Breaking Down the Eagles’ Offense Against the Bills’ Defense

One thing that can be said about last week is that the offense didn’t look as bad as the defense. Not much of a compliment, but you have to look for positive somewhere, right?

Quarterback Michael Vick played the whole game. Desean Jackson had over 100 yards receiving, and the Eagles might have found another weapon in Clay Harbour.

The Buffalo secondary is a bit inconsistent. They are young and athletic, but haven’t proved they can shut a team down. Picking off Tom Brady four times surely helped their confidence, though. Their best cover man is Leodis McKelvin. The fourth-year man out of Troy has both great speed and cover ability. He can take any interception back for a touchdown and is dangerous when he has the ball in his hands. If he is covering Jackson, it’s going to be a great battle. They’re both similar in size and in athletic ability. Jairus Byrd, their safety, is another underrated prospect of theirs. Since he plays in Buffalo he doesn’t get the exposure he deserves. He can play both run and pass and really is the anchor of that group.

If Vick has time in this game, which might be a problem, I still believe that the Eagles’ passing attack is superior to the Bills’ secondary. With athletes in their secondary, Jackson might have trouble going off again, so look for Jeremy Maclin and either Jason Avant or Steve Smith to make some big catches.

It would be a bonus if the Eagles could get some type of production from the tight end position in this game.

The Eagles offensive line is getting a bit of a shakeup this week. Their pro-bowl tackle Jason Peters is out with a leg injury. That means the massive King Dunlap will be playing left tackle. In previous years, this probably wouldn’t matter, but this year could be a different story. Shawne Merriman is their rush linebacker. He isn’t the same guy as he was in San Diego, but he is still a fierce, angry player who knows how to get to the quarterback. Dunlap is going to need to show some athleticism to keep up with Merriman.

On the inside, Danny Watkins is starting in his first NFL game. Kyle DeVan, the Eagles previous starting right guard, has struggled to say the least. This week Watkins is going up against a team that really has trouble stopping the run. That is good because it plays to his strength. Also, with Watkins being bigger and stronger than DeVan, he can help get a push up the middle in short yardage and goal line situations to help this awful red zone offense. Ball control will be key, and getting McCoy going on the ground will be essential to that. The Bills’ defensive line has some players. Kyle Williams is a solid nose tackle, but the real problem is Marcell Dareus.

He is listed at 6’3, 340lbs. If you’ve seen him play, he is as quick and explosive as someone who carries a 250-pound frame can be. He was drafted third overall this past April for a reason. He’ll most likely be going against Eagles tackle Todd Herremans, which should favor Philly. But don’t be surprised if they line him up against Dunlap, or Watkins on the inside, in an attempt to take advantage of their inexperience. If Dunlap can keep Vick clean, and Watkins can get the push up the middle he was drafted to do, the Eagles will be able to keep the Bills’ high-flying offense off the field and their defense rested for the dreaded fourth quarter.