Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford threw for 121 yards and three touchdowns on a perfect 10-of-10 passing last week. (Getty)
Preseason football is almost over! That means that real football is almost here! Almost.
First, there’s one last week of prep work, roster cuts and general gel’ing of the squads. There’s also one more game for the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets as the two squads square off in week four of the preseason.
Both teams are looking to build off of last week’s dominant performances. The Eagles cruised to a victory over the Packers, outscoring Green Bay 39-14 in the first half for their third win of the preseason. The Jets, meanwhile, seemed to finally find some consistency, cutting down on flags and turnovers and racking up the offense en route to a 28-18 victory over the New York Giants in the annual MetLife Bowl.
Expect to see a good amount of time for the starters on Thursday night, as well as snaps for New York Jets quarterback Matt Flynn, brought in as a potential backup for Ryan Fitzpatrick. Flynn hasn’t seen the field since he signed with Gang Green two weeks ago, rehabbing a hamstring injury. Here’s what you need to know about the matchup:
The Basics
Who:
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Jets
When:
Thursday, September 3, 7 p.m. ET
Channel:
The game will be broadcast nationally on the NFL Network. Click here for a full TV schedule.
Where:
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Line:
Eagles -5.5 via Oddsshark
Last Meeting:
Eagles 38, Jets 7 on August 28, 2014 in Philadelphia
Scouting the Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles running back DeMarco Murray rushed for 28 yards on six carries against the Green Bay Packers last week. (Getty)
Let’s talk about how good the Philadelphia Eagles have been this preseason. Sure, it’s early. Sure, there are still questions about the secondary. Sure, final rosters aren’t set. But the Philadelphia Eagles have been very, very good.
Sam Bradford is still recovering from last year’s ACL injury, he probably always will be, but he’s also been a major source of confidence under center and his passing has been pinpoint in the two preseason games he’s started so far. All four drives that Bradford has led have resulted in touchdowns. Even DeMarco Murray scored a touchdown in his first game with Philadelphia.
Overall, the Eagle’s top-line players have been on the field for six total quarters and have outscored their opponents 86-17. Those are good numbers, even for the preseason. Now, Philadelphia has one last week to gel, to bring together the pieces acquired this offseason and prove that the squad really is the NFC East favorite.
Scouting the Jets
Zac Stacy is one of three New York Jets running backs looking to add to Gang Green’s rushing presence this season. (Getty)
The New York Jets quarterback problems have been the talk of the NFL preseason. What people haven’t talked about though, is the Jets ground attack, a three-headed monster that could, very possibly, do some serious damage in the AFC East.
If last week’s victory over the New York Giants was any indication, Gang Green is setting itself up to be a ground and pound type of team, using all three backs in tandem to keep opposing defenses on their collective toes. Last week, the Jets racked up 136 rushing yards on 30 carries. The three starters – Zac Stacy, Chris Ivory and Tommy Bohanon, combined for 125 of them. Offensive guard Willie Colon described the rush attack to the New York Post:
We plan to run the ball, we plan to set the tempo. If we out-physical teams — we want it to be kind of our thing, our swag. If we’re able to do that, we should be successful.
Running the ball consistently also opens up other options for the Jets offense. Last week, New York’s first-team started the game with 14 passes and 14 rushes.