Preview: Eagles Set To Play First Game In London

By Gia Lanci, Sports Talk Philly Staff

The Birds travel to London to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. The Eagles are in need of a huge change to turn their season around. They played an incredible three quarters last week but they completely lost it in the fourth quarter. Coming off of a terrible loss by blowing a 17-point lead, they really need to prove their place.

Slow And Steady Wins The Race

The last time the Eagles played the Jacksonville Jaguars was the first game in the 2014 season. The Birds had a slow start with Nick Foles as the starting QB. He had a fumble and an interception in the first half. Ironically, they were down 17-0 at the end of the first half. Their first touchdown did not come until the second half, but then they just kept coming. Darren Sproles ran a 49-yard touchdown. Nick Foles also threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Zach Ertz (even then he was always open). Nick Foles threw a 68-yard pass for a touchdown to Jeremy Maclin. To get on top, the Jaguars quarterback was sacked and fumbled the ball; Fletcher Cox recovered the ball for a 17-yard touchdown to end the game.

It must be taken into consideration the last time this matchup took place, there were many different players on the roster. Both starting quarterbacks this season were not on the team or were not active. 2014 was Blake Bortles rookie year and he did not play in the first game against the Eagles. They also did not have two of their other crucial players, Jalen Ramsey and Leonard Fournette, that they have added to their roster in the past few years. Our veteran players that played in that 2014 game, such as Fletcher Cox, Zach Ertz, Darren Sproles and Jason Peters, had a great game and will hopefully have another on Sunday.

The Jaguars, like the Eagles, are 3-4. They had a good start to the season but are on a three game losing streak. They have the second best defense in the league right now (by yards per game), and were one of the best last year as well. Their offense is weak, so the defense is going to be the problem.Their best offensive weapon, Leonard Fournette, is hurt, which weakens their offense immensely.

Did That Really Happen?

The Birds had a really strong three quarters against Carolina. The offense was playing well and the defense wasn’t letting the Panthers even reach the secondary. They were up by 17 points at the end of the first half. Then, in the third quarter, they completely lost it. They were playing with no drive at all. The Panthers scored effortlessly. They were able to get to the secondary, which made everything worse because the secondary cannot stop anyone. Carson Wentz made mistakes that wound up costing him the game. Overall, the entire team played terribly in the fourth quarter. They blew a 17-point lead to a team they could’ve beaten.

Will the Eagles turn their season around in London?

— Eagledelphia (@EagledelphiaPA) October 27, 2018

Injury Report

Eagles

Out

RB Darren Sproles, CB Sidney Jones, S Corey Graham and LB Nathan Gerry

Darren Sproles is still out with an ongoing hamstring injury. Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood and Josh Adams are proving their place while Darren Sproles is getting healthy. Sidney Jones is out with a hamstring injury. With Jones out, Dexter McDougle will likely play at cornerback again. Nathan Gerry has been hurt for a few weeks, but DJ Alexander is returning this week to assist the Eagles linebackers.

Questionable

DT Haloti Ngata

Ngata is questionable again. He had light practices all week. However, on Friday he practiced fully. Hopefully he will get some playing time in to help the defense.

Jaguars

Out

CBs A.J Bouye and Tyler Patmon, RB Leonard Fournette and TE James O’Shaughnessy

Bouye is one of their starting cornerbacks and will be inactive for this game. Patmon is listed as his primary backup which may be a weakness for the Eagles to expoloit. However, Jalen Ramsey will still be playing who is a dangerous aspect of their defense.

Fournette is a crucial part of Jaguars offense. He got hurt the first week and is out with a hamstring injury. They picked up Carlos Hyde to try and fill his position, and he will play against the Birds.

Without their starting tight end, the Jaguars struggling offensive line and passing game will suffer even more. The defense should be prepared to turn up the heat.

Doubtful

CB D.J. Hayden

Hayden is the backup to Ramsey. If he is unable to go, the Jags will be without three of their top four options at corner.

Broadcast Information

Time: 9:30 AM

TV: NFL Network

Radio: 94.1 FM WIP

Online: NFL Game Pass