Stadium this week Womens Everson Griffen Jersey , and there is a lot at stake. Both teams are 3-2 and can’t afford to lose another game in what is quickly becoming a brutal NFC this year. With that backdrop in mind, we asked all around good dude Brandon Lee Gowton, the site manager of Bleeding Green Nation, some incredibly poor questions about this week’s game. As is always the case with these, our guest made me look exceptionally good with his answers, so I’ll take full credit for the high quality post you are about to dive into. I hope you enjoy, and if you’d like head on over to enemy territory and check out my answers to Brandon’s questions.DN: What’s been the issue with consistency with Philly so far this year? The Eagles sit at 3-2, had a really impressive road win against Green Bay...but have a loss at home to Detroit, and what looks like a really bad loss to the Falcons.BGN: A really bad loss, indeed. The Falcons sure are looking terrible. A common thread between the losses to Atlanta and Detroit? Injuries and bad luck. Every team obviously has to deal with injuries at some point but the Eagles’ situation against the Falcons was a total anomaly. DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery, AND Dallas Goedert all inexplicably suffered injuries in pregame warmups that night. Three players who combined for 15 receptions, 221 yards, and four touchdowns in Week 1 were suddenly gone from the game plan just minutes before kickoff. Despite this major inconvenience, the Eagles were still in position to beat the Falcons. Carson Wentz recovered from a bad first half and nearly carried the team on his back to victory. Of course, Nelson Agholor dropping the potential game-winning touchdown pass did him no favors.Drops continued to be an issue for the Eagles against the Lions as they were still without Jeffery and Jackson. Wentz’s targets dropped SEVEN of his throws that day. The Eagles also had two fumbles — one by the aforementioned Agholor — that led to six Lions points. Making matters worse, they allowed a kickoff return touchdown for the first time since 2013. The Eagles were staring 1-3 in the face down 10 to 0 at Lambeau Field in Week 4. Aaron Rodgers was previously 58-0-1 in those situations. But the offensive line took over the game and the defense made some big plays in order to upset the Packers. Resiliency has been a hallmark of Doug Pederson’s teams. You can’t count them out when their backs are against the wall.The Eagles are far from a flawless team. But they’ve been in every game this year despite their inconsistencies. DN: Was there a faction of the fanbase that seriously thought Nick Foles should have been the guy, considering everything he accomplished combined with the injuries Carson Wentz suffered? How has Wentz looked so far this year?BGN: There was a small faction, yes. Haven’t been hearing from them much lately as Foles — who, unlike Wentz, still hasn’t ever played a full season — recovers from the broken collarbone he suffered in Week 1. Kind of crazy that Foles could conceivably get Foles’d himself in the sense of losing his job to sixth-round rookie sensation Gardner Minshew. Wentz’s traditional stats aren’t so impressive but there’s a strong case to be made he’s outperforming his box score numbers. Pro Football Focus, which has Wentz graded as their No. 2 quarterback through five weeks Brett Jones Jersey , recently laid out that argument:”So far this season, there aren’t many quarterbacks who are playing much better than their stats would indicate, but Carson Wentz does stick out as his PFF grade is far better than his No. 19 ranking in passer rating. As we highlighted last week, Wentz has had incredibly bad luck, as many of his best throws have fallen incomplete thus far this season. He has the most positively graded throws that have fallen incomplete, including five big-time throws. Those five accurate big-time throws would move Wentz up about 10 spots in passer rating, highlighting just how significant just five plays can be in shaping player perception.”This isn’t to suggest Wentz has been flawless. His accuracy could afford to improve. He’s left some plays on the field.Still, Wentz is at least playing well enough for his team to be in position to win every week. He’s doing a great job at taking care of the ball with just two turnovers so far. And both of those came when he was pressing in the first half of that anomalous Falcons game. There’s reason to believe the Eagles can contend with Wentz under center.DN: The Eagles are dealing with a lot of injuries for early in the season. What are a couple of the bigger names Vikings fans should be keeping an eye on, and how will their status affect what the Eagles will try to do on Sunday?BGN: Jackson being out is obviously a big detriment to the offense. The speedy veteran led the NFL in yards per reception last season and he looked great in Week 1 this season with eight receptions for 154 yard and two touchdowns. With Jackson hurt, the Eagles haven’t had a wide receiver catch a pass for more than 20 yards since Week 2. The Eagles’ offense hasn’t been able to rely on big play ability as much as they’ve had to string drives together where they methodically move the ball down the field. The Eagles’ cornerback situations also bears watching. Sidney Jones is on track to return this week after not playing in Week 5 due to a hamstring injury. If the Vikings are smart, they’ll go after Jones right away and see just how healthy he is. Jones was struggling prior to getting hurt so there’s concern about him out there. If Jones can’t stay healthy, well, the Eagles could be forced to put former Vikings undrafted free agent signing Craig James out there at cornerback. James actually had to start for Philly’s defense in Week 5; that’s how banged up the Eagles have been in the secondary.[ED Note: NOT the Craig James that killed five hookers at SMU]DN: Who is one kind of under the radar Eagles player on offense and the one guy on defense the Vikings need to account for, and how does Minnesota neutralize their effectiveness?BGN: Offense — Dallas Goedert. A big reason why the Eagles were able to beat the Packers is because they were so good operating out of 12 personnel. Green Bay decided to use their nickel defense against the Eagles’ two tight end sets and Philly’s coaching staff responded by running the ball down their throats. During the game, former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah noted Goedert was like a sixth offensive lineman for the Eagles with the way he was blocking. Goedert only caught two passes for 16 yards in that game but one was for a big first down conversion and another was a touchdown. He’s more of an efficient target than a sheer volume guy. I’d imagine the Vikings will be keying in more on Zach Ertz considering how he has 18 receptions for 203 yards and one touchdown in his last two games against Minnesota. If that’s the case, that could open up opportunities for Goedert if the Vikings aren’t able to find the right matchup (linebacker who can hang in coverage? or a physical defensive back?) for him. Defense — Brandon Graham. Maybe not so under-the-radar considering he was the guy who strip-sacked Tom Brady to clinch the Eagles’ Super Bowl at U.S. Bank Stadium, but I think he’s a key player to this week’s matchup. Not unlike the Brady play, Graham had success generating pressure (three sacks) against the Jets in Week 5 while lining up as an interior defensive lineman. The Eagles will be looking to attack the interior of that Vikings offense line. Minnesota would do well to forgot about running the ball so much, as that plays to the Eagles’ defensive strengths, and instead focus on a quick passing game to negate the Eagles’ pass rush. DN: How do you expect the Eagles to attack the Vikings, and how do you think the game turns out?BGN: Offensively, well http://www.thevikingslockerroom.com/aut … hes-jersey , I’m not sure. The Vikings’ defense is really good as it ranks fourth in defensive DVOA. Unless the offensive line just flat out dominates like they did in Green Bay, I have a hard time believing the Eagles can count on running the ball a ton. It feel like Carson Wentz will have to carry the offense with his arm. Wentz’s wide receiver options aren’t so great considering Alshon Jeffery still looks impacted by his calf injury and Agholor has been a disaster with drops and fumbles. The Eagles could really have to rely on their tight ends having big games in this one.Defensively, I think the Eagles would love for the Vikings try to “establish the run.” Jim Schwartz’s unit has done a great job of limiting opposing running backs this season. If the Vikings are smart, they’ll look to attack this leaky Eagles pass defense. At that point it’ll be up to the Eagles’ pass rush to get pressure on Cousins and force him into mistakes. Cousins is accounting for the fourth highest percentage of negative plays by quarterbacks this year, per The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia.This is a tough call. I don’t have a great feel for this game. My gut tells me the Eagles lose because this is a tough spot; the Vikings have the third best home winning percentage since Mike Zimmer was hired in 2014. But I’ve never been a big Cousins believer, going back to his days playing for Washington. It would very much go against my belief system to count on him to deliver a big win, despite his previous success against Philly’s defense.I’ll take the Eagles in an extremely close game: 24 to 23. Thanks for your insights and info on Sunday’s match up, Brandon. here’s to a good game with no injuries. And thanks for making me look good. Here’s a crazy thought: The Houston Texans with home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.Yep, the team that began the season 0-3 just might sneak past the Chiefs and Patriots and claim that coveted spot.The Texans have won nine in a row. They’ve done so in all sorts of ways, from strong defense to opportunistic offense to solid special teams to superb coaching.On Sunday, they face Indianapolis (6-6) and can pretty much knock the Colts out of postseason contention with a win.Indianapolis has won three of the past four against the Texans in a series in which the past eight games were decided by seven or fewer points.Should Houston get by the Colts, the remainder of the schedule has visits to the Jets and Eagles and a home finale against Jacksonville. Considering that two-month string of wins, why can’t the Texans run the table?“It’s a small accomplishment,” says defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who has justified being the top overall pick in the 2014 draft. “We still haven’t even won the division with winning nine in a row, we have no playoff spot, nothing right now locked up.“So, it’s a small accomplishment, but hopefully it will lead to bigger things for us. We’re playing for much more than just the division right now. We’re trying to play for first, second, third seed, whoever is ahead of us right now.”That would be Kansas City (10-2) and New England (also 9-3). Both have a more testing December.“I think it’s when you start to look ahead Womens Tom Compton Jersey , or you start to get overly excited about accomplishments that, not don’t mean anything, but winning nine in a row, winning a division, you take things one day at a time,” J.J. Watt adds.“I think that’s the biggest mentality I’ve taken away from it all is just control what you can control. If you try to start controlling things that you can’t control, then you can get in trouble.The weekend began with Thursday night with Tennessee‘s 30-9 home victory over Jacksonville.Derrick Henry sped and stiff-armed his way to a record-tying 99-yard touchdown run for Tennessee (7-6). Henry tied Tony Dorsett’s 99-yarder on Jan. 3, 1983, for Dallas against Minnesota for the longest TD run in NFL history. Henry set a franchise record with 238 yards on just 16 carries, topping the previous mark of 228 yards set by Chris Johnson in 2009 against yes, the Jaguars. Henry finished with a career-high four TDs, tying Lorenzo White and Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell for most rushing TDs in a single game in franchise history.Jacksonville dropped to 4-9.New Orleans (10-2) at Tampa Bay (5-7)The Saints take the NFC South with a win or a Carolina loss. They’re eager to get back on the field after their worst performance of 2018, a Thursday night loss at Dallas in which they were overwhelmed by the Cowboys’ defense.Tampa Bay, which has gained more yards on offense than anyone — yes, even New Orleans — won the first meeting to open the season. Then the Saints won their next 10 games.Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston has not turned over the ball since regaining the starting job two weeks ago. In the past three games, one in relief, Winston has completed 61 of 84 (72.6 percent) with six touchdowns and one interception for a 119.1 rating.Los Angeles Rams (11-1) at Chicago (8-4)The Rams already own the NFC West title. They earn a first-round playoff bye by beating the Bears.This is an intriguing matchup, LA‘s second-ranked offense against Chicago’s No. 4 defense. The Bears are second stingiest against the run, and the Rams’ Todd Gurley leads the NFL in both yards rushing (1,175) and yards from scrimmage (1,649). Chicago’s defense leads the NFL with 21 interceptions and will test Jared Goff.Chicago hopes to have regular quarterback Mitchell Trubisky back from a shoulder injury that cost him two games. He’ll need to watch for Rams DT Aaron Donald, making a strong statement for a second straight NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. He tops the NFL with 16½ sacks Kyle Rudolph Jersey , has at least two in three straight games.New England (9-3) at Miami (6-6)A Patriots win — this is one place they don’t like, having lost four of the past five at Miami — means yet another AFC East crown, 10 in a row. Tom Brady has won 12 of his past 13 starts within the division. He’s also ready to establish another NFL record: Brady has 579 career TD passes, including postseason, tied with Peyton Manning for the most.New England also has found a rushing defense, not allowing a 100-yard gainer since Week 3.Miami has been outgained by 1,168 yards and is on pace to break the 1967 team record, yet is in wild-card contention. The Dolphins do rank third with 25 takeaways.Baltimore (7-5) at Kansas City (10-2)Cincinnati (5-7) at Los Angeles Chargers (9-3)Pittsburgh (7-4-1) at Oakland (2-10)Two AFC division races involved here.The Ravens have crept within a half-game of the Steelers in the North, but have a massive challenge at KC while Pittsburgh shouldn’t struggle much at lowly Oakland.Beating the high-powered Chiefs at Arrowhead calls for a monstrous defensive showing, and Baltimore has the top-ranked D. It also has a clock-killing run game with rookie Lamar Jackson at QB: The Ravens have had at least 200 yards rushing in three straight weeks.Still, Kansas City is 5-0 at home and leads the league in scoring at 37 points per game. Patrick Mahomes has a league-leading 41 TD passes and 43 throws of 25-plus yards.Kansas City, which gets a playoff berth with a win, can’t afford a stumble with the Chargers one game back; they meet next Thursday night. With Cincinnati in a rugged, injury-caused slump, LA could romp Sunday.The Chargers have a few complicated ways of getting at least a wild card this week. Philip Rivers has thrown two or more TDs in each of his first 12 games, tied for the third-longest streak to begin a season in NFL history.Rivers has 10 TDs and six INTs in six games against the Bengals, who have won four straight meetings in the regular season.The Raiders have won the past three home games in this series since losing in 1995 and the Steelers are 3-8 all time in Oakland. Still, unless they hand things to the Raiders, they should win even without standout RB James Conner (ankle).Minnesota (6-5-1) at Seattle (7-5), Monday nightWhoever emerges here has an inside track to a wild-card berth, though the Vikings still think they can grab the NFC North title.Seattle is exceptional in prime time: 24-5-1 since 2010. Russell Wilson has 29 touchdown passes and five interceptions through 12 games. He has thrown at least two touchdowns in eight straight outings and has 16 touchdowns and two interceptions in Monday night games. Plus, the Seahawks are leading the NFL averaging 148.8 yards per game rushing.But Seattle has been inconsistent defending the pass http://www.thevikingslockerroom.com/aut … ton-jersey , and Kirk Cousins tops the league with 350 completions. Adam Thielen leads the NFL with 98 catches, is second in yards with 1,166, and tied for fifth in TDs with nine. Thielen and Stefon Diggs are the only pair of teammates in the NFC with 80 or more receptions.Philadelphia (6-6) at Dallas (7-5)A Cowboys victory gives them control of the NFC East; they won at Philly earlier this season. Dallas has won four straight and comes off that impressive victory against the Saints, followed by a nice rest.Eagles TE Zach Ertz has already established a single-season franchise record with 93 receptions He’s 18 away from breaking Jason Witten’s NFL record for TEs.New York Giants (4-8) at Washington (6-6)Remember Mark Sanchez? He’s now the Redskins‘ starter with both Alex Smith and Colt McCoy out with broken legs. It’s his first start since 2015, and the Redskins are a banged-up bunch everywhere.New York, which lost star safety Landon Collins (shoulder) for the rest of the season, has won three of four since its bye. RB Saquon Barkley and WR Odell Beckham Jr., are having big years despite a leaky offensive line.Atlanta (4-8) at Green Bay (4-7-1)Most interesting story line is Joe Philbin taking over as Packers coach and calling plays for the first time in his pro career. Aaron Rodgers has thrown a franchise-record 336 attempts without an interception, trailing only Brady (358 in 2010-11) for the longest such stretch in league history.Linebacker Deion Jones had a career-high 15 tackles and one sack last week, returning after missing 10 games while injured. But the Atlanta defense is 31st against third downs (51 percent).Denver (6-6) at San Francisco (2-10)The Broncos have awakened with three consecutive victories. But they have one road win in the past 30 seasons vs. the 49ers. They lost top wideout Emmanuel Sanders in practice this week with a torn Achilles tendon.San Francisco’s five takeaways are the fewest through 12 games since at least 1940. The previous low was seven for Jacksonville in 2016.Carolina (6-6) at Cleveland (4-7-1)A four-game slide has seriously endangered the Panthers‘ playoff chances. Their passing game has struggled and now Cam Newton has a sore right shoulder. He was picked off four times last week.But they’re averaging 140.8 rushing yards per game, only behind Seattle’s 148.8.Coach Ron Rivera fired D-line coach Brady Hoke and assistant secondary/cornerbacks coach Jeff Imamura.Top overall draft pick Baker Mayfield threw three interceptions in the first half in a loss at Houston to dampen some of the enthusiasm in Cleveland. The Browns lead the AFC with 27 takeaways.New York Jets (3-9) at Buffalo (4-8)It looks as if Sam Darnold is recovered from his strained right foot, setting up a matchup with fellow first-round selection Josh Allen among rookie QB prospects.Darnold has a 3-6 record and has thrown a league-high 14 interceptions. Allen has 391 yards passing, three TDs and two interceptions, and 234 yards rushing and a TD in his past two games since missing four with a sprained right throwing elbow.Detroit (4-8) at Arizona (3-9)The Lions have lost eight straight at Arizona, their last win coming in 1993. Plus, Detroit is 0-3 against the NFC West this season.Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald needs one catch to move ahead of Jerry Rice for the most receptions for one team in NFL history. Fitzgerald needs one TD catch to match Antonio Gates for sixth on the career list.