The Patriots will be working on a short week after dismantling the Kansas City Chiefs 34-3 on Monday Night Football. Offensively, the Patriots rank second in the league thanks to their dynamic, versatile passing game. Brady has been his usual sterling self, sporting a 102.5 quarterback rating, good for second in the league. The Eagles defense will be tested because the Patriots' top targets are all threats in the middle of the field: Wes Welker, who leads the league in both receptions and receiving yardage, and the tight end tandem of Rob Gronkowski (second in the league with 10 receiving touchdowns) and Aaron Hernandez.
But the Eagles figure to score plenty of points as well against the Patriots, who rank 32nd in the league in yards allowed. Of course, the performance of the Eagles offense hinges on the health of Michael Vick. Recovering from two broken ribs, Vick had to watch from home as his teammates took home the win in New Jersey last weekend, but he'll do whatever it takes to play as soon as possible. If he's unable to play this week, Vince Young will get an opportunity to build on his win last week which was highlighted by the impressive 18-play, 80-yard game-winning touchdown drive. The Eagles will also hope to get wide receiver Jeremy Maclin back, who missed last week's game with a shoulder and hamstring injury. Regardless, the focus for the Eagles will be to bottle up the energy they provided against the Giants and use it against the Patriots in order to secure a win at home for only the second time this season.
Last Time They Met:
November 25, 2007: Eagles 28, Patriots 31
The last time the Patriots and Eagles squared off, the two teams were in very different places. The Pats were 10-0, featuring one of the best offenses ever assembled, averaging 41.1 points per game through their first 10, the most ever. The Eagles, on the other hand, entered the game 5-5 and were averaging half the number of points per game (20.6) as the Patriots. As if the game was not mismatched enough, the Eagles were without quarterback Donovan McNabb, who sustained ankle and right thumb injuries the week prior. In his place, A.J. Feeley got the start and put on a show, throwing for 345 yards and three touchdowns. The Eagles, in fact, led the game 28-24 going into the fourth quarter, but a Laurence Maroney rushing touchdown put New England ahead. An interception thrown by Feeley with under a minute remaining sealed the win for the Patriots, who went on to finish the regular season 16-0 and make the Super Bowl, where they lost to the New York Giants.
When The Eagles Have The Ball:
It wasn't always pretty during Vince Young's first start as an Eagle, after all, he did throw three interceptions. But when the cards were on the table in a tie game in the fourth quarter, Young led the Eagles on a memorable 18-play, 80-yard drive that featured six third-down conversions and was punctuated by a game-winning touchdown pass to Riley Cooper. If Young gets the call again this week, he'll line up against a Patriots pass defense that is allowing 299.5 passing yards per game, 32nd in the league. Now you might say the Patriots give up a lot of passing yards because teams are often trailing them, but they also rank 26th in yards allowed per pass. A large part of that problem is a result of their largely anemic pass rush, though that has been bolstered recently. Still, the Patriots rank 23rd in sacks per pass attempt, a far cry from the Eagles' opponent last week - a Giants team that came in leading the league in sacks. The Eagles offensive line was especially impressive last week, allowing a lone sack, which was also the only quarterback hit registered on Young. So if the offensive line can provide ample protection once again, it could spell another long day for the Patriots secondary. Meanwhile, the league's leading rusher, LeSean McCoy, figures to carry the ball plenty. The Patriots defense has allowed 4.31 yards per carry thus far, 18th in the league.
The Patriots defense, which morphs from 3-4 to 4-3 throughout the game, is highlighted by a few standout players in each unit. Vince Wilfork, the plugging force in the interior line, is the one to watch up front and he'll provide a stern test for Eagles center Jason Kelce. The Patriots' best pass rusher at the moment is Andre Carter, who came out of nowhere to lead the team in sacks with 9.0. Carter, who was signed off the street, broke out two weeks ago with a 4.0-sack performance. At linebacker, Jerod Mayo is the one to watch, though Brandon Spikes has been stout against the run. Then, in the secondary, Devin McCourty put in a stellar rookie season, but he's been beset by injuries this season. Rather, the story for the Patriots' secondary has been Kyle Arrington, a former member of the Eagles' practice squad, who leads the league with seven interceptions.
But for the Eagles, their offensive performance is likely to come down to the one stat that has haunted them all season long – turnovers. Last week's win against the Giants was the only time this season in which the result of the Eagles' game was not a direct correlation with the turnover battle, allowing that some games were ties in turnovers. But rest assured that three turnovers – including another one in the red zone, where the Eagles have a league-leading eight on the season – will not suffice this week against a Patriots team that feasts on extra opportunities.
When The Patriots Have The Ball:
Juan Castillo faces what will arguably be his toughest test of the regular season when he has to scheme how to stop future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady. Brady is having another stellar season as he has completed 65.4 percent of his passes for 3,266 yards (2nd in NFL), 25 touchdowns (2nd in NFL) and a 102.5 QB Rating (yes, 2nd in NFL). Sure, he's thrown 10 interceptions on the year but four of them came in one game - the Week 3 loss at Buffalo. Castillo has not blitzed much this season (12.9 percent on third down pass plays through nine games), which could work well because that isn't necessarily the best way to beat Brady. Against the blitz this season, Brady has completed 64 percent of his pass attempts (73/114) for 1,039 yards with eight touchdowns against just one interception. His 113.2 QB rating against the blitz is the third-best in the NFL. And Brady is so good at getting rid of the ball quickly, that even when a team blitzes him he is only sacked 5.8 percent of the time - 7th-best in the league.
The Patriots are unique because their top skill-position players do most of their damage in the middle of the field. Slot receiver Wes Welker leads the league in receptions (76) and yards (1,028) and has scored six touchdowns this season. Tight end Rob Gronkowski is setting all-time touchdown records for the position. On Monday night, Gronkowski had two touchdown grabs to reach 20 for his career in just 26 games, the fewest amount of games for a tight end to reach that total in NFL history. Gronkowski's numbers aren't just good for tight ends. He is fifth among all players with 56 receptions and seventh with 805 receiving yards. Gronkowski's 10 receiving touchdowns are second in the NFL. And don't discount Gronkowski's counterpart at tight end in Aaron Hernandez. Slowed down by a knee injury earlier in the season which caused him to miss two games, Hernandez still has 41 catches for 418 yards and five touchdowns. To put that in perspective, Jeremy Maclin leads the Eagles with 46 catches for 612 yards and four touchdowns.
Those weapons in the middle of the field - along with Brady's quick-throwing ability - are key in the red zone. The Patriots have scored a touchdown 62.2 percent of the time inside the 20, which ranks third in the league. The Patriots are first in the league in total red zone points with 233 and are fourth in points per red zone trip (5.18).
How will Castillo defend Welker? Joselio Hanson is set to play in the nickel for the injured Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, so will he be manned against Welker? Or will Hanson play right cornerback - which he did at times vs. the Giants - and Nnamdi Asomugha go inside to play Welker? Will the Eagles matchup a linebacker against Gronkowski or Asomugha, similar to how the Steelers did using 6-1 cornerback Cortez Allen. Keenan Clayton split time in the nickel package with Brian Rolle against the Giants. Is that a precursor for an expanded role vs. New England with his cover ability? Will we see a lot of the dime formation (six defensive backs) against the Patriots? Will we see a lot of press coverage to disrupt the timing of the New England offense and to keep Brady off-kilter?
How will the Eagles game plan for the Patriots six OL package, where rookie offensive tackle Nate Solder lines up at tight end? The Giants used some of this last Sunday with Stacy Andrews as the sixth lineman. The uniqueness of the Patriots offense will challenge teams to go away from their comfort zone. The Patriots are known to add wrinkles every week to showcase something that has not been on tape. The Patriots will also use the hurry-up offense to keep defenses from getting in proper alignment. The Patriots are also very good at making adjustments. Look at Monday night's game vs. Kansas City. Going against former Patriots coach Romeo Crennel, now the Chiefs defensive mastermind, Brady and the Patriots needed a big play from Gronkowski to take a 10-3 lead into halftime. After making adjustments, the floodgates opened with 17 third-quarter points as New England won 34-3. Castillo has a lot to be concerned with this Sunday. The Eagles are coming off of an outstanding performance in which they dismantled the Giants offensive line and never allowed their run game to get going. Let's see how Castillo plans for one of the best quarterbacks of all-time and a versatile offense that can attack anywhere on the field.
Key Matchups
TE Aaron Hernandez vs. Who?
Much of the focus is likely to be placed on how Juan Castillo will elect to defense Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski. How will Nnamdi Asomugha and Joselio Hanson be deployed and will Keenan Clayton factor into the mix? But Castillo and the Eagles should ignore Hernandez at their own peril. As pointed out above, the Patriots' "other" tight end has 41 catches for 418 yards and five touchdowns, despite missing two games. A lot of pressure will be put on the Eagles' safety tandem, Kurt Coleman and Nate Allen, on Sunday afternoon to cover the top of the defense and also to be sure-handed in their tackling. Meanwhile, Jamar Chaney is a player to watch in coverage as he's come on in recent weeks. Chaney also has two interceptions on the season after his pick of Eli Manning last week.
PR Julian Edelman vs. Eagles' Punt Coverage
The Patriots rank sixth in the league with a 12.0-yard per punt return average. Welker is an occasional option as a returner, but Edelman is coming off an impressive 72-yard touchdown scamper last Monday night. But Bobby April's coverage teams ranks fifth in both punt and kickoff coverage, thanks in large part to an impressive crew of special teamers, most notably Colt Anderson, who is playing at a Pro-Bowl level and is the far and away leader on the team in special teams production points. Meanwhile, punter Chas Henry has picked up his work lately. After punting only 20 times through eight games, Henry has booted the ball 14 times over the past two games and has pinned six of those inside the 20.
Players To Watch
TE Rob Gronkowski
Rob Gronkowski sits atop the AFC in every tight end receiving category and is among the league leaders for all receivers. The 6-6 pass-catcher has 56 receptions, 805 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. On Monday night against Kansas City, Gronkowski reached the 20-touchdown plateau for his career faster than any other tight end in history (20 games) with two more scores - a 52-yard reception and a 19-yard grab. The second-year man out of Arizona was drafted by the Patriots in the second round. In his rookie season, Gronkowski became the first tight end since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 to catch 10 touchdown passes in his first year. He and fellow second-year man Aaron Hernandez form one of the NFL's best tight-end duos. Hernandez has 41 catches for 418 yards and five touchdowns this season.
DT Vince Wilfork
Vince Wilfork is a mountain of a man. Standing 6-2 and generously listed at 325 pounds, he is one of the game's premier defensive tackles. Although his contributions often times do not show up on the stat sheet, he is able to take on two, and sometimes three, blockers on any given play, giving his teammates opportunities to get to the quarterback. This year, however, the Miami-alum has made his fair share of plays, notching 1.5 sacks and intercepting two tipped passes this season. In his eighth season with the Patriots, Wilfork has made the Pro Bowl in three of the last four years, earning All-Pro honors in the 2007, 2009 and 2010 seasons.
