The Linc

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Which NFL coaches are on the hot seat? As the Jets showed, it’s about the owners – The Athletic
Philly’s 1-5 finish to last season led the Eagles to overhaul coach Nick Sirianni’s staff, putting pressure on him this season despite his excellent record and 2022 NFC title-winning season. Philly’s 2-2 start to the season, followed by a bye week, hasn’t changed much. “I don’t think Sirianni is going anywhere unless they really fall off or they think they can get Bill Belichick,” an exec said. “Otherwise, a change makes them look dysfunctional.”

Could a loss to the Browns signal the end for Nick Sirianni? – BGN
Roseman and Lurie believe they’ve crafted a championship-caliber roster. On offense, that remains true, provided the $50 million quarterback can stop turning over the football. Defensively, it’s a bit ugly right now, and conversations about Vic Fangio and his scheme will be raised if that ship isn’t righted soon. If the worst case scenario were to go down at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, the front office would absolutely be justified in believing a change at head coach could rescue a 2-3 season on a talented team that still had 12 more games left to go in a seemingly wide-open NFC. They have Kellen Moore in-house already. A switch to the offensive coordinator would not be a sea change for this roster, nor would handing the keys to Fangio, although that scenario is far less likely. All this is moot if the Eagles win on Sunday, which they should, and by a lot. Which makes this as close to a must-win game for Nick Sirianni that a head coach can have in early October.

Fantasy Football WR Report: Man, zone coverage performance ahead of NFL Week 6 – PFF
The Browns have been the most man-heavy defense in the league this season while ranking second in defensive success rate (63.7%) and in the top 10 in first down-plus-touchdown rate allowed (32.3%) and yards allowed per coverage snap (4.70). Coming out of a bye week, the Eagles will hope A.J. Brown is ready to return to action, as he leads qualifying wide receivers (minimum of 10 routes) in fantasy points per route run against man coverage this season.

Reviewing 2024 preseason predictions for all 32 NFL teams – ESPN+
Original prediction: DT Jalen Carter will have 10-plus sacks. Why we’re throwing it out: Carter has zero sacks through Week 5 and just an 11% pass rush win rate. I’m still bullish on his future, but his current play won’t get him to double-digit sacks. New bold prediction: Jalen Hurts will rank in the top seven in QBR from Week 6 on. He’s currently 13th (59.3 QBR), but that’s also been with career-high interception and sack rates while throwing shorter passes than he ever has. He misses wide receiver A.J. Brown, who has been out with a hamstring injury, and once Brown is back and he has more time to jell with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, Hurts will start playing more efficiently.

Eagles rookie Jeremiah Trotter Jr. finds himself one giant step closer to playing – NBCSP
His dad wasn’t even active until Week 7 back in 1998. For Jeremiah Trotter Jr., things are happening a little bit faster. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said Wednesday, a day after the team released former Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champ Devin White, that Trotter – a rookie 5th-round pick and the son of Eagles legend Jeremiah Trotter – is now the backup MIKE linebacker behind starter Nakobe Dean. Trotter, 21, played his first three defensive snaps in the loss to the Bucs in Tampa. “I feel like I’m very prepared,” Trotter said at his locker Wednesday. “I’ve got coaches, teammates, veteran guys that all through training camp up to now have been in my ear, helping me out, giving me tips and everything. I just try to prepare every week as if I’m going to take every single snap. If I have to step in, I don’t miss a beat. I can help out my team and just make the most of the plays I get out there if that opportunity comes.”

3 ways the Browns can upset the Eagles in Week 6 – Dawgs By Nature
Force Jalen Hurts to make mistakes. It’s not as difficult as it seems. Philadelphia’s offense has been out of sorts lately, mainly due to injuries but the quarterback hasn’t necessarily played to the level that he’s capable of. Here are some interesting stats that I found about Hurts. INT Percentage: 3.0%, leads the league in turnover-worthy plays. Obviously, Cleveland should force Hurts into making mistakes but it isn’t always that easy. Cleveland is 17th in takeaways which isn’t bad. Hurts has had moments in which he has put the ball in harm’s way more times than not. Watching the tape back, the Eagles QB has had moments in which he would make poor decisions with the ball whether it’s fumbling it or forcing throws that aren’t there. The Browns defense has been fine at times this year but the issue is the defense would get put in bad spots due to the offense being inept. If Cleveland wants to have a chance to win this game, force Hurts into making bad decisions.

Week 6 NFL Survivor pool strategy with safe, value, trap picks – SB Nation
Safest picks. Eagles over Browns, Texans over Patriots. These are going to be the two of the most popular picks, with either likely leading the way in most pools. If the first five weeks hold, that means one or both of these favorites are going to lose. The Eagles are playing at home, so I would lean them if you’re looking for a safe pick. But, buyer beware.

Deshaun Watson on calls for his benching: I don’t hear it; I don’t see it – PFT
Critics, fans, media, sports talk radio — literally everyone outside the organization — is calling for Watson’s benching in favor of Jameis Winston. “I don’t hear it,” Watson said Wednesday. “I don’t see it, so I’m not on Twitter. I’m not on any social media or things like that. So anytime that stuff comes up, the only time I first hear it is either you guys are bringing it up or somebody else outside [the building], and I just don’t know who it’s coming from.”

Washington Commanders vs Baltimore Ravens Wednesday Injury Report – Hogs Haven
The Washington Commanders enter their Week 6 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens with a long list of players dealing with injuries. They are on the road again this week, but there’s a little less travel to worry about with the team taking the bus “up the street”. Washington opened the 21-day practice window for three players , but only one of them(QB Marcus Mariota) was activated last week. LB Jordan Magee(knee) is returning from injured reserve, and DE Efe Obada is returning from the PUP list for multiple leg fractures suffered in Week 11 last season. Both players were full participants in practice today, and could get activated for Sunday’s game. If either, or both, of them are activated, Washington will need to make a corresponding roster move(s).

Cowboys roster moves: Marshawn Kneeland to IR, Carl Lawson promoted, DaRon Bland named for return – Blogging The Boys
Marshawn Kneeland suffered a tear in his meniscus during the first quarter of last week’s win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. While that is a serious injury he may “only” (using that word loosely here) miss around six weeks. He thankfully avoided an ACL tear which obviously would have ended his season. It goes without saying that the Cowboys are in a dire situation from an injury perspective as Sam Williams did tear his ACL at the beginning of training camp, Micah Parsons is dealing with a high-ankle sprain and DeMarcus Lawrence is already on injured reserve with a foot injury. That the Cowboys are getting anything back right now is a huge win.

Which 3-2 teams will make NFL playoffs? Ravens and Packers promising; Steelers and Cowboys troubling – NFL.com
I am prepared to be skewered by the Cowboys mob for placing their beloved star in this section. But even the most ardent buffs must have asked themselves at some point over the past five weeks what exactly their team does well outside of the Dak Prescott-CeeDee Lamb connection and Brandon Aubrey’s kicking. The defense has been skewered like a pig roast. Mike Zimmer hasn’t fixed the leaky run D that plagued Dallas last season. Oh, there have been flashes from DeMarvion Overshown and Jourdan Lewis. Still, with Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence dealing with injuries, the floodgates could open as they face more potent offenses.

Giants’ Kayvon Thibodeaux sidelined by wrist surgery – Big Blue View
New York Giants edge defender Kayvon Thibodeaux is “week-to-week” after undergoing wrist surgery Wednesday morning, New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll announced during his media briefing. Ian Rapoport reported that Thibodeaux has a fractured scaphoid bone. Thibodeaux, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Giants, had 11.5 sacks last season. So far this season, Thibodeaux has compiled two sacks and seven quarterback hits.

Aidan O’Connell is named Raiders Week 6 quarterback against Steelers – Silver And Black Pride
Second-year player replaces Gardner Minshew.