PHILADELPHIA − And then there was one.
The Eagles are looking to remain the last unbeaten team in the NFL as they take their 3-0 record into their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. They have the opportunity to go 4-0 for the first time since 2004. That team started 7-0 and reached the Super Bowl.
But to do it, the Eagles will have to spoil the homecoming of former head coach Doug Pederson, who led the Eagles to the only Super Bowl win in franchise history, in 2017.
QBs ON THE RISE:What Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence have in common – besides Doug Pederson
The game will be televised on CBS at 1 p.m. Spero Dedes, Jay Feely and Aditi Kinkhabwala will be providing coverage.
2 Eagles injured, Hurts throws INT
The first series for the Eagles on offense couldn’t have gone much worse. Jalen Hurts, who had thrown just 1 interception through the first three games, tried forcing a pass into Zach Pascal on 2nd-and-7 from the Eagles’ 36.
But the ball deflected off Pascal and into the arms of Jaguars safety Andre Cisco, who returned it 59 yards for a touchdown. Just like that, the Jaguars had a 7-0 lead with 11:15 remaining.
The Eagles also lost left tackle Jordan Mailata during that series. The Eagles disclosed that Mailata suffered a shoulder injury and is questionable to return. Jack Driscoll replaced him. Cornerback Darius Slay left soon after with a forearm injury. He, too, is questionable to return. He was replaced by Zech McPhearson.
Slay was not on the field during Jacksonville’s scoring drive as the Eagles fell behind 14-0 with 3:50 left in the first quarter.
Eagles inactives: Starting CB sitting out
The Eagles ruled out starting slot cornerback Avonte Maddox for the game. Maddox suffered an ankle injury in practice on Thursday. That could be a potentially big loss for the Eagles as he was expected to spend most of his time covering Christian Kirk, who ranks 8th in the NFL in receiving yards with 267.
Josiah Scott is expected to replace Maddox, and that could mean Kirk lines up in the slot even more than usual. Expect safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to help out on Kirk when Kirk lines up inside.
The Eagles also won’t have running back Boston Scott, ruled out with a rib injury. Trey Sermon, signed off waivers on Aug. 31, is on the game-day roster for the first time.
In addition, the Eagles signed Britain Covey to the 53-man roster. He has served as the punt returner while getting the practice-squad elevation each of the first three games. The Eagles had to add him to the roster because a player is only allowed three game-day elevations.
The Eagles’ other inactives are: QB Ian Book, S Reed Blankenship, DE Janarius Robinson and G Josh Sills.
The Jaguars will be without WR Zay Jones, who leads the team with 19 receptions. In addition, OLB K’Lavon Chaisson is also sitting out with an injury.
3 things to watch
- Pederson’s reception: Pederson received a standing ovation from the Lincoln Financial Field crowd when he walked onto the field with his team before the game. It was well deserved. After all, he coached the Eagles to the only Super Bowl victory in franchise history. And that should far outweigh the travesty of the 2020 season that ended with an embarrassing fourth-quarter tank job. As Pederson put it during the week: “I was with the Chiefs and coach (Andy) Reid, we came back (in 2013), and he got a standing ovation, so hopefully it’s in that realm. But look, it’s Philly, anything’s possible with these fans.” Then he laughed.
- Rain will be a factor: It has been raining all morning and it’s expected to continue during the game. That would make passing difficult. But the Eagles still have to do it to set up their rushing attack. That’s because the Jaguars have the NFL’s best run defense, allowing an average of 55 yards per game. The Eagles are seventh, averaging 150.3 yards per game. Quarterback Jalen Hurts, of course, can run too. But if he can’t throw successfully, the Jaguars can add a safety near the line of scrimmage and cut down Hurts’ running lanes.
- Jalen Hurts vs. Trevor Lawrence: No, they won’t be going directly against each other on the field. But the two quarterbacks are among the top QBs in the NFL through the first three games. And it’s a fascinating matchup. Hurts was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month while Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft, was named the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
