Magicgames II » PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The defending champs are reeling

and seem on the verge of receiving a knockout punch.An embarrassing 48-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints — the most lopsided defeat for a Super Bowl champion — left the Philadelphia Eagles (4-6) one loss from last place. They’re optimistic because they are in control of their fading playoff hopes in a mediocre NFC East. But there’s nothing positive to point at following a dismal loss to the Saints (9-1).“You can’t hang your head Philadelphia Eagles Jerseys 2019 ,” coach Doug Pederson said Monday. “If anybody does, and if anybody begins to sort of doubt, you don’t need them. Because we believe, and I believe in those players, I believe in those coaches. It’s a group that is hurting. It’s a group that will pick themselves up this week. They’re not going to feel sorry for themselves and we’ll get ready for the Giants.”The Redskins (6-4) lead the division but just lost quarterback Alex Smith for the rest of the season. They’ll face the Cowboys (5-5) for first place on Thursday. The Giants (3-7) visit Philadelphia on Sunday. If the Eagles win the last six games, they’ll secure the East. But they look more like a team that can lose out than win six in a row.Carson Wentz played the worst game of his career in New Orleans, tossing three interceptions with a 31.9 passer rating. The offense managed only one touchdown, went three-and-out six times and continued spiraling downward. It barely resembles the group that outperformed the Patriots 41-33 in the Super Bowl.Running backs Jay Ajayi (torn ACL) and LeGarrette Blount (left in free agency), wide receiver Torrey Smith (traded to Carolina) and tight ends Trey Burton (left in free agency) and Brent Celek (released) are the skill players missing from that unit, along with Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, who is Wentz’s backup. Undrafted rookie Josh Adams is the lead running back but the receiver corps was upgraded with the addition of wideout Golden Tate and rookie tight end Dallas Goedert.Yet, the offense has been out of sync all season. The Eagles have scored more than 24 points only once.Pederson was bothered more by the offense’s performance against the Saints because Drew Brees and Co. have run through defenses all season.“We had more plays out on the field that we left, so that’s the disappointing thing, that we didn’t do a better job offensively and score more points,” Pederson said. “The 48, they’re a good football team. Let’s not kid ourselves there. That’s a good football team, and we knew we were going to have to score points.”The offense’s biggest problem has been slow starts. The Eagles have scored only 21 points in the first quarter, including 14 in one game. Against the Saints, their three first-quarter possession were two three-and-outs and an interception thrown into double coverage.“We keep preaching. We keep talking. We keep practicing. We put our players in those positions to execute,” Pederson said. “Sometimes I think because there’s been so much made about the way we’ve started games differently than a year ago that sometimes you want to make the play. Players just need to make the plays that come to them and don’t go looking for plays. There’s enough out there that when the play comes, you make it, and it starts with the first play of the game.”NOTES: Pederson said CB Rasul Douglas (leg) and DB Avonte Maddox (knee) and C Jason Kelce (elbow) are fine. CB Sidney Jones (ankle) and LB Jordan Hicks (calf) are week to week. LS Rick Lovato is in concussion protocol.Eagles News: Fletcher Cox is the top ranked interior defensive lineman through three games Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...NFL insider calls Eagles a “sleeper team” to trade for Le’Veon Bell - BGNCheck out the poll results in this post.The Kist & Solak Show #15: Eagles-Colts All-22 Review - BGN RadioMichael Kist and Benjamin Solak react to Alshon Jeffery being cleared for contact and have all the opinions after reviewing the coaches film of the Eagles Week 3 win over the Colts! Thoughts on Wentz, Smallwood, Goedert Mens Andre Dillard Jersey , McLeod, Barnett and fancy schemes and personnel deployments plus much more!Eagles vs. Titans: Five matchups to watch - PhillyVoiceWhile the Eagles have done an outstanding job of stopping running backs in their tracks, they have given up some plays to quarterbacks escaping the pocket. [...] The Eagles would be wise to try to keep Marcus Mariota contained within the pocket with a more controlled pass rush, and make him beat you with his arm.Carson Wentz Ready To Take Next Step At Titans - PE.comCarson Wentz saw some good, some not-as-good, and a whole lot to work on when he looked back on the 20-16 win over Indianapolis in his 2018 debut. Wentz led the Eagles on a first-possession touchdown drive and then another one that ate up nearly the entire fourth quarter to take the lead for good, and in between there were, as they say in the NFL, “teachable moments” for Wentz, nine and a half months removed from a season-ending knee injury. But by the time Monday afternoon rolled around, Wentz was on to the Tennessee Titans and studying a defense that has success because the players are talented, have great chemistry, and give quarterbacks different looks from one play to the next. It’s nothing fancy, by NFL standards, but it’s effective.Week 3 NFL Offensive Line Rankings - PFF3) There’s no shame in coming in third, especially with Jason Peters having missed some time again. When Jason Peters has been on the field, he’s looked like his old self. He, Brandon Brooks and Jason Kelce all have pass blocking grades above 80.0 so far.How Alshon Jeffery’s expected return can help the offense - InquirerJeffery’s numbers can be better. Carson Wentz likes to spread the ball around and Ertz and Agholor are both going to get their share of targets and catches, so I don’t see Jeffery challenging for the receiving title. But watch him play, and what how defenses play the Eagles when he’s on the field. Agholor is averaging 7.3 yards per catch this season, which is five yards fewer per catch than last season. Part of that is because he can play in the slot and Jeffery commands the defense’s attention. ”If [Jeffery is] doubled, it leaves [Agholor and Ertz] singled and that helps them right there,” Pederson said. “I think just having those three guys together kind of feeding off one another, route combinations understanding concepts Youth Andre Dillard Jersey , helps Nelly and Zach and really helps Alshon.” The Eagles will look better if/when Jeffery is out there. Wentz’s return last week was key, but now Jeffery can bring them to another level.Jordan Mailata had never watched an NFL game ... until he joined the NFL - The GuardianJordan Mailata, a rookie football player in the truest sense of the word, suddenly reached into his locker and plucked out a thigh pad. Just four months ago, he had no idea which body part it was supposed to protect. “When I came into rookie minicamp, I said, ‘What are these?’” Mailata, the first-year Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle, tells the Guardian. “They said, ‘They’re your pads.’ I said, ‘Well, where do they go?’ They showed me the shorts, and they said, ‘They go here and here and here.’ And I was like, ‘Oh! Damn!’”Lack of playing time doesn’t bode well for Shelton Gibson - NBCSP“Right now, we’re just without getting into a lot of scheme stuff, we just felt better yesterday with some of our 12 personnel, some of our 13 personnel. Kept them in base defense. They did jump into nickel a little bit because then we were in our 12 and 13 personnel being able to run the football. So just the way the game kind of unfolded just a little bit. Shelton is a young player that’s continuing to grow and get better with the offense. We had a package of plays for him yesterday; just didn’t get to him.”Clutch Encounters: Week 3 - Football OutsidersThe Eagles would be 0-3 right now if not for their red zone defense. In the second half, Indianapolis had four drives reach the red zone, but kicked three field goals and had one turnover on downs. The Colts even started two drives inside the red zone after forcing Wentz turnovers, but failed to gain a first down on either opportunity. There were three drives in the third quarter where Luck delivered passes to Chester Rogers and two to Eric Ebron, but the receivers failed to make a play and produce a touchdown. None of the plays were horrific drops and there was a defender right there on both of Ebron’s attempts, but you would like to see at least one of these work out to reward Luck and the team.Rishard Matthews might be done with the Titans - Music City MiraclesMy guess here is that Rishard hasn’t been happy with his usage through the first 3 weeks of the season and things came to a head in some fashion today. The wording of his Instagram post sounds like he will be released by the Titans because that is the only way a team could call him and get him off the couch. There is little doubt in my mind that teams will call because he has been productive the last couple of years.Jack Conklin could make 2018 debut Sunday - PFTThe Titans hope to have right tackle Jack Conklin back in the lineup Sunday against the Eagles. Conklin was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice.Los Angeles Rams S Blake Countess named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week - Turf Show TimesIn you’re shaky on on the past of 25 year-old Blake Countess, he played his college ball at Michigan and was a sixth-round pick in 2016 by the Philadelphia Eagles and was later cut and picked up by the Rams (practice squad) before the 2016 season began. Countess is turning out to be a valuable role player for the Rams this season Cheap Andre Dillard Jersey , providing much needed depth in the battered secondary as well as the special teams unit, which has also been plagued by injuries.Coming full circle: Tommy McDonald and Ray Didinger’s remarkable bond - The Athletic“He was my hero,” said Didinger, who served as McDonald’s presenter at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. “Sometimes I have to take a step back to look at what’s happened to truly appreciate it. I really don’t know of anything else like this. It’s like our lives came full circle, over such a long span. I thought about writing a book, but somehow it became a play. It couldn’t have worked out any better.” But first, there was Canton, where McDonald delivered an acceptance speech for the ages in 1998. It was pure McDonald. Conventional it wasn’t. And that was the point, even if maybe it did go over the top a bit. He even tossed his bust in the air and caught it, to show that he still had great hands. And Didinger actually tried to talk him out of it, for all the right reasons. Good thing he lost the battle.The NFL’s Sudden Roughing-the-Passer Obsession Isn’t About Safety - The RingerWe can call the NFL’s new, awful emphasis on a particular brand of roughing-the-passer penalty the State Farm Rule. It was instituted to prevent injuries like the one that took out the Packers’ insurance-hawking quarterback, Aaron Rodgers; it has most famously penalized Rodgers’s Green Bay teammate and advertising costar, linebacker Clay Matthews.NFL picks 2018, Week 4: Packers, Patriots due for a rebound? - SB NationThe second hardest game to guess at is the Lions-Cowboys affair. Dallas’ offense is struggling, to say the least. The defense had been good, but Seattle gashed them last week with run after run after run. Now that the Lions officially have a running game, will they be smart enough to do the same? I’m just not sure which Lions team is going to show up from week to week, yet.Looks like the Eagles will be wearing midnight green on Sunday:...Social Media Information:BGN Facebook Page: Click here to like our pageBGN Twitter: Follow @BleedingGreenBGN Manager: Brandon Lee Gowton: Follow @BrandonGowtonBGN Radio Twitter: Follow @BGN_Radio