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  • The College Football Playoff’s top four seeds are in action this week. Here are some potential future Eagles to watch.

    The College Football Playoff’s top four seeds are in action this week. Here are some potential future Eagles to watch.

    The College Football Playoff continues with four more games this week, beginning with a New Year’s Eve matchup between Ohio State and Miami at the Cotton Bowl. The Buckeyes-Hurricanes showdown is the game in this round that will likely yield the most combined NFL draft prospects.

    On New Year’s Day, Alabama plays Indiana in the Rose Bowl, Ole Miss takes on Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, and Oregon and Texas Tech face off in the Orange Bowl.

    With plenty of draft hopefuls playing on big stages, here are the prospects the Eagles should be keeping an eye on from the top four seeds — Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia, and Texas Tech — who are set to make their 2025 CFP debuts.

    Eight Eagles draft targets to watch during the first round of the College Football Playoff

    Monroe Freeling, tackle, Georgia

    The Georgia-to-Eagles pipeline could get another addition with the Bulldogs’ left tackle Freeling, who is an outstanding athlete at 6-foot-7, 315 pounds. The tackle, who is only a junior, is light on his feet in pass protection, moves well in space to block smaller and faster players, and is hard to get around in pass protection. According to Pro Football Focus, Freeling has allowed just nine pressures and two sacks in 423 pass blocking snaps this season.

    Freeling was banged up midway through the season and his play balance isn’t consistent from down to down, but the left tackle has a desirable skill set to contend with some of the best athletes at the NFL level, especially in pass protection. Should he declare, he will be in high demand for teams that need an offensive tackle — whether it’s next season or a few years from now.

    Kenyatta Jackson, edge rusher, Ohio State

    Part of a fearsome Ohio State defense, Jackson is having a breakout season in his fourth year in the program. At 6-6, 265 pounds, Jackson has a noticeable arm length advantage and uses it to challenge opponents. He plays multiple roles along the defensive line, lining up primarily at 4i (inside shoulder of tackles) and can wreak havoc as both a pass rusher and run defender.

    Jackson is at his best, though, from a standing alignment as a pass rusher, allowing him to get a running start and to create physical separation from offensive tackles. He projects as a Day 2 pick if he declares this year and would be a welcome addition to a talented Eagles edge rusher room.

    Texas Tech defensive end Romello Height celebrates a defensive stop against BYU in the Big 12 Championship.

    Romello Height, edge rusher, Texas Tech

    At his fourth school in six years (Auburn, USC, Georgia Tech), Height is having the best season of his career with nine sacks and 10½ tackles for losses in 13 games. A high-effort, high-motor pass rusher, Height uses his length and ankle flexion to win on the outside shoulder of offensive tackles, and has a nice toolbox of pass-rush moves that includes a spin, an inside swim move, and a cross-chop.

    Height has a 23% pass-rush win rate, according to PFF, but struggles as a run defender holding his gap against offensive linemen. He’ll likely command a designated pass rushing role early in his NFL career. Despite being an older prospect, there’s a chance Height can go within the first two rounds, and he would be a nice addition to an Eagles pass rush that is already much stronger since trading for Jaelan Phillips.

    9 NFL draft targets for the Eagles on college football’s conference championship weekend

    Jermaine Mathews, DB, Ohio State

    Mathews, who plays both outside corner and nickel for Ohio State, is just a junior who could return to school, but his versatility and ball skills make him an early-round candidate should he enter the draft. At 5-11, 190 pounds, Mathews excels in off man coverage and zone coverage looks, closing on the football with quickness while playing through the hands of receivers.

    According to PFF, Matthews has 398 snaps at outside corner vs. 159 at nickel. He struggled with penalties down the stretch and is susceptible to getting beaten deep without safety help, but he projects as a nickel who can eliminate timing routes over the middle of the field and into the boundary. His physicality in the running game could improve, too.

    Omar Cooper, WR, Indiana

    Quarterback Fernando Mendoza is the potential top pick in the 2026 draft and one of his weapons is Cooper, who has the speed to run by a secondary and is hard to bring down in the open field. Primarily operating from the slot, Cooper has strong hands at the catch point and terrific body control, evidenced by his clutch game-winning touchdown against Penn State in November.

    His ability to win in contested catch situations — he has made 6 of 12 catches while tightly defended, according to PFF — and vertical speed make him an ideal second or third receiver option in the NFL. For the Eagles, he could be a much-needed field stretcher who has the ability to create big gains with the ball in his hands and win in one-on-one situations.

    Terrance Carter Jr. TE, Texas Tech

    Tight end will eventually become a need for the Eagles, perhaps as soon as this offseason with Dallas Goedert set to become a free agent in the spring. Outside of Round 1, there will be a few players who interest the Eagles, and among them is Carter, the Louisiana-Lafayette transfer who is dynamic after the catch.

    Of his 552 receiving yards this season, 334 have come after the catch, according to PFF, and Carter is a matchup nightmare for linebackers and safeties. Though he’s not quite the same caliber of athlete as Georgia’s tight end duo of Lawson Luckie and Oscar Delp, or Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq, Carter can still separate from secondary and second-level players.

    The tight end prospect, who could return to school, must clean up his drops — he has five in 2025 — and doesn’t add much as a blocker, but is a big-time receiving threat.

    Davison Igbinosun, DB, Ohio State

    There may not be a more improved player in Ohio State’s secondary this season than Igbinosun, the physical outside corner who makes life difficult for opposing receivers. Igbinosun, listed at 6-2, 193 pounds, likes to disrupt the timing of wide receivers in man coverage, and has the length and speed to defend vertical passes downfield.

    According to PFF, Igbinosun hasn’t allowed a touchdown across 331 coverage snaps and just 42.9% of his targets in coverage have been caught. He is feisty, competes at the catch point, and has excellent ball production this season (six pass breakups, two interceptions). Penalties continue to be a negative for him (21 over the last two years), but they have become far less of an issue in 2025.

    Though Adoree’ Jackson has held up much better down the stretch of this season manning the cornerback spot alongside Quinyon Mitchell for the Eagles, Igbinosun would be an upgrade from a ball production standpoint, though the team would have to be comfortable with his tendency to get too physical in man coverage situations.

  • The thrill of victory and the exasperation of trying to feel good about it define the 2025 Eagles

    The thrill of victory and the exasperation of trying to feel good about it define the 2025 Eagles

    Quinyon Mitchell isn’t one of those cornerbacks who speaks as if he is paid by the word. That’s a good thing. Brevity is often a sign of a man with more important things on his mind. It also suffices, more often than not.

    For anybody who walked away from the Eagles’ 13-12 victory over the Bills on Sunday with an even greater sense of trepidation regarding the postseason, it might be helpful to consider the three short declarative sentences that Mitchell offered up as his interpretation of the proceedings.

    “We’re battle-tested,” the Eagles’ second-year cornerback said as he stood in the postgame swirl of a cramped visitor’s locker room at Highmark Stadium. “Just look at our schedule. Look at our opponents.”

    The sentiment is equal parts encouraging and maddening. Which is fitting, because the Eagles themselves are both of those things. It is their yin and their yang, their two mystical tadpoles, one of them midnight green, the other kelly green, chasing each other in a circle. The thrill of victory and the exasperation of trying to feel good about it.

    The Eagles wouldn’t be foolish to rest their starters in Week 18. But they’d better be right.

    On the one hand, the scoreboard is the ultimate judge. On the other hand, why does the scoreboard have to say 13-12? And why does it have to feel so fitting?

    To anybody who possesses both a functioning brain and a reasonable amount of prior exposure to playoff football, the Eagles look like a team whose luck is destined to run out well before Super Bowl Sunday. The quarterback has not been good enough. Not even close. The play-calling has not been good enough to make up for the quarterback’s deficiencies. The defense has been good enough to make up for both of those things. But only barely.

    On Sunday, the result was the second time this season that the Eagles failed to complete a pass in the second half. Yet it was also the second time this season where they failed to complete a pass in the second half and still won the game.

    Yin and yang.

    Sunday was also the third time this season when the Eagles won a game in which they scored fewer than 17 points. They are just the fifth team to accomplish that feat over the last 15 seasons. Of the four teams that did it previously, three went on to lose in the wild card round. Yet the one exception was the 2012 Ravens, who went on to win the Super Bowl.

    Yin and yang.

    Defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) and running back Saquon Barkley celebrate after the Eagles stopped the Buffalo Bills on a two-point conversion attempt late in the fourth quarter Sunday.

    “I’ve never really been on a playoff team, but I can tell the difference just in the sense of these crunch time moments, being able to bend but don’t break,” said defensive end Jaelan Phillips, who had one of the Eagles’ five sacks against the Bills. “Obviously they had a little bit of a surge toward the end, but we were able to do what we needed to do offensively, defensively, and special teams wise to come out with the win. Gritty games like that are things you need to have to prepare yourself for the long haul.”

    The Eagles may not be the most dynamic team heading into the postseason, but they will be the most prepared.

    They have faced 10 of the top 13 quarterbacks in the NFL in terms of passing yards with a 3-1 record against the top three. They are 4-1 against the top seven QBR leaders. They have won games against five of the six quarterbacks who, along with Jalen Hurts, lead the NFL in wins over the last four seasons.

    Sunday was the 10th time in 16 games that the Eagles faced a team that ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in either offensive or defensive yards per play (as of Sunday).

    Kevin Patullo on struggles of Eagles offense: ’It never comes down to one thing.’

    They have faced four of the NFL’s five highest-scoring offenses. They’ve faced five of the six quarterbacks who entered Sunday with the most passing yards, and three of the four who entered with the highest passer ratings. They have faced five of the seven defenses that entered Sunday with the highest rating, according to Pro Football Reference’s rating system.

    These have been the Eagles’ hallmarks throughout Hurts’ tenure at quarterback and Nick Sirianni’s at head coach. Sunday’s win over the Bills only added to a road record that is the best in the NFL since Sirianni’s arrival.

    “I think that’s a product of really good players and good coaches, and so it’s everything that goes into that, but good mental toughness,” Sirianni said Monday. “I think that really signifies your mental toughness, too.

    “We experienced some highs and some lows [on Sunday], and we were able to continue to be relentless in our approach handling ups and downs. They ended up making a critical mistake in the game and we didn’t, which ended up being the difference in that game. So again, coming down to fundamentals. Just great resilience by the guys in there, and we prepare for that as coaches and players.”

    Resilience is great. But even better is playing well enough to avoid the situations that test your resilience. That tension of opposites will determine the Eagles’ ultimate fate in the playoffs.

  • Kevin Patullo on struggles of Eagles offense: ’It never comes down to one thing.’

    Kevin Patullo on struggles of Eagles offense: ’It never comes down to one thing.’

    Kevin Patullo entered Tuesday’s regularly scheduled news conference with the Eagles’ second-half performance against the Buffalo Bills top of mind.

    After a fairly efficient first half in Sunday night’s win, the offense was neutralized, mustering 17 yards on 17 plays in the second.

    The Eagles offensive coordinator said the coaching staff rewatched those 17 plays on the plane ride back to Philadelphia. The coaches went through them again on Monday, then returned to them Tuesday afternoon, all in an effort to get to the root of their issues.

    The common theme in the second half? Those persistent negative plays on early downs. Patullo acknowledged that four of the Eagles’ second-half drives featured inefficient first downs to put them in second-and-long. Those second-and-longs resulted in three third-and-longs.

    Saquon Barkley and the Eagles ground game again struggled to gain momentum against the Bills.

    “When you’re doing that, when that’s happening, it’s going to be very hard to move the ball,” Patullo said.

    Most of those early downs were running plays. Saquon Barkley averaged just 1.75 yards per carry in the second half (three first-down carries, five second-down carries). He had two rushes for negative yardage and two that went for 1 yard each.

    Patullo said in those situations, all the offense needs is a spark. It nearly had one late in the third quarter when Jalen Hurts initially completed a 17-yard pass to DeVonta Smith. After the Bills successfully challenged the ruling, the play was wiped off and the Eagles were back in third-and-long, putting them back in a rut they couldn’t escape.

    “Those are the frustrating pieces that we’re looking at as a staff,” Patullo said. “How do we get out of those? What do we need to do better as a coaching staff? How do we execute better? Because, really, it’s not just one person, one thing, one play style, one call, it’s everything. We’ve got to look at everything. So it never comes down to one thing. But it’s the whole, full picture of everybody working together, making sure we’re on the same page of getting those done.”

    Patullo said there is “something we kind of see a little bit right now” in terms of a fix, but he didn’t expand upon his findings.

    Offensive identity?

    The starting offense may not be able to work out those kinks in a game this week. Nick Sirianni said Monday that he was in the process of deciding whether the Eagles would rest their starters in the season finale against the Washington Commanders, even with the NFC’s No. 2 seed still up for grabs.

    So, if Hurts & Co. are finished with the regular season, what would Patullo consider the personality of the offense after 16 games? And what does he want to lean into heading into the playoffs?

    “I think there’s some things that we’re starting to see now that this is kind of who we want to be going forward,” Patullo said. “It’s kind of popped up as we’ve gone on throughout the season, because we’ve played such different games with different opponents that we’ve had and different styles of defenses. I think there’s certain things that Jalen’s doing a really, really nice job of, and we’ll continue to lean into that and just his exposure to things and experience in the playoffs will really help us going down the long road.”

    The Eagles are going to keep driving you crazy with their passive offense. Get used to it.

    Patullo wasn’t clear or direct in his response. Still, it’s evident that the Eagles want to establish the running game and build passing plays off those looks, whether they’re utilizing under-center runs and play-action passes or run/pass options from the shotgun. The problem is that they’ve been inconsistent in that endeavor, as evidenced by the tale of two halves that characterized Sunday’s performance.

    Neither the stats nor the eye test reflects well on the Eagles offense this season. The Eagles average 5.26 yards per play, the worst clip in the last five seasons under Sirianni. Their 36.7% third-down conversion rate is also the lowest in that span.

    Has the Eagles offense reached its potential? Or is there a chance, with all of its talent, that it can flip the switch in the playoffs?

    “I wouldn’t say there’s a switch,” Patullo said. “I think we’ve just been a little inconsistent. We know we have it in us to do what we need to do, because we’ve done it in spots. That’s what we’ve got to really lean into and press into and be detailed and do what we have to do.”

    Jalen Carter (98) shook off the rust and made a significant impact in the win over the Bills.

    Strong returns for Carter, Campbell

    Sunday’s game marked the return of Jalen Carter and Jihaad Campbell to the lineup after lengthy hiatuses.

    Carter, the 24-year-old defensive tackle, had been sidelined for three weeks while recovering from a pair of shoulder procedures. Campbell, the rookie inside linebacker, started his first game since Week 8 with Nakobe Dean out after hurting his hamstring against the Washington Commanders two weeks ago.

    Both Carter and Campbell had substantial workloads and made the most of them. Carter played 76% of the defensive snaps and posted a sack, a pass breakup, and a blocked extra point, while Campbell played 93% of the snaps and had seven tackles and a fumble recovery. Vic Fangio said Carter “played well” despite the layoff.

    “Really didn’t know how he would play, ’cause he missed three games, I believe,” the defensive coordinator said. “Didn’t practice until this past week, during that time. And I thought he played well. And I think he’s off to a good start. Hopefully he’ll build on that and play good down the stretch here and into the playoffs.”

    Similarly, Fangio spoke highly of Campbell, who could have more opportunities in the season finale.

    “I thought he did good,” Fangio said. “Obviously, there’s plays he’d like to have back and do over. But we don’t get mulligans. But I do think it will help him moving forward if he has to play again this week for Nakobe, and then if he has to be called upon in the playoff game.”

  • Week 18 NFL power rankings roundup: Eagles move up in some ratings, fall three spots in another

    Week 18 NFL power rankings roundup: Eagles move up in some ratings, fall three spots in another

    The Eagles escaped Highmark Stadium with a 13-12 win over the Buffalo Bills, extending their winning streak as they head into the last game of the regular season.

    After the win, the Birds have moved up in some of the national power rankings and have fallen three spots in another. As they prepare to host the Washington Commanders, here’s where they stand in the latest batch …

    The Ringer: Sixth

    The Eagles remain in the sixth spot in The Ringer’s power rankings. The outlet praised the Birds’ physicality but raised one big concern coming out of Sunday: “Can this team stop turtling in big games?”

    “The Eagles were clearly the more physical and better-prepared team in Sunday’s game against Buffalo, and were crushing the Bills late in the first half,” Diante Lee wrote. “If this team really was returning to its dominant 2024 form, the second half of that game would’ve been a perfect time to show it.

    “Instead, the Eagles sat on their 13-point lead, made predictable calls and hoped its offensive line would bully its way to a win — something that hasn’t happened all season — and Philadelphia only managed to escape with a one-point win because Josh Allen missed an open receiver on a two-point conversion attempt. Head coach Nick Sirianni says he needs to be ‘more involved’ in important moments, and I’m wondering why he would ever take his eye off the offense in the first place.”

    The Eagles rank behind the No. 5 New England Patriots and No. 4 Jacksonville Jaguars. The Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos remain at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.

    ESPN: Seventh

    The Eagles have moved up in ESPN’s power rankings — jumping up three spots from last week’s No. 10 ranking. As the regular season comes to an end, ESPN has learned “the Eagles have a Super Bowl-caliber defense, again.”

    Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio continues to earn national praise.

    “Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has been downright dominant since being hired by the Eagles in 2024,” Tim McManus wrote. “He orchestrated the No. 1 defense in football last season en route to Philadelphia’s second Lombardi Trophy and will deserve much of the credit should it snag a third this season. The unit ranks third in points allowed (18.8 per game) and ninth against the pass (193.4 yards per game). The Eagles showed against the Bills that they’re capable of quieting the best quarterbacks in the business.”

    The Eagles sit behind the No. 6 Jaguars, the No. 5 Los Angeles Rams, and the No. 4 San Francisco 49ers. The Seahawks remain in the top spot. Meanwhile, the New England Patriots have moved up two spots to the No. 2 ranking.

    Yahoo! Sports: Ninth

    Despite the win over the Bills, the Eagles have fallen in Yahoo! Sports’ power rankings. A poor offensive showing from the Birds in the second half was enough for the NFC East champs to fall three spots from last week’s No. 6 ranking.

    “In the second half at Buffalo, the Eagles did not complete a pass and had just 16 yards,” Frank Schwab wrote. “Maybe Philly shouldn’t move down three spots after a win at Buffalo, but the problems with its offense aren’t going away. The Eagles might be getting worse. Their defense was fantastic, keeping Buffalo off the scoreboard for the Bills’ first eight drives (not counting kneel downs) but it’s hard to go on a playoff run when you can’t crack 20 yards of offense in a half of football.”

    The Eagles trail the No. 8 Houston Texans and the No. 7 Chicago Bears. Meanwhile, the Seahawks remain at the No. 1 spot and the Broncos moved up to No. 2.

    CBS Sports: 10th

    The Eagles haven’t moved in CBS Sports’ power rankings, remaining at the No. 10 spot. The team sits below the No. 9 Bills, a team it just defeated, and the No. 8 Texans.

    “The defense is great. The offense isn’t,” Pete Prisco wrote. “Can they turn that offense around come playoff time?”

    Similar to last week, the Seahawks (No. 1) and the Patriots (No. 2) top the list.

    The Athletic: Ninth

    The Eagles moved up two spots from last week’s No. 11 ranking, trailing the No. 8 Bears and the No. 7 Texans. Despite their offensive inconsistencies, The Athletic praised Sirianni.

    “Philadelphia had 17 yards of offense in the second half Sunday and still won,” Josh Kendall and Chad Graff wrote. “It feels like something only Nick Sirianni could pull off. The Eagles’ sometimes embattled head coach has a .702 winning percentage in nearly five seasons at the helm, the highest in the league among active head coaches. He may have to retool his entire offensive staff in the offseason, but Sirianni probably will be coaching this team (and aggravating Eagles fans) for another decade.”

  • Nick Sirianni defends taunting Bills fans: ‘We had fun winning that game’

    Nick Sirianni defends taunting Bills fans: ‘We had fun winning that game’

    During the 2023 season, an emotional Nick Sirianni taunted Kansas City Chiefs fans following a narrow win by the Eagles.

    “Hey! I don’t hear any [expletive] anymore Chiefs fans!” Sirianni yelled as he left the field. “See ya!”

    Things went downhill from there. The Eagles went on to lose five of their next six games in an epic collapse that cost them an NFC East title, followed by an early playoff exit.

    That trash-talking Sirianni was back following Sunday’s win against Buffalo, where the Birds coach offered a similar-sounding taunt aimed at Bills fans.

    “There was a lot of talking by those Buffalo fans coming in. Not so much anymore!” Sirianni shouted as he exited the field. “Not so much anymore.”

    Wide receiver A.J. Brown, who was walking in next to Sirianni, didn’t appear too impressed by his coach’s outburst. Neither was 94.1 WIP morning show host Joe DeCamara.

    “Can he just not help himself?” DeCamara said during Monday’s broadcast. “I think he’s a great coach. This is an aspect of his thing I could do without.”

    So what got Sirianni so worked up? During an interview Tuesday morning on WIP, Sirianni said it didn’t have anything to do with growing up in nearby Jamestown, N.Y., or having friends and family in the stands. Instead, he offered a simpler explanation.

    “Football is fun,” Sirianni said. “It’s OK to show emotion. It’s fun to show emotion. Like, it’s OK to be excited.”

    Sirianni certainly hasn’t been shy showing his emotion during his five-year tenure as Eagles coach. It has led to some awkward moments, like when he yelled at Birds fans in the stands last season or was caught mugging for the camera after the Eagles went up 14-0 on the New York Giants during a 2023 playoff game.

    The outbursts might cause some fans to cringe, but you can’t question the results. Since Sirianni took over as head coach in 2021, the Eagles have advanced to the playoffs five straight seasons, played in two Super Bowls, and took home a Lombardi Trophy last season. Sirianni already ranks second in wins in franchise history (including the playoffs), and is just one of five head coaches in NFL history with a career winning percentage above .700.

    Even during Sunday’s game, Sirianni was seen on the sideline jawing with Bills players and celebrating following a first-quarter touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert.

    “We had fun winning that game,” Sirianni said. “And, yeah, you’re going to be emotional after the game and you’re going to be emotional in the game.”

    “I love seeing our guys show emotion after they make a big play, and I show emotion after they make a big play,” Sirianni added. “That’s one of the reasons why you get into coaching. You can’t make plays anymore, and you want to help other people make plays.”

    No update on whether Eagles starters will play

    If Sirianni has made a decision on whether to play or rest his starters Sunday against the Washington Commanders, he didn’t open up about it Tuesday morning.

    “We still have time,” Sirianni said. “There’s benefits to rest, there’s benefits to play, and we’ve just got to do what we think is best for the football team.”

    The Eagles will likely enter the playoffs as the No. 3 seed and face either the San Francisco 49ers or Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round. But the Birds could move up to the No. 2 seed and face the Green Bay Packers with a win Sunday and a loss by the Chicago Bears against the Detroit Lions.

    Rams loss eliminates one Eagles wild-card opponent as playoffs approach

    Columnist David Murphy thinks Sirianni’s lack of a straight answer is a signal he’s giving serious thought to resting his starters.

    “If the Eagles punt on Week 18, it will allow the coaching staff and front office to spend an extra week preparing for the playoffs. It will give Jalen Hurts and the rest of the starters the ability to participate in that scouting and game-planning process,” Murphy wrote. “That’s a big, big deal.”

  • Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald lead Pro Football Hall of Fame modern era finalists

    Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald lead Pro Football Hall of Fame modern era finalists

    Quarterback Drew Brees and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald headlined a group of four modern era finalists in their first year of eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

    Tight end Jason Witten and running back Frank Gore were the two other first-year eligible players who were also announced Tuesday among the 15 finalists.

    Willie Anderson, Torry Holt, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri were guaranteed spots after advancing to the final seven in voting for the 2025 class. There are six other returning finalists with Eli Manning, Reggie Wayne, Jahri Evans, Marshall Yanda, Terrell Suggs and Darren Woodson all making it back to this stage.

    Defensive tackle Kevin Williams made it to the finalist stage for the first time in his sixth year of eligibility.

    The Eagles are going to keep driving you crazy with their passive offense. Get used to it.

    The 50-person selection committee will vote on the 15 finalists next month with the results announced Feb. 5 at “NFL Honors.” Between three and five of the finalists will be inducted in the second year of this current format.

    In addition to the modern era finalists, the selection committee will also consider seniors candidates Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood, coaching candidate Bill Belichick and contributor Robert Kraft. Between one and three of those finalists will make it into the Hall.

    Only four people got in last year for the smallest class in 20 years.

    Brees and Fitzgerald are the top new candidates this year.

    Brees is second all time to Tom Brady with 80,358 yards passing and 571 touchdown passes. He spent the first five seasons of his career with the San Diego Chargers before signing as a free agent with the Saints in 2006, where his career took off as he helped lift a city still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

    Brees delivered to New Orleans its first Super Bowl title following the 2009 season, when he won MVP of the game after beating Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. Brees made the Pro Bowl 13 times in his career, won AP Offensive Player of the Year in 2008 and 2011, was an All-Pro in 2006 and was a second-team All-Pro four times.

    Fitzgerald spent his entire career with the Arizona Cardinals after being drafted third overall in 2004. His 1,432 catches and 17,492 yards receiving in 17 seasons rank second all time to Jerry Rice.

    Fitzgerald topped 1,000 yards receiving nine times — tied for the fourth most ever — and helped the Cardinals reach their only Super Bowl following the 2008 season. Fitzgerald set single-season records that postseason with 546 yards receiving and seven TD catches, including a go-ahead 64-yard score with 2:37 to play in the Super Bowl before Pittsburgh rallied for a 27-23 win over Arizona.

    Witten was one of the most prolific tight ends with his 1,228 catches and 13,046 yards ranking second best all time. Witten was a two-time All-Pro for Dallas and was a second-team All-Pro two other times.

    Gore ranks third all time with 16,000 yards rushing with nine 1,000-yard seasons and five Pro Bowl honors.

    The Eagles wouldn’t be foolish to rest their starters in Week 18. But they’d better be right.

    Kuechly’s career was brief but impactful. The first-round pick by Carolina in 2012 was an All-Pro five times, with seven Pro Bowl nods and a Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

    Over his eight-year career, Kuechly led all linebackers in the NFL in tackles (1,090), takeaways (26), interceptions (18) and passes defensed (66).

    Vinatieri was one of the most clutch kickers in NFL history, making the game-winning field goals in the first two Super Bowl victories during New England’s dynasty.

    He helped launch the run with one of the game’s greatest kicks — a 45-yarder in the snow to force overtime in the “Tuck Rule” game against the Raiders in the 2001 divisional round. He made the game-winning kick in OT to win that game and then hit a 48-yarder on the final play of a 20-17 win in the Super Bowl against the Rams.

    Vinatieri is the NFL’s career leader in points (2,673) and made field goals (599) over a 24-year career with New England and Indianapolis. He also leads all players with 56 field goals and 238 points in the postseason.

    Holt was a key part of the Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf,” helping the team win the Super Bowl in his rookie season in 1999 and getting back there two years later. Holt led the NFL in yards receiving in 2000 and in catches and yards in 2003 when he made his only All-Pro team.

    Holt finished his career with 920 catches for 13,382 yards and 74 TDs.

    Anderson was considered one of the top right tackles in his era after being a first-round pick by Cincinnati in 1996. He spent nearly his entire career with the Bengals and made three straight All-Pro teams from 2004-06.

    Among the candidates who didn’t advance from the 26 semifinalists were quarterback Philip Rivers, who was taken off the ballot when he came out of retirement, and offensive lineman Steve Wisniewski, who was in his final year of eligibility as a modern era candidate.

    Two finalists from last year also didn’t advance with running back Fred Taylor and receiver Steve Smith Sr. falling short.

  • Rams loss eliminates one Eagles wild-card opponent as playoffs approach

    Rams loss eliminates one Eagles wild-card opponent as playoffs approach

    The Eagles will host a playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field during the first round of the NFL playoffs, and got a clearer sense of who their opponent will be Monday night.

    The Los Angeles Rams (11-5) lost to the Atlanta Falcons (7-9) Monday night, a surprising outcome that could have a big impact on the NFC playoff picture, not to mention which team the Birds (11-5) will face in their wild-card game.

    Eagles news: Updated playoff picture; Nick Sirianni taunts Bills fans; injury report

    Here’s everything on the line and how it could impact the Eagles:

    NFC playoff picture

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    NFC West playoff scenarios

    The math is pretty easy here. The winner of Week 18’s matchup between the San Francisco 49ers (12-4) and the Seattle Seahawks (13-3) will end up deciding the NFC West champion and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

    The Rams had an outside chance at claiming the division, but they were officially eliminated from contention by the 49ers’ win Sunday night. Now the best Los Angeles can do is the No. 5 seed.

    Who will the Eagles play in the wild-card round?

    Which team the Eagles face in the first round of the playoffs will ultimately be decided by what happens in Week 18. The Rams loss Monday night eliminates the possibility the Eagles will face the Seahawks first in the postseason.

    It also makes it most likely the Eagles will face the Rams in the wild-card round.

    Here is a breakdown of the Eagles’ potential wild-card opponents, excluding ties:

    • No. 2 Eagles vs. No. 7 Packers: Eagles win vs. Commanders AND Bears loss to the Detroit Lions (8-8)
    • No. 3 Eagles vs. No. 6 Rams: Eagles loss or Bears win
    • No. 3 Eagles vs. No. 6 49ers: Rams win vs. Cardinals AND Seahawks win vs. 49ers

    The Falcons can ruin the NFC South’s win-and-you’re-in game

    With both teams losing Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9) and Carolina Panthers (8-8) will face off in a Week 18 win-and-you’re-in game for the NFC South title.

    The winner will claim the division crown and the NFC’s No. 4 seed, which means it will host a game against the No. 5 seed.

    Unless the Falcons and Buccaneers win in Week 18, which would force a three-way tie at 8-9 atop the NFC South.

    In that unlikely case, the first tiebreaker would be head-to-head among the three teams, which the Panthers would win.

    Two AFC divisions will be decided in Week 18

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    • AFC North: The Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) and Baltimore Ravens (8-8) will meet with a playoff berth on the line. The winner becomes the AFC’s No. 4 seed and claims the conference’s final postseason spot, while the loser watches the playoffs from the couch.
    • AFC South: The Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4) will claim their first division crown since 2022 with a win against the Tennessee Titans (3-13) or a Houston Texans (11-5) loss to the Indianapolis Colts (8-8). The Texans need a win and a Jaguars loss to win the AFC South.
  • The Eagles wouldn’t be foolish to rest their starters in Week 18. But they’d better be right.

    The Eagles wouldn’t be foolish to rest their starters in Week 18. But they’d better be right.

    I really don’t know where to begin. Maybe with my Ron Burgundy voice.

    I don’t believe you.

    That means you, Nick Sirianni. And you, fellow media members. The big question from Sirianni’s news conference Monday isn’t a question at all. In fact, the Eagles coach is making an obvious error — albeit minor and forgivable — by playing along. There is simply no possible way he could be entertaining the idea of resting his starters in their regular-season finale against the Commanders in Week 18. Not with all the Eagles would stand to gain as the No. 2 seed, which would be theirs with a win over Washington and a Bears loss to the Lions.

    Why wouldn’t the Eagles go for the No. 2 seed? Nick Sirianni pointed to the Super Bowl for some insight.

    Right?

    Uh … right?

    “This is a marathon of a season,” Sirianni said Monday, one day after the Eagles eked out a 13-12 win over the Bills and then watched the Bears lose to the 49ers and thus fail to secure the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs. “Yes, your seeding is not locked down yet, but you are thinking, ‘Hey, can I put ourselves in the best position seeding-wise,’ while also you’re thinking to yourself how important byes are and creating them if you don’t earn the right for the first-round bye. Those are all things you’ve got to think through and go through.

    “I think a lot of guys would say last year that that was a big deal, being able to have a built-in bye last year to set us up for what we ultimately did last year.”

    C’mon, Nick! I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt here. You’re only doing that thing where you play the dummy on TV. We both know how good at this job you are. Few coaches in the NFL have as good of an understanding of what it takes to win in this league. Nobody has a better feel for his team, for his players, for his competitive reality. You know who the Eagles are and what they need and what situations will set them up for success.

    Nick Sirianni was unsurprisingly noncommittal when asked Monday if he intended to roll out his starters for the final regular-season game or rest them.

    Surely, you would agree with this long list of things that your team doesn’t need:

    • The Eagles don’t need a wild-card matchup against the Rams. Nor the 49ers. Nor the Seahawks. But especially not the Rams.
    • They don’t need a divisional round road game against a team they’ve already lost to in a stadium where the high temperature on Monday was 24 degrees with wind speeds well into the double digits.
    • They certainly don’t need any whiff of a quarterback controversy, which means they certainly don’t need to spend next week prepping for a playoff game while answering questions about Tanner McKee. And that means they don’t need their home crowd to watch McKee shred the hapless Commanders on Sunday, one week after Jalen Hurts failed to complete a pass in the second half of their narrow win over the Bills.

    The Eagles would eliminate all of these possibilities by securing the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs. So, why wouldn’t they try their darndest to do so? Why would Sirianni even think about keeping Hurts on the sidelines and sending McKee and the second-teamers out there on Sunday?

    Eagles just might muddle their way to another Super Bowl, thanks to Jalen Carter and the NFL’s best defense

    I’m assuming the argument is as follows. The Eagles do not control their own destiny with regard to the second seed. If the Bears beat the Lions next week, Chicago gets the No. 2 seed, regardless of how the Eagles fare against the Commanders. The Lions don’t have anything to play for and the Bears just came up 3 yards short of beating a 49ers team that has a 50% chance to enter the playoffs as the NFC’s top overall seed. Chances are, the Bears beat the Lions (they are 2.5-point favorites). Thus, chances are, the Eagles are locked into the third seed and will be hosting one of the three NFC West powers instead of the sputtering Packers. In which case, the Eagles would gain far more by giving their starters an extra week to rest and prepare for the playoffs than they would by winning a meaningless game.

    OK, I’ll admit. It’s a compelling argument, especially when you consider how much the Eagles seemed to gain by resting their starters in Week 18 last season.

    An even more compelling argument is the one that Sirianni wouldn’t dare say out loud. I suspect it might be the real reason he is giving serious thought to resting his starters. The reason is Sirianni himself. And his coaches. If the Eagles punt on Week 18, it will allow the coaching staff and front office to spend an extra week preparing for the playoffs. It will give Hurts and the rest of the starters the ability to participate in that scouting and game-planning process. That’s a big, big deal.

    Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts did not complete any of his seven passes in the second half against the Bills.

    It doesn’t really matter that the Eagles don’t know who they will be playing. The extra week would allow them to prepare for everybody, and those preparations can pay dividends throughout the playoffs if and when they run into those teams. In short, rest for the players is more of a bonus. The real benefit of looking past the Commanders is the preparation.

    On the other hand … The benefits of the No. 2 seed are much more real this year than they are in a lot of years. The Packers are, by far, the easier matchup in the wild-card round. You’d much rather host them and then host a divisional round game and then potentially host an NFC championship game than any of the alternatives.

    As for the McKee thing … Sirianni will shrug it off. I can’t imagine it will be a consideration. But you are fooling yourself if you don’t look at it as a potential downside. If Hurts’ backup goes out there and looks like a world-beater on the eve of the playoffs, it will only ratchet up the pressure on the Eagles’ starter. To be clear, the people calling for McKee would be wildly off base. It’s a silly notion to think anybody but Hurts gives the Eagles the best chance to win a football game. But perceptions are what they are. And they can definitely bleed into a locker room.

    Eagles’ inexplicable second half offense nearly soils defensive gem vs. Josh Allen and the Bills

    Long story short, Sirianni’s decision is much tougher than it looks at first glance. The extra week of internal preparation is incredibly valuable. The Eagles can still beat the Commanders with the backups playing, while allowing the starters to focus their practice weeks on the postseason.

    I just keep coming back to one thought. Imagine if everything breaks in a certain direction. The Bears lose. The Rams end up as the sixth seed. But the Eagles’ backups lose to the Commanders and their road to the Super Bowl ends up being home vs. the Rams, then on the road at the Bears, then on the road at the Seahawks or 49ers.

    All season, Sirianni preaches that the NFL is all about handling the opponent in front of you and then letting the other stuff sort itself out. Now, more than ever, he should listen to himself.

  • The Eagles are going to keep driving you crazy with their passive offense. Get used to it.

    The Eagles are going to keep driving you crazy with their passive offense. Get used to it.

    The quieter his offense is, the louder Nick Sirianni gets. There he was Sunday night, strutting down a tunnel at Highmark Stadium in the aftermath of the Eagles’ 13-12 victory over the Bills, crowing about how all those Buffalo fans had nothing more to say, how they didn’t have so much bleep to talk anymore. He caught up to A.J. Brown and turned to look him in the eye, and Brown shot a smirk back that said, Coach, did you watch us try to move the ball after halftime?

    Did Sirianni watch it? Of course. Did he care? My guess: only so much. If you’re complaining about the Eagles’ impotent offense and unimaginative play-calling both from Sunday’s second half and from several previous games this season, if you’re waiting for Sirianni and coordinator Kevin Patullo to have some eureka moment and suddenly start dazzling everyone with their play designs and a wide-open style of offense, you’re missing the key to understanding the 2025 Eagles.

    They want to play like this. They want to rely on their defense. They want to limit every and any available possibility that their offense and special teams might commit a turnover. It took some time and some trial and some error, but they’ve settled on an approach, and this is it.

    Running back Saquon Barkley (right) embraces defensive tackle Jalen Carter after the Eagles defense stopped the Bills on a two-point conversion attempt late in the fourth quarter Sunday.

    By they, I don’t necessarily mean Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman. They’re happy with the wins, to be sure, and they’re surely thrilled that Roseman and Vic Fangio have worked to create a defense of such quality that the Eagles can gain all of 17 yards in a single half and still hold on to beat a Super Bowl contender, which is what happened Sunday. But you can pretty much guarantee that Lurie, in particular, is looking at the money and salary-cap space that he has allocated to Brown, Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, and Cam Jurgens and asking himself, Did I really spend all that money so Jalen could hand the ball to Saquon on delayed inside handoffs in second-and-long situations?

    No, by they, I mean Sirianni. If he rented a small plane, attached to its tail a banner that read, WHEN WE DON’T TURN IT OVER WE WIN, and flew it over Lincoln Financial Field, he could not be more overt about his intentions here, about the way he wants the Eagles to play. He even put the lie to the notion that nothing revealing comes out of HBO Max’s Hard Knocks series anymore, because the cameras captured him in a team meeting earlier this month spelling out this strategy.

    Eagles’ inexplicable second half offense nearly soils defensive gem vs. Josh Allen and the Bills

    “This is what it’s about this week,” he said to an auditorium full of players. “We’ve got to be obsessed with the football. We’ve got to be obsessed with the [expletive] football. When we take care of the football, it is so hard to beat us. When we turn the football over as a defense, it is so hard to beat us. …

    “This is the most important fundamental we have. We’ve got to be so locked in to this, because as we continue on this year, this is what presses us: the ball, the ball, the ball, the ball. We win when we take care of the football. We win when we turn them over on defense.”

    During Sirianni’s five-year tenure as their head coach, the Eagles have won 42 of the 44 games in which they have committed fewer turnovers than their opponents; that record includes Sunday’s win, when Josh Allen lost a fumble while trying to fend off Jaelan Phillips and the Eagles did nothing so daring that might have cost them possession of the football. That 42-2 mark is a stark and striking statistic, one that has a talismanic quality for Sirianni. He believes in its power so deeply that he is willing to bet that the Eagles can build an early lead, then hold any opponent at bay thereafter.

    Let us raise a glass to the Tush Push. It’s dead, and the Eagles have to find an alternative.

    Two games from the last five weeks are particularly insightful in this regard. On Nov. 23, the Eagles lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 24-21, after getting out to an early 21-point lead. On Dec. 8, they moved the ball well against the Los Angeles Chargers but still lost, 22-19 in overtime, largely because Hurts threw four interceptions and lost a fumble. One could certainly conclude from those losses that the Eagles should have continued to be aggressive on offense, that it would be a mistake for them to dial back their aggressiveness. They tore up the Dallas defense for that game’s first 15½ minutes, and it took an all-time terrible performance from Hurts, maybe the worst of his career, to cost them a victory against the Chargers.

    Eagles coach Nick Sirianni banters with Buffalo Bills fans after Sunday’s victory in Orchard Park, N.Y.

    But after scoring a combined 60 points against a couple of bad teams (the Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Commanders), the Eagles went right back to being conservative against a good team, the Bills. The lesson that Sirianni took from the Dallas and L.A. losses wasn’t, In one game, we took our foot off the gas pedal, and it came back to bite us. In the other, Jalen had the kind of game that he’s unlikely to have again. So we can afford to open things up. No, the lesson he took was, We opened things up, and we lost. We can’t afford to do that again.

    Can the Eagles return to the Super Bowl and win it again this way? Yes, they can. But that doesn’t mean they will, and even if they do, their journey there will be stressful and tenuous, with winter storms and giant potholes. But this is the road they’ve chosen. So stop mentioning the firepower that they have on offense, the players whose talents are being wasted. Stop arguing over whether Hurts is a winning winner who just wins or a fraud who has been propped up by the infrastructure around him. Those discussions are pointless. This is who the Eagles have been this season. This is who they are. This is who they’re going to be. They don’t have Trent Dilfer at quarterback, but they’re going to play like they do. Get used to it.

  • What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 18 vs. the Commanders

    What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 18 vs. the Commanders

    Another week, another ugly win for the Eagles.

    Thanks to Vic Fangio’s defense, the Eagles outlasted Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, 13-12, on Sunday. While the Eagles offense posted just 17 yards on 17 plays in the second half, their defense made just enough stops to seal the victory.

    Despite all of the ugliness that has characterized the Eagles’ season, particularly for the offense, the NFC’s No. 2 seed is still in play. The Eagles are familiar with that path, having begun last season’s playoffs as the No. 2 seed on their quest to the Super Bowl.

    Eagles favored over Commanders in Week 18; Super Bowl odds take a dip despite win

    The Chicago Bears are the only team in their way. An Eagles win at home over the 4-12 Washington Commanders in the regular-season finale on Sunday and a Bears loss to the Detroit Lions in Chicago would make Philadelphia the No. 2 seed. That improved seeding would lock in a wild-card matchup against the reeling, Micah Parsons-less Green Bay Packers.

    Here’s what we know (and what we don’t) about the Eagles heading into Week 18:

    Play his starters on Sunday or rest them for the playoffs? There are risks and rewards with either decision for Eagles coach Nick Sirianni.

    To rest or not to rest?

    Hamlet didn’t know what he was talking about. The real question, at least to Nick Sirianni this week, is: to rest or not to rest the Eagles’ starters?

    Sirianni will be tasked with deciding whether the starters should play against the Commanders on Sunday in an effort to improve their chances at the No. 2 seed. There are risks and rewards associated with either decision.

    If all of the starters play, the Eagles likely have their best chance at a win vs. lowly Washington. But Sirianni has been burned by playing his starters in the season finale. In the last regular-season game of the 2023 season against the New York Giants, A.J. Brown injured his knee, which sidelined him for the wild-card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following week.

    Jalen Hurts also hurt a finger on his throwing hand against the Giants, although he ended up playing against Tampa Bay.

    Even Skip Bayless thinks Eagles are headed back to Super Bowl after ‘impressive’ win. Here’s what they’re saying.

    Technically, the starters had something to play for in Week 18. The Eagles could have had a shot at the No. 1 seed with a win, but they were also at the mercy of the Dallas Cowboys, who were playing simultaneously against the Commanders. Dallas ultimately won and clinched the division.

    Could Sirianni take the same approach with his starters this time around? The Eagles likely have a better shot at beating the Commanders with Hurts, Brown, Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert than they do with Tanner McKee, Will Shipley, Jahan Dotson, Darius Cooper, and Grant Calcaterra.

    But would they still have a decent shot with the backups? It’s possible. After all, the Commanders were down numerous key players in their Christmas Day loss to the Cowboys last week, including quarterback Marcus Mariota (the de facto starter with Jayden Daniels shut down) and left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Center Tyler Biadasz left the game with knee and ankle injuries.

    Perhaps there is a middle ground in which some of the Eagles starters play and others sit. Sirianni offered a window into his thinking Sunday night after the starters beat the Bills when he discussed the importance of coming out of the game healthy.

    “I thought it was really important that we played in this particular game,” Sirianni said. “Fortunately, we got through this, I think. I haven’t talked to the doctors yet, but fortunately we got through this. … I know there will be some bumps and bruises, but we’ve got through what we needed to get through and you feel really good.”

    Jalen Carter and the Eagles defense were dominant again on Sunday against the Bills.

    The age-old question

    Seventeen games and 17 “what we know” exercises later, we still don’t know if this style of victory from the Eagles — a dominant defensive performance and just enough firepower on offense — will be sustainable in the playoffs.

    It might seem unlikely any other year. As noted ahead of the Week 12 loss to the Cowboys, only one Super Bowl champion offense in the last seven seasons registered a negative expected points added (EPA) per play during the regular season — the 2023 Kansas City Chiefs (-.04). EPA measures how much one play improves or hurts a team’s chances of scoring.

    The Eagles are sitting at an EPA of -.02 this season (tied for 11th in the NFL) after their third-worst showing of the year against the Bills (-.21).

    But is there enough parity in the NFL this season that the Eagles could still win this way in the postseason?

    Eagles’ inexplicable second half offense nearly soils defensive gem vs. Josh Allen and the Bills

    Maybe. Every team in the league has its flaws, as evidenced by the fluctuation of the NFC playoff seeding over the last couple of weeks. The Eagles’ path to a repeat is made easier by the Kansas City Chiefs no longer being the perennial powerhouses they once were, too.

    The Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning offense was also flawed, but not this flawed, especially in the running game. Even if the 2025 Eagles can win this way, Sirianni made it clear that it’s not the way he necessarily wants to win. The Eagles beat the Bills, but Sirianni emphasized that he wasn’t satisfied with the offensive showing and pushed back on the notion that he was playing not to lose in the second half.

    “We weren’t in a mode of saying, ‘Hey, [a] 13-0 [lead] is enough,’” Sirianni said after the game. “Not against this quarterback. Not against this offense. So I don’t think our mindset was ever that.”

    The Eagles’ Braden Mann is tied for third in the NFL with 69 punts.

    Mann of the year

    It’s a miracle that Braden Mann’s leg is still attached to his body at this point in the season. When you punt for the New York Jets for three years, though, you’re probably used to a hefty workload.

    Mann, the Eagles’ 28-year-old punter, is tied for third in the league with 69 punts. He’s been an unsung hero when the offense sputters. Mann is one of just six punters averaging more than 50 yards per punt (he ranks fifth in the league at 50.4).

    The Eagles will need every edge they can get heading into the playoffs, including continued contributions from Mann. He’s hitting his stride heading into the postseason. Even in the wet conditions, Mann had one of his best showings of the year against the Bills.

    Eagles just might muddle their way to another Super Bowl, thanks to Jalen Carter and the NFL’s best defense

    He averaged 55.4 yards per punt on Sunday (388 yards on seven punts), his third-best rate of the year. Mann had a pair of punts for over 60 yards (65 and 62) and he pinned the Bills inside their own 20 twice (the 17-yard line and the 10). Even while their special-teams unit attempted to block his punts, Mann didn’t flinch.

    “They were coming after us to try and block a lot of them and our interior did a really good job,” Mann said after the game. “So I’m always super comfortable in there, which is not something that needs to be overlooked. And then I trust the gunners on the outside. They do such a good job on our coverage team. So I can just punt freely, and I think that helps.”

    From the Bills to Bill

    The Commanders are full steam ahead on the Hot Mess Express, but they have one emerging offensive weapon not named Terry McLaurin who could provide a challenge to the Eagles defense.

    Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt, the 24-year-old rookie running back, is coming off his second career 100-yard rushing performance against the Cowboys. Granted, the majority of that total came on a 72-yard house call that helped the Commanders chip away at Dallas’ 14-point lead at the time.

    Still, he had 11 carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns on Thursday, an uptick in volume over his eight carries for 25 yards and a score two weeks ago against the Eagles. Croskey-Merritt earned more touches in the absence of Chris Rodriguez, who was inactive with an illness.

    How the Eagles’ ‘sturdy’ defense weathered the storm in Buffalo to squeak by the Bills

    The Commanders have nothing to lose, so perhaps they will look to get their rookie more involved in the season finale.

    The Eagles defense will be up for any kind of challenge on the ground. Even in the absence of Nakobe Dean, the Eagles limited Bills running James Cook, the league’s leader in rushing yards, to just 74 yards on 20 carries (3.7 yards per carry, his fourth-lowest clip of the season).