As the Philadelphia Eagles prepare for their matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, ESPN's NFL writers believe that one unsung hero will be the Eagles' "X-Factor" in their hopes of defending their 2024 Super Bowl Championship.
ESPN's Matt Bowen, a former NFL veteran of seven years, believes that Safety Reed Blankenship is the key for the Eagles to stall out the red-hot 49ers. Bowen believes that Blankenship will be on "double-duty", filling a two-way role in the secondary.
Blankenship will be asked to take away middle-of-the-field targets, negating Ricky Pearsall (if healthy) and Jauan Jennings, who'll be stretching the 49ers offense downfield. This will also ask Blankenship to make plays in the run-fit against Christian McCaffrey.
Reed Blankenship has a lot on his plate to be the X-Factor for Eagles
The 49ers offense runs through McCaffrey, who accounted for 413 touches over 2,000 all-purpose yards and 17 touchdowns. With the 49ers' willingness to consistently find a way for McCaffrey to touch the football, Blankenship may be called up to help Vic Fangio's defense in a more favorable position, rather than have McCaffrey be covered by a linebacker like Zack Baun.
For Blankenship, this may be a make-or-break game for his future with the Eagles. He is currently in the final year of his rookie extension, which he earned with a one-year, $3,575,000 deal. With Blankenship being a free agent in the offseason, a strong postseason performance might force general manager Howie Roseman to pull the trigger and keep the 2022 undrafted free agent from leaving.
Blankenship has been a consistent starter since 2022, starting another 16 games this season. He totaled 83 tackles (53 solo), four pass breakups, and an interception during the Eagles' 11-6 season, which led to their second consecutive NFC East title.
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With the Eagles struggling for consistency on offense, Blankenship and the defense may be called upon to shoulder the load.