During the college football season each year, as long as you’re watching the games, we point out five players each week to keep an eye on who make logical sense for the Philadelphia Eagles in the following year’s NFL Draft.
Ponds is a small corner, at 5’9, 173, but he’s feisty and very fast with a track background. The Eagles love fast corners, so Ponds will fit right in. Data below via Mockdraftable.com:
Player
40 time
Percentile
Quinyon Mitchell
4.33
95th
Adoree’ Jackson
4.42
78th
Kelee Ringo
4.36
92nd
Jakorian Bennett
4.30
98th
Mac McWilliams
4.41
83rd
Michael Carter
4.36
92th
*Cooper DeJean didn’t participate at the Combine
But he is also extremely competitive, and tough. Here’s a cool video (via @BuffedInPrime) of Ponds taking on Penn State offensive linemen who outweigh him by 150 pounds.
In under three seasons at James Madison and Indiana, Ponds has 6 INTs and 27 pass breakups. Instant Jimmy fave.
Rohan Jones (88), TE, Arkansas (6’3, 242): Arkansas at LSU, 12:45 p.m.
Jones transferred from Montana State, where in 2024 he had 30 catches for 470 yards (15.7 YPC) and 9 TDs. Jones only has 13 catches for Arkansas this season, but he has 411 yards, for an insane yards-per-catch average of 31.6, with 4 TDs.
He makes plays down the field, and he gets yards after the catch.
Max Iheanachor (58), OT, Arizona State (6’6, 330): West Virginia at Arizona State, 1:00 p.m.
Iheanachor is an offensive tackle originally from Nigeria who started playing football in 2021. He is very gifted athletically, and has a chance to develop into a great pass protector. Here he is working against a likely first-round pick in David Bailey (via @CFCBears):
The Eagles like taking fliers on guys who haven’t played much football but have athletic upside, successfully at times (Jordan Mailata), and not so much other times (Davion Taylor). Obvious Jeff Stoutland project.
Branch is a small, shifty waterbug-like receiver who transferred from USC. In 2025 he has 53 catches for 542 yards and 3 TDs. (Via @DP_NFL):
He also has some return ability, as he had punt and kick return touchdowns in 2023 at USC, and he led the nation that season with a 20.8-yard punt return average. The Eagles showed an interest in this type of player with their selection of Ainias Smith in the 2024 draft.
Zion Young (9), EDGE, Missouri (6’5, 262): Mississippi State at Missouri, 7:45 p.m.
Young is a good pass rusher with 28 tackles (11 for loss), 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 batted passes this season. He’s a power rusher with a non-stop motor. (Via @TheDraftRoomNFL):
But really, I love this guy’s attitude, lol.
He can take over in the Brandon Graham role, both as a player and as a talker.
After the Eagles barely made it out with a victory in Green Bay Monday Night. It was time to start preparing for another PrimeTime spotlight against the Eagles 3rd NFC North opponent of the year.
The Detroit Lions
Sundays match against Detroit will be the 2nd time the Sirianni/Hurts led Eagles will play the Campbell/Goff Lions. Previously, the Eagles won both matchups that took place at Ford Field. Winning 44-6 in 2021, and 38-35 in 2023.
And while this matchup won’t have nearly as much excitement as the NFC Championship Game that could have been last year. The winner and loser of this game could see a huge impact on playoff seeding within the next 5-6 Weeks.
The Cluttered NFC Race
Luckily for the Eagles. The NFC East is the only division that isn’t filled with multiple contenders, or teams just outside the wildcard bubble. Like the 49ers(6-4), Panthers(5-5) & Vikings(4-5). However, with two games left against NFC North opponents. The Eagles will be able to pull ahead in the division, and from the rest of the NFC.
Already having victories against the Rams(7-2), Buccaneers(6-3) and Packers(5-3-1) currently gives the Eagles the head to head tiebreaker against the current 5th, 4th and 7th seed in the NFC playoff race. While the odds of the Eagles dropping into a wildcard spot are low with a 4 game lead on the NFC East race. It has happened before. Being able to chain together wins during the toughest stretches of the schedule will help the Eagles lock up the division race as fast as possible, while still being in the thick of it for the Bye Week, or as much home field advantage as possible in the playoffs.
Schedule Down The Stretch
Following the Lions this weekend, the Eagles will see a total of three more teams in the current playoff picture, including:
6-3 Bears (Week 13)
7-3 Chargers (Week 15)
6-3 Bills (Week 17)
There will also be a gutsy game against the 3-5-1 Cowboys, who for some reason decided to be buyers at the deadline. Acquiring Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson.
With some more breathing room between playoff opponents, the Eagles will also see the following teams who’s season is approaching an ugly finish:
2-7 Raiders (Week 15)
3-7 Commanders (Week 16 & 18)
Both teams will most likely be playing for a top 5-10 pick come December. The wins might not matter that late for the Eagles depending how the rest of this “gauntlet” unfolds.
With an impressive 7-2 run to start the season. How many wins will it take to clinch the NFC East?
The Philadelphia Eagles had their bye Week 9, so they were relatively fresh heading into their Week 10 game against the Packers. They escaped Green Bay without any significant injuries, as there were no absentees on Wednesday in advance of their matchup against the Detroit Lions. The Lions listed 16 players on their initial injury report.
Here’s the Eagles-Lions injury report, with analysis.
• As you can see above, four of the Eagles’ five starting offensive linemen are banged up, and were listed as limited participants in the Eagles’ initial practice. Otherwise, they’re in great shape heading into Week 10.
• There’s not a lot to say. The Eagles are super healthy. Jurgens is the only starter on the team who is not a full participant in practice.
Notable players on IR, PUP, suspension, etc.
• WR Johnny Wilson (IR, knee/ankle, out for the season): Wilson is a massive receiver at 6’6, 228 who carved out a dirty work role as a physical blocker his rookie season in 2024, though sometimes he was a little too aggressive, as he committed four penalties (3 holding, 1 OPI). He wasn’t much of a threat as a receiver, catching only 5 passes for 38 yards and a TD. He played a little over 400 snaps, and actually started four games.
• EDGE Ogbo Okoronkwo (IR, triceps, eligible to come off of IR at any time, season could be over): Okoronko was signed to provide edge depth. He played in just one game (4 snaps), before tearing his triceps.
• FB Ben VanSumeren (IR, knee, out for the season): VanSumeren was poised to take on a bigger role in the Eagles’ offense in 2025 as a full-time fullback, but he tore his patellar tendon on the opening kickoff of the season. His season is over.
• LS Charley Hughlett (IR, eligible to come off of IR at any time): Hughlett throws the ball through his legs. The Eagles signed Cal Adomitis to throw the ball through his legs in place of Hughlett.
Player
Injury
Wed
Thurs
Fri
Status
RT Penei Sewell
Ankle
DNP
Limited
DE Aidan Hutchinson
Elbow
DNP
Limited
TE Sam LaPorta
Back
DNP
DNP
S Kerby Joseph
Knee
DNP
DNP
CB Terrion Arnold
Concussion
DNP
DNP
RB Sione Vaki
Ankle
DNP
Limited
TE Brock Wright
Ankle
DNP
Limited
LT Taylor Decker
Shoulder
Limited
Limited
C Graham Glasgow
Back
Limited
Full
OG Miles Frazier
Knee
Limited
Limited
DE Marcus Davenport
Shoulder
Limited
Limited
CB D.J. Reed
Hamstring
Limited
Limited
DE Josh Paschal
Back
Limited
Limited
DT Pat O’Connor
Knee
Limited
DNP
RB Jacob Saylors
Back
Limited
Limited
LB Malcolm Rodriguez
Knee
Full
Full
CB Amik Robertson
Hamstring
–
Limited
Wednesday notes:
• Sewell’s, Hutchinson’s, and LaPorta’s injuries are new. Sewell left the Lions’ last game against the Commanders with his ankle injury, but returned. Hutchinson played 50 of 54 snaps. The guess here is that they’re both probably fine. LaPorta is a little more of a mystery. We’ll get a better idea if their injuries are serious if they don’t practice on Thursday.
• Joseph last played in a game Week 6 against the Chiefs. He continues to miss practices.
• Reed is a starting corner who signed a three-year deal worth $48 million this offseason. He suffered a hamstring injury against the Browns Week 4, and was placed on IR. He has 16 tackles, 1 INT, and 4 PBUs in 4 games this season. The Lions starters with Reed out have been Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson, and slot CB Arthur Maulet. The Lions opened up Reed’s 21-day practice window this week.
Arnold missed Wednesday’s practice with a concussion, so the Lions could be thin in their secondary.
• Davenport began the season as a starter, but he landed on IR with a pectoral strain. Dan Campbell recently said that Davenport could return around the end of November. The Lions opened his 21-day practice window this week.
Thursday notes:
• Sewell and Hutchinson were back at practice. They’ll very likely play on Sunday night.
• LaPorta’s second straight day of missing practice has to be a big concern for the Lions.
• Joseph feels unlikely to play, and we already know that Reed is unlikely as well. If Arnold can’t play because of his concussion, the Lions could be without three starting DBs. Add in that Amik Robertson is a new addition to the injury report and the Lions could have major depth issues in their secondary, particularly at corner.
Notable players on IR, PUP, suspension, etc.
• LG Christian Mahogany (IR, eligible to return after Week 13): Mahogany is the Lions’ starting LG. He was placed on IR last week with a knee injury. Former Eagle Kayode Awosika started Week 10 against the Commanders. The Lions also lost C Frank Ragnow to retirement this offseason.
• CB D.J. Reed (IR, hamstring, 21-day practice window opened): As noted above.
• EDGE Marcus Davenport (IR, pectoral, 21-day practice window opened): As noted above.
• iDL Levi Onwuzurike (PUP, season over): Onwuzurike had surgery during the summer to repair an ACL injury, and his season is over. Onwuzurike doesn’t have impressive production (3.5 sacks in 2024), but he was a starter.
• DL Josh Paschal (NFI, 21-day practice window opened last week): Paschal had surgery to repair a back injury this offseason. He played in 14 games last season, starting 10. He had 21 tackles and 2 sacks. The Lions opened his 21-day practice window last week.
• LB Malcolm Rodriguez (PUP, 21-day practice window opened 10/27): Rodriguez had 42 tackles and 2 sacks before tearing an ACL in late November last season. He has not yet played in any games this season. The Lions opened his 21-day practice window on October 27.
• LB Zach Cunningham (IR, eligible to come off of IR after Week 12): The former Eagle has played in 4 games for the Lions this season as a reserve run-down linebacker. He had 7 tackles.
• OT Giovanni Manu (IR, eligible to come off of IR at any time): Manu is a backup OT who started at LT in place of an injured Taylor Decker against the Bengals Week 5. PFF had him down for 2 sacks allowed in that game.
• CB Khalil Dorsey (IR, wrist/concussion, eligible to come off of IR at any time): Dorsey is a backup DB, mostly in the slot.
• CB Ennis Rakestraw (IR, season over): Rakestraw was a 2024 second-round pick who has had an assortment of injuries, and not a lot of playing time. His season is over after having surgery on a shoulder injury suffered during training camp.
This blog contains links from which we may earn a commission.Credit: Alex Korolkoff-Unsplash
The NFL is all about extreme human performance, a collision of physical titans under the unforgiving glare of the global spotlight.
We celebrate the jarring tackles, the gravity-defying catches, and the singular focus required to succeed in a brutal, high-stakes environment. Yet, beneath the helmet and pads exists a complex reality.
Professional football demands not only extraordinary physical strength but also a rare degree of mental performance, and the hidden toll of this demand is finally being addressed with the seriousness it warrants.
The narrative is shifting from a culture of “tough it out” to one that embraces vulnerability as the truest measure of strength.
Examining the intersection of immense pressure, the need for recovery, and the cultivation of long-term resilience reveals an essential, invisible game that every NFL player must play for their mental health and wellness.
Understanding the Pressure
The pressure on an NFL player is multifaceted, originating from sources both internal and external, creating a constant, low-grade thrum of anxiety.
Foremost is the extreme job insecurity, a pervasive stressor in a league where the average career is frighteningly short and a single bad performance or minor injury can mean instant termination. Players live in perpetual fear that someone else is poised to take their job, a reality that often drives them to mask pain and injury to avoid being sidelined. This professional precariousness is compounded by the pressure to perform flawlessly. Athletes often possess personality traits like perfectionism and intense commitment, which, while beneficial for athletic achievement, can become liabilities that lead to high anxiety levels and a crippling fear of failure, where underperformance can lead them to question their self-worth.
Credit: Alex Korolkoff-Unsplash
Beyond the field, the pressure to uphold an idealized public image, often referred to as “situational narcissism” in sports psychology, forces players into a denial of emotional problems. The image of the invincible athlete conflicts directly with the human reality of vulnerability, making it incredibly difficult for a player to admit they’re experiencing mental health struggles for fear of losing endorsements, respect, or their spot on the roster.
For many, this profession also involves the immediate acquisition of wealth and fame, leading to the stress of managing new finances, family expectations, and the loss of personal autonomy as their public and private worlds aggressively blur.
These factors together create an emotional environment ripe for feelings of depression, loneliness, and chronic stress, which can make players highly susceptible to seeking maladaptive coping mechanisms. Substance use is one example. An NFL player might misuse prescription painkillers to mask injury and stay on the field, or abuse alcohol and other substances to dull the mental anguish of performance failure and the blurring of public and private life. This transition from self-medication to full-blown substance dependence often leads to a dual diagnosis—the simultaneous occurrence of a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder.
Addressing this complex challenge requires an integrated treatment approach, recognizing that one condition often fuels the other, making it essential to treat both the underlying mental health issue and the substance abuse concurrently. Players, their families, and the league must learn more about this interconnectedness to ensure appropriate and effective therapeutic intervention.
Injury, Identity, and Cognitive Health
The conversation about pressure inevitably leads to the long-term mental health concerns that are disproportionately prevalent among those who play the game.
Chief among these is the relationship between physical trauma and psychological well-being. The sheer number of injuries players collectively suffer each season, particularly the cumulative effect of concussions and repetitive subconcussive head impacts, is a known precursor to significant mental wellness issues. There’s a concerning association between the number of concussions recalled and a subsequent diagnosis of depression and anxiety, along with self-reported cognitive decline. The physical act of playing football is, in a very literal sense, a direct risk factor for emotional instability, memory loss, aggression, chronic pain, and even suicidality, which are severe symptoms associated with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
The transition out of the league is a significant source of emotional distress as well. For many, football has been their entire identity since childhood, and when the career ends, often involuntarily due to injury or cut day, players face a sudden, profound loss of social identity and connection. They lose the structure, the immediate purpose, and the deeply ingrained social support system of the locker room. This abrupt transition can trigger or exacerbate depression and substance abuse issues, as the individual struggles to find a new definition of self that exists outside the shield. For years, this post-career void was a silent crisis, but it has become a critical focal point for current and former player mental health support, particularly for NFL vets.
A New Framework for Recovery
In recognition of these complex and urgent needs, the NFL and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) have fundamentally reformed their approach to player mental health, shifting from a reactionary stance to a proactive, comprehensive framework of recovery and support.
A landmark change came with the NFL-NFLPA Joint Agreement on Behavioral Health Clinician, which mandated that every team hire a behavioral health clinician. This professional, a dedicated mental health specialist, must be available to players for emotional and mental support, a crucial step in normalizing mental health care by making it an integrated part of the club facility and routine, just like physical training.
The league has established several key mental health resources to ensure confidentiality and accessibility, dismantling one of the largest historical barriers to seeking help. The NFL Life Line is a free, confidential, and independently operated resource available 24/7/365, connecting current and former players and their families with trained crisis counselors. Programs like NFL Total Wellness provide comprehensive resources and education at every stage of the player life cycle, from rookies learning to navigate their new reality to Legends adjusting to life after football. They offer benefits like eight free, in-person or virtual counseling sessions per topic per year for players and their loved ones through their EAP services, ensuring that cost is not an impediment to initial treatment.
This institutional commitment acknowledges that recovery must be holistic, extending beyond the rehabilitation of a torn ligament to include the healing of the mind.
The Power of the Shared Story
While policies and resources provide the infrastructure, it’s the courage of the individual players who share their stories that truly catalyzes a culture change. The stigma surrounding health and wellness has historically been enforced by the perceived need for absolute “mental toughness” in professional sports. However, a growing number of current and former NFL athletes have stepped forward, using their platform to redefine what strength means.
Former players like Ryan Leaf have been candid about their struggles with substance use and mental illness under the public spotlight, detailing a journey of recovery and resilience that was initially hampered by the very stigma he grew up with in the hyper-masculine environment of the locker room. Other veterans, such as Marcus Smith II, have spoken openly about reaching a point of crisis, including an attempt to end his own life, and the subsequent difficult but necessary work of therapy to let down the “shield and helmet” that had become his emotional wall. For them, healing involved recognizing that their challenges are a long-term journey, not a single event to be conquered, and that true achievement can be as simple as waking up in the morning, getting out of bed, and taking a shower.
These powerful, public narratives serve as a lifeline, showing teammates, coaches, and staff that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but the strongest play an athlete can make.
Cultivating Resilience
In the context of the NFL, resilience is a dynamic and continually cultivated process—the capacity to return to effective functioning following a stressor. For professional football players, this involves developing specific mental skills to navigate the constant adversity of the game. It means having the psychological tools to deal with a devastating loss, a career-threatening injury, or a torrent of public criticism without letting those external factors shatter self-worth or derail performance.
The cultivation of resilience relies heavily on a robust support system. This includes licensed clinicians, but also teammates, coaches who understand their role extends beyond tactics, and family members. Learning to view failures and setbacks not as condemnations but as opportunities for growth is a core component of this mental training.
Meanwhile, programs now focus on skills like visualization, emotional management, positive self-talk, and establishing meaningful connections outside of the sport. For a player to thrive, they must learn to integrate their athletic life with their personal life, developing a sense of self that isn’t wholly dependent on the fleeting success of a Sunday afternoon.
In the end, it’s this deeply rooted personal identity and the network of support surrounding it that allows a player to “bounce back” not just from a physical hit on the field, but from the existential and emotional hits that come with a life in the league.
Final Words
The exploration of NFL mental health reveals a profound truth: the extraordinary pressures placed on these elite athletes necessitate an equally extraordinary commitment to their internal well-being. The culture of silence is dissolving, replaced by an infrastructure of resources and a growing chorus of advocates who have publicly traded their armor for authenticity.
The daily, often grueling work of managing anxiety, navigating trauma, and defining a resilient self is now recognized as being just as critical as the physical competition.
Ultimately, the league’s embrace of mental health professionals is a moral imperative that ensures that the men who sacrifice their bodies for the entertainment of millions are also given the support they need to maintain their minds, find lasting purpose, and build a sense of well-being that extends far beyond their final snap.
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Carson Wentz arrived in Philadelphia with big expectations, giving the Eagles fans hope.
Unfortunately, then came the injuries and setbacks that stole the momentum.
It’s a story that feels more human than headline-glamour, and Philly still has mixed feelings.
The Promising Rise
Drafted as the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Wentz showed promise. But it was in 2017 that things really kicked into gear, and by the time he got hurt near season’s end, he’d thrown for 3,296 yards with 33 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions in just 13 games. His passer rating was 101.9 in that stretch. He also rushed for 299 yards that season.
Credit: NFL Network-Facebook
That stretch had everyone talking. He had the kind of spark that made fans believe he could be special. And when you look at what defines the greats, like steady leadership and the ability to make a team feel, it’s easy to see why some thought Wentz might join top NFL quarterbacks of all time. For a brief stretch, he looked like he was heading straight there.
…And Then The Fall
One play in Los Angeles changed everything. An awkward step, an ACL tear, and suddenly his season was done. Nick Foles took over. They won the Super Bowl, and Wentz had to watch the celebration from the sideline.
Injuries have followed him ever since. Back, knee, head. All at different times. He played only 11 games in 2018, and the numbers were fine, but the rhythm was gone, as was the explosiveness.
In 2019, he posted more than 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns, but still, it simply wasn’t the same as he was pressing. By 2020, the confidence had cracked. The throws that once looked automatic were suddenly forced or late.
He bounced from Philadelphia to Indianapolis to Washington. Each stop brought the same story: flashes of talent, followed by inconsistency.
NFL executives started using a brutal word – “broken.”
They said he looked fine in practice, but when the games started, everything had to be perfect around him. If it wasn’t, his mechanics unraveled. He’d freeze up, double-clutch, miss the open read. He wasn’t the same athlete anymore, either, with the pocket becoming a cage.
The Verdict
By late 2023, the league had made up its mind, and analysts compared his situation to Sam Bradford, who was talented, got paid well, but was out of the league before 35.
And yet, people who’ve worked with him still like him. They describe him as earnest, coachable, and even kind. He tried to fix things, tried to make it work. But sometimes, football doesn’t give you another shot.
Why It Unraveled
The physical damage was part of it. But the mental toll might’ve been worse. Wentz never seemed to fully trust his body again. That led to hesitation. Hesitation led to mistakes. And mistakes, in the NFL, cost you your job.
The Eagles moved on. The Colts moved on. Washington did too.
More recently (2025), he signed with the Minnesota Vikings, seeing action after younger QBs were injured and revealing that he’s now more of a stopgap option than a long-term franchise leader.
Why Philly Fans Still Feel Something
If you’re a Philadelphia fan, you saw Wentz do something rare. He gave hope and made big throws. He helped the team earn an 11-2 record in games he started in that 2017 run, then got hurt, and the team won the Super Bowl with the backup. A lot of complicated feelings: gratitude, frustration… and sadness for what might have been.
The human side matters. Wentz wasn’t perfect; he made bad throws and had games where he struggled. But he also overcame injuries, came back, and tried to lead. Loved his team. The “could’ve-been” element resonates.
Ideally, What Could He Have Been?
Had Wentz stayed healthy, kept improving, and maybe adapted his game, he might have joined the ranks of the top-tier quarterbacks – those are QBs who remain elite 8-10 years, evolve when defenses evolve, maintain leadership.
The missing piece in Wentz’s story is the “sustained” part. One season isn’t enough. Injuries interrupted the rhythm. Changes in team staff, receivers, and the offensive line all added turbulence.
The Takeaway
So here’s what I came away with: Wentz achieved a level that gave hope. But he didn’t stay there. That doesn’t mean he failed. He still had a good career, made plays, and was a starting QB for many years. But he didn’t reach the “special” level that the very best QBs show.
And for Philly fans, it’s okay to feel both pride and disappointment. He gave you the thrill of imagining a franchise quarterback. You bought into that. Then reality hit. And life moved on.
In a world where so many QBs never even get close to what Wentz did in 2017, his story is one of both promise and caution. A reminder that in the NFL, being very good isn’t enough if you want to be legendary. Being durable, being consistent, being the guy on the late-night drives in January, that’s where the legends live. Wentz almost got there. He had that moment. But he didn’t live there.
And maybe that’s okay. Because sometimes the most human quarterback stories aren’t about records or Hall-of-Fame résumés. They’re about the rise, the fall, the “what if,” and how fans remember it.
That game — a 1939 matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbett’s Field — saw some 1,000 fans (mainly in the New York area) tuned in to see those leather helmets.
The result was a Sunday afternoon obsession that has overwhelmed us to this day.
Sometime around the latter half of the 1920s , televisions first began to make their way into Philadelphia homes. They did not become mainstream there until after the end of World War II. Philo Farnsworth and Vladimir Zworykin — two pioneers of the TV industry — even hosted the first-ever live broadcast of a football game in 1934 at our own Franklin Institute during The Great Depression.
The very initial TV Broadcasts in Philadelphia date all the way back to another Great Depression Year (1932), transmitted by the Philco Corporation’s own W3XE.
Credit: Unsplash
Last February — even for those who were not interested in an Eagles Super Bowl LIX blowout win against the Chiefs 40–22 — saw an average viewership in the United States of 127.7 million viewers and a peak viewership of 137.7 million viewers.
Two weeks ago, the first Eagles and Giants matchup drew some 15.6 million viewers. For the rematch this Monday night — of last season’s NFC Wildcard Playoff Game that drew 39.5 million viewers — I’ll be watching.
The Philadelphia Eagles had their bye Week 9, so they should be fresh heading into an important stretch of games against the Green Bay Packers Week 10, the Detroit Lions Week 11, and the Dallas Cowboys Week 12. The Packers initially listed 13 players on their injury report.
Here’s the Eagles-Packers injury report, with analysis.
Player
Injury
Thurs
Fri
Sat
Status
C Cam Jurgens
Knee
DNP
DNP
DNP
Out
iDL Moro Ojomo
Concussion
Limited
Full
Full
–
CB Adoree’ Jackson
Concussion
Limited
DNP
Full
–
RB Saquon Barkley
Groin
Full
Full
Full
–
WR A.J. Brown
Hamstring
Full
Full
Full
–
EDGE Nolan Smith
Triceps
Full
Full
Full
Questionable
CB Jakorian Bennett
Pectoral
Full
Full
Full
Questionable
G/C Willie Lampkin
Knee/Ankle
Full
Full
Full
Questionable
Thursday notes:
• Jurgens’ lack of practice is noteworthy coming out of the bye. His knee injury can’t be a long-term concern, seeing as the team did not place him on IR prior to their Week 8 game against the Giants. But we’ll monitor his progress (or lack thereof) as the week continues. Brett Toth played well at center against the Giants in relief of Jurgens.
• Ojomo’s limited practice status with a concussion means that he probably wouldn’t have played if the Eagles had a game Week 9. But as a limited participant in practice on Thursday, he should be good to go for Monday. Jackson, too.
• Brown said that he’s playing.
• Barkley hobbled off the field with a groin injury after a long run Week 8, and he did not return. His status was in question heading into this week. Full participation is a good result.
• The Eagles opened the 21-day practice window for Smith and he was a full participant, so his chances of playing on Monday feel pretty good.
• Brandon Graham appeared on the practice report last week. He’s not on there anymore.
Friday notes:
• Jurgens remains out. His available for Monday feels doubtful. We’ll see.
• Ojomo was a full participant. Good news for him.
• Jackson did not practice, but it was due to a personal matter.
Saturday notes:
• Jurgens is out. Toth will almost certainly start at center.
• Everyone else practiced in full on Saturday, though Smith, Bennett, and Lampkin are listed as questionable. Smith is the player who matters of the three, by far, and he is expected to play.
Notable players on IR, PUP, suspension, etc.
• EDGE Nolan Smith (IR, triceps, 21-day practice window opened): In 2024, Smith got out to a slow start, but the light seemed to come on for him after the Week 5 bye. In the 15 games he played from October on, Smith had 10.5 sacks, a pair of forced fumbles, and he did a lot of the dirty work in the defense like taking on pulling guards and burying them. He also led the NFL with four postseason sacks. He tore his triceps in the Super Bowl. Smith entered the 2025 as the team’s top edge defender. Through the first three games he had 10 tackles and 0 sacks, before “tweaking” his triceps injury.
Smith has missed five games, but the Eagles activated his 21-day practice window on Tuesday.
• CB Jakorian Bennett (IR, pectoral, 21-day practice window opened): The Eagles traded for Bennett in early August at a time when existing corners Adoree’ Jackson and Kelee Ringo were struggling during training camp.
The CB2 spot in the Eagles’ defense has not yet stabilized, so it will be interesting to see if and when Bennett gets a chance to play. The Eagles opened Bennett’s 21-day practice window prior to their Week 8 matchup against the Giants.
• WR Johnny Wilson (IR, knee/ankle, out for the season): Wilson is a massive receiver at 6’6, 228 who carved out a dirty work role as a physical blocker his rookie season in 2024, though sometimes he was a little too aggressive, as he committed four penalties (3 holding, 1 OPI). He wasn’t much of a threat as a receiver, catching only 5 passes for 38 yards and a TD. He played a little over 400 snaps, and actually started four games.
• EDGE Ogbo Okoronkwo (IR, triceps, eligible to come off of IR after Week 8, but will be out much longer than that): Okoronko was signed to provide edge depth. He played in just one game (4 snaps), before tearing his triceps.
• FB Ben VanSumeren (IR, knee, out for the season): VanSumeren was poised to take on a bigger role in the Eagles’ offense in 2025 as a full-time fullback, but he tore his patellar tendon on the opening kickoff of the season. His season is over.
• LS Charley Hughlett (IR, eligible to come off of IR at any time): Hughlett throws the ball through his legs. The Eagles signed Cal Adomitis to throw the ball through his legs in place of Hughlett.
Player
Injury
Thurs
Fri
Sat
Status
CB Nate Hobbs
Knee
DNP
DNP
DNP
Out
EDGE Lucas Van Ness
Foot
DNP
DNP
DNP
Out
WR Savion Williams
Foot
DNP
Limited
Limited
Questionable
EDGE Micah Parsons
Pectoral
Limited
Limited
Limited
–
LB Edgerrin Cooper
Foot
Limited
Limited
Full
–
LB Quay Walker
Calf
Limited
Limited
Full
–
OT Zach Tom
Back
Limited
Limited
Limited
Questionable
OG Aaron Banks
Neck
Limited
Limited
Full
–
WR Christian Watson
Knee
Limited
Limited
Limited
–
WR Matthew Golden
Shoulder
Limited
DNP
DNP
Questionable
WR Dontayvion Wicks
Calf
Limited
Limited
Limited
Questionable
DL Colby Wooden
Shoulder
Limited
Limited
Full
–
K Brandon McManus
Right quad
Full
Full
Full
–
WR Malik Heath
Hip
–
Limited
Limited
–
QB Malik Willis
Calf
–
Limited
Full
–
CB Kamal Hadden
Hamstring
–
–
Limited
–
Thursday notes:
• The Packers signed Hobbs to a four-year, $48 million deal this offseason. He’ll miss a couple of weeks, per Matt LaFleur. The Packers will likely start Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine at CB on Monday night, with Javon Bullard in the slot.
• Van Ness was the 13th overall pick in 2023, and is part of the Packers’ D-line rotation. He has 1.5 sacks, but has missed the Packers’ last three games. He did not practice on Thursday.
• The Packers’ passing game weapons are very banged up.
Tucker Kraft’s season is over (as noted below).
Jayden Reed is on IR (as noted below).
Christian Watson is on a bit of a pitch count after returning to the field from a 2024 torn ACL.
Golden left the Packers’ loss to the Panthers with a shoulder injury.
Wicks did not play Week 9 against the Panthers.
Williams got hurt against the Panthers Week 9, and also had a devastating fumble in the red zone.
• Tom is the starting RT and probably the Packers’ best lineman. He has dealt with oblique, back, and hip injuries this season.
• Banks is the starting LG. He suffered a stinger Week 9 against the Panthers, and Sean Rhyan filled in.
• Parsons is a star player, obviously, and Cooper is becoming one. Their injuries are new, and worth watching as the week progresses.
Friday notes:
• The Packers added WR Malik Heath to their injury report, as if they didn’t already have enough hurt receivers.
• Golden went from a limited participant on Thursday to a non-participant on Friday.
Saturday notes:
• Hobbs and Van Ness are out.
• The most notable player with a “questionable” designation is Tom, who has been banged up all season, as noted above.
• Three receivers — Golden, Wicks, and Williams — are all questionable, while Reed remains on IR.
Notable players on IR, PUP, suspension, etc.
• TE Tucker Kraft (IR, torn ACL, season over): Kraft was having an All-Pro type of season, with 32 catches for 489 yards and 6 TDs through the Packers’ first 8 games, but he tore his ACL during their Week 9 loss to the Carolina Panthers, and his season is over. He is the Packers’ leader in receiving yards and receiving TDs.
• WR Jayden Reed (IR, shoulder/foot, eligible to return from IR at any time): Reed is probably the Packers’ best receiver. In 2024, he led the team in receptions (55) and receiving yards (857), and had 6 TDs. He had a big game in Brazil against the Eagles, catching 4 passes for 138 yards and a TD, plus a 33-yard TD run. Reed had concurrent surgeries on a broken clavicle and a Jones fracture in his foot in September. He is eligible to come off of IR at any time, but is extremely unlikely to play Week 10 against the Eagles:
Always a welcome sign to see Jayden Reed around the rest of the WRs at practice. His timetable to return is still unknown but the expectation a couple months back was sometime in November #Packerspic.twitter.com/8N66c5aOIA
• EDGE Brenton Cox (IR, groin, eligible to return at any time): Cox is a backup edge defender who had 4 sacks in 7 games for the Packers in 2024.
• LB Nick Niemann (IR, pectoral, eligible to return after Week 12): Niemann is a sneaky important player for the Packers, as he is fifth in the NFL with 11 special teams tackles. He suffered a pectoral injury Week 8 against the Steelers.
The Philly Specials won’t record new holiday tunes this year, but the trio of current and former Eagles linemen is keeping their charitable Christmas spirit alive with a spinoff endeavor.
Jason Kelce, Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson are selling gifts this year, including plush toys of their likenesses, greeting cards and box sets of the Philly Specials’ previously released albums. The proceeds benefit Philadelphia-area charities. Since 2022, sales of the albums and money earned from streaming has raised more than $10 million, which as been donated to over 75 charities in the region, including Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Children’s Crisis Treatment Center.
The plushies depict Kelce, Mailata and Johnson each wearing a green Christmas sweater with his jersey number on the front and last name embroidered on the back. They are sold in sets of three for $49. The box set with vinyl and CD copies of all three holiday albums along with Christmas magnets is $99.
The stuffed players sets are available for pre-sale and are expected to ship out Thanksgiving week. Other items can be purchased now on the Philly Specials website.
The Philly Specials have released three albums: “A Philly Special Christmas” in 2022, “A Philly Special Christmas Special” in 2023 and “A Philly Special Christmas Party” in 2024.
“Making music with my friends and donating to organizations committed to making the lives of Philadelphia families and students brighter during the holidays has been a highlight of the past three years,” Mailata said in a statement. “We are looking forward to bringing the joy back again this year with proceeds from the new plushies and a few other surprises.”
The trio became an unlikely music sensation during recent holiday seasons, and music legends like Stevie Nicks, Bon Jovi and Patti LaBelle have contributed to their Billboard-topping albums. They released their third and final album in November 2024.
On Thursday, the Philly Specials posted the first video of what will be a weekly Instagram series that reflects on their journey to musical stardom. It all began with a locker room conversation between Kelce and another former Eagles player, Connor Barwin, now the team’s head of football development and strategy, they say.
“We were just hoping to raise some money,” Kelce says in the video. “We had no idea what the expectation was. We just wanted to have fun.”
It feels good to finally have Eagles football, or practice, back for now. With an extra day off before a trip to Green Bay on MNF, the Eagles have had 15 days since their last game.
For a team that didn’t play last weekend, the Eagles came out huge winners of both the trade deadline, and the NFC Standings.
Trade Deadline Shopping
While being rumored (again) to pay the price for Myles Garrett. The Eagles managed to escape the trade deadline without blowing any major capital, and still were able to take advantage of the Jets fire sale.
Michael Carter was acquired from the New York Jets alongside a 2027 7th round pick. The Eagles sent back WR John Metchie and a 2027 6th round pick. Acquiring depth in the secondary gives the opportunity to move Cooper DeJean outside and Carter into the slot. We’ll have to wait and see if Carter was acquired to get serious reps, or bolster a position recently tattered with injuries.
Jaire Alexander was traded from the Baltimore Ravens. Also coming to Philadelphia is a 2027 7th round pick. For the grand total of a 2026 6th round pick. This move provides the Eagles a 3rd option at CB2 between Kelee Ringo & Adoree Jackson, and still keeps Cooper DeJean in the slot.
Jaelan Phillips was the Eagles biggest move before the Tuesday deadline. Only costing a 3rd round pick, the Eagles acquired a 26 year old OLB that has totaled 26 sacks in 5 seasons. Missing time due to injury is a concern, but with multiple DL players returning this weekend the Eagles depth provides plenty of rotational options.
The Eagles escaped the deadline acquiring 3 players, and still hold 5 picks heading into the 2026 Draft next April. Including a Jets 3rd round pick and projected to acquire 3 Comp picks in the 3rd, 4th and 5th rounds.
Returning From Injury
On top of their trade deadline additions to the team. The Eagles have also managed to get healthy just in time for another gauntlet in the schedule.
Opening the practice window for Jakorian Bennett, Willie Lampkin and Nolan Smith in the previous weeks provided the Eagles time to juggle their active roster and the practice squad, with depth returning at the right time.
With A.J. Brown missing another game this season, add in a concern to Saquon’s health at the end of the Giants game prior to the Bye. There was major concern what the Eagles injury report would look like coming off the Bye week.
The good news is, nearly everyone has returned from injury as the following players were full participants
Moro Ojomo
Saquon Barkley
A.J. Brown
Jakorian Bennett
Nolan Smith
Willie Lampkin
The only players who were DNP at Fridays practice were Adoree Jackson & Cam Jurgens. After giving Dickerson a few weeks of rest, perhaps Jurgens getting some extra time will allow the Eagles Offensive Line to return to being what it once was. The best in the league.
A Successful Bye Week
During the Bye, the Eagles jumped all the way up to the #1 seed in the NFC, as most teams that played managed to the Eagles a favor.
Even following the Giants game Week 8, the Eagles had some help from their NFC East Rivals.
The Commanders lost 7-28 to the Chiefs and fell to 3-5
The Cowboys got blown out by the Broncos 44-24 and fell to 3-4-1
In Week 9, the following teams helped the Eagles climb the standings
The Vikings (4-4) held on to beat their division rival Lions 27-24(5-3)
Carolina (5-4) managed to upset the Packers and send them to 5-2-1
Seattle took care of business and sent Washington to 3-6 following a 38-14 rout
Jacoby Brissett gave us the icing on the cake, with a 27-17 win over the Cowboys. Sending the 2nd placed team in the NFC East to 3-5-1.
With an opportunity to grow their lead on the division, and the rest of the NFC with a trip to Green Bay. Will the Eagles come out on top against a Packers team struggling to play their best football?
The NFL’s trade deadline has come and gone. Many teams attempted to improve their rosters via trade market, some bad teams went for the addition-by-subtraction approach, some teams just stood pat, and two team truly took an enormous swing.
Time will tell if these decisions were the right ones for the respective teams, but here’s a look at our winners and losers from the deadline moves:
Winners 🍾🍾🍾
Philadelphia Eagles: Although they really could’ve used a no-doubt-about-it cornerback opposite Quinyon Mitchell, the right market didn’t surface for them. Did they panic? No. They strengthened their pass rush with a no-brainer addition of Jaelan Phillips for a third-rounder and added two defensive backs (Michael Carter II, Jaire Alexander) at low cost for depth and optionality. If all else fails at corner, they can move Cooper DeJean outside and play Carter at nickelback. Either way, the defense is in better shape now than before the deadline.
Baltimore Ravens: With improved health in the secondary, the Ravens needed help in the pass rush to make up for the loss of Pro Bowl iDL Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) for the season. The trade for Titans OLB Dre’Mont Jones is the perfect addition to a defense that has just 11 sacks and has relied too much on blitzing.
New York Jets: They got two first-round picks from the Colts for CB Sauce Gardner, who made All-Pro in his first two seasons but has since regressed some, and another from Dallas for DT Quinnen Williams along with a second-rounder from Dallas. The Jets need a future quarterback, and new GM Darren Mougey now has plenty of ammo to move up in the draft for one – five first-round picks over the next two seasons – and rebuild the roster. It’s risky to give up on proven talent for assets, but the Jets need as many chips as possible to find their future QB.
Seattle Seahawks: Sam Darnold is on fire, and the Seahawks needed to capitalize on it by giving him more firepower. With his blazing speed, former Saints WR Rashid Shaheed will be an ideal deep-threat complement to emerging star WR Jaxson Smith-Njigba, who can do damage at all levels of the field. Shaheed already knows the offense, as Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak held the same position last season for New Orleans. Shaheed could push the Seahawks ahead in the tight NFC West race. A fourth- and fifth-round pick wasn’t too much for what Shaheed brings.
Los Angeles Rams: You might’ve forgotten they acquired CB Roger McCreary from the Titans last week, or you might not have even known who McCary is. It’s not a splashy move but McCreary can play the slot, which lets the Rams use emerging star DB Quintin Lake in a hybrid playmaking role on the back end. The Rams play exotic coverages that blend well with their young, imposing defensive front. Having McCreary and Lake patrol the defensive backfield alleviates some of their issues at outside corner.
Losers 🤯🤯🤯
Dallas Cowboys: Decided to “upgrade” the NFL’s second-worst defense by trading for a linebacker who couldn’t even get on the field for the NFL’s worst defense. You can’t make this up. Maybe LB Logan Wilson wasn’t the best scheme fit for Al Golden’s defense in Cincinnati but it’s hard to see him as the savior for a Cowboys defense that has holes everywhere, especially the secondary. Then they traded a first-round and second-round pick along with DT Mazi Smith for DT Quinnen Williams, a Pro Bowl lineman who surely helps their defensive front but is also on his second contract. How many more good years will they get from Williams compared to what a first-round pick could give them? Giving up multiple high picks is the kind of move a team makes if the player being acquired is the difference-maker for a Super Bowl run. Dallas isn’t one or two moves from Super Bowl contention. The Cowboys should’ve saved their assets.
Indianapolis Colts: Giving up two first-round picks and a top-55 pick in WR Adonai Mitchell for CB Sauce Gardner only works if a) Gardner regains All-Pro form, and b) if the Colts are committed to QB Daniel Jones for the future. What happens if Jones, who just struggled against the Steelers, regresses in the second half? If Jones isn’t the long-term answer, the Colts have no ammo to get another quarterback. Also, Gardner’s base salary balloons to more than $20 million annually for the next three seasons, so Gardner needs to play like a top-five corner for this to work out. I appreciate the big swing from GM Chris Ballard, but it could be a swing from his ankles.
Green Bay Packers: Despite losing star TE Tucker Kraft for the season, Green Bay sat still and didn’t try to help an offense that’s sporadic or a defense that could’ve used some assistance in the secondary. Browns TE David N’Joku would’ve been a solid add, especially with as many two-tight end formations that the Packers like to employ. After making a titanic splash to compete for a Super Bowl by trading for Micah Parsons, Green Bay’s quiet trade deadline is disappointing. The Packers are still good, but they missed an opportunity to become elite.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags at 5-3 aren’t serious contenders. They just barely beat the Raiders and recently lost Travis Hunter to injured reserve from a knee injury he suffered at practice. Spencer Rattler, Geno Smith, Carson Wentz and Bryce Young all have higher passer ratings than Trevor Lawrence (71.5). The new GM should be pawning off RB Travis Etienne and other pieces to stockpile draft picks. Instead, the Jags surrendered two picks for WR Jakobi Meyers, a seventh-year slot receiver who has had one 1,000-yard season for a bad Raiders team. Even worse, Meyers will be a free agent after the season. That’s a dubious overpay for two months of a slot receiver.
Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes is a few yards away from being their second-leading rusher and one rushing touchdown from sharing the team lead. Isiah Pacheco is hurt again and can’t be relied on to stay healthy. The Chiefs couldn’t find a way to do better here? There’s a bunch of ball carriers out there who could’ve helped – Jerome Ford, Tony Pollard, maybe even Breece Hall. They missed an opportunity to ease the burden on Mahomes.
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If your holiday shopping list includes an Eagles fan — or if you’re an Eagles fan yourself — this one is for you.
Football’s favorite festive trio, former Eagle Jason Kelce, and current Eagles linemen Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson, better known as The Philly Specials, are back to spread holiday cheer with their annual charitable initiative, Operation Snowball.
Starting November 7, at 9 a.m. ET, The Philly Specials, in partnership with Just Play, will open pre-orders for The Holiday Huddle, a collectible set of plushies in the likeness of the players dressed in festive midnight green sweaters embroidered with their names and numbers.
Sized between 8.5 and 9.25 inches, organizers said this 3-pack of ultra-life-like collectible plushies comes ready to squish and makes the perfect gift.
Bre Furlong
Bre Furlong
Pre-orders for the $49.99 plushie set can be made by visiting The Philly Specials’ official website. Orders are expected to ship the week of Thanksgiving.
“Making music with my friends and donating to organizations committed to making the lives of Philadelphia families and students brighter during the holidays has been a highlight of the past three years,” Jordan Mailata said in a news release. “We are looking forward to bringing the joy back again this year with proceeds from the new plushies, and a few other surprises.”
“When we released the first album, A Philly Special Christmas, we had no idea how impactful it would be – for both the organizations we supported and the joy we were able to spread throughout the city. Last year our efforts culminated with a citywide initiative that provided a gift for every student in the School District of Philadelphia,” said Vera Y Records and Operation Snowball executive producer Connor Barwin. “We are excited to continue the tradition of giving and fun with new surprises for a fourth holiday season this year.”
For the gambling degenerates, here are my Week 10 NFL picks. The team logos indicate who I think will win the game, not necessarily cover the spread. At the end of the picks, I’ll note a few teams that I like based on the spread.
Raiders at Broncos (-9): The Broncos and Patri*ts have the longest winning streaks in the NFL, at 6 games each. Denver has a point differential on the season of +68; the Raiders have a point differential of -78. Easy survivor pool pick here, as we’ll get to momentarily.
Falcons at Colts (-6.5): If the Falcons lose this game, they’re heading to the graveyard in our NFC Hierarchy/Obituary. The Colts played their first truly bad game of the season Week 9. It’ll be interesting to see if they can bounce back. (Also, this will be Sauce Gardner’s first game in Indy after the Colts swung a blockbuster deal for him.)
Browns (-2.5) at Jets: The Jets made two blockbuster trades at the deadline:
They traded CB Sauce Gardner to the Colts for a first-round pick in 2026, a first-round pick in 2027, and WR Adonai Mitchell.
They traded DT Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys (lol) for a first-round pick in 2027, a second-round pick in 2026, and DT Mazi Smith.
Obviously, that’s a whole lot of draft capital, but also losing two of their best players will aid in efforts to tank for the No. 1 overall pick.
Saints at Panthers (-5.5): It’s pretty incredible that the Panthers have a winning record in November with the roster they have. They have a chance to be 6-4! For those of you still alive in survivor pools… got the stones to take them? (I don’t.)
Bills (-9.5) at Dolphins: The Bills swept the Dolphins in 2023 and 2024, and coming soon, 2025.
Jaguars (-1.5) at Texans: The Texans haven’t been that bad this season, despite their 3-5 record. They just haven’t been able to win close games. They have a +47 point differential at 3-5, while the Jags have a -8 point differential at 5-3. The Texans have also played a harder schedule so far, in my opinion. I think they’re the better team.
But, C.J. Stroud has a concussion and won’t play. I’d really love to take the Texans at home with points but I just can’t make that one of my spread picks this week.
Ravens (-4) at Vikings: The Ravens feel primed to go on a run with Lamar Jackson back at quarterback, and their defense has been better in recent weeks after a putrid start to the season.
Patriots at Buccaneers (-2.5): As noted above, the Patri*ts have a six-game winning streak, tied for the best in the NFL. Credit them for taking care of business, but they have also played the weakest schedule in the NFL, per Inpredictable. That streak ends Week 10 in Tampa against a good Bucs team coming off their bye.
Giants at Bears (-4.5): The Bears are a “bad 5-3 team,” but the Giants are a “bad 2-7 team.” This line was Bears (-2.5) earlier in the week, and I was ready to jump all over that, but it’s not quite as tasty at 4.5.
Cardinals at Seahawks (-6.5): The Seahawks have won eight straight in this rivalry, including a matchup earlier this season. But also, the Seahawks look like they might be a pretty good football team.
Lions (-7.5) at Commanders: The Commanders are dead. Jayden Daniels’ season is very likely over, and their defense sucks. Meanwhile, the Lions probably can’t wait to light up the Commanders in their building after the Commanders ended their season in the playoffs last year. I don’t normally like laying more than 7 points, but I’ll make an exception here.
Rams (-4.5) at 49ers: The 49ers are now without Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, and rookie 11th overall pick Mykel Williams for the season. Meanwhile, the Rams are extremely healthy for a Week 10 game. It doesn’t matter to me whether Brock Purdy or Mac Jones starts. The Rams are a much better team either way.
Steelers at Chargers (-3): The Steelers have lost six straight playoff games, while Justin Herbert is 0-2 in the playoffs. So I guess that makes this matchup the One And Done Bowl. I don’t like this Steelers team even a little bit, but they have a huge matchup advantage with their edge rushers against a Chargers offensive line that is without Rashawn Slater and now also Joe Alt.
Eagles at Packers (-2.5): The Eagles should be rested and spry coming out of the bye, and they probably played their best football of the season in the two games preceding it.
• Passing game starting to come together while keeping opposing defenses guessing… ✔️
• Rushing attack showing signs of life… ✔️
• Interior defensive line beginning to make some noise… ✔️
• Edge rusher reinforcements on the way… ✔️
Meanwhile, the Packers lost an ugly game at home to the Panthers Week 9. They will be without their best weapon in the passing game in TE Tucker Kraft, and likely also without their best wide receiver, Jayden Reed. Those guys do a lot of damage in the intermediate areas of the field as well as after the catch in ways that their other receivers do not.
The Packers have talent, and their defense has been very good so far this season. They are stout against the run, and then obviously Micah Parsons has given their pass rush a big jolt. However, they have only forced five turnovers this season, second-worst in the NFL, and they’re playing an Eagles team that has only turned it over three times this season, least in the NFL.
I like the Eagles’ chances of winning the turnover battle, and in turn, the game.
BYE: Cowboys, Chiefs, Bengals, Titans.
Survivor pick ☠️
In doing a look-ahead a couple weeks ago, the Broncos were always the plan for this week, as they are home against the Raiders Thursday night. Don’t forget to get that pick in, if you plan on using them. Do it now. Don’t procrastinate.
The Lions and Bills are obvious choices as well. I dare you to take the Panthers 😈.
Week 1: Eagles ✅
Week 2: Ravens ✅
Week 3: Bills ✅
Week 4: Broncos ✅
Week 5: Lions ✅
Week 6: Packers ✅
Week 7: Chiefs ✅
Week 8: Colts ✅
Week 9: Rams ✅
Week 10: Broncos
• Picks against the spread: Ravens (-4), Buccaneers (-2.5), Lions (-7.5), Eagles (+2.5).
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has made it clear in the past that all personnel moves – including but not limited to free-agent signings and trades – are executed by Howie Roseman, the team’s executive vice president of football operations, with very little input, if any, from Fangio.
“Miniscule,” Fangio said last week when asked about his influence on the team’s roster decisions.
You could understand why Fangio has distanced himself from many of Roseman’s moves on his side of the ball, going back to last year’s big free-agent spend on Bryce Huff, who clearly didn’t fit the scheme, and one-year flier on linebacker Devin White, another head-scratcher who didn’t last.
This year’s newcomers haven’t fared much better – Adoree’ Jackson won a starting cornerback job by default, lost it, then got it back before suffering a concussion; Azeez Ojulari was inactive for the first four weeks, played two games, then landed on IR with a hamstring injury; Ogbo Okoronkwo made minimal impact before going on IR with a pectoral tear; and trade acquisition Jakorian Bennett, who dealt with a shoulder injury in Las Vegas that needed surgery, is still on injured reserve as of Monday while he comes back from a Week 3 pectoral injury.
On Jackson, Fangio admitted in a press conference at training camp that the cornerback’s signing was Roseman’s call and that Fangio didn’t even watch tape on the former Titans and Giants defensive back before the Eagles signed him.
About the only positive free-agent or trade addition on defense so far has been Josh Uche, who has played well as a rotational edge rusher, but not well enough for the Eagles to feel great about the overall state of their pass rush. When asked last week if Uche had exceeded expectations, Fangio could only say “neutral.”
Which is why on Monday, Roseman went out and executed his third trade for a defensive player since Wednesday, landing former Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips for a third-round pick, a move that should satisfy his candid, fickle defensive coordinator even if Fangio had little or no say in it.
Phillips isn’t a game-wrecker in the mold of Myles Garrett, has never made a Pro Bowl, and has battled several severe injuries throughout his college and pro career – at one point, he even gave up playing – but there’s no question that his best season came in 2023, in Fangio lone season presiding over the Dolphins’ defense.
That season, Phillips racked up 6.5 sacks in just eight games – including a stretch of at least one sack in five consecutive games from Weeks 7-12 – before become tearing his Achilles at MetLife Stadium, the league’s annual graveyard for healthy tendons and ligaments.
Phillips made it back for the start of 2024 but suffered a friendly fire partial ACL tear in Week 5 when his knee collided with teammate Jordan Poyer’s helmet in a game against the Titans, again ending Phillips’ season prematurely.
This year, Phillips has come back strongly. He had three sacks and seven QB hits playing for a terrible Dolphins defense. More importantly, he played more than 70% of the defense’s snaps, showing that his health and conditioning are up to speed despite the lower-leg injuries he sustained in consecutive seasons.
This is one move Fangio won’t want to distance himself from, as Phillips’ addition theoretically gives the defensive coordinator more ammo in the edge rush but perhaps more importantly covers up the defense’s other blemish at cornerback opposite Quinyon Mitchell.
If the trio of Phillips, Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith (also soon to come off injured reserve) do its job, along with a solid rotational piece in Uche, Fangio can scale back on the blitzing that he’s done at a much higher rate this year to compensate for the losses of Josh Sweat and Milton Williams in free agency.
Fangio’s blitz rate so far through eight games is between 22-23 percent, depending on the stat-tracking site. Some analytics sites chart SIM pressures or “exchange pressures,” which is a four-man rush but blitzes a second-level defender while dropping a front-line defender, as a blitz, while some don’t.
Either way, 22 to 23 percent puts the Eagles at the middle of the pack in the NFL, at 15th. Last year, the Eagles ranked 28th in blitz percentage, per both NFL Pro and Pro Football Reference.
Fangio’s history shows that he typically doesn’t like to blitz at rates higher than 20 percent. He’s famous for shutting down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the Super Bowl last year without calling a single blitz.
This season, Fangio only blitzed about 14 percent in the season opener against the Cowboys, and watched Dak Prescott connect with CeeDee Lamb seven times for 110 yards – mostly against Jackson – in a near-upset. The Eagles won because Lamb dropped several balls, including a deep pass late in the fourth that could’ve changed the outcome.
The Eagles had just the 16th-best pressure rate in Week 1 along with a -0.02 EPA per pass and didn’t record a single sack, per NFL Pro, causing Fangio to reverse course by Week 2, when his blitz rate jumped to 29%, followed by 38% in Week 3 against the Rams, seventh-highest that week among NFL teams.
Every time Fangio rushes five or more, he devotes at least one less body to coverage, which has at times exposed the Eagles’ deficiency at the cornerback spot across from the superstar Mitchell, who has often been asked this season to shadow the opponent’s top receiver. Multiple sites that track coverages show that Fangio has played a much higher rate of man coverage this season than zone, leaving their corner opposite Mitchell in some dangerous 1-on-1s.
The Eagles have acknowledged this deficiency time and again, first signing the veteran Jackson in March to compete with 2023 fourth-rounder Kelee Ringo but quickly trading for Bennett in August after Fangio made it clear in his press conferences that neither Jackson nor Ringo had blown him away.
It’s clear that Roseman believed his best shot at helping Fangio produce the best defense possible was to upgrade the pass rush with the closest thing to a sure thing that he could attain while continuing to make dart throws at the secondary.
If the Eagles can lean heavier on a four-man rush going forward, especially against opponents like the Packers on Monday night, the Lions in Week 11, Cowboys in Week 12, Chargers in Week 14, Bills in Week 17 and in the postseason, they can better masquerade their issues at cornerback.
Maybe even enough to win another Super Bowl.
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On Saturday night, the Philadelphia Eagles announced that they made a trade for former Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens CB Jaire Alexander. Here we’ll review his 2025 season.
As noted in our initial news story, Alexander was released this past offseason by the Packers in June. He signed with the Ravens, but has only seen playing time in two games despite having only appeared on the injury report once, in Week 1, when he had no game status designation (like “questionable,” etc.).
In those two games — against the Bills Week 1 and the Texans Week 5 — Pro Football Focus had Alexander down for 5 targets, all of which were complete, for 116 yards, or 23.2 yards per target. He was also flagged for a 27-yard defensive pass interference penalty.
I watched all of his snaps in those two games. Here’s what I found in chronological order…
Ravens at Bills
• The Ravens are in a “prevent” defense near the end of the first half. Josh Allen keeps this play alive for a while, eventually finding Khalil Shakir in the middle of the field in front of Alexander, who is arguably playing too deep, given where the Bills’ receivers were on the field. In fairness to Alexander here, this is a great throw from Allen. Alexander is No. 23, by the way, bottom of the screen.
The Bills would spike it, get another completion, and steal three points before the end of the half.
• This is a 4th and 5 play. If this throw to Josh Palmer (5) is on time and accurate, it’s a touchdown. It’s neither, and Alexander is instead flagged for defensive pass interference as Palmer is trying to come back for the ball. Again, Alexander is lined up pre-snap at the bottom of the screen.
The Bills would score a touchdown two plays later.
• This one is ugly. Alexander is at the top of the screen, and it’s a little dump-down to the bottom of the screen to James Cook. Cook breaks a tackle and gets into the open field. As Cook runs into the red zone, Alexander isn’t aggressively trying to make a tackle. He is merely trying to keep Cook from getting outside of him, and forcing Cook toward his defensive teammates, who can then make the tackle. However, Alexander failed to even keep contain, and Cook runs right around him.
Yuck.
• Hey, here’s a good rep 🎉. Two-point conversion. Allen wants Keon Coleman on the slant, but Alexander has it covered, Allen comes off of it and eventually throws an INT on the other side of the field.
• This is a “turkey hole” shot by Allen to Coleman. Alexander did not get dinged by PFF on this play for for the target/completion, but it’s arguably in his zone.
This could be wrong, but in my opinion he’s hoping Allen throws underneath with visions of a pick-six there and instead gets burnt for a chunk play.
• The Bills have one last possession. They’re down 2 and trying to drive for a winning field goal. Alexander simply loses Palmer here.
That was one of the biggest plays in the game. Bills in field goal position.
• Next play, the Ravens are sending a heavy blitz to knock the Bills back out of field goal position, Alexander is on an island against Coleman, and, well, ballgame…
That’s a tough ask, but, I mean, that’s not even a competitive rep.
Alexander was pretty clearly demoted after this game, as he was a healthy scratch each of the next three games.
Ravens at Texans
In Week 5, with Chidobe Awuzie and Marlon Humphrey both inactive, Humphrey suited up again. The vast majority of Alexander’s snaps came in garbage time, and he was out-snapped by second-year CB T.J. Tampa and undrafted rookie Keyon Marton.
He was targeted twice in this game, per PFF. I found the two targets:
• Easy pitch and catch:
• And I’m not sure I’d ding Alexander here, but we’ll show it for the sake of including all the targets he is being held responsible for:
Outlook
The Eagles gave up very little to acquire Alexander. They traded a sixth-round pick in 2026 and received a seventh-round pick along with Alexander in return. The Ravens are only two games back in the AFC North, chasing a Steelers team that is not very good. With Lamar Jackson back at quarterback, they no doubt feel like they can still win their division. They are not sellers.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh raved about how Alexander handled the inactivity, but the veteran wanted to play and there was no immediate path to snaps with the Ravens.
The Ravens have been using three safeties on just about every defensive play, creating few opportunities for reserve cornerbacks. As it was, Alexander was behind Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins and Chidobe Awuzie on the cornerback depth chart. The Ravens have two other corners, T.J. Tampa and Keyon Martin, who are core special teamers. Alexander didn’t play special teams, meaning there was really no place for him on the game-day roster as a reserve cornerback. In making the deal, the Ravens created about $2 million in salary cap space and added another draft pick. General manager Eric DeCosta has the cap flexibility and draft capital to make additions before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline. Trading Alexander gives him some roster flexibility as well.
I respectfully disagree with that framing. In the Ravens’ Week 5 loss to the Texans, Tampa and Martin started with Awuzie and Humphrey both out with injuries. Add in that Wiggins is obviously ahead of Alexander as well, and by the time Alexander was traded, he was no better than the Ravens’ CB6 in one of the worst defenses in the NFL. He wasn’t just inactive because he doesn’t play special teams. He was behind those two rookie corners in the regular defense as well.
The hope from the Eagles’ perspective is that defensive backs coach Christian Parker can get Alexander to play better, as Parker was on the Packers’ coaching staff for two years when Alexander still played in Green Bay. But it’s probably more likely that Alexander just isn’t a good player anymore.
According to a report from Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network, the Philadelphia Eagles are interested in Miami Dolphins edge defender Jaelan Phillips.
Philadelphia Eagles would like to trade for Dolphins EDGE Jaelan Phillips at right price, per sources.
I’m told Vic Fangio thinks highly of Phillips from their year together in Miami (2023). He would help fill Eagles need for another pass rusher. https://t.co/caQ1AcRata
Phillips was a Dolphins first-round pick (18th overall) in 2021. He was drafted two years before Vic Fangio’s one-year tenure as Miami’s defensive coordinator in 2023, but as noted by Wolfe above, Fangio did coach him for one season.
Phillips’ career stats:
Jaelan Phillips
Tackles
Sacks
FF-FR
2021 (17 games)
42
8.5
0-1
2022 (17 games)
61
7
1-2
2023 (8 games)
43
6.5
0-0
2024 (4 games)
6
1
0-0
2025 (9 games)
25
3
0-1
Phillips was having a breakout season under Fangio in 2023, when he had 6.5 sacks in 8 games, but that season was cut short by a torn Achilles. In 2024, Phillips tore an ACL that ended his season after just four games.
Injuries are not new to Phillips, who was a big-time prospect coming out of high school. He was ranked No. 2 in the nation by 247Sports, No. 3 by ESPN Recruiting, and No. 6 by Rivals. He initially enrolled at UCLA, but suffered multiple injuries, plus a moped accident that severely damaged his wrist. He actually retired at one point while in college. Phillips would eventually transfer to Miami and return to football, missing the 2019 season. He had a good 2020 season, though, and became a first-round pick.
Dianni Russini reported that the Dolphins are looking for at least a third-round pick for Phillips. (She also reported the Eagles’ interest in Phillips.)
Miami has received interest from the Eagles, 49ers, Patriots and others regarding Jaelan Phillips. The Dolphins are looking for at least a third-round pick in return.
Phillips is playing on his fifth-year option in 2025, at $13,251,000. Any team trading for Phillips would be on the hook for roughly half of that.
If the Dolphins think they’re getting a third-round pick for a player with a career season high of 8.5 sacks who tore his Achilles and an ACL in consecutive seasons, and who is only under contract for the rest of this season, then they are high. A mid-Day 3 pick is a more realistic price tag.
The Philadelphia Eagles currently have 8 picks in the 2027 NFL Draft. Here we’ll track each of the trades that change the Eagles’ picks. So far, there have been four.
• The Eagles traded a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Vikings for QB Sam Howell and a 2026 sixth-round pick. Those picks are conditional, per a league source, however, the conditions are not yet known.
• The Eagles traded OL Darian Kinnard to the Packers for a 2027 sixth-round pick.
• The Eagles sent a sixth-round pick to the Jets as part of the trade for CB Michael Carter. That pick will be whichever of the Eagles’ or Packers’ sixth-round picks is better. They also got a 2027 seventh-round pick in return in the Carter trade.
• The Eagles traded a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Ravens for CB Jaire Alexander and a 2027 seventh-round pick.
Round
How acquired
1
Eagles’ own pick
2
Eagles’ own pick
3
Eagles’ own pick
4
Eagles’ own pick
5
Eagles’ own pick
6
Eagles’ own pick, or pick originally owned by GB, which one is worse
The Eagles are off Sunday while most of the rest of the NFL is involved in Week 9 action. After Monday night’s game, the NFL will have officially reached its halfway point.
As usual, Eagles players were given the week off, but the coaches use the free time to self-scout and figure out how to build from the things the team did well for the first eight weeks and how to rectify or reverse things that didn’t.
Like most teams, the Eagles have flaws, but any flawed team would be happy with a 6-2 record, especially with wins over five playoff teams from 2024.
Here are five self-scouting keys for the Eagles before they return to the practice field next week and start preparing for next Monday night’s game against the Packers at Lambeau Field:
Keep incorporating an outside run game
The Eagles finally unlocked their run game against the Giants in Week 8, with Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby each going over 100 yards. The under-center formations and extra offensive lineman were beneficial additions to help finally spring the ground game but the better adjustment was a refocus on running the ball outside the tackles. Outside zones, pin-pulls sweeps, and off-tackle runs helped take the burden off the Eagles’ banged-up interior line to generate push up the middle on every snap and allowed Barkley and Bigsby to find space with lead blockers on the outside. Relying more on off-tackle runs is more sustainable and impactful than even using six-man o-lines. Also, keeping Bigsby involved would be a logical move. He’s got more explosion than last year’s top backup, Kenneth Gainwell, and more carries for Bigsby as the season progresses can keep Barkley fresh without the offense losing too much punch.
Speed up the offense
The offense is typically at its best when using no-huddle. Jalen Hurts has always been excellent at deciding when to speed up tempo, and when to dial it back. No-huddle has always helped keep the offense on schedule and, at the right times, has prevented the defense from being able to substitute. It wears down opponents and keeps situational pass rushers from getting on the field at any time. The Eagles need to get their plays in quicker in the second half and take advantage of no-huddle to move the chains more efficiently, which should positively impact their third-down offense, which so far this season has been underwhelming.
Get A.J. Brown more involved, the right way
The Eagles don’t need to pander to him, per se. This isn’t about the squeaky wheel getting greased. It’s about finding better ways to get the ball in the hands of their most dynamic playmaker on designed pass plays, not just freelance routes or comebacks. For whatever reason, the Eagles haven’t capitalized on Brown’s biggest strength – YAC yards. He’s on pace for just 192 YAC yards, per NFL Pro, which would be the fewest of his career and more than 150 YAC yards fewer than last season. They don’t get him involved enough in the intermediary game, with routes designed to have him catch the ball and turn upfield. Sure, he’s an amazing deep threat on the Go route, but there’s more variety to his game than he’s been able to show in the first half.
Figure out CB2
There’s no question the top priority for the Eagles’ defense is figuring out its best option at CB2. Spoiler alert: It isn’t Adoree’ Jackson or Kelee Ringo. The Eagles also traded Sunday with the Ravens for cornerback Jaire Alexander, but buyer beware. The low price tag on the former Packers corner who made three Pro Bowls but only played two games this year is telltale. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio needs to get Jakorian Bennett on the field – and Bennett needs to stay healthy – so the Eagles can find out if they guy traded for in training camp can shore up a very important spot on the defense. If Bennett can be that guy, the Eagles can keep Cooper DeJean in the slot and be comfortable with their nickel package, which is their predominant defense. They’d be better off this way. If Bennett can’t hold down the spot, Fangio needs to bite the bullet and move DeJean outside, with new addition Michael Carter II working the slot.
Find best four-man pas rush
The Eagles were at the best defensively last year when Fangio could rely on his four-man rush to disrupt and harass quarterbacks, and then have seven in coverage with a mix of zone and man and post-snap movement. This year, because of injuries and the lack of an elite edge rusher, Fangio has had to blitz more and play more man coverage. That’s a tough way to live when the opponent becomes the Packers, Lions, Cowboys or other teams that have good quarterbacks and an array of playmakers. But Fangio’s edge rush will be getting a boost with the returns of Nolan Smith and Brandon Graham. Jalyx Hunt has played better going into the bye after a so-so start and Josh Uche has played consistently well throughout the season. We’ll see if the Eagles added to this group before the trade deadline. The Athletic reported they’ve checked in on Jaelen Phillips from the Dolphins and Jermaine Johnson from the Jets, along with inquiring on Trey Hendrickson of the Bengals. Either way, Fangio has options and just needs to find the best four-man rush so he can get back to blitzing less and playing more zone.
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During the college football season each year, as long as you’re watching the games, we point out five players each week to keep an eye on who make logical sense for the Philadelphia Eagles in the following year’s NFL Draft.
Peter Woods (11), iDL, Clemson (6’3, 310): Duke at Clemson, 12:00 p.m.
The 6-3 20-year-old is quite the physical Freak, ranking in the top five on the team in muscle mass when he arrived as a true freshman in 2023. His latest body composition scans prior to camp showed that 240 of his 310 pounds are lean muscle mass. He’s a rare combination of power and speed for a 300-plus pounder.
This offseason, Woods bench pressed 490 pounds and did 34 reps of 225. He squatted 700 pounds and power cleaned 385, ran a 4.86 40-yard dash and vertical jumped 33 inches. Don’t be surprised if Woods ends up as a top-5 NFL Draft pick when he leaves Clemson. He’s special.
Like Clemson in general, Woods has had a disappointing season, with 21 tackles (1.5 for loss) and just 1 sack. But he is also very clearly one of the best players in college football.
He’s a great run stopper on the interior, and his pure athletic gifts are obvious:
His play reminds me a little of Jalen Carter. Also like Carter in his final college season, some people had Woods as the No. 1 prospect in the nation before the season began.
It’s a touch unrealistic that the Eagles will be in any position to draft Woods wherever they’re picking, but maybe he’ll fall a bit because he has not had a productive season? He’d be a trade-up candidate if so. Just figured I’d put him on the radar.
Francis Mauigoa (61), OT, Miami (6’6, 335): Miami at SMU, 12:00 p.m.
Mauigoa was a projected top-10 type of prospect heading into the season, so we didn’t bother profiling him sooner, but his stock seems to have fallen some this season. He is an absolute mauler who moves defensive linemen against their will.
In pass pro, you’re not going to move him. He can anchor all day. However, I don’t love his feet against speedier edge rushers.
I think he has a chance to be an elite guard in the pros.
Ian Strong (9), WR, Rutgers (6’3, 211): Rutgers at Illinois, 12:00 p.m.
Strong is a big possession receiver and chain mover with good hands and body control who is good at settling into soft areas in zone coverage and making contested catches.
Strong has had a productive season on a bad Rutgers team, making 37 receptions for 543 yards and 2 TDs in 6 games. I like his upside in the pros as a potent red zone target. He gives me some “poor man’s Drake London” vibes. Day 3 guy.
Josephs is a lean edge rusher at just 240 pounds, but he is a feisty run defender who can set the edge, and he can get the ball out. In 8 games, Josephs has 29 tackles, 4 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles. He also had 3 forced fumbles in 2024.
He wins more reps than his sack numbers would suggest.
I think he’s a Day 2 guy.
Justin Joly (7), TE, NC State (6’3, 251): (8) Georgia Tech at NC State, 7:30 p.m.
Joly has had consistent production over a four-year career at UConn and NC State:
So, you know, he might not play this weekend, but whatever, the Eagles need tight ends and I only have so many weeks to get the ones I think make sense.
Saquon Barkley’s 2024 season was one for the ages.
For those who need a recap, Barkley not only led the NFL in rushing attempts and yards, going for 2,005 yards on 345 carries, but also averaged an NFL-best 125.3 rushing yards per game, amassed an NFL-most 2,283 yards from scrimmage, and posted the highest yards-per-carry average (5.9) in Eagles history.
Because the Eagles rested him for a meaningless Week 18 game against the Giants, Barkley fell 100 yards shy of Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record (2,105). But with an additional 499 rushing yards in the postseason, Barkley became the NFL’s record-holder for the most combined rushing yards in the regular season and postseason.
It was indeed a unicorn season for an NFL running back – until Jonathan Taylor and 2025 came along.
If you haven’t noticed, the Colts’ running back through eight weeks is matching Barkley’s 2024 output – and in some cases, exceeding it. At his current pace, the South Jersey native could actually threaten to make Barkley’s season less of a unicorn.
Taylor, a two-time Pro Bowler, is slightly behind Barkley’s rushing total through eight weeks last season, but he has more receiving yards, nearly as many total yards from scrimmage, and twice as many rushing touchdowns while averaging the exact same yards per carry.
Here’s how their seasons compare through eight games:
Category
’24 Saquon Barkley
’25 Jonathan Taylor
Carries
157
143
Rushing Yds
925
850
Catches
20
25
Receiving Yds
146
206
Rushing TDs
6
12
Receiving TDs
2
2
Yards/Carry
5.9
5.9
Yards/Touch
6.1
6.3
Total Yds
1,071
1,056
Can Taylor keep up this pace and threaten to have an even more productive season than Barkley’s 2024?
Like Barkley, Taylor has battled injuries during his career, so staying healthy will be key. Also like Barkley, the Colts have an impressive offensive line that does the dirty work for Taylor’s yards.
Per pro-football-reference, Taylor has an NFL-leading 435 rushing yards before contact, at an average of 3.0 YBC per carry, which ranks third. Last year, Barkley averaged 3.8 yards before contact for the season, which was tops in the league. Taylor also has an NFL-most 415 yards after contact at 2.9 yards per carry. Last year, Barkley averaged 2.0 yards after contact.
Also like Barkley, this isn’t Taylor’s first flirtation with a record-breaking season. Barkley went over 2,000 yards from scrimmage in his rookie season with the Giants.In 2021, Taylor played 17 games – the only year he’s played a full season – and led the NFL with 1,811 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on 332 carries while amassing 2,171 yards from scrimmage – not far off from Barkley’s 2,283 last year.
The schedule could also factor into Taylor’s chances of one-upping Barkley. In their final nine games, the Colts will face a top-10 rushing defense five times – No. 1 Seattle, No. 5 Houston (twice), and No. 6 Jacksonville (twice). In their four other games, Taylor will run against No. 14 Pittsburgh, No. 15 Kansas City, No. 16 San Francisco and No. 17 Atlanta.
Taylor might have to go big against those four teams ranked outside the top 10 in run defense or have better-than-average games against the top-10 defenses. Two of Taylor’s four 100-yard rushing efforts this season have come against No. 28 Tennessee, and the other two came against 13th-ranked Denver and 7th-ranked Arizona.
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Back in the ‘70s, Las Vegas was about as unhip as things could get. Well, that is, unless you went all Hunter Thompson, driving into town with a head full of acid in a Cadillac land yacht with the idea of causing as much confusion and destruction as possible.
By the early part of Richard Nixon’s second term, the glory days of the Rat Pack were long gone, and Las Vegas had lost any sense of “ring-a-ding-ding.” No, fifty some-odd years ago, Las Vegas was a place that catered to bourgeois conventioneers and tourists. Folks who were thrilled to see acts like Wayne “Mr. Las Vegas” Newton, Liberace, Neil Diamond, Tony Orlando and Dawn, Donny and Marie Osmond, Barry Manilow and Paul Anka. Not to mention Sigfried and Roy, in their salad days before the latter became an hors d’oeuvre.
But these days, we seem to be experiencing a similar paradigm, i.e. Las Vegas being populated by relatively well-heeled sixty-ish and seventy-ish vacationers who are willing to shell out big bucks to see the big bands of yesteryear. Recently announced acts booked for Vegas residencies in 2026 include the Eagles, Styx, Santana, Def Leppard, Foreigner and Chicago.
It was bound to happen, but somehow it seems sad to see the wild-ass hell raisers of our (well, at least my) youth playing in such safe and conventional venues. I am reminded of Joan Cusack’s line from the film Grosse Pointe Blank. When asked what it was like attending her high school reunion, she answered, “It was just as if everyone had swelled.” Indeed.
Ticket Alert
A passel of shows at Toyota Center has just been announced. On Saturday, April 4, it’s ‘80s hitmakers New Edition headlining a bill that includes Boys II Men and Toni Braxton. Meet and greet / photo opportunity packages are on sale now along with various presales, and the general sale is set for Friday. Demi Lovato’s “It’s Not That Deep” tour – her first in three years – rolls into Houston on Monday, May 25. Curiously, no presales are listed, but you can get to clicking Friday morning at 10 a.m.
Florence + The Machine (Really? We can’t just say “and”?) is booked at Toyota Center on Tuesday, May 5, as part of the band’s “Everybody Scream” tour in support of the album of the same name, which drops on Friday. Tickets go on sale next Wednesday, November 5. The “R&B Lovers” tour, which boasts a lineup including Keith Sweat, Joe, Dru Hill and Ginuwine, will be at Toyota Center on Saturday, June 6, and tickets are on sale this Friday.
As for other venues in town, the White Oak Music Hall will host Echo and the Bunnymen on Wednesday, May 27. The lads from Liverpool have gone through a bunch of band members since the group’s formation in 1978, and these days it’s only original members Will Sergeant and Ian McCulloch leading the charge, backed by various touring musicians. Tickets for the Houston installment of the “More Songs to Learn and Sing” tour are on sale as we speak.
Concerts This Week
In recent years, appearance on a talent-based reality show has become a pathway to stardom. In the case of Canadian performer Tate McRae, it was “So You Think You Can Dance” (produced by the same folks as “American Idol”) that pushed her into the popular consciousness in 2016. McRae embarked on a singing career soon after, releasing a number of singles and a couple of EP’s, followed by three albums. Her most recent effort, So Close to What, reached No. 1 in the U.S. and in several other countries around the world. You can see what all the fuss is about on Saturday at Toyota Center.
Lainey Wilson canceled her scheduled appearance at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion last month, citing the recommendation of her vocal coach. Evidently, all is now well with the country chanteuse’s vocal cords, and the postponed show will commence on Saturday.
Fans of a certain age and a certain bent will be excited to know that the B-52s (no apostrophe, dammit!) and Devo will co-headline a show on Sunday at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. The billing makes perfect sense, in that both bands emerged and about the same time (around 1980) with material that was nothing like anything else on the radio. Lene Lovich, who was also freaking people out around then, will open.
It would seem that Leon Thomas’ “Mutts Don’t Heel” tour is selling well, since the R&B artist’s gig scheduled for Tuesday at the House of Blues has been moved to the Bayou Music Center. All tickets for the House of Blues show will be honored at the new venue. ‘Cause Knowledge is Power: Thomas began his performing career on Broadway, appearing in “The Lion King” and “The Color Purple.”
