Links to stories, pods and pictures to help you keep up with NFC East and the NFL in general
NFC East links
Bleeding Green Nation
Eagles Injury Report: Jalen Hurts and Jordan Love limited in practice
The Eagles held a padded practice at Lincoln Financial Field. Nick Sirianni cited frozen practice fields at the NovaCare Complex as the reason for the change in location.
The Eagles listed one player under DID NOT PARTICIPATE: Trevor Keegan.
The rookie offensive lineman is listed with “illness.” Keegan will likely be a healthy scratch on Sunday.
The Eagles listed four players under LIMITED PARTICIPATION: Jalen Hurts, Kenny Pickett, A.J. Brown, and Will Shipley.
Hurts participated in practice for the first time since suffering a head injury in Week 16. That he was limited is no cause for concern; it’s an expected progression through the concussion protocol. Assuming no setbacks, Hurts will likely be upgraded to full participation on Thursday. And then he’ll start on Sunday.
Philly Voice
Eagles-Packers preview: Five things to watch when the Eagles have the ball
If Jalen Hurts returns against Green Bay in the Wild Card Round, will there be a rust factor?
Will Jalen Hurts be rusty?
To begin, it remains uncertain whether Hurts will be recovered from his concussion in time to play in this game. For the purposes of this preview, we’ll assume he is going to play.
Hurts did not play well Week 1 against the Packers. If you’ll recall, he made good decisions all summer long, avoiding throwing an INT in the first 15 practices of training camp, and then in a real game he started recklessly chucking the ball around like 2020 Carson Wentz.
Saquon Barkley vs. the Packers’ run defense
Barkley ran 24 times for 109 yards and 2 TDs against the Packers Week 1, plus a couple of receptions, including an 18-yard receiving TD.
The Packers have a good run defense, finishing seventh both in rushing yards allowed per game, and run defense DVOA
NFL league links
Articles
Washington Post (paywall)
NFL could move Monday’s Vikings-Rams playoff game to Phoenix area
“The NFL’s priority is the safety of the Los Angeles community,” the NFL said in a statement Wednesday.
The NFL is planning to play Monday night’s NFC playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings as scheduled at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. But the league is monitoring developments with the wildfires in Los Angeles and would play the game Monday at State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals in the Phoenix area, if needed, it said Wednesday.
“We continue to prepare to play the Vikings-Rams game as scheduled Monday night at SoFi Stadium,” the NFL said in a statement. “As with all games, there are contingency plans in the event a change in location is needed. In this instance, the game would be played on Monday night at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, [Arizona], if necessary.”
Multiple wildfires continued to burn Wednesday in Los Angeles County, fanned by high winds. The largest of them began Tuesday near the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. It had burned more than 15,000 acres as of Wednesday afternoon, forcing at least 30,000 people to evacuate.
Five people had died as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Podcasts & videos
Green Bay Packers vs Philadelphia Eagles PREVIEW – Gruden’s Pick
EARLY Playoff Predictions | Sleepers And Super Bowl Favorites