The Eagles have their home opener against the Rams at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday afternoon.
A loss to Washington in Week 1 has the Eagles at 0-1 coming into this game, while the Rams are 1-0 thanks to their win over the Cowboys.
Here are a few important links:
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And here are three important things to know before kickoff:
1. Under Doug Pederson and Jim Schwartz, the Eagles have traditionally been a very good home team. The crowd at the Linc plays a role in that, no doubt. But there won’t be fans in the stadium on Sunday or in any of the games at least to start the season.
In a year full of weird, the home opener will be no different.
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“I think having no fans, I think the biggest thing is being able to adapt as a team,” Fletcher Cox said. “Being able to adapt with no fans. Knowing that we have to bring our own energy, the players, the coaches, everybody. We have to bring our own energy and keep that energy on the sideline. Because we all we got on the sideline. And we keep the energy up and that’s going to help a lot. Being able to adapt, that’s the biggest thing. We got a taste of it last week on the road and we know what it’s going to be like. We just gotta roll with it.”
How good have the Eagles been at home in recent years?
Under Pederson and Schwartz, the Eagles are 23-9 at home and 15-18 on the road.
2. The Eagles lost in Week 1 but there were plenty of positives too, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Several players really stood out:
Darius Slay: In Week 1, the Eagles top corner stuck with Terry McLaurin for most of the afternoon, limiting McLaurin to two catches for 28 yards. Slay showed off the sticky cover skills he’s been known for throughout his career.
Malik Jackson: After missing most of last season, Jackson is on a mission this season to make sure people remember him. He got off to a good start in Washington. He worked well with Fletcher Cox and once Javon Hargrave is back, they are going to have a dynamic trio of interior pass rushers.
Josh Sweat: Vinny Curry suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday that landed him on IR, so it’s a good sign it looks like Josh Sweat is ready to take a bigger role. Sweat was one of the best defensive linemen in the league in Week 1, according to ProFootballFocus. His sack in Week 1 was also one of the quickest in the league.
3. If you don’t know what to make of the Eagles, you’re not alone. Oddsmakers seem pretty lost too.
The Eagles opened as 3.5-point favorites over the Rams, according to PointsBet. But then the line shifted in the Rams’ favor by 1.5 points and then the Eagles were back to being 1-point favorites by Friday. It’s been pretty wild.
As our own Michael Gatti pointed out, the Eagles are 2-2 against the spread in home openers but are 12-2-1 ATS in their last 15 meetings against the Rams, who will have to travel across the country after playing on Sunday Night Football in Week 1.