Clay Harbor Previews Jaguars vs. Eagles, Doug Pederson's Return, and Lawrence and Hurts
There might not be a bigger showdown in the NFL in Week 4 than the Jacksonville Jaguars traveling to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles. And few know this better than former Jaguars and Eagles tight end Clay Harbor.
"Both these teams look very legit to me," Harbor told Jaguar Report
"Both the Eagles and Jaguars are in the top seven in total offense, scoring offense, total defense and scoring defense. These two teams are balanced. They have a great offense, they have a great defense. They're in the upper quarter the league in offense and defense in every category. This is going to be a big game."
"This is a game of teams that have the ability to go deep into the playoffs this year. I think it's a huge game."
The two squads are a combined 5-1 and sit alone at the top of their divisions, making Sunday a must-watch between two hot teams. But which team has the edge? Is it a 3-0 Eagles team that has built up the trenches, cornerback and wide receiver room?
Or is it the young and exciting 2-1 Jaguars team that is led by former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson and former No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence?
That is the question we posed to Harbor, who played for the Eagles from 2010-2012 and the Jaguars from 2013-2015. And while the answer may not be clear until the smoke clears on Sunday afternoon, it is clear that this game has the potential to be a true heavyweight fight.
But how exactly can the Jaguars overcome doubts from the outside and knock off the only undefeated team in the NFL? To Harbor, it starts and ends with the ground game. Only two teams have allowed a higher yards per carry rate than the Eagles' 5.4 yards per carry allowed figure, an area Harbor thinks the Jaguars can take advantage of.
"What I see is I think that the Eagles can be run on. The Vikings didn't try to run the ball against the Eagles. They only they had 62 yards on 11 attempts, so they averaged 5.6 yards per carry. I think this team can be run on," Harbor said. "I think Doug's gonna look and see and say, Hey, this team's got Darius Slay and James Bradberry, but what can we do against this team?"
The Eagles have several key pieces in their front four and inside linebacker room, pieces Harbor sees as underrated entering Sunday. But to this point, the Jaguars have been able to pull out big plays in the running game each and every week, a trend Harbor thinks can continue Sunday, even if the Eagles have who Harbor calls one of the "most underrated players in the NFL" in T.J. Edwards at middle linebacker.
"But that being said, even with Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Jordan Davis and all these players up front, there are holes in this Eagles defense and that's something that the Jaguars can do is run the ball on them," Harbor said. "This running game with ETN and Robinson, you know, I think we can we can really have our thunder and lightning take hold here and have a good game."
The Jaguars' running game has been led by James Robinson and Travis Etienne, a dynamic and balanced pair of runners who are each rushing for over 4.3 yards per attempt in 2022. Robinson has been the lead dog with 51 carries to Etienne's 26, but the pair has proven to be a key piece of the offense, even during stretches where the running game isn't flowing.
Doug Pederson said after Week 2's 24-0 win over the Colts that while the running game may have bogged down at times, it was still a critical part of the offense's success because it kept the Colts from playing the pass and the pass only. Harbor says that is exactly what makes the Jaguars' running game a dangerous factor for the Eagles.
"Even in the games where the run game isn't working, Doug is still staying balanced. He's still running the football and keeping the defense honest," Harbor said. James Robinson last week had 42 yards after contact. This guy is running the ball hard. He's powerful. He doesn't look like he had an injury last year. 51 carries, 230 yards three touchdowns already this season.
"ETN, knowing his speed and explosiveness, he hasn't had that breakout run yet, but it's coming. With a guy with his acceleration and quickness, it's going to happen. I love how Doug doesn't get carried away with the pass. He knows to stay balanced. even when the ones that aren't doing well, he's doing a good job of still running the ball and keeping the defense honest."
There area areas where the Eagles will try to attack the Jaguars, too, though. The Jaguars have given up some long completions through the air in all three games despite having a relatively strong and effective defense. With the Eagles boasting an offense with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert, Harbor sees the Eagles' downfield attack as a potential X-Factor.
"Nick Sirianni is probably looking at the Jaguars and I'd say he thinks that he can take some shots downfield. The Jaguars' safeties and cornerbacks -- cornerbacks have played pretty well. The safeties, I like Cisco, but I think the safeties do need some work," Harbor said. "And I think Sirianni is gonna look at that team and thinks he's got a good matchup with AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Smith, Dallas Goedert, Quez Watkins down the field. And I mean, it's hard to argue that he doesn't. So the Jaguars have to do a good job of getting pressure on Jalen Hurts and not giving them time to throw that ball down the field.
"It's hard for anybody to guard on those guys. And you can't cheat to one player at all. If you cheat to AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith is going to beat you. If you cheat DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown is one of the best wide receivers in the entire league. If you cheat to those two guys, you get one of the best tight ends in the entire league over the middle. I love the matchup with Devin Lloyd on Dallas Goedert. I think he can run with tight ends and he's athletic enough to do that as well stop the run. But, you know, I'm not loving the matchups as far as the cornerbacks and the safeties against these wide receivers."
Aside from the running game and the matchups in the secondary, though, Sunday will mostly be defined by the players under center. Jalen Hurts and Trevor Lawrence are the faces of each offense, building off dynamic start after dynamic start. As it stands today, Hurts is first in yards per attempt and fifth in passer rating, while Lawrence is 16th and sixth respectively.
The offense on each side is fueled by the young and talented passers. And to Harbor, Sunday's matchup is the first of many to come over the years.
"I think these are going to be two of the best quarterbacks in the entire league for years to come," Harbor said. "These guys are young and they're playing at such a high level. And you look at both these guys, these guys can get the ball out of their hands quick. "I think Trevor Lawrence is third or fourth in the entire league in speed of getting the ball out of his hand and making quick decisions. Obviously that has something to do with Doug calling the quick game and mixing that in, but Trevor does a great job of not holding on to the ball and not taking sacks and that shows and that's something I always look at for these young quarterbacks.
"They are both great at making decisions and anticipating throws and that's something to me that that signifies confidence. So I definitely think this matchup will be a key matchup for years to come year. In several years, I think this will be a Tom Brady-Aaron Rodgers-type matchup. This will be a Josh Allen-Patrick Mahomes-type matchup. So we really got to appreciate this. This is going to be a budding rivalry for years to come with these two quarterbacks."
Finally, there is the Pederson factor.
There is no bigger storyline entering Sunday's game than Pederson making his first return to Philadelphia since he was unceremoniously fired in 2020, just three years after winning the first Super Bowl in franchise history.
Pederson has spent the week downplaying the connection between his return to Philadelphia and the importance of Sunday, but that surely can't be the case, right? As a person, it would only be natural for Pederson to circle this game as a meaningful one for his pride and for the team moving forward, right?
That is what Harbor believes. And that is why he thinks Pederson will be extra amped up for Sunday.
"That's what I expect him to say. But that's not what I think it is. I mean, it's just human nature. He got fired from the Eagles, right? If your girlfriend breaks up with you, you want to show her that you're doing well without her. You get another girlfriend, a pretty girlfriend on your arm," Harbor said. "He wants to come back into Philly and show them hey, look, I am with the Jacksonville Jaguars. I got another good team. This wasn't just you guys. This was me too. I don't need you guys. I'm doing well without you. They fired me. Now you're gonna regret it. Now I'm gonna come into your house, to your home and beat you.
"I know he has a lot of great memories there. He won the championship there. But Doug Peterson got fired by the Philadelphia Eagles. They didn't think he was good enough to coach this team. They fired him. He wants to come back in there and show them that he is good, he is capable of coaching, and he's capable of winning another championship and they made a mistake by letting him go."
The Jaguars and Eagles kick off at Lincoln Financial Field at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
