The Eagles (5-0) are on the road to face the Jets (2-3) at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon at 4:25.
To the predictions:
Reuben Frank (4-1)
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The Eagles have never lost to the Jets. They’re 12-0 all-time with Roman Gabriel, Ron Jaworski, Randall Cunningham, Ty Detmer, Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, Sam Bradford, Carson Wentz and Gardner Minshew beating Al Woodall, Richard Todd, Matt Robinson, Ken O’Brien, Boomer Esiason, Glenn Foley, Vinny Testaverde, Chad Pennington, Mark Sanchez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Luke Falk and Zach Wilson. Make that 13-0 with Jalen Hurts adding his name to the W list and Wilson becoming the first Jets QB to lose to the Eagles twice. I keep hearing the Jets aren’t bad, but I don’t see it. They’re 24th in points scored, they’ve scored six offensive touchdowns all year and Wilson has thrown more INTs than TDs. They’re not awful on defense, but they’re 22nd in yards allowed, 29th in rushing yards allowed, 23rd in sacks, 22nd in first downs allowed and 27th in 3rd-down percentage. Even without Jalen Carter, Darius Slay and Justin Evans, the Eagles roll. The Eagles get to 6-0 for the fourth time in franchise history and second year in a row.
Eagles 33, Jets 20
Dave Zangaro (5-0)
The Eagles are without some key players on the defensive side of the ball. But the good news is that they’re facing Zach Wilson. And he’s just not going to strike a lot of fear into you. Sure, the Jets also have Breece Hall on that side of the football but the Eagles have one of the best run defenses in the NFL. The Birds will miss Jalen Carter but they’ll have Fletcher Cox back for this game, which should go a long way. And as much as it would have helped to have Darius Slay to match up with Garrett Wilson, the Eagles’ defensive line should be able to make things difficult enough on Wilson so that it won’t matter.
NFL
On the other side of the ball, the Jets do have a good defense, anchored by Quinnen Williams. They also have one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL with Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed. But the Eagles should be able to get the ball to Dallas Goedert and should be able to exploit the Jets’ scheme to pick up yards on the ground with D’Andre Swift and Kenny Gainwell. I haven’t picked against the Eagles all year long yet and it’s served me well. The Eagles are 12-0 all-time against the Jets and I’m not picking this as the game to break that streak.
Eagles 27, Jets 20
Barrett Brooks (5-0)
I admit that I am very comfortable with the Birds traveling up north and handling the Jets. You must beat the teams that you should beat! The Jets are a team that are struggling on the offensive side of the ball. Zach Wilson is not a very good quarter so Sean Desi should blitz Wilson every other play, making him even more uncomfortable. The defense should also run run blitz to cover all the gaps on the line of scrimmage, making it hard for Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook to get started. Stuffing the run to make Wilson throw should lead to multiple turnovers.
On offense, Jalen Hurts should get tennis elbow from handing off the ball to D'Andre Swift and Kenneth Gainwell so much! Time of possession should easily be 40-20. The Jets have three corners who are injured, so I know Brian Johnson will be tempted to tell Hurts to let it fly. But this should be a 30 runs to 18 pass kind of day. Eagles win in a physical fashion. This will be a game where the trenches should dominate on both sides of the ball.
Eagles 31, Jets 14
Mike Mulhern (5-0)
For weeks this has looked like an easy win on the schedule. Zach Wilson and the Jets offense had been anemic through three and a half games. But they finally showed signs of life in a failed comeback against the Chiefs in week 4 and looked like an actual NFL unit last week, albeit against the Broncos putrid defense. Now Jalen Carter and Darius Slay, arguably the Eagles’ two most important defenders, will be sidelined on Sunday. I certainly don’t expect Wilson to light up the scoreboard, but they might be able to move the ball against a banged-up defense. Breece Hall is their best weapon but finding running room against the Eagles has been impossible. With Carter out, keeping Hall in check will be key.
Meanwhile Jalen Hurts can expect “11 kisses” every time he touches the ball against the Jets. They’re a physical defense that gave Patrick Mahomes fits just two weeks ago. Their corner tandem of Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed will be the biggest challenge A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have faced. The Eagles will need them to win some one-on-one battles down the field. This feels like the ultimate trap game. Another road game after a west coast trip. A Sunday
Night battle with the Dolphins looming. It’ll be ugly, but it’ll be another win.
Eagles 21 Jets 20
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