Though the past two weeks have again resulted in losses for the Philadelphia Eagles, the team has finally found some spark. With an offense decimated by injuries, the rookies have stood up and put in a fight. It seems that it took the youngest members of the team to take the field to finally display the heart we’d been yearning to see since the team’s downward skid began in October. The team is still losing, but they’re finally in games.
Today the 3-9 Eagles face the 6-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With playoff hopes for Philadelphia long gone, what matters now is draft position. And the Birds would have the fourth pick in the NFL Draft if it were to happen today. Philadelphia’s season will end on December 30th but there are plenty of reasons to tune in to this game. Here are three things to watch:
- The progression of Nick Foles. We haven’t been wowed by Nick Foles, but at Cowboys Stadium he showed marked improvement over his previous starts. He was allowed to do more with the ball than he had in earlier games, completing 22 of 35 passes for 251 yards and one touchdown. We have yet to see him do much with downfield passes and this may be the game he finds some comfort going for the big plays. 2. Struggling with or without Wash? The woes of the defensive line have been of the most perplexing aspects of Philadelphia’s disappointing season. D-line coach Jim Washburn was abruptly dismissed early Monday morning and the team brought former coach Tommy Brasher back to the position. The line struggled mightily under Washburn. With little time to learn a new scheme will we see much difference in the line’s performance? 3. running game. On Philadelphia’s offense, Bryce Brown has been a beast, accruing 347 yards on 43 carries in two games, averaging a stunning 8.1 yards. But, he also has had trouble hanging on to the ball, fumbling three times. Will he have an opportunity to rack up on yards against the Bucs defense, which has held opponents to 3.5 yards per carry? The Eagles defense will face breakout star Doug Martin, who has the third-most rushing yards in the league with 1,106. It’s no secret that Philadelphia’s defense has struggled to stop anything. After coming off of two disappointing outings where he averaged only 2.7 yards per carry, is he poised to break out once again?
Tune in for the excitement at 1 pm on FOX.
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