Jalen Hurts vs. Trevor Lawrence is suddenly a prime matchup

The Eagles and Jaguars were originally going to play on Sunday night. It got flexed, and I get it. The Jaguars are not a draw on their best days, and this season is not going well. So they flexed in Colts-Vikings, which … whoops. This is wild:

This is the second consecutive Vikings-Colts game where Kevin O’Connell will be facing a quarterback who was drafted in the same class as him.

The first 8 QBs picked in 2008: pic.twitter.com/YY4EtEVGfB

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) November 1, 2024

The NFL is all about the quarterback, and football fans around the nation are already lining up in droves outside sports bars to get a spot to watch 39-year-old Joe Flacco vs. Sam Darnold.

Is it too late to unflex?
Meanwhile, the Jaguars and Eagles have two of the hottest QBs in the league.

First of all, lmao at Anthony Richardson. He’s completely messing up this chart.

Over the last four weeks Trevor Lawrence is 4th in Adjusted EPA/Play, 4th in Success Rate, and 3rd in Completion Percentage Over Expected. That’s nice.

Jalen Hurts is 1st in Adjusted EPA/Play, 1st in Success Rate, and 2nd in CPOE.

This is the kind of QB matchup the league wants on prime time. Whoops. They probably don’t want the Jaguars defense, though.

Experience matters
Remember when the Eagles hired a defensive coordinator with next to no experience and it failed spectacularly? Of course you do, it was last year (*sigh* and 2011). The Jaguars decided to give it a try this year. In his first season as a defensive coordinator, Ryan Nielsen and his mustache did a credible job with the Falcons last year, a unit that was low on talent yet was somehow one of the most expensive in the league. Atlanta’s defense wasn’t good, but it wasn’t a problem. Nielsen wasn’t a “hot” coordinator, but he was definitely seen as an up and coming assistant. Before the Eagles hired Vic Fangio, he was a guy that a lot of people saw as a potential hire. Including the Eagles.

This year the Jaguars have one of the worst defenses in the league. They are 32nd in DVOA, 31st in turnover rate, 30th in points per possession against, 29th in points against, yards against, passing yards per attempt, 27th on fourth down, 25th on 3rd down… to say they stink would overstate things. If “Jaguars Opponent QB” was a person they would be top 3 in yards, TDs, and passer rating. Actually, it’s even worse than that: they played the Browns, so, Deshaun Watson’s ineptitude (186 yards and 0 TDs) is deflating their numbers.

Maybe they should have hired someone with a track record. Of course, there’s only one way to gain experience. But when your job is on the line, as Doug Pederson’s was and is, don’t take that risk. Unless you have no choice, in which case you’re painted into a corner anyway. Which Doug Pederson is unfortunately in.

College Football Week 10 Watch List
Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson (12:00 vs Penn State, if you didn’t know) is one of the top interior lineman prospects, and would fit the Eagles well. At 6-4 320 he more than has the size the Eagles want in their guards, and he can move. Ohio State and Chip Kelly love pulling him on outside runs. With LT Josh Simmons out for the season, he’s moving over to LT. He’ll have his hands full.

Kansas State RB DJ Giddens (3:30 vs Houston) is really fun to watch. He is big (6-1, 212), hard running between the tackles runner, but he’s also pretty shifty. He’s been a productive pass catcher with 41 receptions in 21 games over the past two seasons, for an outstanding 12.7 yards per catch. His pass blocking might keep him off the field on 3rd down in the NFL, but on first and second down, watch out.

Louisville CB Quincy Riley (7:30 vs Clemson) is an older draft prospect, a 6th year player who will be 24 when the season starts. That’s a mid to late round pick, and that’s fine because the Eagles likely aren’t drafting a corner high this year after taking Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. But a corner is a draft need, Isaiah Rodgers will be a free agent and Avonte Maddox shouldn’t be on the team next year (he’s also going to be a FA). There are roster spots available.