World’s Best Preview: Inside the Eagles

Get an inside look at tonight's opponent with notes on Carson Wentz, his favorite target, a big problem for the Philly D and a bunch of old men.

King Carson: After beating up on Chicago’s Mitchell Trubisky, Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins and Denver’s Joe Flacco, the Green Bay Packers will take a step up in quarterbacking class against Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz.

Statistically, Wentz has been mediocre. Through three games, he’s completed 61.0 percent of his passes (compared to 69.6 percent last year), averaged 6.8 yards per attempt (7.7 last year) and posted a passer rating of 91.2 (compared to 102.2 last year and 101.9 in 2017). However, those numbers don’t tell the whole story. He’s been victimized by more drops than any quarterback in the NFL, including deep balls by Nelson Agholor late in Week 2 against Atlanta and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside late in the Week 3 against Detroit. Had those balls been caught, the Eagles might be coming to Lambeau Field at 3-0.

Wentz’s arm, legs and sheer size at 6-foot-5 and 237 pounds will test a Packers defense that is No. 2 in opponent passer rating. Wentz throws the ball downfield, too. His average pass travels 9.48 yards downfield, easily outdistancing Trubisky (7.01), Cousins (7.71) and Flacco (5.65).

“A big part of what he does is his ability to extend the play,” defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said. “I mean, he is a tough tackle. I was in Baltimore all those years and we had the same issues with (Ben) Roethlisberger. I mean, the guys were bouncing off of him. And he just has a knack for, whether he ducks, whether he spins out, he just has a real good feel for avoiding the rush. Now, he’s a good enough quarterback as it is when he’s got time to throw and he’s in the pocket and it’s clean, but he has that added gift of the ability of, when it does collapse around him, that you can never assume the play is over. How many times have you seen, he comes out of the pack and the next thing you know, he threw that ball against Atlanta? His knee was an inch off the ground and he threw a strike down the field for a first down. So it’s certainly a challenge. We go in every week and it’s the first thing we’re asking, ‘How mobile is the quarterback?’ We have to plan for it, but a big part of it here is just the ability to get him on the ground.”

His top target: There’s no doubt about Wentz’s top target. While Agholor leads the team in receptions, tight end Zach Ertz is the man through which the offense flows. The two-time Pro Bowler caught the game-winning touchdown pass in the Super Bowl against New England a couple years ago. Last year, he caught 116 passes – the most ever for a tight end. He’s got 17 receptions for 190 yards and zero touchdowns to start this season, with opponents scheming to limit his damage.

“They put a lot of guys on me last game. Every passing situation, I was getting double-teamed. If it wasn’t obvious, the D-end or the linebacker was chipping me off the ball,” Ertz said this week. “I’ve just got to focus on playing my game. I can’t let it affect me mentally. I’ve gotta view it as a sign of respect. I can’t get too upset if I’m not getting the ball, especially early on, because those other guys are going to be able to make plays. I’ve got a lot of confidence in those guys to make plays … The biggest thing for me is just not letting it frustrate me during the game.”

The Packers have done well against tight ends this season, with 10 catches for 71 yards and no touchdowns. Only Carolina has allowed fewer yards to tight ends. However, the Packers haven’t faced anyone like Ertz.

“He’s not the fastest guy, but all he does is get open and catch the ball. He’s got a great relationship with the quarterback,” Pettine said in the video associated with this story.

No rush: In a way, this matchup is like last week for Green Bay. The Broncos have the vaunted outside linebacker duo of Von Miller and Bradley Chubb but entered last week’s game – and exited last week’s game – with no sacks. It’s a similar story for Philadelphia. The Eagles were eighth in the NFL last season with 44 sacks but first by a wide margin with 133 quarterback hits.

However, the Eagles enter Thursday’s game with just two sacks – one by safety Andrew Sendejo and the other by Jernigan. The Eagles are paying Cox and defensive end Brandon Graham a lot of money, and they used a 2017 first-round pick on Derek Barnett. Barnett has six quarterback hits, Graham has three and Cox has two. With Michael Bennett traded to New England and Chris Long’s retirement, the Eagles have 11 quarterback hits – a pace of just 59.

What’s going on?

“Well, No. 1, they’re keeping more tight ends in the protection, so they’re seven- or eight-man protection, which allows your guards and tackles and guards and centers to double the interior guys,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. “You’re also seeing backs that will chip a defensive end and slow down an outside pass rusher, and then the other thing is just in their slide protections, they’re sliding toward Fletcher Cox. You’re putting two guys on a guy like that who’s big and powerful, and it sort of stymies the rush. So that’s what we’re seeing, and we’ve just got to continue to work and find new and creative ways to get guys free and get a few more hits on quarterbacks.”

In trouble: This is a huge game and a huge moment for the Eagles. At 1-2, they’re already two games behind rival Dallas in the NFC East. Moreover, a tough schedule awaits. After this game and a home game against the Jets, it’s a three-game road trip to the Vikings, Cowboys and Bills, then home games against the Bears, Patriots and Seahawks.

The dropped passes are the difference between 1-2 and 3-0 but that’s the Eagles’ reality. Time is of the essence from another perspective. At age 26, Wentz’s best days are ahead of him, but the Eagles are old. With an average age of 26.72, the Eagles are the third-oldest team in the NFL. Only three teams have more 30-year-old players than Philly’s 11, and no team has fewer rookies than its seven.

“We’re maybe two plays or three plays away from possibly being 3-0 or at least 2-1,” Pederson said. “I just have to remind the guys, ‘Listen, one play at a time. Don’t lose your focus, stay on task, do your assignment, stay within yourself, don’t go searching for plays. When they come to you, make them.’ You just have to keep talking, keep their spirits up. The players know. They’re smart enough. I don’t have to sit there and remind them or beat them over the head with all of that. They understand what could have happened but look we’re not. We’re 1-2 and we have some work to do.”