October 01, 2022
As I've already written countless times this week, former Eagles Super Bowl-winning head coach Doug Pederson returns to Philadelphia with the Jaguars on Sunday. Jacksonville is on the upswing at 2-1 and there'll be a whole lot of juice in this matchup.
You know all about that already, so let's get to my five over/unders for the Eagles/Jags game...
[A quick reminder for those new to our over/unders: Unless explicitly stated otherwise, these are my own numbers based on how I think the players/teams will perform that week — and the advice that follows is where I would put my money if I had to.]
Pederson knows what the most famous play of his Eagles tenure is. Current head coach Nick Sirianni is certainly aware, as the Eagles unsuccessfully ran a Philly Special redux in Week 2 last season against the 49ers.
I appreciate the moxie from Sirianni to call that in his first home game as Eagles head coach, but as Paul Rudd's character said in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," "The less you do, the more you do."
Pederson and Sirianni: both dudes who lean into "vibes." Pederson certainly doesn't love the way his Philly tenure ended, he's human after all, and sees how well the Eagles are doing with Sirianni. Sirianni, conversely, is going to see a huge fan tribute to Pederson and knows that there's a statue of him outside Lincoln Financial Field. Sirianni (plus play-caller Shane Steichen) is on a mission to accomplish what Pederson did. They both want to one-up each other. Someone's calling a Philly Special or some other wild trick play. I just don't know which team yet.
OVER.
Here's how Jaguars running back James Robinson has performed through the first three weeks of the season:
| Week | Opponent | Rush Yards | Receiving Yards |
| 1 | Commanders | 66 | 3 |
| 2 | Colts | 64 | 14 |
| 3 | Chargers | 100 | 16 |
Robinson looked great as an undrafted rookie in 2020, rushing for 1,070 yards (4.5 yards per carry) and adding 344 receiving yards. His 1,414 scrimmage yards are the rookie record for an undrafted player. He was good in a slightly smaller role in 2021, but tore his Achilles in Week 16, ending his season. Robinson has bounced back incredibly this season. Travis Etienne was a first-round selection at running back for Jacksonville in 2021, but Robinson is the clear RB1 right now.
After Lions RB D'Andre Swift compiled 175 yards from scrimmage in Week 1 against the Birds, this defense has shut down running backs since then. Dalvin Cook had just 36 total yards in Week 2. Antonio Gibson had 40 in Week 3. Can Robinson continue his stellar play against an increasingly stingy Eagles defense?
I think he can get his, but I'll say he won't hit triple digits.
UNDER.
A.J. Brown's second child was born this week, which caused him to miss a couple days of practice:
A.J. Brown's baby son, A.J. Jr., was born last night.
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) September 30, 2022
Brown is still wearing the hospital band on his wrist — he was on his way back to the hospital after work today.
Everyone is healthy, he reports. And his daughter is thrilled to be a big sister.
He has to be automatic for a touchdown, right? Brown is +115 to be an anytime touchdown scorer on DraftKings Sportsbook and +650 to score the first touchdown of the game. Lock it in.
OVER.
The Eagles' defense had one sack in Week 1, three sacks in Week 2 and then exploded for nine sacks against Carson Wentz and the Commanders in Week 3. They're not going to have nine sacks every week obviously, but the pressure level should be more akin to that outing with the amount of resources poured into the defensive line.
The Jaguars have allowed seven sacks so far this season, including five in their Week 2 win over the Colts.
I'll say the Eagles go just under with four sacks, not reaching the highs of the Washington game, but still improved from their early form.
UNDER.
Philly knows what Pederson means to this franchise.
OVER.
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