Eagles opposing player to stop, Week 9 edition

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ record says 2-6, but there is a tinge of danger to this team, which started the season 0-4. Four of the Jags’ six losses have come by five points or less, and it is still a team with some fighting life, if they want to continue having former Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Peterson in charge.

Trevor Lawrence is still a viable threat, and coupled with the Eagles’ tepid pass rush, there is a faint possibility Jacksonville could give the 7-point favorite Eagles a game on Sunday at 4 p.m. at Lincoln Financial Field.

The last time Lawrence faced the Eagles, he completed 11 of 23 passes for a season-low 47.8 percent, and 174 yards. He threw an interception, and he had four fumbles in a 29-21 loss to the Eagles on Oct. 2, 2022. The game was played in dreadful conditions, under a constant downpour. But the Eagles were faced with the same situation.

“Rough day for us in Philly. Just the weather was bad. I didn’t play well,” Lawrence told the Jacksonville media earlier this week. “I remember that one and don’t want to feel like that leaving Philly this time. It’s a hostile environment, but it’s a fun place to play. That’s one of the cool stadiums and environments to play in just because you’re ready for a crazy group and it’s going to be loud. It’s exciting, so it’ll be fun.”

Lawrence will not have starting wide receiver Christian Kirk, who broke his collarbone last week in a 30-27 loss at Green Bay, which former Temple star Brandon McManus won on a walk-off 24-yard field goal. The Jags may also be packing it in eight weeks into the season, trading starting left tackle Cam Robinson to Minnesota this week.

It puts more pressure on Lawrence to perform, not just for himself, but possibly for his coach, whose job is rumored to be in jeopardy much of this season.

“I need to play well,” Lawrence said. It’s the same thing every week, though. I’m not putting any more pressure on myself,” he said. “I’ve got to play well every week to give us a chance to win. That’s just playing quarterback in this league. It’s not unique to our team or the situation. It’s just how it is.

“I know we’re 2-6 and we’re struggling and not making any excuses for it. But it’s like every week you lose, the sky’s falling on Monday,” he said. “It’s like you have to remind yourself just to take a deep breath, relax, and how do we put together a plan to go win this week?

“I feel like you can’t put yourself in panic mode of freaking out trying to get this thing back on track. You’ve just got to put together another good week and go to work. There’s really no other answer.”

Lawrence, however, does have Eagles’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s respect. He faced Lawrence early in his career.

“He’s highly talented,” Fangio told the media earlier this week in reference to Lawrence. “He’s got a big arm. Really good scrambler. He’s fast when he pulls it down and runs. He can make every throw. I think he does a good job running their offense. You could feel that.

It’s his third year there now with that coaching staff. So, there is familiarity. They do some audibling. He has a going to command of that. I think he’s a really good player from a talent standpoint and quarterback intangibles.”

The Eagles should destroy Jacksonville, although it always seems to be games like this that Philadelphia pro teams have a tendency to fumble away. It has to be something in the Philadelphia water.