{"id":3319,"date":"2015-12-03T07:49:37","date_gmt":"2015-12-03T12:49:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=3319"},"modified":"2015-12-03T07:49:37","modified_gmt":"2015-12-03T12:49:37","slug":"patriots-eagles-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/03\/patriots-eagles-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots – Eagles Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor’s Edge?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New England Patriots<\/strong><\/a> return home to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro to take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon at 4:25 p.m.<\/p>\n

The game will be televised by Fox with their announcing crew of Thom Brenneman, Charles Davis and Tony Siragusa on the call. It can be viewed locally on Fox 25 TV. The game will also be on the Patriots flagship radio station 98.5 The SportsHub with Bob Socci and Scott Zolak on the call.<\/p>\n

The Patriots (10-1) lost their first game of the season in overtime to the Denver Broncos 30-24. The Pats lost both LB Dont\u2019a Hightower and Rob Gronkowski to injuries during the game. Tom Brady passed for 280 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.<\/p>\n

The Eagles (4-7) lost to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day 45-14 just four days after allowing 45 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was the first time in franchise history that the team has allowed 45 points in consecutive weeks. The good news is that QB Sam Bradford is expected back this week.<\/p>\n

We here at\u00a0PatsFans.com<\/a>\u00a0are continuing our \u00a0\u201cRazor\u2019s Edge\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0 column in 2015 to give a quick break down on some of the key matchups of the game and what you can look for in how the game plays out.<\/p>\n

Series History:<\/strong>
\nThe Patriots and Eagles will meet for the 13th<\/sup> time on Sunday. The all-time series is split evenly at 6-6, with the Patriots winning the last four meetings. The Patriots hold a 3-1 advantage at home and also beat the Eagles in Jacksonville 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX.<\/p>\n

The last meeting between the teams was in November of 2011 with the Patriots taking a 38-20 victory in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

Here is a look at some of the key matchups and who holds the Razor\u2019s Edge.<\/p>\n

First up is the Patriots offense:<\/p>\n

Patriots RBs vs Eagles Front Seven – <\/strong>Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em>The Patriots running game has been largely stuck in neutral this season. Some of it has been design but some of it has to be blamed on the offensive line for not doing a good enough job of making holes for the backs to get thru. LaGarrette Blount is most effective when he gets to the second level; there his size and ability to break tackles are best utilized. Too many times this season, he\u2019s getting bottled up at or behind the line of scrimmage.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia\u2019s run defense is currently 27th<\/sup> in the league allowing 126.6 yards per game. Their defensive line wears down in games due to being on the field for too long and their tackling suffers.<\/p>\n

Look for the Patriots to try to wear down this Eagles defense with much more Blount and Bolden carrying the ball this week in a similar offensive game plan as when they faced a fellow NFC East foe, the Redskins. Blount carried for 129 yards in that contest and will be looked to again. Josh Kline had a rough week in Denver against Derek Wolfe but look for the Pats to run behind him more this week in the gap between NT Bennie Logan and DE Cedric Thornton.<\/p>\n

Patriots WRs vs Eagles Secondary – <\/strong>Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em>The Patriots injuries continue to pile up at a ridiculous rate, during the game in Denver, Rob Gronkowski went down and Tom Brady finished the game missing 74 percent of his production in the passing game.<\/p>\n

Danny Amendola may play in this one and he\u2019d be a big boost to the passing game. Brady will look to Brandon LaFell as well as Keshawn Martin in this one on the outside. We may see newly signed Demaris Johnson in the slot for a few snaps. Scott Chandler will take over Gronk\u2019s role and although he doesn\u2019t have the athleticism of Gronkowski, few other TEs do. Look for him however to attack the seams.<\/p>\n

Philly\u2019s pass defense is in free fall; their best corner Nolan Carroll was lost to a broken ankle Thanksgiving day and they put rookie Eric Rowe one-on-one with Calvin Johnson. The results were about what you\u2019d expect. They moved Walter Thurmond to safety to solidify the back end ala what NE did with Devin McCourty but it hasn\u2019t worked. Free agent Byron Maxwell came over from the Seahawks and has disappointed.<\/p>\n

Even with a very depleted receiving core, Brady, given time will find plenty of open spaces to operate in. He should have a big day throwing the football.<\/p>\n

Next up the Philadelphia offense:<\/p>\n

Eagles RBs vs NE Front Seven –\u00a0<\/strong>Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em>The Eagles signed free agent running backs DeMarco Murray from the Cowboys and Ryan Matthews from the Chargers this season while releasing Shady McCoy who wound up in Buffalo. It was a mistake. Murray isn\u2019t a great fit in the Eagles\u2019 offense where McCoy was consistently one of the more dangerous players in the NFL.<\/p>\n

Matthews is a better fit and has been effective, but he\u2019s suffering from groin and concussion issues. He didn\u2019t practice on Tuesday and has to be questionable for this week. Their offensive line is banged up, they released Julian Vandervalde this week and signed Barrett Jones off the Bears practice squad.<\/p>\n

The Patriots once again struggled against Gary Kubiak\u2019s running scheme (similar to the divisional playoff game in 2014) in Denver last week. But they remain very stout against the run. The big key was the loss of Hightower, Jerod Mayo and Jonathan Freeny seemed to get washed up too often at the second level. But the good news is that they will probably get Jamie Collins back this week.<\/p>\n

Eagles WRs vs NE Secondary- <\/strong>Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em>Sam Bradford should return this week, he suffered a sprained AC joint in his left (non-throwing) shoulder as well as a concussion in the Miami game. Prior to that injury, he seemed to be finally getting comfortable in Kelly\u2019s system and was playing his best football.<\/p>\n

Jordan Matthews is the Philly deep threat and should see plenty of coverage from Malcolm Butler. Riley Cooper, Nelson Agholor will be looked to as well as TEs Zach Ertz and Brent Celek with running backs Murray and Darren Sproles out of the backfield.<\/p>\n

The Patriots have been giving up some yards this season but the pass defense has been far from the struggling unit that many envisioned this season. Butler and Logan Ryan have played very well at the corners; but they\u2019ll probably be without slot corner Justin Coleman again.<\/p>\n

The pass rush has been solid this season, expect them to be very aggressive against Bradford and a banged up offensive line. The break-neck speed in which the Eagles operate can really wear down a defense. The key is to stop them quickly, force a three and out and keep Brady and the offense on the field.<\/p>\n

Special Teams- <\/strong>Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em>The Patriots have one of the best if not the best special teams units in the league with an outstanding pair of kickers in Stephen Gostkowski and Ryan Allen. Gostkowski remains the best kicker in the NFL, and his long field goal in the snowy conditions in Denver sent the game into overtime. Allen has put 23 of his 46 punts inside the 20-yard line this season and has a 41.1 yard net average. The Patriots have had very good coverage in their kicking game.<\/p>\n

The Eagles counter with Caleb Sturgis and Donnie Jones who has a very respectable 41.7 net average on his punts. The Eagles coverage units have been very solid this season and have Sproles who had a return for a TD in Week 3 returning punts. But they\u2019ve had two punts blocked and long snapper John Dorenbos has been shaky.<\/p>\n

Next up, who wins and why\u2026<\/p>\n

Prediction:
\n<\/strong>This one looked to be a dogfight when the schedule came out. The Eagles were coming off of back-to-back 10-6 seasons under Kelly and some pundits had them being in contention for the NFC crown with the additions of Bradford, Murray and Matthews.<\/p>\n

It hasn\u2019t worked out that way. Three losses in a row have poked holes in Kelly\u2019s reputation and some players have been questioning him in the press. Worse, some players are even questioning the effort of their own teammates as they teeter on the edge of a complete collapse. Kelly was questioned about defensive coordinator Bill Davis\u2019 job after Thanksgiving which is never a good sign.<\/p>\n

With the weak NFC East this season, even at 4-7, the Eagles are still somehow in contention for the division. Will they rise up and play back to their potential and beat a more talented but beat-up 10-1 Patriots team?<\/p>\n

There aren\u2019t any signs of that happening this week. New England is always motivated for their opponents and after a loss they are particularly consistent with getting back on the winning track. They also have a 45-10 record vs NFC teams since realignment in 2002.<\/p>\n

The Patriots should be able to run the ball on this Eagles defense, even given their struggles in doing so this season. That will open up some play action passes for Brady to take a few shots down the field in this one. Look for LaFell and Chandler to have solid days in the passing game and Blount to have a nice game running the ball.<\/p>\n

The Eagles tempo on offense is both a blessing and disguise. When it\u2019s working it can wear down opponents and give them a big advantage late in games. The flip side is when it doesn\u2019t it puts your own defense in a bad position. The Eagles time of possession is really slanting towards their defense being left on the field for far too long. Kelly\u2019s system works in college where they can dress a ton of players but in the NFL where they\u2019re only allowed 46, it puts too much a burden on them.<\/p>\n

It will be interesting to see how much Jamie Collins can play this week, especially with the tempo of the Eagles offense and how much time he\u2019s missed. But I see Matt Patricia being very aggressive on early downs this week to put the Philly offense in obvious passing situations. After a loss home cooking is just what the doctor ordered. Brady and the offense get back on track this week. Patriots 30-14<\/strong><\/p>\n

Follow me on Twitter\u00a0<\/em>@SteveB7SFG<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or email me at\u00a0<\/em>stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to our\u00a0<\/em>Patriots 4th<\/sup>\u00a0and 2<\/em><\/a>\u00a0podcast on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from\u00a0<\/em>PatsFans.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Look for the Patriots to try to wear down this Eagles defense with much more Blount and Bolden carrying the ball this week in a similar offensive game plan as when they faced a fellow NFC East foe, the Redskins. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":2895,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,10],"tags":[185,34,132,641,37,630,18,636,634,642,16,638,17,24,15,379,248,639,117,36,637,629,149,219,13,640],"class_list":["post-3319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patriots-commentary","category-patriots-news","tag-2015-nfl-season","tag-bill-belichick","tag-brandon-lafell","tag-byron-maxwell","tag-chandler-jones","tag-chip-kelly","tag-danny-amendola","tag-demarco-murray","tag-demaris-johnson","tag-eric-rowe","tag-jabaal-sheard","tag-jordan-matthews","tag-julian-edelman","tag-lagarrette-blount","tag-malcolm-butler","tag-philadelphia-eagles","tag-predictions","tag-riley-cooper","tag-rob-gronkowski","tag-rob-ninkovich","tag-ryan-matthews","tag-sam-bradford","tag-scott-chandler","tag-social-media","tag-tom-brady","tag-walter-thurmond"],"yoast_head":"\nPatriots - 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