Unstoppable force vs. immovable object?
We'll find out which is which Sunday when the 10-1 Eagles, coming off a massive rushing performance against the Packers, take on star running back Derrick Henry and the 7-4 Titans at the Linc.
This matchup has always been one to keep an eye on, especially with how suspect the Eagles' run defense has been the past few weeks.
They reinforced it with the signings of veteran defensive tackles Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh, and could be getting more help with a possible Jordan Davis return, but Green Bay running backs AJ Dillon and Aaron Jones still found plenty of gaps Sunday night.
So going up against Henry, one of the NFL's elite runners, figured to be a huge litmus test for where the Eagles actually are.
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There is a huge caveat though: Cincinnati found a way to successfully stymie Henry and the Titans through the ground on Sunday, holding them to just 63 yards total rushing on the day in a 20-16 loss.
That tape might be huge for defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon's game planning this week.
The Eagles, as they've been for most of the season, are going into Week 13 as the favorites, but just by 5.5 points this time.
Setback or not, on paper, the Titans' offense still does present matchups problems with the way the past few weeks have gone.
Here's a look at the odds across several sportsbooks:
Book | Spread | Money Line | Total (O/U) |
DraftKings | PHI -5.5 | TEN +200 PHI -240 | 44.5 |
FanDuel | PHI -5.5 | TEN +194 PHI -235 | 44.5 |
BetMGM | PHI -5.5 | TEN +200 PHI -250 | 44.5 |
UniBet | PHI -5.5 | TEN +190 PHI -240 | 44.5 |
PointsBet | PHI -5.5 | TEN +190 PHI -240 | 44.5 |
There's another major storyline to keep an eye on too. A.J. Brown will be facing his former team for the first time since his draft-night trade out of Tennessee, and he's also coming off an interesting couple of weeks.
The Eagles' top receiver has now fumbled in consecutive games, and even though he was sick ahead of Sunday night's win, still powered through and made four catches for 46 yards and a touchdown. '
He apparently wasn't feeling great through any of it though. Per the NFL Network's James Palmer, Brown busted a blood vessel in his eye from throwing up and lost seven about seven pounds ahead of Sunday night.
More to the fumble, Brown told NBC 10's John Clark: “I told myself I was going to work on it this week. The ball security. To be honest, I was sick. I’m not making excuses. I’ve got to be better with the ball. I’ve just got to do a better job with the details and protecting the ball.”
What better way and what better time to do that than against your old team?
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