3 Keys to a Philadelphia Eagles win versus Green Bay in Week 13
By Hunter Doyle
1. The Philadelphia Eagles’ interior defensive line must dominate.
One of the many stories of this Eagles season has been the underwhelming performance of the defensive tackles. Fletcher Cox has been solid with 5.5 sacks, 29 tackles, eight tackles for loss, eight quarterback hits, one pass defended, and one forced fumble. Keep in mind, he’s getting double-teamed a majority of the time. The Eagles are not paying him to be solid though. They are paying him to be a game-wrecker.
His tag-team partners are getting paid to wreak havoc but haven’t quite performed. Malik Jackson and Javon Hargrave have combined for just three total sacks and five tackles for loss. To be fair, they’ve been helpful in the run game. Jackson also has 11 quarterback hits. He’s coming off of a Lisfranc injury that he suffered in Week 1 of 2019.
Hargrave is transitioning from being a nose tackle in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 3-4 scheme to being a defensive tackle in defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s wide-nine scheme. Fans are tired of hearing the excuses for his lack of production though. It’s Week 13. It’s time for them to turn it on.
The Packers will be without center Corey Linsley who is one of the best in the game and some say the best center in football. Green Bay’s offensive linemen have proven to be versatile. Left guard Elgton Jenkins will slide over to the center position for this one. He’s done well this year. He’s played every offensive line position this year. Jon Runyan Jr., the son of a former Eagle with a familiar name, will get the start at left guard. Right guard Lucas Patrick will play as well, but he’s banged up.
This is an above-average interior offensive line. With Linsley out and a rookie getting the start, the trio of Cox, Jackson, and Hargrave need to prove why they were paid the big bucks. If they are as talented as their contracts imply, they should take advantage of the Packers front that will miss Linsley.