Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Crossover Wednesday with Locked On Eagles - 11/13/19

Episode Date: November 13, 2019

It’s Crossover Wednesday! Join hosts Mike D’Abate of Locked On Patriots and Louie DiBiase of Locked On Eagles as the duo preview Sunday’s matchup between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome in everybody. This is another edition of Crossover Wednesday, your favorite segment right here on the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day, the voice you're hearing, maybe some of you aren't familiar with me. I'm Louie DiBiase, the host of Locked On Eagles. So I welcome in the Patriots listeners here because we're joined today on this Crossover Wednesday with the host of Locked On Patriots, Mike DeBate. Mike, welcome into the show. Very exciting one. It's a rematch of a Super Bowl that even from just a plain NFL fan perspective, I'm a little biased as an Eagles guy,

but if you took a step back and you're just a football fan and you watched that game two years ago, it's one of the best that I've ever seen, just again from a pure football perspective, over 1,000 yards of offense in that game. It was so exciting. And to see a rematch with two teams that have pretty similar personnel, there's not a whole lot different about these two teams.

It's really an exciting one that's going to go down on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field on national television. Without question. And, Louie, thank you. It's my honor to join you on the microphone today. And hello, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And, of course, hello to my Foxborough faithful in New England as well. Big matchup this weekend.

The city of brotherly love on one side, the hub on the other. Cheesesteaks, clam chowder, Liberty Bell, U.S. Constitution. You guessed it, folks. It is crossover Wednesday, as Louie said, on the Lockdown Podcast Network. And for those of you that don't know me as well, I am Mike Debate. I am the host of Locked On Patriots. Please reach out to me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And of course, be sure to follow Locked On Patriots

on Twitter as well at LO underscore Patriots. But, Louie, Wednesday's always a big day for all of us across the Locked On Podcast Network. And I think you hit the nail right on the head. Super Bowl 52, one of the most exciting Super bowls of course in new england it's not viewed as favorably as some of the others that have banners in foxborough that's one that got away but uh you have to give credit to the philadelphia eagles in that game a tremendous game plan offensively defensively it was a seesaw matchup back and forth and the eagles came out on top and And without any question, I think all Patriots fans, whether they want to admit it or not,

will say the Eagles were the better team that day, and they deserve the win. Yeah, it's one of three Super Bowl losses for the Patriots. Obviously, they have six banners up there in Foxborough to really talk about and glorify. Let me ask you, I'm curious, because Tom Brady talked about it this week, how he still isn't really over that loss. Do you think it ranks higher or lower for him and for, you know, Patriots fans too? Where does it sit between the three Super Bowl losses? And of course, you got the one in 97 too, but more so for the Brady-Belichick era here, the two losses in the early 2010s and 2008, I believe, or 2007, the undefeated year, the 16-0 year against the Giants, and then 2011. Do those two Giants losses hurt more, do you think, than the Eagles game?

Those Giants games were kind of fluky, where New York, the David Tyree catch and the Mario Manningham catch, whereas this Eagles-Patriots game was more just blow for blow, punch after punch. Where does it sit with Brady, you think, compared to the others and just the fan base in general? Well, with Tom, it's tough to say because I think he takes every loss personally. I think there are probably some losses that Tom has suffered in the regular season that he'll be able to rattle off in about three seconds, and most Patriots fans and probably some of his teammates don't remember them either. The only

one with a greater mental Rolodex of what happened from one game to the other is head coach Bill Belichick. So, you know, I think Tom probably takes them all personally. From a Patriots fan perspective, I don't think it's going to get any more soul-crushing than 2007. The perfect season. Had a shot at 19-0. Tyree makes the catch against his helmet.

Ball goes through the hands of Asante Samuel, and all of a sudden, that season comes crashing down. That was probably the most bitter loss. Speaking personally, the Eagles is probably the easiest for me to reconcile, and the reason why I say that is because I think the Eagles played so well on both sides of the football that you can't really take away from them either way. They took it to the Patriots, did a phenomenal job, and I think the Patriots did less beating themselves in that game. Albeit, I know that there was the Brady fumble toward the end of the game, but I think the Patriots did less to beat themselves in that game

than they did in the two games against the Giants. So it's definitely, you know, any loss, any Super Bowl loss is never, ever easy. We haven't had a whole lot of them here in New England in the last few years. But in terms of soul crushing, I don't think it gets any worse than 07. Yeah, luckily, too, for the Patriots, it's sandwiched in between two Super Bowl wins, against the Falcons and against the Rams. It's crazy, really, Mike, that the Patriots could be looking at. I mean, if a couple things go differently in that game, I mean, the Patriots might be looking at winning four straight Super Bowls this year.

I mean, that's where they're at right now. So it's kind of a cool what-if in the NFL. Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, there's a lot of those, and especially in New England here, there's always the ones that got away. The AFC Championship game lost to the Colts, and then their eventual Super Bowl championship, Peyton Manning's first against the Chicago Bears. A lot of people look at that as one that got away as well, sometimes even more than making the big game. It's not

getting to that level when you know you should have been there and you had a shot. They were up early in that game. So there are always a lot of those what-ifs. I know there are tons of them in Eagles folklore as well. But, you know, the Eagles, you know, you have to credit them with the Super Bowl 52. They definitely deserve that. But there are. And, you know, you can play the other game as well. There are certain things that happened in some of those games where you might look at it and say, well, you know, the Patriots might not have made it or they might not have won, you know, Super Bowls that year.

All of a sudden, if Atlanta clamps down, gets a couple of stops that comeback never happened or if seattle runs the balls absolutely up or seattle runs the ball yeah which still baffles me to this day i'll take it malcolm butler right place right time made a phenomenal uh catch made a phenomenal play i don't think he gets enough credit for how heads up that was because everybody focuses on the fact that Seattle passed it rather than ran it. But credit Butler for being in the right place at the right time. That was by design. That actually was a play that the Patriots have worked on several times at the goal line,

and they were able to put it into practice that year. But football's a quirky game, much like all professional sports. But football is so quirky. Things can happen one way or another, and it means the difference between winning and losing a lot of times. Yeah, and look, coming up on this edition of Crossover Wednesday, we'll get into the X's and O's, the Patriots' offense against this Eagles defense, and vice versa, Carson Wentz against this Patriots defense. And, you know, for Carson Wentz, look, we talked about Tom Brady's motivation here, the Patriots, kind of a little revenge game of Super Bowl 52.

For Carson Wentz, it's the same thing. He wasn't the quarterback under center that gave the Eagles their first ever Lombardi trophy. While I'll credit him hugely in that 2017 season, I think he was one of the main reasons for that championship win. He wasn't under center, so you know he's motivated to kind of prove to the world that he can also out-duel Tom Brady in this game on Sunday. Mike, before we take a quick break, any major injuries to report for the Patriots? I know it's Wednesday, it's still early, but what are they looking at from a health perspective? From a health perspective, the Patriots are coming into this game surprisingly healthy for the players that are normally active. Now, of course, their offensive line has had several injury concerns this year isaiah win will not be back for this week he is practicing with the team he's not eligible to return from injured reserve yet he

is they're starting left tackle they're normally starting left tackle uh he looks like he will be back in time for the uh the dallas cowboys game the following week however against the Eagles, it will most likely be Marshall Newhouse at left tackle. For the Eagles, that's probably a little bit of good news. Newhouse has had an up-and-down season, more downs than ups, and we'll get into that with the X's and O's as well. Patrick Chung was held out of practice earlier this week. He's dealing with some heel and chest injuries, excuse me. So there might be an issue there.

Keep a sharp eye on the injury report to see if he keeps showing up. And of course, all eyes are on Nikhil Harry, the Wookiee Ride receiver for the New England Patriots. He is their first round draft pick. He is expected to suit up for this game. All signs are pointing to him having his season debut against the Eagles this Sunday. So look for him in a matchup as well.

But as of right now, no major injury concerns for the Patriots, his season debut against the Eagles this Sunday. So look for him in a matchup as well. But as of right now, no major injury concerns for the Patriots, or it doesn't look like anybody is so banged up that they wouldn't be able to go. Looks like they took well advantage of this bye. As for the Eagles, health has just been something that's plagued them. Injuries over the past three years. And as of right now, you look at their left tackle spot, they also are uncertain in that spot. years and as of right now you look at their left tackle spot they also are uncertain in that spot Jason Peters did have surgery I guess after that Minnesota Vikings game on his knee he could be

ready to go this week he was out there at practice today on a very limited fashion may or may not be ready but if he's not ready to go they've been riding their first round pick the rookie left tackle Andre Dillard since that Vikings game And he has actually looked really promising so far. So still not sure if it's going to be Peters or Dillard. When Peters is healthy, however, Doug Peterson did say that he will return to that starting left tackle spot. And then on the wide receiver spot, Alshon Jeffrey, day-to-day right now, I still think he'll be ready to go.

And then on defense, linebacker Nigel Bradham is also limited. And the Eagles could really use him right now. They're struggling at inside linebacker with some of those backups. So that is your injury status for the Eagles and for the Patriots right here on Crossover Wednesday. Coming up next, me and Mike are going to get into the Patriots offense taking on this Eagles defense. It was an Eagles defense that allowed Brady to throw for over 500 yards in that Super Bowl two years ago. So how can Jim Schwartz and the Eagles try to contain Brady? How can the Patriots attack this Eagles defense at the most efficient level? That's coming up next

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Once again, that's B-L-U-E-Chew.com, BlueChew.com, promo code LOCKDOWN to try it for free. BlueChew is the better, cheaper, faster choice. And we thank them for sponsoring the podcast today. All right, everybody, welcome back in. This is Crossover Wednesday. I am Louie DiBiase of Locked on Eagles alongside Mike DeBate of Locked on Patriots. I teased it before the break, Mike. We're getting into now Tom Brady and this Patriots offense against Fletcher Cox

and this Eagles defense. And it's, once once again a unit in the Eagles defense that has really struggled this year against good quarterbacks they've had recent success against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills and you know two weeks ago against Mitchell Trubisky and the Chicago Bears but for the most part this team has really been decimated with injuries on defense and just overall in coverage they've struggled and they did the same thing against Tom Brady they were opportunistic at the end Brandon Graham with the strip sack but for the most part Brady had his way with this defense that's pretty much the same almost all the personnel is the same when it comes to these starters I don't know if tell me if I'm

wrong here I don't feel like the Eagles can just sit back with their typical deep cover three inverted cover two you know zone coverage for me that just isn't a good idea against Brady. I feel like he'll pick you apart that way. Absolutely. I think you hit the nail right on the head, Louie. Basically, with Tom Brady, he is going to be able to utilize the weapons that he has on offense. And a lot is made of the fact that Brady doesn't have the typical big name wide receivers or tight ends to be able to throw to but he still has prolific pass catchers he developed a very very good rapport with his newest weapon muhammad sanu that pair connected 10 times in the week 9

loss in baltimore including a touchdown and the patriots offense seemed to find some rhythm with the no huddle attack so i look for them to continue that if the eagles do have a chance of being able to contain tom brady it's going to be them putting pressure on him with their front seven you mentioned cox earlier brandon graham derrick barnett those guys are going to have to put pressure and win the battles with the offensive line that to me is where the eagles can be dangerous and they can give br Brady some fits simply because the offensive line is not clicking on all cylinders right now. I particularly keep my eye on the right side. Shaq Mason, Marcus Cannon are two pro-bowl caliber type of players when they're playing at their

highest level. They have not been all season long and that has showed up in some of the Patriots games and some of the difficulties they've had with pass protection. Brady's only been sacked 15 times, but periodic breakdowns on the offensive line have forced him into more throwaways than normal, and the offense hasn't looked as smooth as a result. That, to me, is an issue. Also, with the left tackle, I hinted earlier when we talked about injuries about Isaiah Wynn not being in the lineup. That has meant a dose of Marshall Newhouse. And look, Newhouse came in here, was not with the team during training camp. We came in a little bit after, and he struggled. It's been a difficult adjustment for him to be able to play on the offensive line on the left side.

First of all, he's naturally on the right side, and he's not a left tackle. He's a natural right tackle, and he's not typically a starter. He's usually a situational depth piece he's been called upon to be a starter in this situation i think he's gave a decent effort i don't want to say he's been adequate because he quite frankly hasn't been but i think he's doing absolutely the best he can so for if i'm the eagles that's the matchup that i want to win because if the eagles do sit in that formation and they want their secondary to be able to win battles against Brady, that's where he's going to be able to pick them apart between Julian Edelman. Philip Dorsett can run for big yardage as well at times.

James White is very adept at being able to catch the ball out of the backfield. And I also look at the rookie nikhil harry this is a kid that's not going to be relied upon heavily but he is going to get his touches and he is capable of going up making contested catches he is a very physical young wide receiver so look for him to maybe get some matchups especially against guys like ronald darby and avante maddox sydney jones this this is a an area of the eagles defense that struggled somewhat, and Brady can definitely take advantage of that. So the Eagles would be well-versed to keep pressure on their front seven and try to win those physical battles with the offensive line.

Yeah, I think it really comes down to, can the Eagles pass rush? For me, there's two advantages here. It's the Eagles pass pass rush and then it's the Patriots passing game against this Eagles secondary so the Eagles normally like to win with four and they need to win with four to get more people back in coverage I think Derek Barnett is going to be on that side against the left tackle which will be very important for the Eagles to win that matchup Barnett Brandon Graham has been great over the past you know five weeks he's had six sacks in, I think, six games at this point. He didn't have a sack for the first month and a half of the season. But overall, Derek Barnett, their first-round pick in 2017,

he has been their most complete and, I would say, their most consistent pass rusher on the edge so far this season. And I like what you said. For me, they've got to get there before. I mean, it's hard because Tom Brady gets the ball out so quickly, but that's why you can't encourage him to do that. For me, the Eagles love it. It'll be third and four, Mike, and they'll still have their corners lined up

eight to ten yards deep off the line of scrimmage, and they'll still be backpedaling. They're trying to stop the deep ball, even though they're only really running one safety single high and kind of leaving a corner out in no man's land, it's a defense that I don't really philosophically agree with. Do what you've been doing the past couple weeks against Josh Allen and Mitchell Trubisky. Get your corners up at the line. Try to buy your pass for some time.

Because once again, you can get away with that zone kind of coverage against younger quarterbacks that just don't digest things mentally as fast. This is Tom Brady. Again, there's not a premier elite weapon in this offense, but it hasn't mattered in the past with number 12, right? True, and that's usually the case. Brady will find a way to exploit defenses if you give him time and you give him the ability and you show him looks that he's familiar with a

lot of defenses do this and it's really a recipe for disaster for them because brady will be able to take what he's learned and apply it he's one of the best in the game's history of being able to do that in game so if you do that and you show him consistently different looks which doug peterson is known to love to do he's the type of guy that will show looks. Shorts, too. That they've never seen before, and Jim Schwartz fits right into that as well. Yes, his defenses have yielded up some points, especially to a Tom Brady-like offense, but he seems to be able to get the stops and be able to make the plays when they need to.

So that's what worries me if I'm a Patriots fan at this point from the offensive standpoint. The other is the Patriots running game, most definitely. They have not performed up to par so far this year, and they're going to have to do that against this Eagles team, which is pretty good at stopping the run. Yes, it is. Sonny Michel is averaging only 3.3 yards per carry. His recent game was really just like an afterthought. He only had four carries in that game against Baltimore. So he's been struggling to get the ball going. Rex Burkhead, who's the running back, situational running back for the Patriots,

has been injured quite often. So he's still getting back into the swing of things when it comes to this team. If the Eagles can shut the run off, and right now that's been the easiest way to stall the Patriots' offense. That could make things interesting as well. If you force Brady to have to throw the ball all the time, then all of a sudden the Eagles can kind of sit back and maybe even use some of the coverage in the secondary to get to him. So those are the keys.

If I'm an Eagles guy, I'm looking at those, Louie, and I'm saying, you know what? This may be the blueprint to be able to try to stop Tom Brady in that Patriots offense. Yeah, and the Eagles have been a top three rushing defense for the majority of this season. They were number one for a while, so that's going to be an interesting matchup to watch. Also, just speaking of running backs, if James White is out there, Malcolm Jenkins, I remember I went back and watched the Super Bowl yesterday, and Jenkins was the guy that was kind of shadowing him. I expect that to maybe be the game plan once again this Sunday. Once again, going up front real quick before we get into another break and we get into

the Eagles offense against the Patriots defense. I think when we talk about the pass rush for the Eagles, left tackle right now may be the weak part for New England, but pressure up the middle against Tom Brady I think is key. Fletcher Cox, someone they just traded for, Jannard Avery, they've been using kind of in this hybrid role, this hybrid linebacker, you know, pass rush defensive end role, getting him through the A gaps and B gaps and really bringing pressure up the middle and making an unathletic quarterback flush to the outside. Tom Brady, he doesn't like pressure up the middle.

I think he would way more prefer it on the edges so for me the last thing with this defensive line Fletcher Cox has been really getting going he looks healthy he looks like his elite self over the past three to four games so I'm excited to see that matchup and to see what the Eagles do with this newly acquired second year defensive player in Jannard Avery, who they traded a fourth round pick for from the Browns two weeks ago before the deadline. And he actually had a sack his first game against the Bears two weeks ago. So I'm excited for that as well. Yeah, definitely. And I can absolutely see where you're coming from on that, especially from that standpoint. The linebackers, the secondary of the Eagles will definitely play a role in this. We've mentioned a lot about the front seven, but the linebackers the the secondary of the eagles will definitely play a role in this

we've mentioned a lot about the front seven but the linebacking crew is going to be key as well if they can start getting into coverage and getting pressure on tom brady it could end up causing some difficulties for the patriots on offense so great points louis and i completely agree with you and i think it's going to be a very interesting matchup but the one thing we have not discussed yet folks is a historic Patriots defense. Sands a little bit of a hiccup on Sunday, two Sundays ago, against the Baltimore Ravens. This team has put up historic numbers. The linebacking crew getting after quarterbacks like crazy.

The cornerbacks have been playing lockdown defense, led by Stephon Gilmore, as well as the safety position. But this Eagles offense does present the kryptonite for the new england patriots defense and that is rpos run pass options they love to do that in philadelphia carson wentz is adept at doing that and they have the running backs and the wide receivers to be able to give the patriots some problems and we'll discuss that in just a moment but first i just wanted to take a moment to address all of you that have been crushing it at work lately those of you that are eager to go and get that boss level well good for you but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't eat door dash

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that's five dollars off of your first order when you download the DoorDash app from the app store and enter promo code LOCKEDON. Don't forget, that's promo code LOCKEDON for $5 off your first order from DoorDash. All right, everybody, welcome back in. This is Crossover Wednesday. Louie DiBiase here of Lockdown Eagles alongside Mike DeBate of Lockdown Patriots. So, Mike, we got into Tom Brady against that Eagles defense. Jim Schwartz leading that unit as the defensive coordinator will be the matchup that could really go one of two ways. Whereas this Eagles offense against the Patriots defense, I feel like it's going to be a back

and forth battle the entire time because you got Carson Wentz under center. He's been very consistent this year. He looks way more like his 2017 self than last year's version that was dealing with a fracture in his back throughout the majority of the season but as you mentioned before the break we're coming in against a historically good defense right now that especially you look at the secondary and stefan gilmore i work up in buffalo for sports radio with the buffalo bills affiliate radio station so I'm very familiar with Stephon Gilmore who is the Bills first round pick and he has really come into his own at an elite level since he went to New England I'm curious before we get into you know some other matchups the the

main one I want to talk about with you is with Stephon Gilmore what do you think the plan with him is because the Eagles right now there's no Deshaun Jackson he's out for the year Alshon Jeffrey has struggled a lot this year Nelson Aguilar has really struggled they're bringing in Jordan Matthews as their third receiver off the streets this week tight ends is the one that maybe do you think Gilmore might shadow a guy like Zach Ertz this week that's the scuttlebutt up here in New England and honestly Louie it would not surprise me to see him do that. The Patriots have typically had difficulty covering tight ends. It's one of the areas in this defense that is exploitable if you have the right personnel to do it.

The Eagles absolutely without question have it. They have two very prolific tight ends. Zach Ertz, Dallas Goddard, these two guys know how to play. You've heard Bill Belichick say earlier this week that he considers those two interchangeable. And that's the highest praise when it comes to Belichick because he holds Zach Ertz in very, very high regard. That goes to show you the respect that he has for Goddard as well. He's definitely game planning for these two guys, making sure that neither one of them beat him. I do believe you will see Gilmore shadow Ertz at times. I think you may even see him switch it up

and end up playing on Goddard. The other tight tight end i think they might see a little bit of patrick chung if he's healthy he's been adept at being able to cover tight ends at times there are some times where his coverage has been blown so i think that's going to be a big key is whether or not he's healthy if healthy he's a guy that can provide coverage but i do think this presents some matchup problems for the New England Patriots that's why I believe you'll see a guy like Gilmore being that type of defender against the tight end set because I think he gives you the best option to be able to shut it down he is that good yeah he was really more so in that championship game two years ago he was going up against Alshon Jeffrey for the majority of that game early on Alshon had a lot of success against Eric Rowe, who was an Eagles second-round

pick in 2015, whereas this year, I don't know. Again, I think maybe the smart strategy for the Patriots is, yeah, put your best coverage guys on these tight ends. The Eagles run 12 personnel more than anybody with Zach Ertz and Dallas Goddard. And also it's just because, too, Goddard is so good in the run game, too, as a blocker. He's like having an extra lineman out there. And New England, look, they're familiar with this kind of thing. They, in 2011 and, you know, those years, had one of the best tight end tandems the league has ever seen.

So they kind of know this strategy,, it's the one really the Eagles got to ride right now because they're just not getting enough from their wide receivers. They lead the league in drops right now. You need to find that 2017 version of Alshon Jeffrey that had that huge touchdown against the Patriots in the Super Bowl against, you know, for Nelson Aguilar, who had nine receptions in that game. That was your, really your only source of speed and is your only source of speed right now on the edge. He has been a non-factor. He's just been a ghost, really, since week three against the Detroit Lions. They've got to find more out of these receivers, especially if the Patriots.

Belichick likes to take away what you do best, and if he really hankers down on those tight ends and doubles Zach Ertz, puts bracket coverage over him, there's only so much Dallas Goddard can do. Tight ends, they're great. They're very versatile. But there's only so many different types of plays they can make in the passing game. Whereas in Alshon Jeffrey, in Nelson Aguilar, you can win with speed.

You can win with size. Contested catches down the field. There's just more you can do with a wide receiver. So I think that's something that the Eagles really need from Moore is their pass catchers. Yeah, I agree with you. And I think one thing that also, and I noticed, Louis, that you mentioned the 12 personnel, and you're absolutely right on that. Philadelphia Eagles run that a lot, and they do it almost as well, if not better, than anyone else in the league. Another thing that allows them to be able to do it is they have a very good tandem at running back. And even a three-man set, if you want to talk about that, in Jordan Howard, Miles Sanders, and Darren Sproles.

This offense has been chewing up the clock and the opposition. And that is very key when you run a 12 personnel. It allows the tight ends to get into coverage. And again, the Patriots have had difficulty stopping the run. We've seen teams do it. Frank Gore ran for big yardage against the patriots against the bills when they played up in orchard park uh believe it or not there were actually times where levion bell looked like he was getting a rhythm on the ground against the

patriots in that jets game where the infamous you know sam donald i'm seeing ghosts and all that that was a disaster for the jets but levon started to have some success in the second half against that run defense. So we saw Nick Chubb run for big yardage. And then, of course, a couple of weeks ago when the Patriots played the Baltimore Ravens, Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram chewed them up on the ground. So the Patriots need to make adjustments. You have to think in the bye week, two weeks to prepare. Bill Belichick has been looking at film.

He's been preparing ways to do that. Patriots do have the personnel to be able to stop the run they do have a formidable front seven they play mostly a three four but they can put a hybrid three four three together that might be able to allow them to stop the run a little that's going to be determining on the athleticism and the speed of the running backs it simply hasn't been what they hoped for this year. And that's saying a lot, considering the linebackers have been one of the strongest parts of their defense. They're going to need a little bit more on the outside from those guys, even hybrids that play sort of that defensive end linebacker,

guys like John Simon and also rookie Chase Winovich. They've been very good at being able to rush the passer when they play in schemes that allow their uh their skill set to be able to shine and do what they do well so that to me is something that the patriots have to watch for when they see that 12 personnel set they have to be ready to be able to defend against the run and those short pass options to the tight ends yeah that's a key for the eagles so far this year. Without Deshaun Jackson as your field stretcher and Nelson Aguilar just being a non-factor in that area of the offense, they have needed time of possession.

They've needed quick strikes, relying on the run game, Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders, to win football games and to be productive on the offensive side of the football. Yeah, Howard and Sanders have just been that perfect thunder and lightning combination. Howard has been so efficient this year, and Miles Sanders down the field this year. There's only seven players that have more 30-plus yard plays from scrimmage. So that's a running back that, look, in the Super Bowl, Corey Clement had 100 receiving yards against the Patriots.

He was huge in that game. I think Sanders needs to have that same role right now because he's been their only source of explosive playmaking so but I think the biggest thing here Mike is the Eagles offensive line that they run through that unit you know of course you need Carson Wentz to make plays you're going to need him to have that same fourth quarter efficiency on third downs the red zone you know capitalize like he has been this year and like Nick Foles had to do against this New England team but for me it really everything runs through this offensive line. They have been so good this year, and when they struggle, that's when this Eagles team just doesn't look as right.

They're never more comfortable than when they're in the second half with a lead, and this offensive line can take over on the ground. So that's, to me, the Patriots, they can't let what happened against Baltimore happen again with Philadelphia. I just think the Eagles are too good in that area right now. Yeah, absolutely. And I think this matchup could actually come down to that Eagles offensive line and its ability to keep Wentz comfortable in the pocket.

They've done a great job of that so far. And if that continues, that could tip the scales in the favor of the Philadelphia Eagles in this one. But the Eagles passing game does tend to struggle when they have protection issues. And we've seen that in a couple of games this year. When it does struggle a bit, that's when teams are able to take advantage. So if I'm the Patriots, especially their front seven and their front three of Danny Shelton, Lawrence Guy, and Adam Butler on the two sides of him, they need to come up very, very big in this game. They need to be prolific run stoppers,, they need to come up very, very big in this game.

They need to be prolific run stoppers, and they need to make sure that they're doing their job to stop the run so that way the linebackers can get run free and try to get pressure on Carson Wentz. If they do that, then the secondary can get back. You can even drop a linebacker back into coverage, and that's when the Patriots are at their best. That's the best-case scenario if I'm an England Patriots fan. That's what I'm hoping for, and that's what I'm hoping to see on Sunday. Yeah, and look, last thing I'll say on this really is, you know, the Eagles, again, the key is going to be time of possession, the run game.

You've got to find a way to win regardless of your wide receivers, but if you don't get any production out of, you know, Alshon Jeffrey, Jordan Matthews, Nelson Aguilar this week, to me, you're probably not going to win this football game. To me, when it comes to the Patriots offense, it's more so about limiting them. You're not going to be able to shut that unit down, especially not with how this Eagles secondary has been this year. So you're going to need that offense to be able to throw the football.

There's going to be times where you're going to have to open it up. You're not always going to be able to have that ground and pound mentality. Lamar Jackson, when he needed to make plays two weeks ago, he made plays through the air and, you know, with his legs, with mobility as well, you know, improv on the run. So it's a, you know, Mike, it's going to be a back and forth battle. I think the Patriots should be the favorite right now to win this game, even on the road. But you know, much like it was two years ago, I think this is one of the, these are the two, two of the best run organizations when it comes to, you know, managing in the front office, when it comes to coaching, Bill Belichick versus Doug Peterson. I can't wait to see that chess match and personnel too. I mean, these are two very talented teams that in the off season were

favorites to get to Miami in February. So it's going to be a fun one. Without question. I'm looking forward to this. This is one I've had circled on my calendar pretty much all year long because I just love the energy that comes from the Eagles-Patriots matchup. I think a few years ago when the Eagles were struggling mightily and they came in, gave the Patriots a game, and beat them. And a lot of people were surprised and shocked by that. And actually, I'm struggling to determine which year that was, but I remember that.

And that, oh, it's 2015. Thank you very much. I was actually in the process of looking that up as we speak, and it really, really does. These two teams always give each other all they can handle, and I look for that again on Sunday. This is going to be a fun one, a primetime matchup on Sunday afternoon. Can't ask for more. Absolutely. So, Mike, let's get in our plugs here on Crossover Wednesday.

You can check out anything that Locked on Eagles has been offering. We've been posting four to six podcasts a week right here on the Locked On Podcast Network. On any podcast provider, just tell Siri or Alexa to play Locked on Eagles, and we're also posting all our stuff as well on LockdownEagles.com. And you can follow me on Twitter at DBIACLOE and my co-host Gino Camilleri at Gino underscore LOE. So those are my shameless plugs.

Mike, how about you? Absolutely. Shameless plugs. Always, always all about that. And thank you, Louie. First of all, it's been an honor to share the microphone with you today. I thank you for all of your insight. And I know my listeners in Foxborough and in the New England area are definitely interested Thank you, Louis. First of all, it's been an honor to share the microphone with you today. I thank you for all of your insight.

And I know my listeners in Foxborough and in the New England area are definitely interested in what you've had to say. And you've given them a lot of pearls of wisdom. You can follow me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. Also, be sure to follow Lockdown Patriots on Twitter at LO underscore Patriots. You can catch me each and every day, Monday through Friday, on the Lockdown Podcast Network. Subscribe via your favorite podcast provider, and I always thank my listeners for listening. We have a very loyal following up in Foxborough, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for that. Locked on Patriots. We look forward to checking out that game on Sunday. It's going to be a good one for Locked on Patriots host Mike DeBate. I'm Louie DiBiase of Locked on Eagles signing off as always. Thank you for downloading and thank you for listening.

We'll see you next time.