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

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

    The first round of the College Football Playoff gets underway Friday with Oklahoma taking on Alabama (8 p.m., 6ABC).

    Three more games follow on Saturday: Miami-Texas A&M, Mississippi-Tulane, and Oregon-James Madison. There will be plenty of draft prospects to keep an eye on, especially ones who could end up on the Eagles next season with the team projected to have eight picks in the 2026 draft.

    Here’s a look at the players the Eagles should be keeping a close eye on this weekend.

    Tight end Kenyon Sadiq leads Oregon in receptions (40) and touchdowns (eight).

    Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon

    The Oregon offense has plenty of weapons at quarterback Dante Moore’s disposal, but no one may be quite as important as tight end Sadiq, who leads the team in receptions (40) and touchdowns (eight). The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Sadiq is more of a receiving tight end than blocker, but he has tenacious effort in the run game, kicking out edge rushers and driving linebackers and secondary players backward in space.

    Sadiq is an explosive athlete who thrives working the seam and finding soft spots in zone coverage. And his value in the red zone is noteworthy, with his ability to win vertically against secondary players and athleticism to catch passes in congested areas. The Eagles have a long-term need at tight end, despite Dallas Goedert’s strong year, and Sadiq can bring youth and elite athleticism to the room.

    Francis Mauigoa, RT, Miami

    Over the summer, Mauigoa was at Lane Johnson’s OL Masterminds event in Dallas, picking the brain of one of the most consistent tackles in the NFL. That time with Johnson has seemed to pay off for Mauigoa, who is technically refined as a pass protector and a mauler as a run blocker.

    Across 394 pass-blocking snaps, Mauigoa has allowed just two sacks and nine pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. Though the three-year starter has made all of his appearances in college at right tackle, some teams view Mauigoa as a high-level guard with his run-blocking prowess. Whether the Eagles view him as a guard or tackle, the 6-6, 335-pound lineman would be a nice addition at either spot.

    Cashius Howell, DE, Texas A&M

    Howell, who was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year last week, is one of the few edge rushers in this class with first-round worthy film, but his 30¾-inch arms, well below the NFL’s standard of 32-inch arms, may scare some teams off. But his athleticism and fluidity running the arc as a pass rusher makes him hard to ignore.

    Though he needs to work on his run defense, Howell’s pass-rush ability will be coveted. In a class without many top-end edge rushers, he seems like a good bet to go in the back half of Round 1. Edge rusher probably isn’t the most pressing need for the Eagles’ defense, but Howell would bring some additional juice to it.

    Emmanuel Pregnon, G, Oregon

    Playing for his third school in five years, Oregon’s left guard is a road grader in the run game, easily passes off defensive line stunts, and isn’t afraid to clean up a pocket if he isn’t blocking a defensive lineman. Pregnon has a powerful initial punch to redirect pass rushers and climbs to the second-level of a defense on double-team blocks in the run game.

    He has only surrendered three pressures across 351 pass-blocking snaps, according to PFF, and is rarely caught out of position. He has experience at both guard spots and could slot in at right guard if the Eagles feel the need to upgrade with Tyler Steen entering the final year of his contract next season.

    KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M

    The Eagles could be looking to upgrade their receiver room with Jahan Dotson set to be a free agent after this season, though drafting a wideout early seems unlikely. Still, Concepcion is a dynamic receiver who has returned to his freshman form this season, consistently winning on a vertical plane and creating explosive plays with the ball in his hands.

    Concepcion transferred from North Carolina State and has become the Aggies’ top receiver, leading the team in receptions (57), receiving yards (886), and touchdowns (nine). He recently won the Paul Hornung Award, which is given to the most versatile player in college football, and would be a welcome addition to the Eagles’ passing attack.

    Will Lee, CB, Texas A&M

    Though Adoree’ Jackson has settled into the corner spot across from Quinyon Mitchell, the Eagles could still look to upgrade the position. Lee is a physical, long defensive back who excels at disrupting routes and breaking on timing routes on an island. An exceptional athlete who is sticky in man coverage, Lee doesn’t have quite the same production as last year when he had two interceptions. But he has seven passes defended this season and has allowed catches on just 54.5% of his targets.

    While he can get overly aggressive and grabby on routes (six penalties in 2025) and must find the ball better in man coverage situations, Lee has the size (6-1, 189 pounds) and competitiveness to excel at the NFL level. A good showing against Miami could be a big stock booster.

    Oklahoma pass rusher R Mason Thomas was limited by injury this season, but he’s still been productive.

    R Mason Thomas, DL, Oklahoma

    The Oklahoma pass rusher has been limited to just nine games because of injury, but his production hardly decreased with nine tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks for the Sooners. Thomas is an elite rusher with excellent closing speed to run the pass rush arc and has a lethal speed-to-power conversion in his repertoire.

    Like Howell, Thomas is likely to be a pass-rush specialist early in his NFL career, but his value getting after the quarterback should still have him selected within the first two rounds of the 2026 draft.

    Akheem Mesidor, DL, Miami

    All of the attention will be on Miami’s star pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr., an expected early-round pick, but versatile edge rusher Mesidor deserves some love, too. The sixth-year senior has inside-out pass-rush ability, possesses strong, active hands, and a quick first step to turn the corner on offensive linemen.

    He played more of an interior role in 2024, but has a natural fit as a defensive end. Mesidor plays with good leverage and hand usage in the run game, and though he’s an older prospect (24), he can make an immediate impact along a defensive line in need of players who can man multiple spots. Mesidor has a career-high 12 tackles for loss and has matched a career high in sacks with seven in 11 games this season.

  • The Big Picture: Eagles big shut out, Sixers defend home court, and the week’s best sports photos

    The Big Picture: Eagles big shut out, Sixers defend home court, and the week’s best sports photos

    Each Friday, Inquirer photo editors pick the best Philly sports images from the last seven days. This week, the Eagles dominated the Las Vegas Raiders, 31-0, to end a three-game losing streak and secure their first shut out win since 2018.

    The Flyers took the Carolina Hurricanes to a shootout last Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena, but lost 4-3. The Sixers, though, defended home court with a strong performance by Joel Embiid in last week’s 10-point win over the Indiana Pacers.

    Meanwhile, Villanova picked up a much-needed nonconference win over Pittsburgh, buoyed by a strong performance from Duke Brennan.

    And finally, our Alex Coffey spoke to Billy Gordon’s family, who still has his VHS collection of basketball games of nearly five decades in Cobbs Creek.

    Our photographers were on hand for it all.

    Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kenny Pickett gets his jersey grabbed by Eagles linebacker Jalyx Hunt during the third quarter of Sunday’s game.
    Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts evades Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Darien Porter during a run in Sunday’s game.
    Eagles linebacker Jalyx Hunt watches the action as snow falls at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.
    Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert drops a pass in the end zone against the Raiders on Sunday.
    Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith catches the football with Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Darien Porter in coverage during the second quarter of Sunday’s game.
    Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson (center) stops a shot attempt from Carolina Hurricanes left wing Nikolaj Ehlers (right) with teammate Ty Murchison last Saturday night.
    Flyers center Trevor Zegras celebrates his first period goal against the Hurricanes last Saturday.
    Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe is fouled by Pacers forward Pascal Siakam while attempting a dunk last Friday. The Sixers won 115-105.
    Villanova forward Duke Brennan (center) is defended by Pittsburgh forward Roman Siulepa (right) during the first half at Finneran Pavilion on Saturday. Villanova own 79-61.
    Crates filled with various tapes of NCAA, NBA, and WNBA games from 1986 to 2024 in the room of Billy Gordon in Philadelphia, Pa., on Saturday. Gordon taped and collected men’s and women’s college and professional game broadcasts for 38 years until his death in 2024.
  • Meet the Eagles fan tracking every team’s Tush Push success — and whether they voted to ban it

    Meet the Eagles fan tracking every team’s Tush Push success — and whether they voted to ban it

    Andrew Bowe was so irritated by the idea that the NFL might ban the Tush Push that he decided to do something about it.

    Bowe, a native of Plymouth Meeting, didn’t have the power that Jason Kelce had, to walk into the room with the NFL owners and make its case, but after a friend of his mentioned that he wished someone would track the Tush Push data, the software engineer had a new project.

    Enter, tushpush.fyi.

    “There’s plenty of teams out there that are running it that voted against it,” Bowe said. “I wanted to create a repository of these teams that are kind of hypocritical, in that they’re kind of trying to ban the play, but at the same time they’re running it and actually being almost more successful than the Eagles are this season.”

    Eagles a near-touchdown favorite for matchup at Commanders; plus, odds for Jalen Hurts and more

    The site tracks the overall NFL success rate on Tush Push plays, based on a set of criteria, which requires that the player who takes the snap carries the ball, the play goes up the middle and the player receives a push from anyone lined up behind him, with 2 yards or less to go, on either third or fourth down (anywhere on the field), or first or second down within 5 yards of the goal line.

    Initially, the process took hours, as Bowe watched games leaguewide to try and find Tush Push attempts. As the season progressed, he built a model that flagged plays that fit those conditions to more easily track the overall success rate of the play across multiple teams. The site allows users to toggle between different teams, and includes a small logo to show whether they voted to keep or ban the play in the offseason.

    “It’s gotten only easier over time, so it’s less and less time I’m spending trying to put it up there,” Bowe said. “I’m introducing new features and functionality all the time too. Before, I was only tracking the teams and the overall statistics. Now I’m starting to build up new functionality to see which players are running it the most, which positions are running it the most.”

    Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts lines up for the Tush Push play during an Oct. 19 matchup with the Vikings.

    The site only tracks the 2025 data, but one of Bowe’s next projects is to go back through the historical data from 2022, the year the Eagles popularized the play, to now and add those numbers into the data set.

    Bowe has been an Eagles fan his entire life, and while he ultimately left the area after graduating from Temple, first to New York and later to Raleigh, N.C., he continued making connections thanks to a shared love for Philly sports. He hopes to keep the site going as long as the Tush Push does, and is glad people have been able to use it as a resource.

    The Packers tried to ban the Eagles’ Tush Push — and failed. Now they could face its wrath. ‘It is what it is.’

    “[The Tush Push is] such a quintessentially Philly play,” Bowe said. “The Tush Push is super gritty, it’s controversial, but it’s also effective. To me that is quintessential Philadelphia. It really espouses that Broad Street attitude.

    “I want to see it live on. I hope that next season they’re not thinking about banning it again, now that other teams are getting successful with it and the Eagles aren’t just the best one on the block these days.”

  • Eagles a near-touchdown favorite for matchup at Commanders; plus, odds for Jalen Hurts and more

    Eagles a near-touchdown favorite for matchup at Commanders; plus, odds for Jalen Hurts and more

    The Eagles (9-5) are on the doorstep of becoming the first NFC East team to repeat as division champion since they won four straight from 2001-04. Philadelphia only needs one win or a Dallas loss to clinch the division.

    The Eagles play their only Saturday game of the year against the Commanders this week. After winning 12 games and making the NFC championship game last year, Dan Quinn’s team has gone just 4-10. Before winning last week against the Giants, Washington had lost eight straight games. Starting quarterback Jayden Daniels battled various injuries this season and was ultimately shut down earlier this week. In his place, Marcus Mariota will make his eighth start of the season.

    Here’s a look at the updated player props and game lines for Saturday’s matchup.

    Commanders expect to ‘have their hands full’ against the Eagles on Saturday

    Game line

    The Eagles sit as 6½-point favorites at both FanDuel and DraftKings, though the latter is slightly more confident in Philadelphia winning.

    FanDuel

    • Spread: Eagles -6.5 (-110), Commanders +6.5 (-110)
    • Moneyline: Eagles (-300), Commanders (+245)
    • Total: Over 44.5 (-105) Under 44.5 (-115)

    DraftKings

    • Spread: Eagles -6.5 (-110), Commanders +6.5 (-110)
    • Moneyline: Eagles (-310), Commanders (+250)
    • Total: Over 44.5 (-105) Under 44.5 (-115)
    Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 175 yards last week.

    Passing yard props

    Jalen Hurts has thrown for 230 yards or more in three of his last four games. The one outlier was last week, where Hurts only finished with 175 passing yards. His line is set around 220 yards at both sportsbooks. The Commanders allow over 246 passing yards per game, which ranks fourth worst league-wide.

    Mariota has thrown for over 200 yards in six of his seven starts. But over the Eagles’ last three games, opposing quarterbacks have averaged 119 passing yards. Mariota’s line is set at 202.5 yards at both sportsbooks.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

    Passing touchdowns

    Hurts has thrown for two or more touchdowns in just two of his last six games. But facing a struggling Commanders defense, the sixth-year pro is favored to reach that mark. Mariota has two touchdown passes in three of his last six starts, but the former Eagle’s touchdown prop is available at much longer odds.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

    Rushing yards

    Saquon Barkley has rushed for over 75 yards in each of his last two games. Last week, Barkley had 22 carries but averaged just 3.5 yards on each. The Penn State alum is averaging just 3.9 yards per attempt season-long, down from the 5.8 he averaged last year en route to winning NFL offensive player of the year. Barkley has received 240 of the 299 non-quarterback rushing attempts this season.

    Tonight’s Rams-Seahawks game has huge playoff implications and could impact the Eagles

    On the other hand, the Commanders do not have a true bell cow running back. Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Chris Rodriguez have split carries, and Jeremy McNichols has been more involved than an average No. 3 back. Last week, Croskey-Merritt took advantage of an increased opportunity due to Rodriguez being held out with a groin injury. The Alabama native recorded a new career-high in carries (18) across 96 yards. Rodriguez will likely be available for Saturday’s game.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

    Receiving props

    A.J. Brown’s three-game, 100-yard streak ended last Sunday. Still, Brown caught his fourth touchdown in the Eagles’ last four games. DeVonta Smith had just two receptions against the Raiders last week. The 27-year-old is averaging just 45 receiving yards over his last three games, across 11 total receptions. As of late, the Eagles’ most productive pass catcher has been Dallas Goedert, who has caught 14 passes over his last two games and found the end zone twice vs. Las Vegas.

    Eagles vs. Commanders predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 16

    Deebo Samuel leads the Commanders with 65 receptions but has been a streaky performer. The longtime 49er has recorded under 30 receiving yards in 5 games this season, the same amount of games that he’s had over 50 in. And while Terry McLaurin has only played in seven games due to injury, he has perhaps been Washington’s best receiver when healthy. McLaurin has been active for the Commanders’ last three games and has averaged almost 70 yards in each. The two-time Pro Bowler also has two touchdown receptions in that span.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

    Touchdown props

    Last Sunday, most of the Eagles’ offensive regulars got in on the scoring action. Barkley and Brown found the end zone once each, and Goedert found it twice. But Hurts and Smith have both gone quiet on the scoring front. Hurts last scored a rushing touchdown on Nov. 23 against the Cowboys and only rushing scores in two of his last eight games. Smith has gone scoreless his last five games and last caught a touchdown on Nov. 10.

    For Washington, McLaurin has caught touchdowns in two of his last three games, but Samuel has none over that span. Last week, Croskey-Merritt scored his first touchdown since Oct. 5.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

  • Quarterbacks have been avoiding Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. Will the Commanders take their chances?

    Quarterbacks have been avoiding Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. Will the Commanders take their chances?

    When Quinyon Mitchell played the Washington Commanders for the first time in 2024, the then-rookie cornerback officially put himself on the map.

    In that 26-18 Eagles win over the Commanders last Nov. 14, wide receiver Terry McLaurin might as well have been wearing Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak. On the 20 routes McLaurin ran when matched up against Mitchell, the two-time Pro Bowl receiver was never targeted, according to Next Gen Stats.

    Mitchell’s 2025 season to date has been one long continuation of that contest. Whether he’s traveling with opponents’ top receivers or lining up on the boundary (the short side of the field that tends to garner less safety help), Mitchell has managed to lock down his side. That accomplishment doesn’t come as a surprise to Vic Fangio.

    “He’s a guy that works very, very hard at it, hasn’t deviated from his process, still goes through the same extra meetings that he did as a rookie,” Fangio said. “Still doing them now. That’s why he is a good player.”

    The numbers back up the eye test when it comes to Mitchell’s success in Year 2. He has allowed a 42.7% completion rate on his targets, which is the lowest among cornerbacks with at least 400 coverage snaps this season, according to Pro Football Focus.

    Jordan Davis found his voice and helped stabilize the Eagles defensive line

    Targeting Mitchell is bad business for most quarterbacks. They have a 56.3 quarterback rating when throwing the ball his way, which is the second-worst among that same group of cornerbacks.

    But Mitchell, the 22nd-overall pick out of Toledo last year, hasn’t been cocky about his success. When asked to assess his own play this season, Mitchell responded unassumingly.

    “I think it’s going smooth,” he said. “I could be better. So each and every week, I’m just trying to harp on the small details. Just trying to get better with my technique.”

    How can a cornerback improve when quarterbacks aren’t throwing the ball his way? In the last two games, Mitchell has been targeted just four times, conceding one catch for seven yards.

    “I’ve just got to stay ready,” Mitchell said. “I always expect every play, every down, that the ball’s going to come my way. So just staying ready and staying locked in.”

    Terry McLaurin makes a 36-yard touchdown reception during the second quarter of the NFC championship game on Jan. 26.

    McLaurin is Mitchell’s next challenge. It has been an unprecedented season for the 30-year-old receiver, who has missed seven games this season due to a quadriceps injury. Prior to this year, McLaurin had missed just three games in six seasons.

    Still, McLaurin has been the Commanders’ top target, averaging a team-high 58.4 receiving yards per game. That clip is a career low, a reflection of the struggles the Commanders offense has had this season with quarterback Jayden Daniels missing time due to various injuries.

    The impending games against the Commanders this year, beginning with Saturday’s contest, won’t have the same drama as last season. The 4-10 Commanders are out of the playoffs and down key players on offense such as Daniels, tight end Zach Ertz and left tackle Laremy Tunsil.

    With a chance to clinch the NFC East on the line, Mitchell isn’t taking the matchup lightly, nor should he. Quarterback Marcus Mariota is capable of extending plays with his legs and hitting his receivers deep. Last week against the New York Giants, Mariota connected with McLaurin on a 51-yard touchdown pass down the seam that helped seal the Commanders’ first win in more than two months.

    Eagles’ shift to passing more in the red zone has led to more successful trips: ‘You can be creative’

    “We feel like they’re going to come out and play their game,” Mitchell said. “They have a very good football team. So we expect them to come out and be aggressive and be physical.”

    Just like he has been all season, Mitchell will be aggressive and physical, too. The Eagles will play their third game in 13 days on Saturday, a circumstance Mitchell is used to. He played on plenty of short weeks given the number of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday games in the Mid-American Conference.

    While Mitchell has improved on the field in his second season, he says his mindset remains the same. This time last year, he wasn’t thinking about his chances at winning the league’s defensive rookie of the year award. Now, he isn’t thinking about his chances of being voted to the Pro Bowl.

    He won’t entertain questions of whether he’s the best cornerback in the league, either.

    “That’s up to y’all to decide,” Mitchell said. “I know how I feel, but I’ll keep it to myself.”

    Injury report

    The Eagles ruled out Lane Johnson (foot) and Jalen Carter (shoulders) for Saturday’s game against the Commanders. Neither player practiced all week.

    Tight end Cam Latu (stinger) and offensive tackle Cameron Williams (shoulder; injured reserve) are listed as questionable to play.

  • Commanders expect to ‘have their hands full’ against the Eagles on Saturday

    Commanders expect to ‘have their hands full’ against the Eagles on Saturday

    The Eagles (9-5) will travel to Northwest Stadium on Saturday to face the Washington Commanders in a Week 16 matchup, their first of two contests between the teams in the next three weeks. The teams have not met since the Eagles eliminated the Commanders in last year’s NFC championship game, won by the Eagles, 55-23, at Lincoln Financial Field.

    With a win on Saturday, the Eagles will clinch the NFC East — becoming the division’s first repeat champion since 2004. With the division up for grabs, they enter this week as 6.5-point favorites. Meanwhile, the Commanders are coming off their first win in eight weeks, a 29-21 victory over the New York Giants.

    Let’s stop acting like the Eagles haven’t had a great season. An NFC East title would make it a rousing success.

    As both teams prepare for Saturday, here’s everything the Commanders are saying about the Eagles:

    ‘This is a really complete team’

    Last year both teams became very familiar with each other, playing three times between the regular season and playoffs. Of course, the Eagles came out victorious in two of three contests — splitting their regular season matchups and defeating Washington when it mattered most to secure their spot in the Super Bowl.

    Commanders coach Dan Quinn praised the Eagles.

    “This is a really complete team,” Quinn told reporters. “Both special teams, ours and theirs, this is going to be a physical game on the team side of things, the way they can cover kicks, the way we can. That field position in this game is going to be big. I thought some playmakers in all spots along the defense. Both linebackers are very good blitzers and active, got an excellent defensive line. I’ve certainly been impressed by the young corners. They’re able to challenge and be aggressive right from the start. So, those are some things, defensively, that I’ve been impressed with.

    The Eagles defeated the Commanders in two of their three meetings last season.

    “Playing against us last year in the three games, they were exceptional at taking the ball away. I thought that was the biggest deal for us. … And offensively, I thought from a line standpoint, the size, the movement, the pulling, Jeff Stoutland is one of the best there is in the offensive line spot. … I think it’s a good balance of what they have from the run game and the shots down the field with Jalen [Hurts]. Those are kind of the yin and yang of a good offense.”

    ‘A tough matchup’

    Vic Fangio’s Eagles defense continues to be dominant. In last week’s 31-0 win over the Raiders, the defense sacked Kenny Pickett four times and held the offense to 75 total yards. Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury understands the challenge.

    “It’s certainly a tough matchup,” Kingsbury told reporters. “They’ve been playing at a super high level, defensively. I think they gave up less than 90 yards last week against Las Vegas. So, it’s going to be a great challenge. They can roll in five, six guys deep that all play at a pretty high level. They can rush the passer, can stop the run. So, you got to be creative in how you attack them and we’ll have our hands full, there’s no doubt.”

    Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s group has been dominant this season.

    The Eagles are competing against another backup quarterback who formerly spent time in Philadelphia: Marcus Mariota. With Jayden Daniels ruled out for the rest of the season, Mariota will be under center for Washington’s last three games.

    Mariota played in Philly for one season (2023) as a backup to Jalen Hurts and appeared in three games. Now he’s looking forward to seeing some familiar faces in a divisional matchup against one of his former teams.

    “[They have] a great defense, Vic [Fangio] got them playing really well,” Mariota told reporters. “You can talk about every single player on that front and on the back end. They’re great players. Being there for a year and being around those guys, it’ll be fun to play against some of those old friends. I’m looking forward to it. It’s always a great atmosphere to play Philly. It’ll be a fun game on Saturday.”

  • Tonight’s Rams-Seahawks game has huge playoff implications and could impact the Eagles

    Tonight’s Rams-Seahawks game has huge playoff implications and could impact the Eagles

    The Los Angeles Rams (11-3) take on the Seattle Seahawks (11-3) tonight on Amazon’s Thursday Night Football in a game likely to have a huge impact on the NFC playoff race, but might not matter much to the Eagles (9-5).

    The Rams enter the game as the NFC’s No. 1 seed and in first place in the NFC West because they defeated the Seahawks in Week 11. The San Francisco 49ers (10-4) are close behind both teams and still have a fair shot of winning the division.

    The Eagles, who play the Washington Commanders (4-10) Saturday night, enter Week 16 as the No. 3 seed. A lot would have to happen for the Birds to either move up or down before the season ends. So tonight’s Rams-Seahawks game will have more impact on the team the Eagles could face in the first round of the playoffs than whether the Birds could sneak back into the No. 1 spot.

    How unlikely are the Eagles’ chances of landing the top playoff seed? Less than 1%, according to the New York Times playoff simulator.

    Here are all the various playoff implications of tonight’s game, and how it could impact the Eagles:

    NFC playoff picture

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    A Rams win all but clinches the No. 1 seed

    If the Rams win tonight, they’ll have a 90% chance of clinching both the NFC West and the No. 1 seed, according to the New York Times.

    A win means the Seahawks would need to completely overtake the Rams in the standings. That would require the Seahawks winning their final two games (against the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers) and the Rams losing their final two (against the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals).

    The only other team with a realistic chance to overtake the Rams as the No. 1 seed would be the Chicago Bears (10-4). The Bears defeated the Rams back in September, so Chicago would come out on top if the two teams are tied when the season ends.

    There’s also the 49ers, who face Philip Rivers and the Indianapolis Colts Monday night. The 49ers split their two games against the Rams this season, but San Francisco would currently win a tiebreaker with a better divisional record.

    A Seahawks win would also benefit the 49ers

    The Seahawks will clinch a playoff berth with a win tonight and Seattle would immediately become the NFC’s top playoff seed, at least for now. The Rams would drop to the No. 5 seed.

    Waiting in the wings are the 49ers, who defeated the Seahawks back in September and would be in position to steal the division and the No. 1 seed.

    The Seahawks and 49ers are scheduled to face off in Week 18 at Levi’s Stadium, and a Seattle win tonight makes it more likely that game will end up deciding both the NFC West and the No. 1 seed.

    Eagles could face the loser of tonight’s game first in the playoffs

    If the Eagles do end up the NFC’s No. 3 seed, they’ll host the No. 6 seed at the Linc during the wild card round of the playoffs.

    It’s looking likely the No. 6 seed will be the team that finishes third place in the NFC West, which is currently the 49ers. But the division is so tight, anything can happen over the next three games, so whichever team loses tonight increases their chances of facing the Birds on the road in a wild card game.

    Of the three teams, the Eagles have only played the Rams, a game the Birds narrowly won on a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown in Week 3.

    The Eagles basically have no shot at the No. 1 seed. What about No. 2?

    While it remains mathematically possible for the Eagles to still end the season as the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed, the odds are not in the Birds’ favor.

    But what about the No. 2 seed? That’s how the Eagles entered the playoffs last season, and their postseason run ended with a Super Bowl victory.

    The current No. 2 seed is the Chicago Bears (10-4), who are essentially two games up on the Eagles because of the Birds’ loss to Chicago last month on Black Friday. So there are two main scenarios where the Eagles can overtake the Bears:

    • Eagles end the season 12-5 (winning their final three games), Bears end the season 11-6 (losing two of their final three).
    • Eagles end the season 11-6 (winning two of their final three games), Bears end the season 10-7 (losing their final three).

    There are some less-likely scenarios where the Eagles could win a tiebreaker in the event of a three-way tie also involving the Rams or Seahawks, which Wharton professor Deniz Selman breaks down here:

    If the Packers end up winning the NFC North, the Eagles would need to end the season a half-game up to secure the No. 2 seed, thanks to Green Bay’s tie against the Dallas Cowboys earlier this season (Unless the Eagles tie one of their final three games, but we won’t worry about that until it happens).

    In the unlikely event the Lions overtake both and win the division (the New York Times gives them a 5% chance), the Eagles hold the tiebreaker thanks to their Week 11 win at the Linc.

    The good news is the only way the Eagles would drop to the No. 4 seed is if they lost their final three games and either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7) or the Carolina Panthers (7-7) won out, since they face each other twice in the final three weeks of the season.

    NFC East standings

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    The Eagles will officially clinch the NFC East and a playoff spot with a win Sunday or a Cowboys’ loss to the Los Angeles Chargers (10-4). But there’s still a long-shot chance Dallas could still overtake the Eagles in the division.

    Even if the Cowboys manage to win their final three games — at home against the Chargers and on the road against the Commanders and New York Giants (2-12) — they would still need the Eagles to lose out to overtake the Birds in the standings.

    Good luck.

  • Eagles vs. Commanders predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 16

    Eagles vs. Commanders predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 16

    The Eagles travel down I-95 for a Saturday evening road game in Landover, Md., against the Washington Commanders on Saturday.

    One team has four wins and shut down its starting quarterback for the rest of the season. The other got back on track with a blowout win Sunday and is gearing up for another playoff run.

    The schedule makers probably didn’t have this type of disparity on their bingo cards when they matched up the Eagles and Commanders for two games in the final three weeks of the NFL season, but here we are.

    Here’s how our writers see Saturday’s game going:

    Jeff Neiburg

    Yes, the Raiders stink, but the Eagles should be feeling pretty good about themselves after their 31-0 drubbing of Las Vegas on Sunday. The offense got back on track. The defense couldn’t have played much better. Jake Elliott finished a game without missing a kick for the first time since Week 11.

    All is right at the NovaCare Complex, right?

    Yes, at least for now.

    But the Eagles should be ready to pounce Saturday. They’re facing another team starting a backup quarterback. They’re facing an even worse defense than the one they beat up on Sunday. And they can clinch the NFC East with a victory.

    Eagles vs. Commanders in Week 16: Here are the numbers that matter

    It’s hard to envision that not happening Saturday night. The Commanders can score, especially with Terry McLaurin back in the lineup. And Marcus Mariota will test what the Eagles have learned about trying to stop the quarterback running game. But the Eagles have way too big a talent advantage for this game to be much of a worry.

    Three of Washington’s four wins this season are against the Giants (twice) and Raiders. The other came against the Chargers. But Jayden Daniels started that game, and the Commanders defense played its best game of the season. That was all the way back in October, though, and that defense is banged up.

    Hang the banner. The Eagles will win their second consecutive division title, and their third in four seasons.

    Prediction: Eagles 27, Commanders 13

    Olivia Reiner

    Another Eagles win incoming.

    Even when Daniels was healthy enough to play, this Commanders team hadn’t been the NFC contender it was last season. While McLaurin is still one of the top receivers in the division, the Commanders have a shortage of playmakers overall. The season-ending ACL injury to Zach Ertz certainly doesn’t help matters. Jacory Croskey-Merritt has been a solid threat on the ground, but he’s prone to making rookie mistakes (including three fumbles this season).

    What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 16 vs. the Commanders

    The biggest concern for the Eagles defense is Mariota’s ability to use his legs to extend plays. The Eagles have conceded 329 rushing yards to opposing quarterbacks this season, the second-highest total in the NFL. If Vic Fangio’s unit can keep him contained, it will be in position to shut the Commanders down.

    The big question facing the Eagles offense going forward: Can it sustain the success it established in the win over the Raiders? The Eagles ought to have a good chance of doing so against the Commanders in two of their final three games. Even with Dan Quinn taking over the defensive coordinator duties, Washington still has struggled against the pass and the run.

    With a win, the Eagles will clinch the NFC East, making them the first back-to-back winners in the last 20 seasons. So much for the league back-loading these Eagles-Commanders games with the aspiration that they would have playoff implications for both teams.

    Prediction: Eagles 28, Commanders 20

  • Jordan Davis found his voice and helped stabilize the Eagles defensive line

    Jordan Davis found his voice and helped stabilize the Eagles defensive line

    Last year, Jordan Davis often was not in the room.

    Reporters typically are inside the Eagles locker room three days per week for 45 minutes during the regular season, but Davis typically would be anywhere else in the building but at his locker stall. Who could blame him? He was a third-year defensive tackle whose playing time had been cut, who wasn’t in good enough shape.

    Vic Fangio’s defense was ascending, but Davis, the 13th overall pick in 2022, mostly was an afterthought. The Eagles had Jalen Carter and Milton Williams leading the way in the interior, a group of edge rushers that got after opposing quarterbacks, revelations at linebacker in Nakobe Dean and Zack Baun, and two rookies in the secondary, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, who made an immediate impact.

    Then there was Davis, who basically was just one of the guys, a rotational defensive tackle who wasn’t overly interested in talking about the ups and downs and all that comes with not living up to your perceived potential.

    This year? It’s hard to miss Davis. He is often the loudest voice in the room, bouncing around and joking with his teammates. He holds court in front of cameras at his locker. He is one of the faces and voices of a defense that hasn’t allowed a touchdown in 20 consecutive drives.

    Davis, who turns 26 next month, is having his best season. His weight loss and body change — Davis fell in love with Peloton workouts and lost 26 pounds in the offseason — has been well-documented, but Davis also has found his voice. It’s all connected.

    Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis (right) walks onto the field before facing the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 10.

    “I had to make sure that everything around me was good,” Davis said Wednesday. “Had to make sure my body was right, I was living right, before I could really speak my voice. I’ve been this way since I got here, but now I think everybody is kind of just rallying behind me because they’ve seen the work that’s been put in, they’ve seen the work that’s being put in daily, and they see the consistency.

    “It’s one thing to just hear it from a voice. But it’s another thing when he’s really believing, when he’s really living it, and he’s making decisions, making progress in terms of the way he wants to live his life.”

    Ally Love helped Jordan Davis lose weight on the Peloton. Now, she’s his biggest fan.

    This Davis, the one the public gets to see more, has always been there, Davis said.

    “I’ve always been happy-go-lucky, always been jovial,” he said. “It’s just now everyone is seeing it because I’m so confident in the person I am.”

    ‘He’s able to be himself’

    Baun can see the changes in Davis, and he recognizes where it has come from because he saw the same thing with his own path last year. Baun was at a crossroads when the Eagles signed him to a one-year deal. Was he an edge rusher? Was he a linebacker? Would he be a special teamer and backup?

    Fangio thought he’d work best as an off-ball linebacker — and was right — but it wasn’t until Baun got into a groove that the then-27-year-old on a young defense felt comfortable being a leader.

    “I think it happens to anyone, even not playing a sport,” Baun said. “As soon as you start feeling more confident in yourself — for him, whether it was playing better or losing weight and then playing better — then you start adding stuff to your plate. But you have to take care of yourself and do what you need to do first. Then you can be a leader.”

    Zack Baun and Jordan Davis have found their voices as leaders on the Eagles defense.

    Defensive tackle Byron Young said he began to notice a change in Davis toward the end of last year when he started to lose weight. Davis struggled for large stretches of the 2024 season. After Week 14, he played more than 18 snaps in a game just once, in Week 18, when the Eagles were playing their backups. Davis’ work on himself had already started, and his confidence, Young said, “was obvious.”

    Despite his limited workload, Davis produced. He had three pressures and a sack in the NFC championship game, then another sack in the Super Bowl.

    Davis then showed up for training camp with a new body, a new level of confidence, and a bigger voice.

    “He always has so much more energy,” Young said. “He’s able to be himself out there because he’s not worried about being tired all the time. He’s been a lot more vocal, a lot more of himself, and that’s something that’s good to see. You want to see guys being confident and being themselves.”

    From September: Jordan Davis has ascended into an every-down role for the Eagles: ‘He’s not living in a box anymore’

    Davis usually is joking around in the locker room, but he knows when to turn it off and get serious, Young said. Other times, he might need a gentle reminder from defensive line coach Clint Hurtt.

    Davis’ energy has a domino effect, Young said.

    “It feeds into everybody else because everybody else feels how confident he is in himself and how confident he is in everyone else,” Young said. “Then you see how much fun he has when he’s out there playing, it makes everyone have fun. I think it’s something that has helped our defense a lot this year.”

    ‘Reflection comes at the end’

    Rewind to the start of training camp. Williams left in free agency for a big payday, and the Eagles didn’t do much in the way of backfilling. Now imagine Carter missing games in the homestretch of the season. Back then, scary hypothetical. Now, with Carter recovering from procedures on his shoulders, the emergence of Davis and Moro Ojomo has the defensive line barely missing Carter’s presence.

    Nolan Smith sacked Kenny Pickett on Sunday, but he was one-on-one partially because of the bodies Davis occupied in the middle of the line. A week earlier vs. the Los Angeles Chargers, Davis tallied a career-high six pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. It was the first game that Davis registered more than four pressures in a game, and he’s already at 23 pressures on the season, eight more than he had in all of 2024.

    Jordan Davis returns a field goal block for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sept. 21.

    The body change enabled Davis to morph from a run-stuffer first into a more well-rounded tackle. It probably helped him elevate on his game-winning field goal block back in Week 3, too.

    “I think he’s definitely taken a step,” Baun said. “He’s confident in himself and he knows the plays he can make, what he’s good at, what he’s not good at, and he’s taking advantage.”

    Davis took a more intentional approach with him into the 2025 season, he said.

    “This year,” Davis said, “I was like, ‘All right, I’m the oldest guy in the room. I got to do something different. I want to do something different so I can be different, so I can lead different.’ This was just the year to do it, and hopefully there are many more years to come.”

    The Eagles picked up Davis’ fifth-year option in the offseason, keeping him under team control through the 2026 season. Davis has spent the 2025 season making that decision look like the right one, and probably earning himself a lot of money on his next deal in the process.

    He’s played in all 14 games and has six pass deflections, 4½ sacks, 59 tackles (seven for loss), and six quarterback hits. He has played 62% of the defensive snaps after only playing 37% last season. All of those numbers are career-highs. Davis has a legitimate Pro Bowl case.

    Has he stopped at all to ruminate in all that’s happened over the past year?

    “Reflection comes at the end,” Davis said. “For right now, just keep chugging. Keep trucking.”

    When the time to reflect comes, you’ll know where to find him. He won’t be hiding.

  • Eagles’ shift to passing more in the red zone has led to more successful trips: ‘You can be creative’

    Eagles’ shift to passing more in the red zone has led to more successful trips: ‘You can be creative’

    For all the ups and downs the Eagles offense has experienced this season, they still reign at the top of the league in red zone percentage.

    The Eagles have scored on an NFL-best 69.4% of their red zone trips this season, which is a 12% improvement over their success rate in their Super Bowl LIX-winning season. Dallas Goedert has accounted for eight of the Eagles’ 25 red zone touchdowns this season.

    Two of Goedert’s touchdowns — nearly three, due to a drop — came in the low red zone in the Eagles’ win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Both 4-yard touchdown shovel passes were behind the line of scrimmage. Goedert now has five touchdown passes from behind the line of scrimmage this season, which is the league high, according to Next Gen Stats.

    Jalen Hurts on blocking out the criticism: ‘This isn’t my first rodeo’

    While Kevin Patullo said that there isn’t necessarily a concerted effort to draw up plays for Goedert in the low red zone, good things tend to happen when the 30-year-old tight end gets the ball in his hands.

    “He’s such a physical guy,” the offensive coordinator said Wednesday. “His determination to just get yards and have an impact on anything, whether it’s in the pass game, whether it’s gadgets, whatever it may be, he’s really dynamic with the ball in his hands. So any time you can get the ball in his hands, that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

    But Goedert acknowledged that he’s the beneficiary of the Eagles’ shift in red zone philosophy this year. Last season, the Eagles ran the ball more frequently. Of the Eagles’ red zone touchdowns last season, 58% came on carries (34% of their red zone touchdowns were on the Tush Push).

    Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert has scored eight of the team’s 25 red zone touchdowns.

    This year, 48% of the Eagles’ red zone touchdowns have come on runs (20% on the Tush Push). Patullo said that there isn’t “anything specific” that has led to the shift from run to pass.

    “The red zone, obviously, is a unique area where you can be creative and do different things,” Patullo said. “And I think that’s something where we all kind of have our own input on that. Throughout the years, we’ve done different things and just try to see whatever we need to do best.”

    Smith soaring since return

    When asked about Nolan Smith’s progress on Wednesday afternoon, Vic Fangio admitted he wasn’t sure exactly how many games the third-year edge rusher had missed this season.

    When he was informed that Smith had missed five games on injured reserve to heal his triceps injury, Fangio was surprised.

    “Wow,” the defensive coordinator said. “Felt like more.”

    Perhaps his hiatus felt longer because of the pass rush’s inconsistency during that stretch. The Eagles defense registered three of its six lowest single-game sack percentages of the season in Smith’s absence.

    Eagles vs. Commanders in Week 16: Here are the numbers that matter

    But since Smith has returned and Jaelan Phillips was acquired from the Miami Dolphins, the Eagles’ pass rush has soared, even in the two-game absence of Jalen Carter. In their last three contests, the Eagles have combined for a league-best 13 sacks (which is tied with the Dolphins). Smith notched two of those sacks.

    Smith returned after the bye week in Week 10 against the Green Bay Packers. At the time, the 24-year-old outside linebacker was on a snap limit, as the Eagles sought to prevent reinjury.

    Since his first couple of games back, Smith has gradually seen his playing time increase, culminating last week when he played 61.9% of the defensive snaps. Fangio acknowledged Wednesday that he is no longer on a snap count. With more playing time has come more confidence for Smith, Fangio said.

    “He is getting better and more comfortable and I think he’s back to where he was,” Fangio said.

    Eagles offensive tackle Fred Johnson missed Wednesday’s practice with an ankle injury but expects to play Saturday at Washington.

    Injury report

    The Eagles held their first practice of the week on Wednesday at Lincoln Financial Field, with snow covering their practice field at the NovaCare Complex.

    Lane Johnson (foot), Landon Dickerson (calf/rest), Fred Johnson (ankle), and Jalen Carter (shoulders) did not participate. However, Fred Johnson told The Inquirer that he expects to be available to play Saturday against the Washington Commanders.

    Cam Latu (stinger) was a limited participant. Saquon Barkley (stinger), Zack Baun (hand), Tank Bigsby (illness), Jaelan Phillips (knee), and Cameron Williams (shoulder; injured reserve) were full participants.

    The Eagles will practice once more on Thursday before Saturday’s game in Landover, Md.