A Look Ahead at the Eagles Week 2 Home Opener with the Rams

EAGLES INJURIES

Wide receiver DeSean Jackson didn’t get a lot of snaps last week, which left many people thinking he had been hurt, like last year. He swore that wasn’t the case, but regardless, he shows up on the injury report as a non-injury related rest. Fletcher Cox did get a little bruised up, but like Jackson, took a rest day on Wednesday and Thursday.

The other big name, veteran wideout Alshon Jeffery, once again missed practice due to a foot injury. The Eagles are unlikely to have him against the Rams on Sunday.

The good news is their feature back, Miles Sanders was a full participant. The same can be said for tackle Lane Johnson on Wednesday, but he was limited on Thursday. Those two are huge pieces of Philadelphia’s running game, something that lacked tremendously a week ago.

There is no word yet on whether Jason Peters will be good to go come Sunday, but in case he isn’t, rookie Jack Driscoll showed well against the highly talented ends that Washington has. He could fill in this week, if needed, thought the team would rather have Peters out there, the odds look good because he was a full participant in Thursday’s practice.

EAGLES OFFENSE

Quarterback Carson Wentz has to protect the ball better. If Philadelphia can plug the middle, stop Aaron Donald, and keep the pocket clean, the offense should be able to move the ball efficiently. Fumbles and errant throws hurt us last week. That cannot happen against LA.

The Rams gave up just under 100 yards on the ground to Ezekiel Elliott, and Dak Prescott threw for 266 yards and a touchdown. A balanced attack can be done against their defense, and even with Jeffery being out, the Eagles have the outside weapons to do it. With Sanders back, the running game should also be more effective.

DeSean Jackson, the rookies Jalen Reagor and John Hightower, and tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert will try to provide more than the Rams defense can handle.

EAGLES DEFENSE

The Eagles have got to get to quarterback Jared Goff in order to keep the Rams from scoring at will. They have the line to do it, but if Brandon Graham doesn’t clear concussion protocol, the Eagles will be without their best pass rusher. Fletcher Cox just taking a rest day is good. He’ll be needed to help the the pass rush and run defense.

Derek Barnett being a full participant is also promising, and Josh Sweat is a man on a mission. To really stop this high-flying offense, though, the Eagles need their full arsenal of pass-rushers.

Rams running back Malcolm Brown had 87 yards and 2 touchdowns, while rookie Cam Akers was able to contribute on the ground and in the pass game. Keeping these two at bay is critical.

This one will not be easy. The Rams are a team that can win the NFC West. They have Pro Bowl talent at every level on both sides of the ball, and just beat the team many picked to win the East.

If they can win the ground game, keep Goff off his spot in the pocket, and Wentz upright, this should be one in the win column for Philadelphia. It would also be a tiebreaker that may come in handy against Dallas later in the season.

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