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  • Eagles vs. Raiders: Predictions, injuries, playoff picture, weather forecast, and what everyone is talking about

    Eagles vs. Raiders: Predictions, injuries, playoff picture, weather forecast, and what everyone is talking about

    The Eagles are looking to snap a three-game losing skid on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. After the disaster at SoFi Stadium against the Chargers, the Birds are desperate to get back in the win column against a 2-11 Raiders squad without its starting quarterback.

    Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s game …

    How to watch

    The game will kick off on Fox at 1 p.m. from the Linc. Joe Davis and Greg Olsen will call the game from the booth, with Pam Oliver on the sideline.

    If you’d rather listen to Merrill Reese and Mike Quick call the game, the radio broadcast can be found on 94.1 WIP, and if you’re not heading to the Linc, but want to watch the game with your fellow Birds fans, here are a few spots to check out.

    The Eagles beat the Rams in the snow in the divisional round of the playoffs last year. It doesn’t look like the snow will be a factor, but the wind and cold could be.

    Eagles vs. Raiders weather

    The National Weather Service is calling for 2-4 inches of snow in the Philadelphia region on Sunday, but it is expected to move out of the area well before the Eagles game kicks off in South Philly. Temperatures are not expected to climb above 30, and the wind chill will likely be in the teens thanks to 15-25 mph winds.

    2 to 4 inches of snow expected this weekend in the Philly region

    Final Week 15 injury report

    The big injuries for the Eagles are again along the offensive and defensive lines. The Birds will be without right tackle Lane Johnson, who will miss his third game with a Lisfranc injury. The team is 0-3 in his absence. The Eagles will also be without defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who will miss his second straight game after undergoing a procedure on his shoulders.

    Eagles

    Out

    • OT Lane Johnson (foot)
    • DT Jalen Carter (shoulders)

    Questionable

    • OT Cameron Williams (shoulder)
    With Lane Johnson out, Eagles tackle Fred Johnson has a big challenge with Raiders’ Maxx Crosby

    Raiders

    The Raiders will be without quarterback Geno Smith, paving the way for backup Kenny Pickett to make his first start since Week 17 of last season, when he was a member of the Eagles.

    Out

    • QB Geno Smith (shoulder/back)
    • WR Alex Bachman (thumb)
    • T Kolton Miller (ankle)

    Questionable

    • S Jeremy Chinn (back)
    • C/G Jordan Meredith (foot)
    • TE Ian Thomas (calf)

    Eagles vs. Raiders odds

    The Eagles are favored by 11.5 points at FanDuel and 12.5 at DraftKings as of Friday afternoon, with a projected total of 38.5 points at both sportsbooks. For more information on prop bets, check out our betting roundup.

    The Rams and Seahawks are tied for the best record in the NFC heading into Week 15.

    Eagles playoff picture

    With four games remaining in the regular season, the 8-5 Eagles hold a two-game lead over the rest of the NFC East and hold the third seed in the NFC. Elsewhere in the division, the 2-11 Giants and 3-10 Commanders are both eliminated from playoff contention. The Cowboys, at 6-7-1, are the only remaining NFC East team in the hunt, but even with an Eagles win and a Dallas loss, the Birds cannot clinch a playoff berth this week.

    NFC East standings

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    Meanwhile, in the race for the top seed in the NFC — and the lone first-round bye — the Eagles have some work to do. They’re two games behind the NFC West-leading Los Angeles Rams, and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker thanks to their Week 3 win.

    Saquon Barkley has been dominant in December and January during his career. Can he heat up the Eagles offense?

    However, even if the Rams falter, the Eagles are also two games behind the Seattle Seahawks, who are in second in the NFC West and the top wild-card team. The San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, and Chicago Bears are also each one game ahead of the Eagles in the win column. The Eagles only hold the tiebreaker over the Packers.

    NFC standings

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    Can the Eagles offense turn things around against the Raiders?

    Story lines to watch

    How will Jalen Hurts bounce back from a career-worst performance in L.A.? He plans to stay the course.

    “I take the approach I’ve taken for a while, and it’s seemed to work,” Hurts said Wednesday. “I think right now it’s just a matter of being more detailed, more focused.

    “When you put forth the work, put forth the effort, good things happen when you need them to happen. That’s my mentality. That’s how I’ve gotten to where I am today.”

    Outside the Eagles facility, however, a debate over whether the team should bench Hurts has dominated airwaves, locally and nationally. According to Jeff McLane, it’s a question that has some merit after Hurts’ third straight loss. Others — like Nick Sirianni, who called the idea “ridiculous” earlier this week — aren’t as convinced.

    Nick Sirianni: Sitting Jalen Hurts ‘ridiculous’? Hardly. Bench him if he struggles Sunday. | Marcus Hayes

    Here are more story lines to watch out for this weekend …

    One number to know

    8-1: Pete Carroll’s all-time record against the Eagles as a head coach. Carroll has beaten the Eagles five times at Lincoln Financial Field and went undefeated against the Birds as head coach of the Seahawks. The Birds’ only win over Carroll came in 1998, when he coached the Patriots.

    Eagles vs. Raiders predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 15
    The Eagles last played the Raiders in October of 2021.

    Our Eagles vs. Raiders predictions

    Here’s how our beat writers are predicting Sunday’s game …

    Jeff McLane: “This is as close to an ideal get-back opportunity that Hurts and the offense could have at this stage of the season. Las Vegas has a decent defense and I suspect all the problems on that side of the ball won’t be solved. But you can’t lose if the other team doesn’t score points, and an Eagles’ shutout is in play. Really.” | Prediction: Eagles 24, Raiders 9

    Jeff Neiburg: “I think the Eagles did enough positive things offensively Monday to convince me they won’t have trouble moving the ball Sunday. They just need to avoid turnovers. Easier said then done, of course.“ | Prediction: Eagles 27, Raiders 11

    Olivia Reiner: “This is a game the Eagles should win, even in the offense’s current state of disarray. But don’t expect it to be a blowout. It’s going to be cold and windy at the Linc (remember how the Eagles fared in those conditions against the Bears?), so it seems unlikely that this game is going to be high-scoring if the weather gets ugly. Perhaps that works to the Eagles’ advantage, seeing as they’ve been practicing in an icebox all week and the Raiders are living it up in temperate Las Vegas.” | Prediction: Eagles 20, Raiders 13

    Jeff McLane’s keys to Eagles vs. Raiders in Week 15: What you need to know and a prediction

    National media predictions

    Here’s how the national media is leaning in predicting the Eagles-Raiders game …

    What we’re saying about the Eagles

    Here’s a look at the latest from our columnists, starting with David Murphy, who thinks talk of benching Hurts is short-sighted, but not as crazy as it sounds.

    David Murphy: “You know what’s really, truly, magnificently ridiculous to think? That any quarterback could play as poorly as Hurts has played in back-to-back losses to the Bears and the Chargers without prompting some level of discussion about whether or not he should continue to start. As good as Hurts has played in his two Super Bowl appearances, that’s how bad he has played over the last couple of weeks.” Read more.

    Jalen Hurts hits his low point, which begs the question: Should he be benched for Tanner McKee?

    Marcus Hayes: “[A.J. Brown] was getting fewer and fewer looks. The ball just wasn’t finding him. He wanted the ball more. Hell, I wanted him to get the ball more. After all, with due respect to the golden oldies and one year of Terrell Owens, the Eagles have never had a receiver quite like him. But getting it to him has spelled disaster.” Read more.

    Mike Sielski: “The Eagles are an excellent defensive team, and that is all, and that is not enough, not even close. Not with an offense like this. Not with this team’s tendency to commit untimely and inexcusable penalties. Not with so many questions that don’t get answered and so many problems that don’t get solved.” Read more.

    Kenny Pickett started the Eagles’ Week 17 game against the Cowboys last season.

    What the Raiders are saying

    Pickett, who is plenty familiar with the Eagles as a player and a fan, is looking forward to starting against his former team Sunday — and has a bit of an idea what to expect.

    “They’ll be ready to go,” Pickett said. “They have a hell of a team, there’s not a ton of new faces on that team, there’s a lot of really good players, I know the coaching staff, and how prepared they’re going to be for the game, so it’s a great opportunity.”

    Here’s more from Pickett ahead of Sunday’s game …

    On what he took away from his Eagles experience: “Seeing what it looks like to be world champions, the dedication, the commitment from every position group, it was really player-led — that was a really cool thing. I think we had a great veteran leadership and a lot of those guys are still there.”

    On the potential snowy weather: “I’m a Northeast guy, so this is new to me, going out and practicing in December and it’s 60 degrees every day. It’s unbelievable here, but I’m more used to when it hits November, December for it to be more like what it’ll be on game day, so I’m pretty familiar with it.”

    Kenny Pickett’s ‘great opportunity’ and what else the Raiders are saying before Sunday’s game vs. Eagles

    What the national media is saying

    Nationally, this week’s main character was Hurts, who took the mantle from offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. Things didn’t get off to a good start for the Eagles quarterback, with many, including ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, placing blame for their latest loss squarely on Hurts’ shoulders.

    “You can’t make that throw,” Smith said of Hurts’ game-sealing interception in overtime. “You’re in field-goal range, in a position to tie. You know how much is on the line.”

    Others were even less kind.

    “Do your job,” former Eagle Emmanuel Acho said on his Speakeasy podcast. “… He’s been average all season, and he was atrocious today. He was the reason they lost today.”

    Nick Sirianni called the idea of benching Jalen Hurts “ridiculous.”

    However, by the end of the week, Smith found himself on the other side of the debate, explaining why Hurts would continue starting to those calling for him to be benched.

    “Jalen Hurts ain’t going to be benched,” Smith said Thursday on First Take. “The backup quarterback’s name is Tanner McKee, right? We all know Tanner McKee ain’t playing. We just know this, OK? Down the line, in the future, sure, but this year, Tanner McKee is not going to replace the reigning defending Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP.”

    Is ‘atrocious’ Jalen Hurts to blame? Is more Saquon Barkley the answer for Eagles? Here’s what they’re saying.

    Here’s what else the national media had to say about Hurts this week …

    Dan Orlovsky: “I was probably the most critical person of Jalen Hurts early in his career. He … was the MVP of the Super Bowl. And 10 months later — 10 months later from doing that — we’re going, ‘Do you think we should bench the quarterback?’ … Do you know how stupid of a question that is?”

    Colin Cowherd: “The truth is, the more Jalen Hurts throws, the worse Philadelphia is. Those are the facts.”

    LeSean McCoy: “Did he play bad? Yes. Did he play horrible? Hell yeah, but he ain’t no four-pick-type quarterback. He had a bad game. A lot of quarterbacks have that.”

    Debate over benching Jalen Hurts is ‘the dumbest conversation of the NFL season.’ Here’s what else they’re saying.

    What else we’re reading (and watching)

    🎧 Jeff McLane and David Murphy look at the Eagles’ struggles and the level to which Hurts is at fault.

    📉 The Eagles took quite a dip in this week’s national power rankings.

    📊 Here are the numbers that matter for Sunday’s game.

    💡 What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles heading into Week 15 vs. the Raiders.

    📺 A.J. Brown is ‘fine,’ Zach Ertz is in tears, Eagles players relive Nick Sirianni’s glory days, and more ‘Hard Knocks’ highlights.

  • Since Jalen Hurts started forcing the ball to A.J. Brown, the Eagles have stopped winning

    Since Jalen Hurts started forcing the ball to A.J. Brown, the Eagles have stopped winning

    Three seismic developments occurred over the past three Eagles games, all losses. Seismic, because the developments involved the Eagles’ best current defender, the best receiver in club history, and perhaps the best player in the history of the franchise.

    First, in an apparent response to complaints about his role in the offense, the Eagles began force-feeding wide receiver A.J. Brown. He was targeted 35 times in the three games in question. He’d been targeted 37 times in the five previous games.

    Second, right tackle Lane Johnson, who might be the greatest Eagle in history, injured his foot. The Eagles win 66% of the time when Johnson plays, while their winning percentage without him is 34%, and falling.

    Eagles vs. Raiders predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 15

    Third, defensive tackle Jalen Carter was either hurting or absent. Carter missed the loss Monday night against the Chargers after undergoing a procedure on his shoulders, which had rendered him virtually useless in the two previous games.

    Nothing can be done to remedy the conditions of Johnson or Carter. Johnson issued a cryptic Twitter/X message after Monday night’s game that indicated his return might come sooner than later, and he wasn’t put on injured reserve, but he’s going to miss Sunday’s game against the visiting Raiders. Carter isn’t on IR either, but he’s out, too.

    Which leaves A.J.

    He was getting fewer and fewer looks. The ball just wasn’t finding him. He wanted the ball more. Hell, I wanted him to get the ball more. After all, with due respect to the golden oldies and one year of Terrell Owens, the Eagles have never had a receiver quite like him.

    But getting it to him has spelled disaster.

    Me, Me, Me

    After the Eagles beat Tampa Bay in Game 4, Brown, who had two catches for 7 yards, posted a passage of scripture that indicated he was being ignored: “If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.”

    Three games later, after a win at Minnesota, Brown posted, “Using me but not using me.” He had four catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns.

    Murphy: Benching Jalen Hurts would be short-sighted, but it isn’t ridiculous to wonder

    A week later, after a win in Green Bay, Brown was seen on a livestream playing a video game with a friend and saying the offense was a “(bleep)-show” and that he was “struggling” after catching two passes for 13 yards.

    Brown might have been indiscrete, but he wasn’t wrong: He needs to be included, if not featured, in order for the Eagles’ offense to function properly. What the past three games proved is that he does not need to be featured in order for the football team to win.

    A day after the “(bleep)-show” scandal, very publicly, on the sideline at practice, owner Jeffrey Lurie convinced Brown to stop publicly humiliating the team. Brown has gone silent.

    He also has been targeted a whopping 46 times. The first 11 times came against the Lions, a game the Eagles won.

    That was also the last time the Eagles had a healthy Lane Johnson and Jalen Carter.

    Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown has been targeted 35 times over the past three games, up from 37 in his previous five.

    Correlation equaling causation?

    How do the issues fit together?

    Well, while the Eagles beat the Lions, they scored only 16 points — not exactly an offensive feast. They won not because Brown was targeted 11 times but because Carter had his second-best game of the season and the defense surrendered just nine points. The Birds scored just 10 in Green Bay the week before, but Carter & Co. limited the Packers to seven.

    The offense wasn’t humming, but neither was it hurting the cause, in large part because the offensive line remained viable.

    Without Johnson, it is less so.

    Why Jalen Hurts plans to ‘stay the course’ after turnovers stalled the Eagles offense

    Before Johnson was injured, Hurts had committed three turnovers in 10 games. The team was 8-2.

    Since Johnson’s injury, Hurts has seven turnovers in three games. The team is 0-3.

    The defense has been pretty good in the past three games, but just before Carter wore down it had again developed into the type of elite unit that led the Eagles to their second Super Bowl win.

    The defense has not been good enough to compensate for Hurts, who is playing the worst football of his career.

    But is it because he’s trying to force the ball to A.J. Brown?

    What about us?

    Before Brown’s bellyaching got him more looks, bookend receiver DeVonta Smith was on pace for a career-high 1,241 receiving yards. That pace has been cut in half in the past four games.

    Asked Friday why his inclusion and production had slowed, Smith paused, then replied:

    “Um … ” five seconds passed as he looked into the distance and mused: ” … I don’t know. I don’t have an answer for that.”

    No one can accuse Smith of being indiscrete.

    Similarly, tight end Dallas Geodert was on pace for 72 catches, 13 more than his career best, and in a contract year, to boot. His pace has slowed by about 25%.

    First-time playcaller Kevin Patullo runs an offense that is both predictable and flavorless.

    Meanwhile, after projecting to fewer than 900 yards for 2025, Brown now has a chance for a fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season.

    There are plenty of issues with the Eagles’ offense.

    The biggest problem: The offensive line, due to rampant injury and aggregate fatigue, has declined from being the league’s best to being the league average.

    Another problem: First-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, who has never before called plays, runs an offense that is both predictable and flavorless.

    The most recent problem: Hurts has become hesitant unless he’s throwing to Brown, usually on the first read.

    All three of those problems get diminished the minute Lane Johnson returns. All three of those problems matter less if Jalen Carter is on the field.

    But the only thing the Eagles can do Sunday is let the ball find A.J. when the ball finds A.J.

  • Saquon Barkley has been dominant in December and January during his career. Can he heat up the Eagles offense?

    Saquon Barkley has been dominant in December and January during his career. Can he heat up the Eagles offense?

    For a few moments on Monday night, Saquon Barkley looked as if he had stepped into a time machine and returned to his 2024 offensive player of the year form.

    His success on the ground against the Los Angeles Chargers reached its pinnacle early in the fourth quarter. On a Tush Push fake on third-and-1, an under-center Jalen Hurts pitched the ball to Barkley, who hurried to his left and accelerated through a hole opened by Dallas Goedert, Darius Cooper, Fred Johnson, and Jordan Mailata. Flawless blocking — a rare sight in 2025 — ensured that Barkley could run unhindered to the end zone.

    Brandon Graham unretired to help the Eagles. Now he’s featuring at a new position at age 37.

    The trick play turned into a 52-yard touchdown run, Barkley’s second-longest carry of the season. On an otherwise dismal day underscored by Hurts’ four interceptions in the Eagles’ 22-19 overtime loss to the Chargers, Barkley’s 122 rushing yards and his explosive play offered a glimmer of hope for the offense’s future.

    “We just need more of that,” Barkley said after the game.

    That has been evading the Eagles for most of the season. The explosive runs that once seemed routine for Barkley have been difficult to attain in his second year with the team. The TD run on Monday was just his third carry of 20 or more yards, a feat he achieved 17 times in the regular season last year.

    For select moments, Barkley’s performance on Monday served as a reminder of what’s possible. The Eagles may need more from him going forward. The 28-year-old running back has averaged just 14.3 carries over his last three games (17.5 before the losing streak).

    Meanwhile, Hurts has been called upon to pass more frequently at 37.7 attempts per game (26.9 before the losing streak). There have been some encouraging moments, including his third-and-16, middle-of-the-field, 28-yard throw to DeVonta Smith against the Chargers. But in that three-game span, Hurts has thrown three touchdown passes to five interceptions.

    Eagles vs. Raiders predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 15

    Once upon a time, the Eagles’ identity was based in the run game. It fueled their Super Bowl run last season. In 2021, it took the Eagles from 2-5 to the playoffs. With Barkley showing signs of life and the upcoming wintry weather lending itself to the ground game, is it too late for Nick Sirianni and Kevin Patullo to strike a balance between the run and the pass?

    At the very least, Barkley’s self-confidence hasn’t wavered.

    “I know the type of ability that I have and the energy I can bring,” Barkley said. “Just got to keep my foot on the gas and keep going and hopefully be able to make some more like that. I know it’s going to start breaking off for us, ‘cause I trust, one, my work ethic and my preparation. I have trust in the coaches and most importantly, I have trust in the guys up front.”

    Saquon Barkley showed enticing glimmers of his previous form against the Chargers.

    Building off successes

    Barkley’s performance on Monday was the second time he eclipsed 100 rushing yards this season. His season-best showing came against his former team in the Week 8 win over the Giants, in which he rushed for 150 yards and a 65-yard touchdown on 14 carries.

    Both efforts featured a common thread. Barkley generated most of his output when Hurts was lined up under center — 116 yards and the touchdown on eight carries against the Giants and 102 yards and the touchdown on 10 carries against the Chargers. Explosive touchdown aside, Barkley had three additional runs for double-digit yardage from under-center handoffs on Monday.

    Barkley’s success from under center has been a season-long trend. According to Next Gen Stats, he has averaged 4.9 yards per carry on those looks while posting 3.6 yards per carry from the shotgun. He’s had far more shotgun runs this season — 218 to 82 under center.

    Still, in the aftermath of Monday’s game, Sirianni emphasized that explosives can be generated from any alignment.

    “Many different ways that you can create explosives in the run game; under center, in the gun, there are screens that are like runs, there are shovels that are like runs, so there are many different ways to go about it,” Sirianni said Wednesday. “I think at the end of the day, there were good schemes introduced by the coaches, and then there was good execution by the players with really good fundamentals. On those particular ones, Saquon found some light and was able to get free and that was huge.”

    But the Eagles’ success rushing from under center was undeniable on Monday. Barkley averaged 10.2 yards per carry on those runs including the touchdown and 5.6 yards per carry without it, which is more than a 1½-yard increase over his season average.

    On his 10 handoffs from the shotgun, Barkley rushed for 20 total yards (2.0 yards per carry).

    According to Mailata, some of the under center runs were more effective because of the element of uncertainty that is instilled within the defense on those plays.

    “There’s so much more complementary stuff from under center than there is in gun or pistol, in my honest opinion,” Mailata said. “I think that’s why we execute better. I think for us up front, it gets us on our angles, because they truly have to read the defense. The defense truly has to read or play their gap first or play us, whatever their assignment is. It’s like a second delay before they can commit to it. Is it a run? Is it a pass? And that’s why I think our plays under center are a lot better than the guns.”

    That second delay helps the run blockers time their combination blocks better, Mailata said. Additionally, one wrinkle that the Eagles added on some of the early under-center runs was keeping the receivers tight to the formation. That opened up the possibility for the Eagles to run a crack toss, adding yet another option that defenses must honor at the snap.

    The under-center alignment doesn’t exclusively benefit the blockers, according to Mailata. He surmised that Barkley’s positioning in the backfield allows him to see a more complete picture of the defense, too.

    Benching Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts would be short-sighted, but it isn’t ridiculous to wonder

    “I think his vision, because he’s coming downhill, especially on outside zone, or even inside zone,” Mailata said. “He can see everything. If there’s leakage, he can bounce out and make a play. When we’re in gun, I feel like he has to come down here, but now his vision is there.”

    Throughout the season, Barkley has been asked about the disparity in his output between the two alignments. He continues to downplay that discrepancy. While he acknowledged on Friday what the numbers show, Barkley stressed that he doesn’t have a personal preference between runs from the shotgun vs. under center.

    “I feel like for me, personally, it doesn’t make a difference,” Barkley said. “It’s just running the football. Is there a difference? Yes. Outside zone is different. There is a difference of how you set it up, get your shoulders squared, what you’re seeing, what you’re reading. But to me — I’m not trying to brag here — I was drafted very high in this league from Penn State and the last two years in college, I never went under center. Then when you get into the NFL, you have to adapt and learn how to run under center.

    “I feel comfortable in either, but I guess the numbers are showing that. Again, the player I want to be, it shouldn’t be that way. It shouldn’t be we’re having more success in one way, because ultimately the run game falls down on me. So, yes, we’re producing underneath, but I’ve got to find ways to help us produce from gun, too. Because it gives us a better balance, too, when you’re going against defenses.”

    The shotgun runs aren’t going away. Certain concepts, like zone reads and run-pass options, are executed out of the shotgun. The Eagles must run the ball from the shotgun to set up those other plays throughout the game.

    Jordan Mailata (68) has noted that there’s a difference in approach for defenses when Saquon Barkley (26) runs out of shotgun.

    But would Mailata advocate for more under-center runs going forward?

    “I’ll be honest,” Mailata said. “Depending on the flow of the game, we would advocate for more under center stuff. But in the mode that we’re in right now, just be a player. Let the coaches coach and let the players play.”

    Later in the season, longer runs?

    Aside from the backward hurdle, no image better defines Barkley’s historic 2024 than his 78-yard touchdown run in the NFC divisional-round win over the Los Angeles Rams in mid-January.

    Late in the fourth quarter, Barkley became a human snowplow as he rattled off a touchdown run that tied the longest in his career. In the week leading up to the game, Barkley reminisced fondly about the snow games he played in his youth. The snow-globe-like environment at the Linc lived up to Barkley’s expectations in the aftermath.

    “The atmosphere was crazy, man,” Barkley said after the game. “It was insane. Got a smile on my face thinking about it. This is what you dream about. This is why I came to Philly. Wanted to be a part of games like this. I’m just happy to be able to be a part of it.”

    Barkley could be a part of more of those games, even before he reaches the playoffs. The Eagles are done playing in domes for the rest of the regular season. While the snow in Sunday’s forecast is limited to the morning, according to AccuWeather, the high in the afternoon is 28 degrees with 16 mph winds making the Real Feel temperature 15 degrees.

    When the weather cools off, Barkley tends to thrive. In the months of December and January throughout his eight-year career, he has averaged 4.7 yards per carry in the regular season, which is a slightly better clip than each of the rates he managed in the preceding months.

    He also tends to earn more carries in December and January, averaging 17.9 carries per game, which is also a greater rate than September, October, and November.

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    “Real football happens late in the season,” Barkley said in late November. “And that’s when you want to be at your best, especially when you get into that run to go into the playoffs and then getting into the playoffs.”

    That trend isn’t limited to Barkley. Among a pool of running backs with at least 300 December carries per month since 2015, December and January is the most productive period compared to earlier in the regular season. Those high-volume backs averaged 4.5 yards per attempt and 14.7 carries per game in December and January.

    Can Barkley continue that trend for the rest of the regular season, from Philly, to Landover, Md., to Buffalo, N.Y., and back to Philly? Mailata is optimistic that the Eagles can build off of the wrinkles they implemented in the run game on Monday, even though he said some of the concepts “got a little bit stale” in the second half.

    Plus, the Eagles still need to improve at putting themselves in situations to run the ball. Barkley had eight carries for negative yardage or no gain on Monday night, which isn’t exactly a recipe for sticking with the run.

    “That doesn’t put us in prime position to continue to get more runs called,” Barkley said. “It’s easier to run the ball when it’s second-and-6 and second-and-5 rather than second-and-11 or second-and-10.”

    But Mailata was adamant that Barkley can’t do it alone. If the run game is going to breathe life back into the Eagles offense, it’s going to take the entire unit.

    “The guy’s always looking for solutions,” Mailata said. “He’s always going to blame himself, which I hate that, because you can watch the film and we’re one block away up front. As tiring as that is, he’s going to take the blame for that, because he didn’t make a move. And I’m just like, ‘You can’t do everything. You’re not Superman.’”

  • With Lane Johnson out, Eagles tackle Fred Johnson has a big challenge with Raiders’ Maxx Crosby

    With Lane Johnson out, Eagles tackle Fred Johnson has a big challenge with Raiders’ Maxx Crosby

    What stands out about Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby?

    “That [expletive] is a freak,” Fred Johnson said Friday.

    “Effort is one thing. Everyone should have effort at this level. But the talent matched with effort takes the person from a great player to a rare player. He’s a rare player.”

    Crosby is a rare talent indeed. He’s one of the best edge defenders in the NFL. He also plays more than all of his counterparts, which means he puts extra stress on an offensive game plan that worries a lot about how to stop him.

    Crosby plays 93% of the Raiders’ defensive snaps, and that’s actually down from his previous three seasons. For context, Jaelan Phillips is considered the Eagles’ workhorse edge rusher, and he played 80% of the snaps Monday against the Chargers.

    Eagles vs. Raiders predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 15

    Crosby, who has nine sacks and 43 pressures on the season, has played every defensive snap in six games this season. No other defensive lineman has one such game, according to Next Gen Stats. And because Crosby spends most of his time on the left side of the formation, Johnson is going to see a lot of him Sunday.

    Johnson, the backup right tackle, is in line for his fourth consecutive start filling in for Lane Johnson, who remains sidelined with a Lisfranc injury in his left foot. The Eagles declined to put Lane Johnson on injured reserve after his injury, but he will still miss his fourth game Sunday vs. 2-11 Las Vegas.

    The Eagles may have briefly had to consider Plan C. Fred Johnson was nicked up near the start of Wednesday’s practice and was limited Thursday with an ankle injury he said has been bothering him for a couple of weeks.

    The Eagles listed him as a full participant Friday, and he will play Sunday. If he were to miss action, it’s likely Matt Pryor would see time at right tackle, which didn’t go well for the Eagles in Week 3 vs. the Rams.

    Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby is a versatile pass rusher, but he also leads all defensive linemen in run stops, according to Next Gen.

    There are few players capable of filling in for Lane Johnsonwithout the offense missing a beat, and the Eagles’ three-game losing streak without him has dropped their record to 13-26 in games he doesn’t start since the beginning of 2016.

    Fred Johnson, however, has performed well in relief. He struggled a bit against Dallas but rebounded with solid performances against Chicago and the Los Angeles Chargers.

    “I feel like I’ve executed my job,” he said. “There’s a lot of things I want to do better. But I feel like I did what I came out here to do — execute, be ready for this team, be ready for my teammates, be accountable, and everything else like that.”

    Sunday will present a bigger challenge than he’s faced in recent weeks. Though the Raiders have just two wins, Crosby has the ability to wreck both the passing and running games, which right now hasn’t been very difficult for Eagles opponents during the team’s offensive slump.

    The Eagles like to leave their tackles on islands, but they may have to give Fred Johnson some extra help on Sunday. Crosby is a versatile pass rusher, but he also leads all defensive linemen in run stops, according to Next Gen.

    Brandon Graham unretired to help the Eagles. Now he’s featuring at a new position at age 37.

    Fred said he talked to Lane this week about Crosby, and Lane said he would watch some extra film and report back with what he’s seeing. Fred said the the results of Lane’s studying were “classified.”

    After Lane went down, Fred, who left in free agency to try to become a starter in Jacksonville, only to return via trade after training camp, said he was viewing this stretch of games as a chance to show what he can do in an effort to “to make a name for himself.”

    No bigger chance than Sunday?

    “Every chance is a big chance,” he said. “I just feel like it’s the next week and it’s the next opponent. He’s a great player in his own right, but I got to control what I can control and make sure I’m doing what I got to do, check my boxes, and go about it like that.”

    Injury report

    In addition to Lane Johnson, the Eagles also ruled out Jalen Carter, who is recovering from shoulder procedures. Rookie tackle Cameron Williams is listed as questionable, but he will likely be ruled out and remains on injured reserve during his 21-day practice window.

    Landon Dickerson (calf/rest) returned to the field Friday after missing practice Thursday. He is good to go for Sunday.

    The Eagles on Friday also activated long snapper Charley Hughlett from injured reserve. Their 53-man roster is now at the maximum after waiving snapper Cal Adomitis earlier in the week.

  • Debate over benching Jalen Hurts is ‘the dumbest conversation of the NFL season.’ Here’s what else they’re saying.

    Debate over benching Jalen Hurts is ‘the dumbest conversation of the NFL season.’ Here’s what else they’re saying.

    A nightmarish five-turnover game from Jalen Hurts in the Eagles’ Week 14 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers led some to wonder aloud if it would be beneficial to bench the quarterback for the team’s Week 15 game against the Raiders.

    Nick Sirianni called the idea of benching Hurts “ridiculous” Wednesday morning during an interview with 94 WIP, but the coach’s comments did not stop the wave of opinions about Hurts.

    “You know what’s really, truly, magnificently ridiculous to think? That any quarterback could play as poorly as Hurts has played in back-to-back losses to the Bears and the Chargers without prompting some level of discussion about whether or not he should continue to start,” Inquirer columnist David Murphy wrote Friday. “As good as Hurts has played in his two Super Bowl appearances, that’s how bad he has played over the last couple of weeks.”

    Why Jalen Hurts plans to ‘stay the course’ after turnovers stalled the Eagles offense

    Meanwhile, fellow columnist Marcus Hayes also believes the conversation needs to at least happen, whether the Eagles ultimately go through with it or not — adding that one more bad game and the Birds might really need to consider sitting Hurts. And Eagles writer Jeff McLane opened the week by suggesting there’s “merit” to the idea of starting Tanner McKee against the Raiders, but that “opening that can of worms may cause more harm than good — especially in the long term.”

    Needless to say, the national media has had plenty to say about the idea of benching Hurts. Here’s a look a what they’re saying ahead of Sunday’s game in Vegas …

    ‘We all know Tanner McKee ain’t playing’

    Stephen A. Smith addressed the idea of benching Hurts in favor of backup Tanner McKee on Thursday morning’s episode of ESPN’s First Take. Smith dismissed the idea, largely on the basis that it would be irresponsible to give McKee, a 2023 sixth-round pick out of Stanford, his second career start in a pivotal game.

    “Jalen Hurts ain’t going to be benched,” Smith said. “The backup quarterback’s name is Tanner McKee, right? We all know Tanner McKee ain’t playing. We just know this, OK? Down the line, in the future, sure, but this year, Tanner McKee is not going to replace the reigning defending Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP.”

    Smith said calls for Hurts benching is a way for Philly fans to “light a fire” under the team after a three-game losing streak.

    “They’re saying, ‘What do we do? What do we have to do to light a fire under these dudes? Because, [expletive], what’s going on isn’t working, because Sirianni ain’t doing anything about it. [Offensive coordinator Kevin] Patullo ain’t doing anything about it. We got a problem.’ That’s the Philadelphia fan base,” Smith said. “There’s nobody with sense that would think for one second that Jalen Hurts is going to find himself on the bench in favor of Tanner McKee.”

    Eagles vs. Raiders predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 15
    Eagles backup quarterback Tanner McKee’s last start came in the 2024 regular season finale.

    ‘Do you know how stupid of a question that is?’

    Former NFL quarterback — and one-time Hurts critic — Dan Orlovsky agreed with his ESPN colleague on Thursday’s First Take, calling the talk of benching Hurts “the dumbest conversation of the NFL season.”

    “I was probably the most critical person of Jalen Hurts early in his career,” Orlovsky said. “He has gone to the playoffs four times. He’s gone to the Super Bowl twice. He’s won the Super Bowl once, and he was the MVP of the Super Bowl. And 10 months later — 10 months later from doing that — we’re going, ‘Do you think we should bench the quarterback?’ … Do you know how stupid of a question that is?”

    Orlovsky pointed out the absurdity of Hurts, whose 27 combined rushing and passing touchdowns are the fourth-most in the NFL, having his job security in question. Orlovsky, who has been critical of the Eagles’ struggling offense this season, said the team’s problems are too interconnected to blame on Hurts alone.

    “Saquon Barkley is one of two running backs that have over 50 carries this year that have gone for either no yards or negative yards,” Orlovsky said. “Is that because Saquon can’t play anymore? Or is it all connected?”

    Benching Jalen Hurts would be short-sighted, but it isn’t ridiculous to wonder | David Murphy
    Jalen Hurts’ fifth turnover against the Chargers ended the game.

    ‘I can’t be taller than your franchise quarterback’

    Colin Cowherd just wishes Hurts was a little bit taller.

    His criticism of the Eagles quarterback runs deeper than a game or the remaining weeks of the season. Cowherd said on Wednesday’s episode of Fox Sports 1’s The Herd that Hurts’ size may be enough of a reason for the franchise to move on from the quarterback. Cowherd pointed out that many of the league’s best quarterbacks, including Justin Herbert and Josh Allen are 6-foot-3 and above.

    “I’m 6-2,” Cowherd said. “I can’t be taller than your franchise quarterback.”

    At 6-foot-1, Hurts is the same size as Brock Purdy, Tua Tagovailoa, and Baker Mayfield. Cowherd wondered if the league’s 17-game season is wearing on its smaller quarterbacks.

    “[Hurts is] smart, he’s athletic, he’s tough,” Cowherd said. “He’s tiny. It’s not just the size and the length of the quarterback, it’s the length of the season. It’s now 17 games. NFL defensive players are now bigger, stronger, faster. The hits hurt more, they’re more punitive.”

    However, Hurts did not shrink — nor did the NFL schedule grow — over the offseason, and neither seemed to be an issue during last year’s Super Bowl run.

    Nick Sirianni: Sitting Jalen Hurts ‘ridiculous’? Hardly. Bench him if he struggles Sunday. | Marcus Hayes

    This season, Hurts has not missed time due to injury, but he is on pace to finish with his fewest rushing carries since his rookie year. Hurts has carried the ball just 88 times this season.

    The Eagles’ move away from running Hurts may protect his long-term health, but the team has struggled with Hurts throwing the ball more frequently. The Birds are 1-5 in games where Hurts throws more than 30 passes.

    “The truth is, the more Jalen Hurts throws, the worse Philadelphia is,” Cowherd said. “Those are the facts.”

  • Eagles vs. Raiders Week 15 predictions roundup: Will the Birds end their three-game skid?

    Eagles vs. Raiders Week 15 predictions roundup: Will the Birds end their three-game skid?

    The Eagles’ season has taken a drastic turn in a matter of weeks. The Birds are on a three-game losing streak after losing to the Los Angeles Chargers in overtime Monday night.

    However, a matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders may be the perfect remedy to the skid.

    The Raiders (2-11) have not won a game in two months and are on a seven-game losing streak. The Eagles enter Sunday’s game as 11½-point favorites.

    Eagles still big favorites vs. Raiders; plus, Week 15 odds for Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and more

    Here’s who the experts are picking in Sunday’s game.

    Inquirer predictions

    First, let’s begin with what our writers are thinking about the game. Here’s a look at Olivia Reiner’s prediction …

    To read more of Reiner’s prediction and see what our other writers think the outcome will be, click here.

    Jalen Hurts and the Eagles last played the Raiders in 2021.

    National media predictions

    This is how the national media thinks Sunday’s matchup will go …

    • ESPN: All 11 panelists think the Birds get back on track with a win.
    • CBS Sports: All seven panelists are picking an Eagles win to win straight up.
    • Pro Football Talk: Matt Simms and Mike Florio are picking the Eagles to win.
    • USA Today: All six panelists have the Eagles winning Sunday.
    • Bleacher Report: Six of the seven experts have the Eagles winning.
    • Sporting News: Vinnie Iyer predicts a 38-17 Eagles win to cover the spread.
    Eagles vs. Raiders predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 15

    Local media predictions:

    Here’s what the local media thinks of the game …

  • Kenny Pickett’s ‘great opportunity’ and what else the Raiders are saying before Sunday’s game vs. Eagles

    Kenny Pickett’s ‘great opportunity’ and what else the Raiders are saying before Sunday’s game vs. Eagles

    When the Las Vegas Raiders roll into town on Sunday, they’ll be led by an old friend — former Eagles backup quarterback Kenny Pickett, who’s set to start in place of the injured Geno Smith.

    Here’s what Pickett and the rest of the Raiders had to say about the Eagles ahead of Sunday’s game …

    ‘They have a hell of a team’

    The Birds, losers of three straight, will be desperate for a get-right game against the 2-11 Raiders.

    Pickett, in his first start of the year, is expecting the Eagles to be ready.

    Eagles still big favorites vs. Raiders; plus, Week 15 odds for Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and more

    “They’ll be ready to go,” Pickett said. “They have a hell of a team, there’s not a ton of new faces on that team, there’s a lot of really good players, I know the coaching staff, and how prepared they’re going to be for the game, so it’s a great opportunity.

    “Seeing what it looks like to be world champions, the dedication, the commitment from every position group, it was really player-led, that was a really cool thing,” Pickett added. “I think we had a great veteran leadership and a lot of those guys are still there.”

    With the weather set to reach below-freezing temperatures and snow on the horizon, the Raiders, out in sunny Las Vegas, are preparing for their coldest game of the season so far.

    But for Pickett, who spent his college and most of his NFL career in Pennsylvania, he’s used to it.

    “I’m a Northeast guy, so this is new to me, going out and practicing in December and it’s 60 degrees every day,” he said. “It’s unbelievable here, but I’m more used to when it hits November, December for it to be more like what it’ll be on gameday, so I’m pretty familiar with it.”

    Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll shown during a game against the Chargers on Nov. 30.

    Carroll on the Tush Push

    Despite the never-ending discourse, the Eagles haven’t been nearly as successful on the Tush Push in 2025 as they have in years past.

    That hasn’t stopped the play from being a lightning rod of controversy and a point of focus for opposing coaches, including Raiders head coach Pete Carroll.

    “If you notice it’s the surge, and the defense does everything they can to throw their bodies at that thing, and then it’s the second surge that usually gets the first down,” Carroll said. “ … It’s the initial, and then it’s the second push that makes the difference.”

  • Benching Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts would be short-sighted, but it isn’t ridiculous to wonder

    Benching Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts would be short-sighted, but it isn’t ridiculous to wonder

    Nick Sirianni is only half right.

    It is ridiculous to think that the Eagles might consider benching their Super Bowl MVP quarterback with four games left in the season and a division title all but assured.

    Yet, Sirianni and his coaching staff have a long list of equally ridiculous things they must consider.

    • It is ridiculous to think that an offense with the defending Super Bowl MVP at quarterback could go five straight games failing to score more than 21 points.
    • It is ridiculous to think said offense could score the fifth-fewest points in the NFL during that five-game stretch.
    • It is ridiculous to think that the four teams that have scored fewer points than the Eagles since Week 9 are all teams that have either A) benched their quarterback (Saints, Vikings), B) played with a backup quarterback (Washington), C) or continued to start Geno Smith at quarterback rather than benching him.
    • It is ridiculous to think that the Jets have outscored the Eagles by seven points over the last five games while shuffling Tyrod Taylor and Justin Fields at quarterback.
    An alternate history of 2023, and why the Eagles are preaching the right message

    In his weekly interview on Eagles flagship station 94.1 WIP after the team’s 22-19 loss to the Chargers on Monday, Sirianni dismissed the notion that he might make a change at quarterback.

    “No, I think that’s ridiculous,” Sirianni said. “I know every time I go out on that field with Jalen Hurts as our quarterback, we have a chance to win the game. That’s something that’s been proven. We’ve won a lot of football games.”

    But you know what’s really, truly, magnificently ridiculous to think? That any quarterback could play as poorly as Hurts has played in back-to-back losses to the Bears and the Chargers without prompting some level of discussion about whether or not he should continue to start. As good as Hurts has played in his two Super Bowl appearances, that’s how bad he has played over the last couple of weeks.

    Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo is shown with A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts against the Chargers on Monday night.

    In the Eagles’ loss to the Chargers on Monday, Hurts did something that only 10 other quarterbacks have done over the last 10 seasons. Here’s the list of names of quarterbacks who have thrown four interceptions on 40 or fewer pass attempts with no touchdowns while averaging six or fewer yards per attempt:

    • Max Brosmer (2025)
    • Sam Howell (2023)
    • Trevor Lawrence (2021)
    • Davis Mills (2021)
    • Jake Luton (2020)
    • Sam Darnold (2018 and 2019)
    • Nathan Peterman (2017)
    • Andy Dalton (2017)

    Apart from Lawrence, all of those guys eventually either lost their job as starter or never really had it to begin with. It took a couple of years for Darnold and Dalton. But it certainly wouldn’t sound ridiculous now to know that people were talking about benching them at the time. In fact, the two words that might best describe all eight of those players are, “Eminently benchable.”

    The rebuttal from Sirianni, et. al. is as follows. None of those eight players have been to two Super Bowls, and they’ve certainly never won one. None of those eight players have ever come close to factoring into an NFL MVP discussion. With the possible exceptions of Lawrence and Darnold, none of those players have ever come close to the quarterback Hurts was in the first nine weeks of the season, let alone at his peak.

    If you are going to ding Hurts for throwing four interceptions in his most recent start, you have to credit him for throwing only one in his first nine starts of the season. The Eagles offense didn’t set the world on fire in those first nine games, but it was the kind of unit that plenty of NFL teams would be thrilled to have. They scored 30 points three times, twice against potential playoff opponents (Rams, Bucs). We’ve seen this offense be plenty good enough with Hurts under center this season.

    Nobody was talking about benching Patrick Mahomes in 2023 when the Chiefs lost five of eight games and averaged under 20 points per game between Weeks 8-16. It’s a good thing, too. Mahomes recovered to win his last five starts, four of them in the postseason, the last three of them on the road, including a 25-22 victory over the 49ers in the Super Bowl.

    Again, so the argument goes.

    Sirianni’s head is in the right place. No team in modern NFL history has benched a quarterback this late into a season and gone on to win a Super Bowl. Nick Foles and Jeff Hostetler caught lightning in a bottle, but they were injury-related replacements. It’s absolutely ridiculous to think that the Eagles’ Super Bowl odds would improve with Tanner McKee at quarterback. That’s true even if you limit the discussion to the aptitude of each player. When you broaden the scope to include the ramifications within the locker room and the organization of benching a player of Hurts’ caliber, the discussion does seem more than a tad silly.

    What isn’t silly is the thought process of those fans and media members who have floated the prospect of a switch to McKee. The Eagles aren’t going to win a Super Bowl with Hurts playing as he has in recent weeks. Something is broken, and Sirianni and his coaching staff need to figure out a way to fix it. Hurts doesn’t need to be a world-beater to be a quarterback who can lead these Eagles to a second straight title. But he needs to be functional.

    Hayes: Nick Sirianni: Sitting Jalen Hurts ‘ridiculous’? Hardly. Bench him if he struggles Sunday.
    Eagles coach Nick Sirianni defended his quarterback this week when asked about the possibility of benching Jalen Hurts.

    “You always praise the things that they do well, and you correct the things that you want them to improve,” Sirianni said on Wednesday when asked about his approach to coaching Hurts. “That’s our job as coaches. The tone or the energy or whatever you do, won’t get too much into that. You may not coach everything exactly the same as far as demeanor. There’s a time to yell, there’s a time to bring [it] up, but it always goes back to, and I think there’s an art to this, it always goes back to the standard. Did you meet the standard, or did you not meet the standard? Then there’s an art to how you correct it in the sense of that. But it always goes back to the standard. Did you meet it? Great, and you’re going to praise that. Did you not? Then you correct it.”

    They need to correct it fast. The Raiders and Commanders are two opponents who won’t offer an opportunity for any excuses. These next two games are an opportunity for Hurts to quiet the noise and get himself back into a rhythm that can carry over into the postseason. If that doesn’t happen, you’ll only need one word to characterize the thought of the Eagles in another Super Bowl.

    Ridiculous.

  • Eagles vs. Raiders predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 15

    Eagles vs. Raiders predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 15

    The 8-5 Eagles bring their three-game losing streak back home to Lincoln Financial Field for a Sunday afternoon game vs. the 2-11 Las Vegas Raiders.

    The Eagles are looking to right the ship and keep the Cowboys at arm’s length in the NFC East as the playoffs near.

    Will they? Here’s how our writers see Sunday going:

    Jeff Neiburg

    This is the get-right game of all get-right games. The Raiders are the final boss of get-right games. If you can’t win Sunday, then you’re never getting right.

    That’s a little bit hyperbolic, but the Eagles can’t lose this one, can they?

    The Eagles-Cardinals New Year’s Eve game in 2023 would like a word. The 2023 comparisons with me will stop there. I think it’s kind of silly to compare the two seasons. But the Eagles are obviously sliding.

    The two-win Raiders, however, should be the perfect remedy for all that ails the Eagles.

    Jake Elliott’s missed field goal proved critical, but the Eagles’ end-of-half conservatism has been a trend

    I can’t see the Raiders scoring enough points to win the game, even with all the troubles the Eagles are having on offense. Kenny Pickett is likely to start, and his best pass catcher, tight end Brock Bowers, should be a manageable opponent for the Eagles. They have one of the best nickel players in the league in Cooper DeJean, and two linebackers, Nakobe Dean and Zack Baun, with coverage chops. The Raiders don’t have enough offensive talent besides him to make you worry. Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty has been mostly a nonfactor in the running game, although he’s been dangerous as a pass catcher.

    Pickett, meanwhile, should face a swarm of defenders. The Raiders allow pressure on 36.9% of their drop backs, tied for ninth in the NFL. Geno Smith was pressured on 56% of his 25 drop backs in Sunday’s loss to Denver, according to Next Gen Stats, while Pickett was pressured on 38.5% of his 11 drops.

    Expect the Eagles, who generated a 68.3% pressure rate against Justin Herbert Monday night, to get after the quarterback and disrupt Vegas’ offense.

    On the other side, I think the Eagles did enough positive things offensively Monday to convince me they won’t have trouble moving the ball Sunday. They just need to avoid turnovers. Easier said then done, of course.

    Prediction: Eagles 27, Raiders 11

    Can Saquon Barkley keep up the momentum of a 100-yard game in Monday’s loss to the Chargers?

    Olivia Reiner

    If the Eagles can’t win this game against the Raiders, don’t expect them to win a playoff game this year.

    This is a game the Eagles should win, even in the offense’s current state of disarray. But don’t expect it to be a blowout. It’s going to be cold and windy at the Linc (remember how the Eagles fared in those conditions against the Bears?), so it seems unlikely that this game is going to be high-scoring if the weather gets ugly. Perhaps that works to the Eagles’ advantage, seeing as they’ve been practicing in an icebox all week and the Raiders are living it up in temperate Las Vegas.

    Jordan Davis was lights-out for the Eagles defense on Monday night. He also believes in the struggling offense.

    Pickett is likely capable of keeping the Raiders offense more competitive than GenoSmith could if he were healthy enough to start. In a brief showing to end the Raiders’ Week 14 loss to the Denver Broncos, Pickett went 8-for-11 for 97 yards and a touchdown. He has some trusty receivers — Bowers is one of the best receiving tight ends in the league and rookie receiver Jack Bech has been coming on over the last couple of weeks.

    But the Raiders’ running game, led by Jeanty, has been one of the worst in the league this season. The Eagles should be able to contain them on the ground, forcing Pickett to drop back and throw.

    The Raiders defense, led by TFL machine Maxx Crosby, will likely look to do the same to the Eagles offense. They’ve had a rough last couple of weeks against the run, conceding 344 rushing yards (172 per game), tied for third-worst in the NFL in that span. Meanwhile, Saquon Barkley showed some flashes in the loss to the Chargers, especially on his handoffs from under center.

    Could you imagine the reaction if Pickett beats his former team? I wouldn’t expect that to happen, but crazier things (e.g. two Jalen Hurts turnovers on the same play) have occurred this season.

    Prediction: Eagles 20, Raiders 13

  • Brandon Graham unretired to help the Eagles. Now he’s featuring at a new position at age 37.

    Brandon Graham unretired to help the Eagles. Now he’s featuring at a new position at age 37.

    Brandon Graham is practically a rookie all over again in his 16th NFL season. He just has a few more gray hairs in his beard than he did in 2010 when he entered the league.

    Graham, 37, played a season-high 30 snaps against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night, with over one-third of those plays coming at defensive tackle, according to Pro Football Focus. That role on the interior isn’t new to Graham, but his snaps at the position in Week 14 exceeded the occasional allotment that had become typical for him throughout his career.

    “I’m taking it all in,” Graham said on Thursday after practice. “Trying to learn the technique. Some stuff, I already knew. And some stuff that I’m just working it every day. Just like now, I was just out there just doing some extra and just trying to make sure that I’m just contributing and helping best way I can.”

    The best way that Graham can help right now is on the interior in the absence of Jalen Carter, who underwent a procedure to both of his shoulders last week. With Carter sidelined on a week-to-week basis, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio could use an extra body at defensive tackle, giving Graham a new job.

    Jordan Davis was lights-out for the Eagles defense on Monday night. He also believes in the struggling offense.

    The early returns are promising. Even in the absence of Carter, the entire defensive front fared well against the Chargers, generating single-game season highs in sacks (seven) and quarterback pressure rate (68.3%), per Next Gen Stats. Graham contributed one of those pressures on 18 pass rush snaps.

    The new position has also added a wrinkle to Graham’s relationship with his teammates. Instead of setting the example for the younger players, he’s watching youngsters like Jordan Davis in practice and emulating their technique in individual drills.

    “When I’m watching him, man, I’m learning as I’m going,” Graham said. “Because they’re the ones running everything over there. They know what’s going on. So I’m just picking their brain and just asking them what they think when I go.“

    The transition for Graham is going well so far, according to Moro Ojomo. Graham is getting the full experience of an Eagles defensive tackle, spending his time in their meetings instead of breaking off to join the outside linebackers. Ojomo, 24, said he was impressed by Graham’s ability to come out of retirement in late October, let alone make a position change.

    Brandon Graham has ramped up his contributions since returning to the team at midseason.

    Still, Graham is experiencing a learning curve, even though he’s taken snaps at defensive tackle before.

    “It’d be similar to maybe someone writing with their right hand and then starting to write with their left hand,” Ojomo said. “It’s not as easy as you may think it is. There are similarities, but it takes some time and definitely, if anyone can do it the way he’s doing it, it would be him.”

    Everything comes at defensive tackles quicker compared to defensive ends, given the DT’s close proximity to the opposing guard. In his relatively old age, though, Graham said he still feels spry.

    “It feels good, man, ‘cause I feel quick in there,” Graham said. “It’s just don’t get caught with one foot in the ground. You’ve got to have both feet in the ground when you’re in there. I’m just trying to make sure, like I said, it’s the technique. It’s about getting your feet in the ground fast as you’re striking. As an outside linebacker, you can get off and figure out your little moves before. Now, it just comes at you a little quicker.”

    He also says he felt fresh after the game. Graham’s 30 defensive snaps were the most he’s taken since Week 11 last season against the Washington Commanders (32 snaps).

    “I thought I was going to be a little more sore,” Graham said. “But just taking care of my body, man. I think that it was nice just how we all rotated in the game. I think we just keep that rotation going and of course, I’ve got my massage and stuff like that, all that stuff set up. But it wasn’t as bad as I thought and I recovered pretty well.”

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    Graham initially retired following Super Bowl LIX, a game in which he re-injured the triceps that had sidelined him for nine weeks between the regular season and the postseason.

    Five games into his career revival, Graham has put the triceps injury firmly in the past. His focus now remains on growing in his new gig while Carter recovers.

    “My tricep, everything feel great,” Graham said. “Man, I just feel like just got to continue to keep working the technique. As you know, it’s just a daily walk with it.”

    Injury report

    Landon Dickerson (calf/rest) did not practice on Thursday. His rest designation was new on the injury report this week, but it wasn’t a new phenomenon for Dickerson. He took a rest day on Friday last week (the schedule was shifted up a day with the game on Monday) and still played against the Chargers.

    Carter (shoulders) and Lane Johnson did not participate in Thursday’s practice. Fred Johnson (ankle) was an addition to the injury report as a limited participant, suggesting he may have injured himself in practice.

    Zack Baun (hand), Charley Hughlett (abdomen/injured reserve), and Cameron Williams (shoulder/injured reserve) were full participants.

    The Eagles will practice once more on Friday before Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.