given to him instead of forcing the deep pass. On passes that have traveled for 25-plus air yards over the past three games, Hurts is 1 of 11 for 30 yards with zero touchdowns to two interceptions for a 0.0 passer rating.
Hurts is one of the better deep-ball quarterbacks in the league, recording seven touchdown passes that traveled 25-plus air yards (second in the NFL) and a 97.2 passer rating (10th in the NFL) on such passes. Hurts and the Eagles have to take what the defense is giving them instead of forcing what isn't there.
The Eagles don't need the MVP version of Hurts, but they do need an efficient one.
5. What does Jalen Hurts mean by "commitment"?
Hurts was pretty straightforward with his "commitment" comments after Monday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks, saying the Eagles have to be "on the same page" and everyone being "all in all aspects." Hurts immediately pointed out this started with him.
Hurts elaborated on those comments Thursday, again pointing the finger at himself to get the Eagles back on the right track.
"This is a challenge to myself," Hurts said at the NovaCare Complex. "You challenge yourself and you challenge the people around you. I think it's just a situation where we are, where it's just something that we're going through, not something we're stuck in. Its beauty in all of this. Its beauty in all of it and I embrace every ounce of it.
"When I say 'we' I mean 'me' because I'm the point guard out there. I'm the one that makes everything go. I'm the guy that everyone trusts to set the pace for everything. That's in my play, that's in my leadership, that's in every aspect of the game. That comes with the shoes that I walk in."
Hurts is shouldering the blame for the Eagles' poor play on both sides of the ball, sending a message to his locker room in the process. The Eagles seemingly have responded to this based on the locker room chatter this week, based on what A.J. Brown and Darius Slay had to say.
The Eagles seem to be in the right state of mind, even mired in this losing streak. The team seems to have responded on both sides of the ball.
