The Linc

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Spadaro: Defense enjoys a Giant feast with 8 sacks – PE.com
Things are definitely on the upswing for the defensive line as well as the entire defense that has been adding in a blitz here and there with great success. “They come in bunches, man. I’m just happy to see it,” Graham said. “We’ve got to stay with it. You can’t be satisfied. You’ve got to keep going because we’ve got so much ball left. We’re figuring out our identity and I’m just proud of the guys on how we stayed together. It could have gone the other way.” Said Huff: “It’s a great feeling knowing that the whole D-line is getting back there, knowing that the whole D-line is producing, and even the linebackers are getting back there affecting the quarterback.” It’s everyone, really. In addition to Carter creating havoc inside, the Eagles are getting good push from tackles Jordan Davis and Milton Williams, and second-year man Moro Ojomo and young veteran Thomas Booker have added energy and production in reserve with their outstanding first steps and the effort they’ve brought.

Eagles film review: The secondary and defensive line worked together for 8 sacks vs. the Giants – PhillyVoice
Sack 2: Jones looks left at the snap and immediately doesn’t like what he sees, so he refocuses to the right. His tight end stumbles, so he likely bailed on that route, and he can’t throw to Nabers (1), who is bracketed by Darius Slay (2) and Zack Baun (53). By then, Nolan Smith (3) has already run through Ezeudu (75) for the sack.

Developing – Iggles Blitz
Smith is undersized, but can generate good power with his burst and pad level. He just destroyed that LT. You love seeing that. This doesn’t mean Smith is suddenly a great player. We’re just seeing a young player start to figure things out. That has given him the ability to make plays. Bryce Huff had a terrific season for the Jets in 2023. He was an impact player even though he wasn’t a starter. Huff had 10 sacks and 21 QB hits for one of the best defenses in the league. The Eagles paid him big money in free agency, even though they knew he needed work. Huff had to adjust to being a starter, which meant playing the run as well as going after the QB. He would have to learn OLB instead of just being a DE. The Eagles thought this was a smart gamble because of Huff’s talent and age. That gamble looked bad after the first month. Things have changed in the last two games. Huff has improved as a run defender. That seems to have improved his overall confidence and he’s starting to be disruptive as a pass rusher.

Has the Eagles’ pass rush officially turned a corner? – NBCSP
According to Next Gen Stats, Huff had five pressures on 18 rushes against the Giants. It’s his first game with multiple pressure all season and his highest pressure rate (27.8%) as an Eagle. Huff thinks this game is giving him even more to build on. “Definitely,” he said. “We’re going to look and see what we did today and look for ways to improve it.” Sweat got the Eagles started on Sunday with the first sack of the afternoon on the Giants’ second possession. He fought through a chip and beat backup left tackle Joshua Ezeudu to get to Daniel Jones on third down to force a punt. Sweat said he knew he was going to get chipped a ton on Sunday and he did. But with his first-quarter sack, Sweat now has one in three consecutive games after going without one in the first three games of the season.

Another change to the Eagles’ schedule – BGN
Whereas the Eagles were bumped out in favor of the Caleb Williams vs. Jayden Daniels in Week 8, they’re being replaced with … Anthony Richardson vs. Sam Darnold … in Week 9 when the Minnesota Vikings host the Indianapolis Colts. OK, then.

Bengals open as favorites vs. Eagles in NFL Week 8 – Cincy Jungle
The Bengals have not fared well at home, with both of their wins this season coming on the road. They opened the season with a 16-10 loss to the New England Patriots at home, which only compounded with a Week 3 home loss and Week 5 home loss. Cincinnati’s defense has gotten back on track in the last few weeks, and that’s a welcome sight. It held the Giants to 7 and the Browns to 14, but this Eagles team will be a far greater test than either of those teams.

Report: Orlando Brown Jr. suffered calf strain in win over Browns – PFT
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Bengals offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. suffered a calf strain during the win over the Browns and is having more testing done to determine the injury’s severity.

First bets: Early picks for NFL Week 8 – ESPN
Ben Solak’s first bet: Philadelphia Eagles-Cincinnati Bengals over 46.5 points. The Eagles and Bengals have shared their last two opponents — both teams have played the Browns and the Giants — and that has led both teams to look much more competent on defense than they probably are. I think the Eagles can run on Cincinnati, who still lacks the personnel of a strong run defense; I think the Bengals can throw on the Eagles, who are playing multiple rookies in their secondary. I’ll take the over here.

Dan Quinn Presser: Jayden Daniels is week to week; We’re hopeful he can play this week – Hogs Haven
Jayden Daniels is week-to-week with a core injury. Quinn said the team is hopeful that he can play, but it will depend on his ability to move, pain management, and other factors. Marcus Mariota stepped in, and led the team to a 40-7 win over the Carolina Panthers. Quinn said he wasn’t surprised by his performance, and that’s one of the reasons they signed the veteran.

Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons’ status ‘up in the air’ for Sunday night against 49ers – Blogging The Boys
In spite of all of this the Cowboys will need to be at their best to get above .500 themselves with a win against their longtime rivals, and that means we will all be crossing our fingers that pass rusher Micah Parsons is going to play. Parsons met with the local media on Monday and it appears as if his status for Sunday night is still to be determined.

Giants coach Brian Daboll: Malik Nabers ‘was open a lot’ – Big Blue View
New York Giants coach Brian Daboll did not take issue on Monday with a frustrated Malik Nabers saying “Watch the tape … I was open” after getting only four catches in Sunday’s 28-3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. “Look, when you lose a game like that I hope people are frustrated,” Daboll said. “He was open a lot. If he said he was open, he was open quite a bit.”

Can’t-Miss Play: Reagor’s near-TD becomes fumble-touchback in favor of Cardinals – NFL.com
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Jalen Reagor’s near-TD becomes a fumble-touchback in favor of the Arizona Cardinals. [BLG Note: Can’t say it’s not on brand.]

The Lions are the NFL’s best team … even better than the Chiefs – SB Nation
The Detroit Lions are a case study in how to turn a franchise around. Not just in the NFL, but all of sports. Three years removed from a 3-13-1 finish, the team is now cruising at 5-1 on the year, just defeated one of the league’s last remaining undefeated teams and appears to be on a crash course with the Chiefs, football’s final boss. Every time a question has arisen with this organization, they’ve come back to answer it. Every lingering doubt about this franchise has been erased. Every time we’ve crept towards counting them out, they’ve found a way to put them back in the discussion. There’s no doubt the Chiefs are dominant, and at 6-0 they’re still rolling — but it’s impossible to look at what Detroit has built and see them as anything less than the most dominant team in football. Let’s dive into the numbers first, and then we can walk this discussion back and talk about how the Lions simply feel more dominant right now.