Philadelphia Eagles vs Oakland Raiders: 10 Game-time story lines

When the Philadelphia Eagles take the field on Monday Night football to meet the Oakland Raiders, there isn’t a fan of either team that won’t be glued to the screen.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first-ever ‘Black Christmas’ in ‘The City of Brotherly Love’. The Philadelphia Eagles will don their all-black jerseys, and they ask that their fans wear black as well. Every fan of this team will probably tell you, no matter how special every gift they’ve received was, there isn’t much that will compare to an Eagles victory.

A win against the Oakland Raiders on Monday Night Football will give ‘The Birds’ home-field advantage throughout the NFL playoffs. It may not fit under anyone’s tree, but Eagles fans will take it just the same.

There’s no point in playing around. Here are ten of the fifty or so story lines that will play out in this one.

1. The Raiders were in a similar situation a season ago.

It wasn’t long ago that the Raiders were the Super Bowl contender and lost their starting quarterback for the season. It didn’t work out to well for them, but we’ve learned the Eagles still have a shot. Eagles quarterback Nick Foles will get yet another tune up tonight.

2. Lane Johnson, meet Khalil Mack.

The man that’s arguably the best right tackle in football will meet yet another gifted pass rusher. Lane Johnson will earn his money tonight as he lines up against Khalil Mack. Mr. Mack has 68 total tackles and 10.5 sacks on the season, and he’s also forced a fumble.

3. What will Nick Foles do for an encore?

It doesn’t get much better than four touchdowns in relief of injured and rising star Carson Wentz. It’s never been better than seven touchdown passes in a single NFL game, so what will Foles do for an encore in his second start of 2017 and his second appearance at Lincoln Financial Field against the Raiders?

4. Home-field advantage throughout the playoffs hangs in the balance.

There isn’t an Eagles fan on the planet who doesn’t already know this. Monday night’s game is huge.

5. Derek Barnett may be good to go. Mychal Kendricks is listed as questionable.

Eagles rookie Derek Barnett sat out of practice on Thursday, and then, he was limited on Friday before going all out on Saturday. Mychal Kendricks is still listed as questionable, but we may not know the status of either until the game.

6. Rasul Douglas will go if Jalen Mills can’t.

Jalen Mills, like Barnett, missed practice on Thursday and was limited on Thursday. Head coach Doug Pederson said the rest has helped Mills, but you can expect Rasul Douglas to fill in if ‘The Green Goblin’ can’t go.

7. How will the defense respond?

For the first time all season, Philly’s defense has people scared to death. If they play the way they played at the beginning of the season, Philly will be a force to be reckoned with, but if they play the way they’ve played the last three weeks, it will be a short stay in the postseason. Tonight, we’ll all see what adjustments have been made and if they worked.

8. Will LeGarrette Blount see more carries?

We at ITI can’t figure out whether LeGarrette Blount‘s being phased out of the offensive game plan slowly because Philly’s convinced they may move on from him at season’s end or they’re simply conserving his energy and body to unleash him in the playoffs. Let’s see if he gets a few more totes tonight.

Next: Making the case for Doug Pederson as Coach of The Year

9 Will ‘Beast Mode’ roast the Eagles again?

They’ve seen him three times, and it’s never really worked out well. This isn’t the same Marshawn Lynch however. After an explosive start, ‘Beast Mode’ is still serviceable, but he doesn’t look like the same guy we all remember who consistently gave us highlight-reel runs. If he takes over in this one, however, it could be a long night.

10. This is only the second time the Eagles have played on Christmas.

For the second time in the team’s history, the Eagles will play a game on Thursday. The first time worked out pretty well as another reserve quarterback, Jeff Garcia, led Philly to victory over the hated Dallas Cowboys. We’ll all be tuned in to see how this one works out.

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