Eagles Face A Tough Test Against The Jets
By Ed Benkin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- At the beginning of the season, the New York Jets did not appear to be one of the more formidable teams on the Eagles' schedule.
A lot can change in two weeks.
The surprising Jets are off to a 2-0 start and are coming off an impressive win in Indianapolis. Meanwhile, the Eagles have stumbled to an 0-2 record over their first two games and find themselves as underdogs heading into their game at the Meadowlands on Sunday. The Eagles know the bleeding has to stop, so Linebacker Brandon Graham said the focus has been on moving forward throughout the week.
"Everybody knows we gave away two," said Graham. "We're just trying to keep focused on this weekend. Right now, it's the Jets. We're practicing and we're not doing anything different. We're just continuing to work. This weekend, we'll see if the ball bounces our way."
The Eagles will need to show vast improvement on the offensive side of the ball. Their offensive line struggled against the Cowboys, and Andrew Gardner knows the Jets defensive front will be present another difficult challenge.
"They rely more on movement," Gardner said. "They've got bigger guys up front. There's just the issues of having larger players. It just creates a different look then what we had last week against the Cowboys."
Chip Kelly knows he has to get his running game going, but he may be missing one of his weapons in the backfield. Running Back DeMarco Murray continues to deal with a hamstring issue and is questionable for Sunday's game. If Murray can't go, Ryan Mathews is expected to get a majority of the carries, and Kelly has full confidence in Mathews.
"I think Ryan and DeMarco are similar type players," said Kelly. "You can do similar type things with them. If you had a different type of back backing up or being the number two guy, then it's a different deal, but that's one of the reasons we really had Ryan in here."
The bigger question will be if Mathews has any room to run. The Eagles' offensive line must improve this week, or the powerful Jets defensive front could make it another long day for the running backs. Tackle Lane Johnson believes they are close to getting their issues fixed, and is hoping everything will finally come together on Sunday.
"It was bad," Johnson said. "But you go back and look at the film, and there were some plays that were just one block away from getting a big play. That's the deal with an O-line. You have to have five guys play as one to make a full execution of a play."
Due to the traffic conditions connected with the Pope's visit to Philadelphia, the Eagles will hold a closed practice at Monmouth University on Friday and Saturday.
