Eagles return home looking to defeat struggling Jaguars
Jacksonville (2-6) at Philadelphia (5-2)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EST, CBS
BetMGM NFL odds: Eagles by 7 1/2.
Against the spread: Jaguars 4-4; Philadelphia 4-3
Series record: Eagles lead 4-3.
Last meeting: On Oct. 2, 2022, Miles Sanders rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns to lead Philadelphia to a 29-21 home victory over the Jaguars.
Last week: Jaguars lost 30-27 at home to Green Bay; Eagles won 37-17 at Cincinnati.
Eagles offense: overall (8), rush (2), pass (20), scoring (10).
Eagles defense: overall (7), rush (8), pass (10), scoring (7).
Jaguars offense: overall (14), rush (16), pass (16), scoring (21).
Jaguars defense: overall (29), rush (9), pass (31), scoring (T-29).
Turnover differential: Jaguars minus-5; Eagles minus-4
Eagles player to watch
RB Saquon Barkley continues to be a bright spot for Philadelphia after signing for $26 million guaranteed with the Eagles in the offseason. The No. 2 overall pick in 2018, who played the past six seasons with the Giants, has rushed for 109.4 yards per game, which is second in the NFL.
Jaguars player to watch
Walker Little finally landed a starting tackle role with the Jaguars, with free agency looming. The 2021 second-round draft pick out of Stanford is in the final year of his rookie contract. Little has played in 48 games, with 18 starts, since general manager Trent Baalke selected him with the 45th overall pick that year. He has fallen short of expectations during his Jacksonville tenure. The Jaguars could use this as an evaluation period following Cam Robinson’s trade this week.
Key matchup
Jaguars rookie WR Brian Thomas Jr. against Philadelphia’s secondary. Thomas has been impressive in his early career, with 33 receptions for 573 yards and five touchdowns. His TD receptions are tied for sixth most in the NFL and just one shy of the club’s single-season rookie record of six, set by Allen Hurns. The Eagles secondary ranks 10th in the league, averaging 193.9 yards allowed per game, and is anchored by six-time Pro Bowl selection Darius Slay.
Key injuries
Jaguars: RB Travis Etienne (hamstring) was limited in practice on Wednesday after missing the past two games. Starting guards Ezra Cleveland (ankle) and Brandon Scherff (knee) are both banged up. Receiver Christian Kirk will miss the remainder of the season after breaking his left collarbone. … Eagles: TE Dallas Goedert (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday after being sidelined for the past two games.
Series notes
The Eagles are 2-1 against Jacksonville in the three meetings in Philadelphia. … Jaguars coach Doug Pederson spent five seasons with Philadelphia, including the Eagles’ Super Bowl run in the 2017 season.
Stats and stuff
Jaguars: Jacksonville ranks near the bottom of several defensive categories, including total defense (382.1 yards per game/29th), pass defense (271.1 yards per game/31st) and points allowed (28.0 points per game/T-29th). … Coach Doug Pederson was 42-37-1 as Philadelphia’s coach from 2016 to 2020 and led the Eagles to the franchise’s only Super Bowl victory in 2017. … Logan Cooke averaged 59.6 yards, including one 73-yarder, on five punts last week against the Packers. … DE Travon Walker has a team-high 6½ sacks. … RB Tank Bigsby has rushed for 493 yards and four touchdowns. … QB Trevor Lawrence has thrown for 1,835 yards and 11 TDs. Eagles: QB Jalen Hurts has been on a roll in his past three games, completing 71.2% of his passes for 614 yards and four touchdowns over that stretch. The Eagles’ $255 million franchise quarterback has 15 total touchdowns this season, which ranks fifth in the NFL. … WR A.J. Brown leads the team with 408 yards, three touchdowns and 21 catches despite missing three games because of an injury. … RT Lane Johnson has not allowed a sack this season.… LB Zack Baun has a team-high 69 tackles. … Philadelphia will wear its Kelly Green throwback jerseys.
Fantasy tip
Philadelphia WR DeVonta Smith has caught touchdowns in three of his six games this season, totaling 386 yards and 31 receptions. In his third game back after sitting out one because of an injury, Smith had six catches for 85 yards, including a 45-yard TD reception, against the Bengals last week. Smith will be facing a Jacksonville pass defense ranked 31st in the NFL.
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